You have likely experienced many strange happenings in your time on the earth where you are. Perhaps you have read them in other books and stories. They might be mythologies or fictions. But some are not of human creation.

You see, all stories are connected to your world. Mine is one of them. But everyone has made their own universe in their mind and they are all connected to your realm.

Sometimes, they spill into each other. Some variants of works of your world have seeped into mine. What was previously mine, at least. I am in some strange in between.

That aside, we should look back to the story…

We see Tiger, the first one in the timeline that you were first exposed to, in front of a broken grandfather clock along side Truth. Tiger has done something to the clock. He has broken it and dismembered time and free will.

The god (the author) may decide to reset the world and start anew. But that is unlikely. He is passionate about this present world and wants it to continue. He has told me, actually that he would not end this world unless everything goes horribly wrong.

Let us now turn from these thoughts and back to the story. We will look at Tiger’s past in Timeline A and delve into his character.

* 2 years earlier

Tiger was nine years of age and still quite unknowing of all his future responsibilities as a king. At this time, I did not know of my ‘premature’ death.

“Dad,” Tiger said. “Why did you go to that town? Does it have something to do with the explosion?”

“It was only a coincidence, my son,” I said. “Worry about it no more.”

It was obvious that the thought still nagged at his psyche for the next week. He only brought it up on other time, during dinner when my wife made biscuits and some kind of soup or stew.

“Are you sure you did not know about the explosion?” Tiger asked.

“Your father said no,” Tiger’s mom said. “Give him a bit of a break. Perhaps yammer on at me instead.”

Tiger still seemed unconvinced. He knew I knew something about the explosion. Many generals and other overseers asked me the same question. Well, the answer is that one of you who is reading had told me. How? Even I am unsure.

I never told Tiger that I knew. And only you are the ones that I have told the truth of the matter to.

Tiger’s life was fairly normal. He was a prince, yes, but aside from training and special tutors, he lived quite a normal life.

But all that had changed when I knew of my death. I told him, I think, in timeline ‘B’ as the god calls it. But even you know that Summit is no god. He is only an author. There may be another god that abides in or around your realm, or perhaps all you know is just another fiction written by a group of writers in another world.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

I am here to guide you through these confusing parts of the story and to ask you hard questions. Sometimes uncomfortable questions.

Nevertheless, the author here messed up and allowed things to go awry.

Now let us look at Truth in timeline ‘B.’

Truth has lost a claw while going through the portal to the trade circle. No one government runs the place. A few representatives respective to the number of residences of where they hail run the whole shebang.

We see Truth in the hospital. Tiger is waiting outside the door alongside Gale Storm-Seeker. She had helped them and seemed to be a relatively nice being. Truth still only half knew of her due to all the pain he was in.

Tiger heard a yelp come from the room and soon after looked and saw Truth limping out of the room witha a nurse behind him. His foot was bandaged.

“Truth?” said Tiger. “How are you feeling.” Tiger leaned in and put a wing over Truth, who was whimpering. He was fifteen (only two and a half years older than Tiger) when he lost his claw in this timeline. In the other he was ten or eleven when that happened.

Tiger felt bad for Truth. He knew they were both in pain of not seeing their parents (no matter if they were close) and feeling that a part of them was missing. The latter was quite literally the case for Truth.

Tiger gave Truth a tight hug. “Nurse? What will the hospital bill be?”

“For the care you received, it will be 134 bluescales. But I can talk to the bursar if you can get an extension,” said the nurse.

“Well, here is at least twenty, to pay off some of the price of the treatment.” Tiger handed her the money. “Should we come back in an hour or two?” Tiger asked.

“Yes.”

My son is very responsible here. But in timeline ‘A’, he was not as much so. I sorrow that I will never hug him… But then in timeline ‘B’, he is more distant from me. Although he is not MY son there, he still is. It still hurts.

I wonder why the author or the author of the author’s world allows such hurting and horrendous things to happen. I wonder if there even is one… Or if there is, they are very flawed. I hope that that is not the case and suffering is not in vain but for a greater cause. But I am unsure.

Reader, one of you, though you do not remember it, told me of the explosion. That was allowed by the god of this world. But I did not act on the information thinking it was fallacy. So, perhaps it is my fault that some of the bad tings happened to me.

Be wary. You play some part of what good and bad happens. Be sure that you cause more joy than harm.

Let us now look back to Maple, who is looking for work.

Timeline A

Maple is walking down a hall and turned a corner to open a door. Opening it, she sees a griffin wearing bifocals sitting at a big desk piled high with papers.

“What can I help you with, young lady?” asked the griffin in the voice of what sounded like an elderly man.

“I come looking for work,” Maple responds.

“I do have some work for you. You could keep the place clean and run a few errands.”

“How much will I be paid?” Maple asked.

The old griffin looked up and scratched the bottom of his beak. “I’d say thirty to forty bluescales a day. Not much. But will increase if you sign a paper for a long-term working situation.”

Maple thought for a bit. If she was going to be here for a few months, even years, a longer-term contract would be better. But she would also think about another job.

Maple started to speak “I will at least work here for three days, if that is acceptable.”

“Agreed,” said the griffin. “You will start tomorrow morning two chimes after sunrise. Please show up on time. And help yourself to a mint or two,” the griffin gestured to a bowl of peppermint by the door.

Maple exited and got three mints for her and her friends. “Thank you,” she said.

“Best wishes,” her new employer said