To-do list
* Bring the old TV back to Octavia
* Buy a couple of novel
* Bring your smartphone with you
* Buy a chicken
Liam stared at the ‘thing’. He couldn’t process what he is looking at for a while. After he realized it is the core that showing him this thing, he started to muse.
“I do want to buy a book and the rest of it is the things I wanted to do, but why did it appear now?”
He did indeed contemplate about the things he needed to do and these were the ones he prioritized but,
“What about the chicken. I did indeed think this morning, it would be great to have one, but how this core thing decides what is important, what is not? And why did it appear now? Oh is it because I was thinking about what to do?”
“More importantly, how do I close this?”
The moment he thought about closing, it disappeared.
“So mental command it is.”
He played with it for a while. At first, he opened the list only after ten seconds of concentration. With repetition, duration come down to two seconds. Liam continued to try and make it appear the moment he thought, but it didn’t go down the 2-second limit.
“Oh, so I can’t make it appear instantly. Whatever, I was thinking what to do, so what did it listed again? TV? I already completed it with mom, so books? I could take one or two from the library but there was a time limit wasn’t there. That eliminates the library option. I guess I can buy it online, but for today I can just pass the day in the library.”
He could just sit around the house but, yes it is quite charming to laze around all day if there wasn’t a crazy alien girl back at his dwelling. To forget it books would do wonders for him, so he checked his clothes on the mirror and left the house.
After 5 minutes of walking, he remembered he wasn’t living alone.
“I already come this far, uhhhhhhhhhhhh.”
He was frustrated but he came back to inform her mom that, he will be going to the library, nonetheless. With that done he left the house once more.
Nearest library to their house was one hour on foot, so he just used the bus. He loved walking, but books took priority when he compared the two.
It took him twelve minutes to arrive at the library. Building was an old one, with the faded paint on the outer walls, wooden entrance and polished marble floor. Liam walked inside slowly while looking at the bookshelves curiously. There was a desk on the far left side of the entrance after passing the security guard. She didn’t question him or asked him to show his library card or anything, but he didn’t have the card to show her anyways.
He needed a library card though or whatever It requires him to borrow a couple of books. Behind the desk, another woman was sitting. She looked tired even though it was just past afternoon.
“Hi, I would like to use the library, but I don’t have a library card.”
“If you are going to read inside the library, you don’t need one; but if you want to borrow the book, hmm I guess we can arrange one in five minutes. Don’t worry its free, and you can keep the book up to two weeks.”
“Uh, I don’t exactly live in the city so it’s a little bit hard for me to visit here often. Is there any way to barrow the book longer?”
“On our website, you can prolong the duration for two more weeks, if you wish to.”
“Thank you.”
After he finished asking questions, librarian prepared his card while he stood in front of the desk doing nothing. After it's done he took the card and wander around the shelves. There wasn’t any specific book on his mind, so he sat between the shelves and picked a book randomly.
It was 8.30 pm when he decided to get up and leave. He picked two novel and one on history.
On the way back he decided to walk. It will take some time but he was okay with it.
While he was reading everything was perfect, he didn’t have to think. But like now, when you stop reading problems will flood your mind. Just like alcohol.
“My brain, it hurts. Uh, I don’t like humans but not to the extent of praying their extinction. In the first place, why did you create me or my kind? I know there is someone or something there and just sitting on his ass. I know there is someone that created us and leave it at that, why didn't you at least put a barrier or something on solar system. Are humans your pet or something, why don’t you show yourself HUH, WHY?”
He couldn’t keep his calm and started shouting in the middle of the road. Couple of people looked at him questioningly.
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“Sorry.”
After the apologize he quickly continued to walk. Rest of the road was silent. He didn’t talk to himself, at least he tried to. But negative thoughts always good at finding a way to crack his resolve. In short, stroll wasn’t as nice as intended.
When he arrived home his visage was solemn, of course, this made his mother more worried. He was sad and this was enough to make his mother more stressed. While she was thinking about how to make her son less depressed,
“Mom I know I wasn’t all that happy looking when I arrived but please don’t worry. It’s just as you know about Octavia, and I think it is normal to be stressed in these conditions. Like you know because there will be a war and humans will die. So that’s why I am scared.
Future looks terrible, I mean worse than ever. At least for me, I decided to wait for my death peacefully, but now; I how to struggle, fight for my life and your life. Just thinking about the possible human casualties making me sick. You know my view about others, I couldn’t be careless but If they were to die.
