The family spent a little more time sorting out their feelings inside the house. There were a few more tears and a lot more hugging and kissing. They shared their stories and their experience with the voice that pulled them into this world. In the end they all felt pleasantly empty and light on their feet after everything they had been hiding was let out. After their family time, they decided that it was best to inform Jim about the recent discoveries that they had made.
They moved together, Arc in the middle with an arm around the shoulder of his son and his wife hanging off his other arm. Jim had taken to relaxing under a tree out back while they were talking, but once he saw them, he stood up again and moved to meet them halfway. Once they were within speaking distance, Jim spoke out to Aaron.
“Well, it looks like things went over alright. What I tell you kid?” He had a happy by proxy smile that covered most of his face.
Aaron sheepishly admitted that the man had known what he was talking about. “Yeah, I guess you were right. Sorry for being a bit hostile towards you.”
Jim waved him off. “Nah, it’s alright kid. Being your age is confusing enough as it is, but adding your situation on top of it was just downright unfair. I’m glad everything worked out for you though. Your family is lovely and deserves every good thing you can get.”
“Uhm, thanks.” Aaron still wasn’t used to the whole happy functional family thing, at least not in the capacity where he was willing to accept it and be accepted in return, so compliments to that effect were difficult for him to process. Luckily, his dad was there to come to the rescue.
“Thank you, Jim, for more than just the compliment. You convinced Aaron to open up to us, didn’t you?”
“If I say yes, you’re not going to blow me up with your mind or something right?” Jim said with a smirk.
Arc chuckled a bit. “Wouldn’t dream of it. While I didn’t exactly expect the results of your conversation with my son to be this, I can’t deny that it has had a profoundly positive effect. We’ve learned something quite unexpected about all of us.” Arc went on to explain to Jim the revelation that they had during their family talk. Jim listened with varying degrees of interest until the story came to an end.
“Damn, you don’t say? Well, I pieced it together about Aaron, but you two didn’t strike me as members of the modern world we came from. I guess that says a lot about how you’ve adjusted to your life here.” He chuckled a little bit. “You’ve gone native.”
“Yeah, though I guess it helps that we were all rather discontented with our lives back on earth. We welcomed the change without looking back, so it made it easier to adjust to this world.”
“I can see that. It’s easier to adapt to a change in environment when you are seeking an escape from your last one. I suppose that puts me in a similar boat.”
That made the family raise an eyebrow or two. “Really?” Lily asked. “I’m sorry if it seems insensitive, but you didn’t really seem like you were struggling with anything judging by the way you acted.”
Jim let out a little chuckle. “Well, I suppose that when you are serving in the armed forces, you are taught to adapt to situations as they arise. I’ll admit, I wasn’t exactly unhappy with my life as it was. I had friends, a few family members I got along with, and a structured order to my life. However, I'm not sure when all of you ended up making the transition here, but the world as I knew it was starting to fall apart at the seams. There was so much stress and anxiety about the future, doubly so for us who served. Perhaps saying that I was tired would be a good way to put it.”
He let out a more mirthless chuckle than last time. “Funny really. I’m not even thirty yet and I was feeling like I wanted to retire to the countryside. I suppose I got my wish in a way, though not how I expected it. Retirement via death, that’s the kind of dark humor that was passed around quite often, though it was usually directed at the salty bastards that called themselves our officers.” Jim shook his head a little before returning to a cheerier attitude. “Well, who am I to turn my nose up at getting exactly what I asked for. A few stipulations in the contract should be expected, all things considered.”
Arc took the moment to speak up. “Out of curiosity, we all talked about it, and found that the voice that called us over asked what our wish was. If it’s not a private thing, what did you ask for?”
“Nothing too impressive really. I just wanted a quiet life where I could make good friends and possibly start a family of my own. Considering the world I landed in, including the first hour where I had to shoot some kind of werewolf looking thing, it’s probably not going to be completely quiet, but that’s fine. A little excitement every now and again will keep things fresh.”
Arc flashed a friendly smile at Jim. “Well, I think we might be able to help with at least one of those things. After everything is said and done, you did do a lot to help my family, and I would be more than happy to call you friend if you like.” Arc extended a hand to the man who looked somewhere between surprised and touched.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
After only a second more of consideration, Jim took Arc’s hand and gave it a firm shake. “I think I would like that. Thank you, I hope we might be able to sit down for a drink at some point, but first I feel like I need an introduction to this world and a plan on how to proceed.”
“Of course, we’d be happy to help you get on your feet.” Lily offered. “But first, I think we need to get you some new clothes. While the fatigues look nice on you, they are very out of place in this world and are likely to draw a few strange looks at the very least.”
“Sounds like a plan. You lead the way because I have no idea where we need to go. I’ll be sure to pay you back for them once I get a job.”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. We’re not even close to poor and some basic clothing is no big deal. I’m sure there will be plenty of opportunities to pay us back in other ways.”
