by J. D. Lander
After Connor’s experience with the Devil, he lived in a constant state of paranoia. He could turn his ability to see the lights on and off. At first he never turned it off, too fearful of the Devil sneaking up on him again. He developed a fear of the color red. For a time, he walked to school flickering the ability on and off like a candle. He watched the church shoot green into the sky like a laser, then stop, then shoot again, as if it was shooting green rockets into space. Eventually, Connor forced himself to turn it off completely. Not mistaking a red neon sign for the Devil would help the paranoia fade. If the Devil found him again, maybe it would be for the best.
Everything was in the past now. Connor stood up from his bed and looked out the window and into the woods. He thought about seeing Adam in his yard the first time, the crazy, socially awkward boy. Now, Adam seemed to have it all together. He was making a world of his own with Connor’s best friend by his side while Connor was stuck in his bedroom drowning in his sorrows.
At night he had a reoccurring dream. In this dream, he would awake from an afternoon nap to the sound of water flooding into his house. He could never identify the source of the water. All the windows in the house were locked shut and unbreakable. Every time the dream occurred, he would try to escape the house, but he always failed. The water rose too fast. The dream always ended the same way, with him clinging to the front door’s handle as he lost consciousness, choking on the water. The front door never opened because the keyhole was on the inside and he did not posses the key. Was this how he would die, alone with no one to help him?
Adam had made so many things become a reality for him. The Architect, as he called him, and the Devil were real. The universe contained more than just them in it, and more worlds, for that matter. Connor wondered how he fit into all of it. He was scared of what would happen when he died. Was he guaranteed to go to Adam’s new world or would he go to hell, a place so many people believed he would go? Everything seemed uncertain now. Connor’s parents didn’t bother him with questions about college or work after Alice’s death. The world seemed to move on without him.
Although Connor didn’t let himself believe he cared for Adam anymore, Adam never stopped caring for him. Once Adam realized that Connor was not getting any better, and it did neither of them any good when he visited, he decided to try a different tactic. Connor was in danger and had no will to protect himself, so the danger was more real now than ever. Adam decided to do something he never considered before. He decided to create an angel. He had heard of the Architect’s angels and knew he could make one to protect Connor without him knowing it. This angel would be capable of fighting the Devil supernaturally if he took that form, and if he possessed a man then the angel would have strength enough to defeat him or buy Connor enough time to escape.
Adam appeared through the portal in the woods and stood by the water below. He had yet to create anyone in his world, it was not ready, but the Architect’s world was complete. Adam dipped his hands into the cool water, dug them deep into the mud, and closed his eyes. He thought to himself about what kind of person he wanted to make the angel. He didn’t yet have complete knowledge of the inner mind of humans. He had no templates to work from, so he chose to make the angel an image of himself on the inside. What rules would the angel have to obey? He decided to make the angel have the ability to fly but only when no one was watching. When in flight he would be invisible to humans, as to not break any rules. This angel would also have abilities like his, but he couldn’t be an architect so they would be limited. The angel would also be able to cloak his light from Connor unless he chose to reveal himself. Adam released his thoughts from his fingertips, grabbed hold of the mud, and pulled. As he tightened his grip on the mud, he suddenly felt fingertips within his. He pulled and pulled until hands emerged from the now cloudy water. With all his strength he continued to pull until a mud-covered boy lay before him. The angel looked like any other brown-haired, brown-eyed boy, but he had wings made of blue and green light behind him.
“Blue and green light?” Adam thought to himself. Then he realized he had made the angel from the earth, which was the Architect’s and not his. The angel suddenly started gasping for air, as if he had never used his lungs before. After a moment of disorientation, he sat up on the dirt, water licking at his ankles. Once his breathing steadied, he looked at Adam.
“Do you know who you are?” Adam asked.
“Yes, I know everything,” the angel replied.
“What is your name?”
“I am Jacob,” the angel replied.
“Do you know what you were created to do?”
“Yes, I thank you for creating me for this task. I am the first and I shall prove my worth.”
Adam wondered where the angel had gotten his name. Adam sat in the dirt for a second, almost scared of the creature he had created. Babies are born naïve and unknowing, but he had created a person that started out knowing everything. Jacob stood and glowed brighter for a second before the mud and wings disappeared from his body. In its place appeared a dark blue hooded sweatshirt, jeans, and sneakers. Adam sat, impressed with the ability and control Jacob possessed. Had he given him too much power? There was so much about Jacob that Adam realized he didn’t know. He was created from two worlds, unlike anyone else before him. The only light similar to his was that of Connor… Adam stood in front of Jacob and felt it best not to bond with him. He was created with a purpose that he must get to. Adam looked at Jacob and said, “You know where to find him.” He then headed through the portal to continue working on his world.
Jacob headed through the woods until he reached Connor’s backyard. Connor spotted him through the window as, coincidentally, at that moment he was looking for Adam. Jacob stopped in his tracks. He could feel Connor’s presence just as Adam could. Connor wondered why Adam was standing in his yard, so he decided to walk down to greet him. As Connor approached, he realized that it was not Adam in his yard. He turned his ability to see the light on and the boy seemed normal.
