Ten years have passed, and life in the village has become more routine, and therefore, more tolerable. The kids continue to bully and avoid Kassius at every turn, however, he found a way to avoid the bullies and learned to ignore the not-so-subtle signs of fear towards him from the younger kids. Rather than be ashamed of his ability, Kassius began to accept it and use it more frequently, as it is the only thing that gives him comfort in a place that doesn’t want him. He still spends most of his time on his own, still unable to make any friends. After the few attempts he made of making friends with the other kids his age, it would always end with someone reminding them that he is, at the end of the day, a freak to them. As always the only friends he ever had were the animals he took care of and Miss Jean was the only one who tried to make him stay, as much as he wanted to leave.
It was a beautiful winter day in New Hampton, just like most of the countries in the northern hemisphere, the month of December is when it snows nearly every day for the next month. The residents began decorating their houses for the holidays and the streets would be lively with the Christmas spirit. The orphanage was no exception. From top to bottom, the building was decorated with lights and garlands, with bright red and glittering gold Christmas balls to make it shine. The building would be mistaken for a normal house if not for the sign that says “Miss Mary’s Home for Troubled Youths.” at the font of the building, which was also decorated for the holidays. The kids would play with the kids from the houses and cover the sidewalks and the streets with snowmen and branches.
The only exception, of course, was Kassius. He spent most of his time alone under the tree near the playground, if not in his room. Kassius always liked the peace and quiet, especially during the holidays. With the entire village becoming lively and distracted with the holidays, he had more time and more space to himself in the entire village, he didn’t even have to try hiding. He sat under the tree and watched the birds making their nest for the winter, and felt slightly envious towards them. As much as he actively avoided the crowds of people during the holidays, he wanted to spend the holidays with someone, anyone. Alas, he knew that no one would spend even five minutes with him, let alone the entire holiday. “You’re always here, aren’t you?” said a voice from behind Kassius.
He jumped and looked behind him and saw the tall figure and brown hair of Ms. Jean. “Yeah, I didn’t want to spoil the fun,” Kassius responded with the attempt to sound indifferent, trying his best to hide his frown. “I think the holidays are the best time to make friends, Kassy.” Miss Jean said concerningly as she sat down beside Kassius. “Stop calling me that.” Kassius protested, slightly flustered, she smiled. “You know that they don’t want me to join them. I have and always will be a freak to them.” Kassius said, trying to keep his facade.
Miss Jean sighed loudly as if defeated and did not continue the topic. “Why aren’t you with the other kids and having fun?” he asked. “Cause I knew that you would be here, Kassy. I’m practically the only human friend you have in this village.” Miss Jean answered. Kassius tried to keep his facade of indifference but smirked a little without her noticing. “And besides, big celebrations aren’t my thing.” Miss Jean smiled and winked at Kassius.
Miss Jean has always been the only one to give Kassius the time of day. She was the only friend he had in the entire village, and the only one he could spend the holidays with, even if it was only for a while. She was the only family he had in the lonely life he led. She was also the only one to give Kassius a proper birthday celebration, even if she only gave him a birthday cake. A birthday cake has always been enough for Kassius considering people don’t even know, let alone remember his birthday.
“Also I thought I should give you this early.” Miss Jean put her hand in her jacket pocket and pulled out a gold necklace. “What’s that for?” asked Kassius. “It’s a birthday gift, of course.” Ms. Jean said beaming. “I know your birthday is the seventh, but I got excited when I bought it and wanted to see your reaction.” Kassius turned a slight shade of pink.
He knew that Miss Jean always remembered his birthday but this is the first time he has ever gotten a gift. He smiled and hugged her almost immediately. “Thanks,” Kassius said with a smile on his face. Ms. Jean beamed back at him and put the necklace around his neck. A black lace made up most of the necklace and at its middle, a golden bird shining brightly.
The bird reminded Kassius of the letter. “Ever since you came to the orphanage, the letter was the only connection you had to where you came from. I thought that you should have something that can let you connect with it even more.” Miss Jean said. “But I don’t even know where I came from…..no one does,” Kassius said gloomily.
“How could I connect with something that I don’t even know.” Miss Jean pulled his head to her shoulder gently. “You might’ve been raised in the orphanage, but you were born there,” said Miss Jean. “When you leave your home, you will think of it, imagine it, even dream of it. But one day, you will always come home. And your home is there.” Kassius stayed silent and rested his head on her shoulder, his heart feeling warm.
