I sit up to look between my legs, checking out how much blood is coming out. Nion continues to clean me until the bleeding passes.
“There you go. You are all done,” Nion says, igniting the last bloody cloth. “I’ll ready a bath for you.”
“I don’t know what to do right now,” I say, snuggling Zazy’s blanket into my face to smell the remnants of him. For a few seconds, we sit in silence, then she quietly snaps her fingers.
“Let’s go fix your flying dilemma.”
“I’ll pass.”
“What if I told you you’re almost there, hmm?” My right ear perks up. “Vodkis,” she says in a calm voice. “You’re almost ready.”
“How do you know this?”
“My,” she says, chuckling. “My speciality is peering.”
“Do you know everything?”
“Oh, no. Picture yourself as a book with chapters. All I’m doing is skimming for specific information.” I suddenly get a sense of hope that I might be close. As I look back at what I have accomplished, I see further into the possible reality of achieving my goal. My heart rate jumps and causes pleasant tingles all over my body.
“Do you know what’s wrong with me?” She moves into my tent to lay on her legs next to me, then puts the side of her hand between my breasts. “What are you doing?”
“Sensing your verve. It’s high, but it’s resting at a base level.”
“Okay? What does that mean?”
“Nothing important at the moment. We can discuss that another time.”
“Alright?” She stops touching my chest and heads out of my tent holding my hand.
“Let’s go figure this out.”
“Hold on.” When I take my hands off Zazy’s blanket, she launches me into the sky and follows close while I tumble uncontrollably.
“Nion!? What the hell! I can’t fly!”
“Focus, Vodkis. Control yourself.” It takes a moment to make myself not spin, but I’m still moving through the air.
“What now?!”
“This is going to be interesting,” Nion says, giggling behind the backside of her right hand.
“Nion, help me!”
“Relax.” She maneuvers behind my back to hold me from behind. Her grip is gentle but doesn’t change the direction I’m going. “Listen to my voice,” she whispers in a low volume that echoes. It feels like the inside of my ear is pushed open. The sound of the wind and the feeling of it against my skin becomes dull. “Drift and soar. Think about the path and not the fall.” I close my eyes. The weight of my body lightens. “That’s it.”
“Am... I doing it?” Out of nowhere, Zazy says my name as if he’s inside my head. I look everywhere to find him, but he’s not around me. “Zazy?” I say, tearing up. “Is that you?”
“It’s me, my radiant moonlight. Nion is somehow making a way for me to communicate with you from this place.”
“Zazy, I’m so sorry. I couldn’t...”
“It’s okay. I know what happened. Let’s not talk about it right now. You’re flying at the moment.”
“Oh, crap!”
“Focus. You’re doing good right now.” The angle of my trajectory changes into an instant downfall angle. I panic and spiral out of control.
“Zazy!”
“You’re okay. Put the wind on the stomach.”
“Okay!”
“Okay, Vodkis,” Nion says. “Try imagining gliding against the wind that’s under your stomach.” She lets me go.
“Nion, you better stay with me,” I say in a minor growling tone. Zazy starts chuckling along with her. Their laughter makes me sour. “Not funny, guys!”
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“Sorry, my love,” Zazy says. “That was rude of me.” His apology and calling me his love takes me out of my angry mood. My body becomes light. Something warm with a surge of energy within my chest crawls throughout my body. I come to a crawling speed while descending. I’m levitating but can’t freely control where I want to go.
“Whoa! Am I doing it?”
“Go up.” I look up at the sky before jolting upwards. The distance is short. It only lasts two seconds before I’m levitating again.
“Oh my goodness! Was that it?”
“Yes! Now try moving forward.”
“Like this?” I move at a downward angle with my arms straight ahead and hands in a fist.
“Try to stay leveled.”
“I’m trying,” I say, staggering to stay straight. Eventually, I maintain a horizontal flight, but it’s tiring me out. “Zazy, why am I so exhausted? I feel like I’m sprinting.”
“It’s your first time using this type of verve. You need to build a tolerance for it. Try getting on the ground before you overwork yourself.”
“Nion?”
“I got you,” Nion says, putting her hands near me. I reach the ground but have to get on all fours to catch my breath.
“Zazy, did you see that?!”
“I did! You did amazing!” Zazy says. My excitement is so overwhelming that I end up crying while laughing. “I’m so proud of you.” His voice leaves me like he’s getting further away.
“Zazy?” I stupidly look around to search for him. When I notice what I’m doing, I laugh at myself. “Oh,” I whisper, looking up to the sky. “Zazarel?” He doesn’t say a word. I say his name again but he doesn’t respond. “Nion, I can’t hear him?”