“I’m sorry, I thought you were someone else,” Connor stated as he awkwardly turned around.
“Who did you think I was?” Jacob responded cheerfully.
“Just a friend.”
“Are there a lot of people your age in this town?” Jacob asked, attempting to keep the conversation going.
“I guess so. They’re all leaving for college, so soon it will be just me.”
“Well, then I guess I picked the right person to run into!”
“Why were you in the woods?” Connor asked, checking to see if this boy was a weirdo. They tended to come out of the woods and wind up in his backyard.
“I was just following some trails. I lived on a mountain and always hiked in my old town. My name is Jacob, by the way.”
“Connor,” Connor replied as he stepped closer and shook Jacobs hand. “So you’re new to town?”
“Yes, I have no idea where I am right now, actually. I thought I was going for a short walk. Do you mind showing me around?”
Connor decided that he would show Jacob around town as he was a welcome distraction. They first started their trip down the street, toward the school. As they walked past the church, Connor didn’t bother to turn his ability on. This was a new start for him, and his past with Adam only brought up sad memories. When they arrived at the school, Jacob immediately walked to the track. “I used to run in high school,” he said cheerfully as he realized he could create any past he imagined.
“Did you play track?” Connor realized what he said immediately after. Jacob laughed.
“Yes, I RAN track. Do you wanna race?”
“No, I believe you.”
“Come on, just to that line down there. Its only 100 meters!”
Connor thought for a second. It didn’t seem far, but Jacob was using the metric system so it could be farther than he thought.
“Alright, lets do this,” Connor replied.
Connor knew that he would most likely lose, but for some
reason he wanted to beat Jacob. He thought maybe he was a fast runner but never knew it. They lined up on the starting line.
“I’ll let you count to three and then say go. That way it’s fair.”
“Ok,” Connor replied. Connor made sure he was breathing properly. He could smell the red rubber track below.“1-2-3…go!”
Jacob took off, his feet lightly tapping the track before lifting again. Connor followed behind, pumping his arms as hard as he could. He could hear his feet clonking along the track. It sounded like a gimp horse was wearing sneakers. Connor stayed as close to Jacob as he could until he neared the finish line and his breathe was short. He slowed before reaching the line but finished the race. Jacob turned toward him.
“A little out of shape, are we?”
“Very… funny…” Connor managed to squeeze out between breathes.
For some reason, Connor felt better after the race. Maybe what people say about endorphins after working out is true. He could probably work out with all his free time and become ripped. No one would ever pick on him again. He could, but he decided it would be too much work.
The sun was setting now, so Connor hustled them through a couple more spots in town, including his favorite pizza place and the town hall, before they headed back to the house. They arrived at Connor’s driveway, and an awkward moment occurred. Connor couldn’t decide if he should shake Jacob’s hand or wave goodbye. What if this was his only chance for a new friend?
Jacob made the first move. He wrapped his arm around Connor’s back and patted it a couple of times — a man hug.
“I don’t know how you do it in your town, but in my town we hug goodbye with our close friends,” Jacob explained.
“We just met….”
“Yeah, but you passed the test. You could’ve been a freak!”
“Alright, well, I’ll see you around?”
“Until we meet again!” Jacob waved as he continued down the sidewalk.
Connor felt good about himself. He had passed a test and he wasn’t even in school anymore! In all honestly, he was glad to have someone new around. Someone not connected to all the drama. He approached his front door and realized that he never told Jacob how to get back home. He turned and looked down the street, but Jacob was gone. Well, he was fast earlier.
The next morning, Connor woke at a reasonable time. He decided to head to the local coffee shop, Starbucks. He entered and proceeded to stand in line. Looking around, he noticed Jacob sitting by the window, reading his favorite childhood book, The Giver.
Time passed by in both Connor and Adam’s worlds. Connor spent almost everyday with Jacob under the hot summer sun. They had so much in common, but Jacob possessed a confidence that Connor admired. Connor finally climbed out of his emotional rut. Connor noticed that Adam’s visits became less and less frequent. He never appeared at the same time as Jacob, and Connor never mentioned Jacob to him. Connor wanted to keep his friend safe and avoid a fate like Alice’s.
Jacob reported to Adam in the woods once a week, and Adam learned to trust Jacob. He also learned that Jacob, although made in his image, was unpredictable. He was truly a person of his own. Jacob’s life with Connor seemed more peaceful than the time he had spent with Connor. Everything was working perfectly, and everyone was safe.
More and more of Adam’s time was spent on creating his world. The jungle environment through the portal no longer existed, but was replaced with a large house in a meadow surrounded by woods and a lake. He had created everything with his hands just as he had created Jacob. His family he had changed to human form, an existence they had never experienced. Everything had blue light in his world except for him and Alice, who would always have green sprinkled in. Alice seemed happy and was given the gift of creating life, both plant and animal. She would pass the time creating birds and dragonflies in her hands. She couldn’t remember perfectly what everything looked like on Earth, so she had to improvise; the results were sometimes humorous.