Even if the coming invaders were to torture every last human to get what they want, killing, raping, little humans; I couldn’t be careless. But that possibility comes with anguish and I don’t want that. I don’t want to fight or kill mom. Why do I have to kill to survive? Is there are a god? If there is why is he letting his creations suffer. Is this funny or is the god in question like me don’t care about us?”
His mother hugged her son. She wasn’t stressed because of what her son said, she was stressed because he was sad when he returned home. Today he was looking worse and that was the reason why she was worried.
After Liam calmed down, his mother left the room for preparing a meal. He didn’t start to feel good all of a sudden, he was a little bit drowsy and the headache was still there.
“Uh, why is this headache so strong. It feels like someone is drilling my brain, and he is taking his time while doing it.”
He left the couch to help his mother, in his condition he won’t be much of a help but he thought he will at least prepare the table. Dinner was eaten in silence. Liam wasn’t in the mood and his mother was thinking about how can she help her son.
After the meal,
“Let’s deal with the ownership of the land you spoke of tomorrow; after it's done, I can drop you to your dwelling.”
“Yeah, I want you to meet with her too. I think she needs to speak with someone, but I don’t think I am suitable for the role.”
“You said that she was escaping from some people, did she explain why?”
“She did: ‘I was escaping because my beliefs didn’t sit well with my people, and so they tried to throw me into prison but I escaped’ so she is a fugitive…
Liam explained everything he can. After he finished headache started to become unbearable so he went to bed.
“Liam, wake up. Breakfast is ready.”
“Uh, I overslept.”
“Yeah, you need to get up.”
After breakfast, they settled the land issue and headed towards the dwelling.
“Mom I am saying it again, don’t freak out when you met her. It is disturbing but, uh you will see it anyways.”
“I know; she will be speaking in my mind.”
“Hope you understand.”
“Don’t worry, how bad it could be?”
“It is not a bad experience because she will be speaking to your mind, it is terrifying because she can look at your brain and find the memory you can’t even remember.”
“No privacy at all huh.”
“Yeah”
After 20 minutes of car ride, they were surrounded by trees. They left the car to the side of the road and prepared to walk towards the dwelling.
“I will take the TV mom can you carry my backpack.”
“Okay, I am on it. You sure it’s okay to carry that yourself.”
“Don’t worry mom, it’s not that heavy.”
“If you say so, let’s move on then.”
Mother and son started to walk towards the dwelling, in silence. They weren’t talking, they wanted to but both of them were overly stressed and nervous.
Liam was nervous because there is a big possibility that his mother won’t take this lightly. Reality isn’t for everyone, some of the soft denizens of earth would go crazy on their first time meeting Olivia. Liam too wasn’t an exception, his mental state after their meeting would make him an unstable person if he were to think about the situation; but he didn’t.
His resistance to trauma was something he got from his experience from high school. It was normal for him, an everyday occurrence. So he just shut his brain down and keep breathing. Nothing else. No worries, no inner dialogue.
When they get close to the dwelling, Liam started to warn his mother,
“Mom, if it’s become unbearable, don’t force yourself. She isn’t someone you have to speak or persuade. You can just leave whenever you want.”
“Don’t worry I have you with me, I am not afraid.”
After Liam put the TV near the entrance of the cave, he started to walk inside the cave. There was something unfamiliar inside, a bed. It looked unnatural inside the cave, with its intricate carving on the wood.
“Octavia, are you there?”
“Oh Liam, welcome.”
“Uh, why were you hiding in the alcove?”
“Habit, when I heard the foots steps I hid there without thinking.”
“Okay. Uh, I bring my mother with me, would it be a problem?”
“No, if she doesn’t mind, I won’t either.”
“Mom, you can come in now. Octavia, be careful with the mind harassment.”
“Hi there, are you Octavia?”
“Yes, I am Octavia.”
“Huh! She really is speaking in my mind.”
“Like I said so. Did you think I was lying or something?”
“Uh, no but I wasn’t expecting it. It isn’t something I see every day.”
“I know, It’s okay. Mom this is Octavia; Octavia this is my mother Emma.”
“Liam, I know it’s not nice to say this but we need to hurry before it’s too late. If you are the owner now, let’s complete the process. You need to claim this land and much more of it. This mountain is empty except us so we can claim the whole land after you start.”
“Fine, I know I will die if I don’t.”
“Liam what did she said?”
“It’s about land, she is saying we need to complete the claiming process.”
“But we already did it this morning.”
“She knows, kind of read my mind and checked it already. Do you see the metal pile in the centre of the cave and pipes anchored around the cave? It’s about this formation, not the permission of the government but rather your volition was needed.”
“Huh?”
“I will explain it better later.”
After he finished speaking, Liam started to transfer mana into the formation.