He has always wondered where he came from, he would always dream about it in his sleep and imagine when he was awake. As years went by, he began to imagine it less and accepted that the letter was nothing more than a joke someone left and that his arrival was pure coincidence. He even started to believe the rumor of how his family was too ashamed to have him as a son. All in all, he gave up on ever meeting someone who could be his true family, and he gave up on the dreams that he would find out where he came from. He accepted his life in New Hampton and he accepted living in the orphanage for most of his life.
“Well, I need to go and help with the rest of the decorations on the building.” Miss Jean said standing up. “Don’t stay out too long, you’ll get a cold.” she said. “Yes, Miss Jean,” Kassius, rolling his eyes. Miss Jean smiled and left towards the entrance of the playground. Kassius laid down on the soft snow beneath the tree and spent the next few hours relaxing, happy with the gift given to him. While it was still a few days, this was the best birthday he’s had by far, he couldn’t wait until he got his cake. For a moment, it didn’t matter that people didn’t like him, he had a friend that still cared.
The next few days passed by so quickly, same routine, each day. The only difference is the insult of the day. One day it was “freak”, the day after it was “mutant”. The best ones would be those that included curse words because every time Kassius would be called those, he wouldn’t be the one feeling sorry, nor was he the one in trouble that day.
Through the days, he was only excited for the cake he was expecting on the seventh, while it was such a simple thing to be excited about, nothing else made him happy, except his early birthday gift. He’d spend most of the day in his room looking at it and fiddling with it; he wondered how Ms. Jean was able to get something like this. Then again it would be rude to ask where she got it or how, and he didn’t want to be rude given that it was the only present he’ll ever receive, little did he know his birthday would be a lot more than he bargained for.
Morning rose on the seventh of December, Kassius awoke begrudgingly but realized immediately what day it was. For most, it was a normal day, but for Kassius it was his birthday. He dressed up and went downstairs for breakfast. He expected nothing less than the routine insults and staring when he came down and ate breakfast, however, on this day he also expected surprise because he almost never comes down early enough to eat with the rest of the kids, except for this day. While he always got curious stares on this day, no one bothered to know why he did this and minded their own business, for once. He finished breakfast with the rest of the kids and headed outside to the usual spot under the tree to avoid the noise. As he walked out of the orphanage, he found that a lot of kids were already out, with their friends or with their families.
Some of the men from the village were dragging a really big Christmas tree towards the park. Kassius thought if he kept quiet and got there before them, they wouldn’t notice him. Evidence to the contrary, Kassius liked villages. He liked walking down the street and appreciating the scenery as he passed by. He knew the people were afraid of him, if not afraid of him then hated him, but he liked to see them be happy, even if he was a little bit envious of them. He always kept hope that he would be able to live like that, with the people you love and close to you. He saw the few shops light up with Christmas signs and he saw numerous Santa Claus statues standing at the lawns of the houses. He never really cared much for the festivities, as he knew he would not usually take part in such occasions. Last year, he decided to skip caroling with the other kids, feeling that he would rather not show his face to anyone due to his reputation and his lack of confidence in his singing ability.
As he made his way down more houses, Kassius noticed a man walking in the opposite direction. An adult man with gray slicked-back hair and a bushy beard. If not for his clean jacket and jeans, the man would look rugged and dirty, as if he lived in the forest. Kassius looked straight ahead and tried to mind his own business, although he felt a chill down his spine, and it was not the cold. As he passed the man, he felt as if someone was gazing at him intently. Even if he kept moving, this feeling petrified him and made his stomach turn. He wanted to look and see if it was his imagination, however, he tried to convince himself that it was his imagination, to no avail. He did his best to make his way to the tree, trying not to look back. Before he knew it, he reached the playground without even noticing. He breathed a deep sigh of relief as he sat down beneath the tree. He’s used to staring after ten years of it, however, he felt a strong intent from the man's aura as he passed him.