“If you say so ma’am, thank you for the generosity.”
“Enough of that ma’am stuff as well. If we’re going to be friends, you need to use our names.”
Jim gave an amused scoff. “I guess you’re right about that. Old habits die hard, especially since I'm so early into my ‘retirement.’ I’m looking forward to learning from you, and thanks once again, Lily, Arc, and even you Aaron. Out of all the situations I could have found myself in, I'm glad that it was this one.”
The family was humbled to hear his praise and gratitude and was eager to help him adjust to his new life. Truly, after some time and adjustment was had, it was like they had another family member. Thus, Uncle Jim came to be accepted into this world.
Jim got a workshop job, which involved a lot of engineering that he excelled in. Soon after that, he invented a suspension system for carriages that greatly improved the quality of rides over long distances. The patent for that made him considerably wealthy, enough that he could spend most of his days relaxing if he wished it, but he kept up his work dutifully in an effort to improve the quality of life for the denizens of this world.
He had gained enough funds to buy his own plot of land close enough to the rest of his new family and had a nice house built on it. Jim and Arc would frequently have drinks with one another, either at the tavern or from their personal stocks. Life was good for them as they all managed to find exactly what they needed.
A little over six months later, Arc, Lily, and Aaron were sitting down around their table as they had something to ask their son. Lily started.
“Aaron, we wanted to talk to you about something.”
“I’m not in trouble, am I?” He didn’t think he was, but it was always better to be safe.
“No, no, nothing like that.” She reached over and took hold of her husband’s hand, taking a moment to share a smile with him. “We just wanted to know what you might think about being an older brother.”
Aaron blinked, his mind taking a moment to connect what she just said with the implications attached to it. “Wait, you mean...”
Arc nodded. “Yes, your mother and I just found out the other day. She’s pregnant, and if everything goes well, you’ll be a big brother.”
Aaron could do nothing but stare for a moment as his mind flipped. He never had siblings before and had never considered the possibility of it. Now that there was a real chance of it happening, he couldn’t help but smile at the idea as elation exploded inside of him.
“Yes! I would love to be a big brother! I’ll be the best big brother ever!”
Arc let out a happy laugh. “That’s what I like to hear! Get over here.” Arc gestured for his son to join them on their side of the table, and he did so with no hesitation.
They all shared a close moment together, Aaron even tried to feel his mother’s belly for some sign of his brother or sister to be. It wasn’t very likely at this early stage, but it would make for a happy memory, nonetheless. While this was happening, Lily had a thought occur to her that made her happy smile melt into a look of deep consideration.
Arc noticed this change in his wife immediately. “Lily? What’s wrong?”
She snapped out of it. “Oh, sorry, it’s nothing serious. It’s just... I was considering, what’s the possibility that our next child turns out, well, like us?”
It took a moment to realize what she meant exactly, but then it dawned on them both. Everyone started to eye her midriff a little differently now before Arc decided to break the tension a little.
“Nah, I mean, what are the odds of that?” He chuckled a little bit.
Lily followed suit with a small chuckle of her own. “Yeah, I guess that would be a little too crazy.”
“It’s got to at least be very unlikely, right.” Aaron helpfully added.
Silence. The room was quiet for a minute with everyone just looking and thinking.
“So...” Arc began, breaking the silence. “We should be ready with a questionnaire, agreed?
“Agreed.” The other two echoed.
Meanwhile, in a space between the physical and the spiritual, a being of unimaginable power and indescribable form looked through a small window that poked a hole through the fabric of reality. This window allowed an unobstructed view of the family from another world as they sat around the table. The entity, for all its knowledge and power, enjoyed the sight of them all so happily living their simple lives.
Despite its nearly omnipotent presence, the entity had not actually accounted for the two adults meeting in such a way, but that just made it all the more entertaining. The ability for mortals to so casually keep them on their equivalent of toes with the little twists and turns that they took seemingly at random throughout their lives would never get old. This family did provide a unique opportunity though, one that would allow the entity to aid even more lost souls who were in need of a more familiar mindset to put their hearts at ease. Young Aaron was a prime example, even if the whole family needed a little outside help to finally open up to each other.
Content to let the family continue unobserved for a while, the entity got back to work, combing the realities that branched off into the great nexus of life for those who were in need of a second chance at happiness. The entity reflected on itself for a moment. It could do anything, be anything, be worshipped by anyone, yet it chose to do this, to bring happiness and find satisfaction in such a deed. It did the equivalent of a smile to itself before it felt the pain of another soul blackened by poor circumstances and the cruelty of chance. Reaching through the veil between worlds, it extended an approximation of a hand to this lost one as it had done so many times before. Perhaps the entity might gently encourage the formation of more of these families.