“Don’t count on having a moment like that again,” Nion says as she sits with me.
“Why not?”
“Kitaken is a resting place. Connecting him to you is like taking someone out of deep sleep to make them do an immense workout. It would tire him and disrupt his rest.”
More sad news.
“So, that was my only time talking to him?” I say.
“Maybe, but don’t get your hopes up, Vodkis. I don’t want you waiting for something that might not happen.”
“Well, at least he saw me fly and is proud of me,” I say in a dull voice. “I’m already missing him, again.”
“Let’s,” she says, helping me up to my feet, “go get something to eat, hmm?”
“Do you mind cooking this time? My chefs don’t make the tastiest of foods.”
“Darn. I’m sorry to hear that. I better go teach those cooks my ways. I’ll cook your meals until you don’t want me to.”
“Wow, really?”
“Of course,” she says with a big grin with her eyes closed.
*ONE WEEK LATER*
I’m amazed at how different ways of explaining things can create a better sense of understanding. Somehow, within a few days, I’m flying, kinda. I can’t fly at quick speeds that involve fast maneuvers. It tires me out too quickly. Nion has found a way to slowly increase my endurance. Three times a day for thirty minutes on a small hill, I meditate while levitating a foot from the ground. I have to keep my body relaxed. No slouching, no talking, and eyes closed. My mind must remain void of any thoughts other than focusing on getting better.
“Okay, that’s it,” Nion says. First, I open my eyes before descending to the ground. My whole body pulsates as if I just got done working out.
“I’m making more progress than I ever did,” I say while lying on my back.
“Oh, and we have a visitor.” I open one eye to see where she’s looking at. Someone is coming from behind me. She’s smirking.
“Who is it?”
“Good morning, Purah!”
“Purah?” I swing my legs forward to make myself sit up quickly.
“Good morning, ladies,” Purah says, waving both of her hands.
“Purah, you flatter me,” Nion says with a bow. “But I’m a cherub, not a woman.”
“Oh, whatever. I know what I created, I think. I’m still through reading my origins.” They both giggle like little gossiping sisters.
“So, what brings you here?” Purah looks at me and smiles.
“Me?” I say, pitching my voice an octave high. “Why?”
“I wanted to say hi and see how you are doing.”
“So far, I’m fine. Nion is helping me with flying, plus I’m excited to see my finished house today.”
“Oh!” Nion shouts. She jumps up and then puts her hand over her forehead to block the sunlight. “Prepare yourself, Vodkis. They just finished.”
“What? really?!” I get so excited that I jump up to see my house and end up floating for a moment off the ground.
“Meet me there.” In a flash of a light blue bubble, she instantly pops out on the roof of my house.
“Whoa! She’s quick!”
“Quicker than me,” Purah says.
“So, you made her?”
“Yeah,” she says, walking down the hill with me. “From what I wrote, I made her as a female counterpart to Tagenta and be his companion.”
“Besides the hair, she looks nothing like him.”
“I know,” she says while laughing. I laugh alongside her. “Nion is too obedient while Tagenta acts like a hyper boyish man.”
“Really?”
“I’m dead serious. He likes to have fun, whatever the case may be. He likes to party and have fun. His duties come second when he has exhausted all his hyper energy.”
“I’m curious what comes first.”
“Me.” Her cheeks blush. “He’s... so romantic. It’s like he knows everything about what can please me.”
“Well, He created you, right?”
“Duh!” she says before slapping her forehead. “Of course. Why didn’t I think of that?”
“I’m glad you’re feeling loved.”
“What do you mean?” She locks her arm around my left arm with her left hand rubbing my tricep. “Are you still mourning?”
“I don’t think I can move away from Zazy’s influence. There’s no man out there that can replace him.”
“Oh, Vodkis...”
“Let’s talk about something else,” I say, holding in my tears.
“I heard Tagenta offered you a job. Are you gonna take it?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’ll join you if you do.” The thought of her being with me does entice my decision. “I think it’ll help if you get out of this place.”
“You think so?”
“This place keeps reminding you of him. Getting the job could help you.” Leaving the world Zazy and I lived through doesn’t sit well with me, but I’m suffering inside each day I stay here. I think this is the best path for me to heal.
“Tell,” I say, momentarily second-guessing my decision.
“Yes?”
“Tell Tagenta I’ll take the job.”
“Are you sure you want this? This may help you, but I don’t want to hurt you any further.”
“I won’t know till I try it.”