While that frightened him a little bit more than he thought, he tried to put it behind him and hoped that he wouldn’t see the man again. A stray dog and a stray cat with her kittens came out from one of the bushes approaching him. The dog sat on his left, waiting to be pet by Kassius, while the cat led her kittens to Kassius’s lap to huddle together warmly. The animals are one of the few that Kassius “adopted” during his nights doing chores. “I’m glad I got some sort of greeting from someone,” Kassius said to the animals as he cuddled them for a little warmth. “My birthday is going fairly well….so far.” Just as he began to relax, he heard snow ruffling from behind him. He got up as fast as he could without startling the kittens on his lap. He slowly peeked behind the trunk of the tree to see a brown dog walking towards him. Letting out a sigh of relief, he sat back down and closed his eyes, to clear his head. “I should really calm down.
He thought to himself. The question persisted in his mind; who was that man?
“You sure attract a lot of animals, don’t you boy?” a deep voice said out of nowhere. Kassius opened his eyes to the brown dog looking at him. He looked around to make sure he wasn’t imagining a voice, but he saw no one around. “Are….YOU….talking to me?” Kassius anxiously asked. Silence filled the atmosphere for a moment while Kassius waited for the dog to respond. “Are you scared, boy?” The dog replied.
Kassius jumped out of his seat, scaring the kittens awake and the cat away from his side. “Y-you c-ca-can talk?!” Kassius said trying to get himself to form words he was briefly unable to. “I answered you didn’t I?” the brown dog responded. “Unless you think I’m just some moron hiding in the bushes trying to scare you.” Before Kassius could inspect the bushes the dog sighed.
“Don’t bother, my word I thought you were smarter than this.” Kassius prepared a retort but he was so startled and amazed that he could hear a dog, a shaggy, brown dog, actually talk. “Ho–....Wh–....What ar–....” Kassius tried to keep a straight face, even though his mind was all over the place. Thoughts like “What am I seeing?”, “Am I dreaming?”, and “Maybe I am a freak.” were some of the thoughts going through his mind but he couldn’t seem to settle on one.
“Maybe I should change into something with a little bit more sense, huh?” the brown dog suggested. The dog walked over to the bushes and hid behind it. With a slight ruffle of the leaves, an adult man slowly came into view, as if he was growing from the bottom of the bush. Kassius, already startled from the talking dog, looked even more shocked at the realization of the man he was looking at. It was the man he passed by on the way to the playground.
“You’re– Your–Y–” the man interrupted Kassius. “Yes, I’m a man, and yes I’m the man you just passed.” the man said nonchalantly. Pulling himself together, Kassius finally spoke. “Who are you? What are you? Why? What’s going on?” Kassius burst with questions taking a minute or so blurting out every question he could think, sounding more anxious with every question he asked.
After a moment, he took a deep breath and fell into silence. “You calmed down enough, boy?” said the man in a deep and gentle voice. Kassius nodded and sat down on a nearby bench. “Are you gonna kill me?” Kassius asked after taking a deep breath. “I wasted ten minutes standing here watching you break down, I would have killed you before then, boy.”
Rather than reassure Kassius, this statement made him even more anxious. Kassius took a more thorough look at the man now that he had a clear mind. The man wore a worn brown cloak, had slick gray hair with a full beard. He seemed very fit for a man who looked like he hadn't showered in months. His clothes were filled with patches, rips, and dirt on his clothes. If it weren’t for the fact that he could understand animals, Kassius would have run the moment he saw the man, let alone the talking dog.
“Thought you would be used to talking to animals, boy?” said the man. “I’m not used to hearing them talk out loud, I always thought I was imagining–” Kassius said, interrupted by the man. “Ah, but you still communicate despite the “imagination”, hmmm?” “You still haven’t asked the most obvious question someone would ask?” Kassius looked at him confused. “How do I know you?” said the man. He sat down beside Kassius. “Bottomline boy, I was the one who sent you here.”
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Kassius did his best to calm down, taking deep breaths, looking at anything else but the man for a little bit of comfort, and fidgeting as he listened to what the man had to say. “I will answer a few of your numerous questions, all will be answered in due time, boy.” the man said, sounding more gentle rather than disgruntled. “For starters, I am called Auralius, and I am the owner of a special institution for children like you.” “And these children like you are special in ways you can only imagine.”
“And the reason I approached you was that you are already old enough to join us.” Auralius sat silent for a moment looking at Kassius, expecting a response, but Kassius couldn’t form words, looking dumbfounded. “Kassius, all of your abilities are special, but not out of the ordinary.” the man continued. “In our institution, we help children get educated with what this world offers and what our world offers. We also prepare children for the future of both worlds, creating peace.”