In the beginning, she didn’t know how much she needed to concentrate. She attempted to create a robin, but at the last moment before she opened her hands, she thought of a duck quacking. The robin looked perfect, but the delicate bird in her hand suddenly let out a loud quack. She was so startled she almost fell over, but once she composed herself she just smiled. Her job was not to destroy but create life, so she lifted her hands up and let the bird fly away.
The nature she filled the world with disguised this new world as Earth. There were moments she would forget where she was but would soon remember that beyond the woods there was nothing but blackness. Nothing existed beyond the scope of their sight, as Adam’s infant world was not yet large enough to survive on its own. The world was much like people once believed the Earth was, flat. She wondered what would happen if something ventured beyond, but nothing ever did, as if everything was programmed to stay within a certain limit.
One day, she sat on the edge of the lake with Adam. She looked at his face. He was so focused on what he was creating. When he separated his hands, a fly buzzed past her. “Ew!” she screamed. “Why in the world would you create a fly? I say we make this world fly and mosquito-free.”
“The birds we create need something to eat, Alice. Even the flies have their purpose. Everything is connected, and the energy made must be recycled so life can continue,” Adam replied, seeming so peaceful and wise.
The next moment was the first time IT happened: Adam flickered out of sight for a moment. When he reappeared, he looked weak. Alice asked him what had happened. He explained to her that this world was made up of his energy, and it took his energy to sustain it. As the trees’ roots expanded into the black, the world expanded at an accelerated rate. In those moments of expansion, the energy required was too great and his physical form could not be sustained. Why did she think the existence of Earth’s Architect was something that she had to take on blind faith? His energy is so expansive that he may not be able to take physical form, just as Adam struggled to maintain his.
As the weeks passed, Adam also gifted his family with the ability to assist in creating life. His family mostly stayed inside or roamed the small area of woods together. Alice wondered if their last form was a sort of pack animal. There were five people in Adam’s family, including him. His father was very tall and thick, with jet-black hair and scruff covering his strong jaw. His mother appeared older, with gray, curly hair pulled up onto her head. The brother seemed to be in his mid-thirties, and while taller in height than Adam, nowhere near the stature of their father. He looked a lot like Adam, with dark brown eyes and hair. Smallest of them all was their younger sister, who reminded Alice of a duckling following around the much larger ducks. She seemed different than them all, with her fair complexion and straw-blonde hair. They all scattered whenever Alice approached. She did not let it offend her, as adjusting to a completely new world and form must take time to become accustomed to.
At first everything was born with a blue glow, but it quickly faded. Alice wondered if the same occurred on Earth. They began to create larger life forms, which required much more energy. While multiple small mammals or insects barely took energy, it was only possible for them to create one larger animal in a day. One day, Adam reached into the lake and pulled out a faun from the mud. A substance like mud from the world was needed to make these larger animals. Alice helped rinse the faun off in the lake water before it woke and ran into the woods. The next day, she had Adam show her how to make one herself, as she feared the faun would be lonely.
With the creation of these larger life forms, Alice noticed that Adam’s flickers became more constant and he was gone for longer periods. She worried, but he didn’t seem to. Then a day came when Adam disappeared for the whole day. When he returned, he told her that it was not a flicker, but that he was summoned. She asked who summoned him, but he didn’t look at her or provide an answer. Adam never seemed to be in a bad mood, but that day she could feel something was wrong. The next night Adam told her he woul
d return, he had to go do something on Earth.
CHAPTER 13
Under the Streetlights
Connor and Jacob had become even greater friends than he had been with Adam. He didn't feel right calling Adam a friend, as he had been more than that for a time. Jacob never pried into his life or made him reveal secrets, so no sadness ever reentered his heart. There wasn’t any drama or weirdness between them. Everything between them clicked, as if they had known each other forever, and Connor would not complicate it with feelings like he had for Adam. Connor had no inkling that Adam and Jacob knew of each other until the night under the streetlights.
Connor and his parents had just returned home from seeing a movie. The movie was an action movie because his father had picked it, as he always did. His mother, of course, agreed to the movie, but he remembered her saying earlier in the week that she wanted to see a new romantic comedy. The sky was dark, and his parents were heading inside the house. Connor felt antsy and decided to get his energy out by taking a walk into town for Starbucks. Jacob would probably be there, as he had no other friends that Connor knew of and seemed to always be there when he went to look for him.
Connor decided to take a shortcut on a back road behind the church. The road was dark, surrounded by woods, having only a single streetlight in its center. He never took this road at night because it scared him, but something seemed to steer him there on this night. He wasn’t sure if it was his eagerness to see Jacob or his lack of ordinary fear, now that he had come face to face with the Devil and survived.
As he walked into the brightness under the streetlight, Adam appeared. Adam had never appeared in front of him before. He believed it dehumanized him. Why had he chosen now to dehumanize himself? Adam spoke. “We need to talk.”