“Oh, I also forgot, You, boy, are a Gaian,” Auralius said with a very reassuring tone. Kassius felt his anxiety ebb away as he heard his last few words. “Gaian?” Kassius asked. “That is what we call those who come from the time before,” Auralius said. At that moment, Kassius had a clear mind but a vivid imagination. He always wanted to know where he came from, but never in his dreams could he have expected this, this seemed too good to be true. Maybe it was.
“How am I supposed to believe all this?” Kassius asked instinctively. “I figured morphing into a dog would convince you no problem. It seems you want more, don’t you boy?” Auralius said, his eyes rolling and a deep sigh leaving his mouth. Auralius pulled out a cup, a golden goblet with signs etched on the hilt and design that Kassius has never seen before.
He gave Kassius the cup and poured a liquid from a flask he pulled from his pocket. As the liquid-filled the cup, it produced a huge puff of smoke that grew bigger and bigger. “Look closely now boy, or you’ll miss everything and I won’t give you a repeat,” Auralius said, now in a stern voice. The cloud of smoke started to form before Kassius’s eyes, enveloping the area around him. A tinge of color and light started to show and the cloud showed a foggy image. A forest with a waterfall in the night. Shining figures light the night sky along with the moon.
Then, abruptly the cloud reformed and showed a shining city in the clouds. Figures in white and gold slowly roamed a city with silver roads and a golden staircase with their heads bent down. As abruptly as before, the image changed once more, showing a necropolis. Shadows flying all around them, green lights lighting a dark path to a building with frightening statues at each end of the gate. The image disappeared and the cloud swirled around slowly, hovering. As it circled Kassius, it seemed to act differently than it did as it showed the images.
The clouds expanded into a circle, with shadowed figures sprouting around Kassius and Auralius. The cloud grew dark as the figures kneeled in unison, facing towards the middle of the circle. A larger and much more frightening figure rose from the smoke in between Auralius and Kassius. No distinguishing features were noticeable, it didn't look human or anything that should be considered a living thing. What Kassius was sure of, was that the figure had a presence, unlike anything he had ever felt before. Dark, monstrous, and maleficent were the only words that Kassius could think to describe what he was seeing. Just as the figure started to move, the smoke retreated back into the goblet quickly as though it was being sucked back in by a vacuum.
"What… wha.." Kassius tried to make sense of what he saw but his mind was drawing a black, while the rest of his body felt overwhelmed and out of breath. "I believe I've made my point, didn't I boy?" Auralius said, smirking. Kassius nodded in response. "Is that the place? The world where I belonged? Where I come from? " Kassius thought to himself, feeling overjoyed, overwhelmed, and terrified. So much had been shown to him, he had witnessed so much impossibility in a few hours that he almost thought he was dreaming, though the freezing cold kept reminding him otherwise.
"So what was all that?" Kassius took a deep breath and asked. "That, boy, was Gaia. The world where I come from, and the world you come from as well." Auralius said calmly. "Is it far from….. Earth?" Kassius asked anxiously. "It is Earth, and yet not so much," Auralius said. "What do you mean? How is it on Earth?"
"All will be explained in due time Kassius. For now, all you need to know is that you will return to Gaia and live among us." Auralius said gently and kindly. "Does this mean I have to leave New Hampton?" Kassius asked nervously. Auralius nodded and said, "Yes you will have to leave, however, as I said before, we live with the people."
Kassius didn't know what he meant until he gave him a reassuring smile. Auralius knew how anxious Kassius was about the big change. The reassurance calmed Kassius down a little bit and he let out a small sigh.
"Now Kassius, I have told you all you need to know for now," Auralius said as he pulled out what looked like a small old pocket watch from under his cloak. "I have to leave for a while, and you will stay in the orphanage for a little while, but someone will come for you."
Auralius put his watch back in his cloak and looked at Kassius with a smirk. "Now one more thing before I go," Auralius said. Kassius looked towards Auralius anxious about what he was about to say. "I don't know if anyone bothered to tell you, it was a bit of a stretch for me to hope that they would, but Happy Birthday."
Auralius smiled and patted Kassius on the head. Kassius beamed back, and before he could say thank you, Auralius spoke. "You behave for the next few days, you hear me boy? And you listen to Ms. Jean." Auralius turned back and gave Kassius a wave and a quick smile and turned into a brown dog. Auralius walked towards the entrance of the playground and towards the exit of the village.
Kassius sat down on the bench and contemplated what had just happened. He saw a world just like those he saw in his dreams. He met a person who had abilities that are considered impossible. He had just witnessed what most would consider magic, real magic. And all of these amazing things are from Gaia, the place where he came from, where he was born. Kassius had never received a proper gift in his life, and all in one day, he got a gift from his only friend and he got the best gift of all, a chance to know who he really was. That afternoon was the happiest moment of Kassius's life.
The rest of the afternoon went by in an instant, as Kassius sat on the bench with the dog and the cat that were with him earlier, spending his time thinking about Auralius and what he showed him and petting the animals around him. He decided to walk back to the orphanage when he noticed that the sun was setting. His walk back was relatively peaceful. No one minded him on the way back and the kids playing were already inside their houses.
He saw the orphanage and walked a little faster unknowingly. As he entered the orphanage, he heard the older kids still playing and talking on the second floor, and the younger kids playing and stomping from the third floor. He smelled a very sweet aroma from the kitchen and noticed that the caretakers were preparing the table already. He noticed that almost all of the caretakers were in the kitchen, but he paid it no mind going up the stairs and straight into his room. He laid on his bed and noticed the letter with the gold seal.
Rather than the usual confusion and frustration that he had felt all these years, the letter gave him hope and joy now that he knew what was coming, he was going back. He fiddled with his necklace happily for a few moments until he heard the footsteps of the kids going down, assuming that it was dinner time. He came down last as usual and saw the tables in the dining room filled with more food than usual. Kids were eating as if it were an unending supply of food, filling their plates with more food each time, some even finishing more than one serving.
Kassius sat at the edge of the younger kids’ table, as usual, looking less gloomy than he usually would though. Some of the kids on the other table noticed and began curiously staring at him, Kassius ignored them, preoccupied with the thoughts in his head and the food on his plate. For the entirety of dinner, Kassius had his mind on the amazing day that he had. Most of the kids had already finished their dinners and proceeded upstairs. It was only Kassius and a few of the older kids that were left in the dining room.
Kassius had finished his dinner and proceeded to bring his plate to the kitchen, and start on his evening chores. After he finished helping with the dishes and throwing the garbage, and feeding his animals, he rested in the small library room that was across from the dining room. He sat on one of the chairs under the chandelier and rested his head.
He closed his eyes when he heard voices outside of the door. “Why do you think he was acting weird?” a high-pitched voice whispered. “I have no idea, but it’s freaking me out.” another voice said.
A few of the kids were still awake and talking about him, he was used to ignoring them when they were loud, the whispering didn’t bother him one bit. “I bet he made a new animal friend since he can’t even make one human friend.” one of the voices said giggling.
“Isn’t Miss Jean his friend?” “I bet she only does that out of pity, I don’t think he needs it.” “He can have his animal friends.” The voices faded as they went up.
He didn’t mind the insults towards him but the ideas they had about Miss Jean irritated him a little more than he thought. He bit his lip trying to stop himself from shouting at them from the ground floor and let out a long and deep sigh.
“I’m surprised you’re not in your room.” a soft voice said from behind Kassius. He turned and noticed Miss Jean standing by the door. “Shouldn’t you be upstairs in your room?” Miss Jean asked. Kassius looked at her guiltily and she smiled at him. “Don’t worry, I know why you’re still here waiting.” She moved to the side and brought a cake with candles on it through the door. “Happy Birthday, Kassius.”
She gestured for Kassius to come with her to the dining room, and Kassius followed her happily. She set the cake down on one of the long tables and both she and Kassius sat down next to each other. “Make a wish, Kassius.” She said smiling and Kassius turned to the cake and closed his eyes. He thought that he couldn’t have wished for anything else after today, and then something entered his mind.
Keeping his eyes closed, he blew the candles and opened his eyes. Miss Jean clapped softly and beamed at him. Kassius hugged her without words and felt so much warmth in his stomach with so much happiness. “Thanks a lot, Miss Jean,” said Kassius with a small tear dropping from his eye. “Come on, let’s eat.” He and Miss Jean began to cut the cake and shared the slices evenly.
During their celebration, Kassius told Miss Jean about the events that had happened to him in the afternoon of that day. He told her about Auralius and the images in the smoke, as well as the things that Auralius told him. After he had finished, Kassius felt excitement rushing through his veins that he couldn't contain, while Ms. Jean sat there listening with a smaller smile than when they started.
“Did I say something wrong?” asked Kassius concerningly. Miss Jean shook her head trying to renew her smile. “No, Kassius. I am glad that this happened to you. I’m glad that you have a chance to go where you belong…..but…” Ms. Jean paused and took a deep breath before continuing. Kassius looked puzzled wondering what she was going to say. “I knew this day would come,” she said.
“I know because of the letter, right?” Kassius asked. Miss Jean shook her head. “I knew because Auralius told me himself.” A silence fell between them. Kassius continued to look puzzled and sat in silence, Ms. Jean took another deep breath and spoke. “The night you came to the orphanage, you were given to another caretaker.”
“I had been on my way to apply for one of the jobs there when I saw Auralius leaving the orphanage.”
“I was scared at first, so when he approached me all of a sudden, I was shaking and was getting ready to run.”
“Then he told me to “take care of the boy”.” She paused and took a breath. “Then he gave me this book.”
“At first I thought it was a children's book but it was thick and had a dark rugged cover and it had no pictures.” “By the time I tried to ask him what was going on, he disappeared.” She paused again.
Kassius straightened his face and was deep in thought as he kept listening. “After that, I applied and concluded that the boy he was talking about was the mysterious one that arrived the same time I did.” “And for the past years, I did what he said.” She stopped and looked at Kassius, worried. Kassius opened his mouth to talk but had trouble for a few moments.
“So you knew that he was here?” Kassius asked with a neutral tone in his voice. Miss Jean nodded. “He was how I knew your birthday. He would visit every time it was your birthday.” Miss Jean said with a faint smile appearing on her face. “And you didn’t tell me?” Kassius asked, his tone growing a little accussive.
“He asked me not to. He told me it was for your sake.” Miss Jean said, her voice slightly trembling. Another silence fell between them. Kassius looked down at the ground, trying to keep his emotions from raging out, Miss Jean knelt down and looked at Kassius. “I’m sorry that I kept this from you Kassius. I didn’t know what was going on and by the time Auralius told me, I didn’t know how I could have told you, let alone if I should.” she said with her voice flooding with concern and guilt.
“Were you only taking care of me because you pitied me?” Kassius asked accusingly with a few tears dropping from his eyes. Miss Jean took a deep breath and sat on a chair beside Kassius. “When Auralius told me to take care of you, I thought that I had to do it because it was my job.”
“At first I thought that defending you from the other kids and taking care of you was what any of the other caretakers would have done.”
“After watching you grow and taking care of you, I grew to care for you.” Kassius stayed silent. “What did Auralius tell you?” Kassius asked more calmly. “He told me to give the book to you when the time is right. He said that you will need it.”
Kassius stayed silent and looked confused. “He also told me that you needed to live a normal and mundane life before you go back.” “He wanted you to be safe.” Miss Jean said gently.
“I watched you grow up and I grew to care for you. I spent my time defending you, feeding you, cleaning you.” Miss Jean said after the silence. “I moved to this town looking for a quiet place to settle down.
And instead, I found a person who would come to be considered as family.” Ms. Jean said with tears filling up her eyes. Kassius looked at her and hugged her, tears streaming down his face. They both sat in silence, taking in all that was said. “I’m sorry,” said Kassius. “I’m sorry too,” said Miss Jean.
They both stood up and smiled at each other. Ms. Jean stood and went to the library and brought back a dusty rugged old book. “He told me to give it to you when the time was right. Since you met him I assume now is the time.” She held out the hand that was holding the small book and offered it to Kassius. Without entirely understanding what she meant or what Auralius meant, he took the book. Kassius hugged Ms. Jean one last time and went off to his room.
When he reached his room, he closed his door and stared at the small book. The cover was worn and scratched, only a few letters were legible. “Ta……..G…” those were the only letters he could read. Feeling tired and worn out, he put the book on his desk by the window, next to the letter. He crashed on the bed without changing his clothes and disappeared in his thoughts. Before he knew it he fell asleep.