Lumen and the Thistle

by EJ Wozniak

  He put the drawing down and continued looking around. He decided the room smelled of burning wood and chicken pot pie. He looked back toward the couch and saw a fire burning in the fireplace.

  “Where am I . . .” Lumen said aloud to himself.

  Lumen looked around and noticed a window. The edges of the window were frosted with wooden mullions.

  He walked over and took a look outside. It looked like it had just started to snow as it was perfectly white and there were no footprints or tire marks anywhere. Seeing the snow, Lumen realized he was cold. He turned back to the room and walked over to the fire. He sat in front of it and warmed his hands as it was beginning to smolder and go out. He tried to remember what had just happened.

  Blake came into the bathroom with his friends, they had a fire extinguisher and feathers, they were opening all the stalls to find me, they reached my stall, and . . .

  Lumen was having a hard time remembering what happened after that.

  “Did I die? Is this like the waiting room for heaven, or hell? You can tell me, I think I get it . . .” Nobody answered him. Lumen pinched himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

  “Ow. . .Well, I’m not dreaming. I think. . .Maybe a coma. . .”

  He looked up at the walls and noticed some more drawings, many of which included the large black cat. There was a painting of what appeared to be just fire. There was a painting of a forest, one of what seemed to be an island floating in midair, and one of an old man with a green trench coat on. He also had goggles on his head.

  “Wait a minute, I’ve seen this guy before . . .”

  Lumen remembered the drawing that he had found on his desk. It was the same man and cat.

  He then remembered a hand had grabbed him right before Blake had kicked open the door. It came from the lights.

  “Oh no, have I completely gone insane . . .”

  At that moment, Lumen noticed that there were lights all over this place, realizing they had been present all over the cabin.

  “Yep, I lost it.” Lumen didn’t know how to snap himself out of it. He thought to himself how he should have taken his medicine. He would have much rather gotten beat up by Blake than go insane. If he ever came back to reality, he decided he would never lie again about taking his pills.

  Suddenly, a small bunch of blue lights appeared over by the coffee table. The lights came together and pulsated, just as they were in his room a few nights ago.

  A taller man stepped through the lights. He had long grayish hair, a large nose, goggles on top of his head and wore a trench coat. Lumen recognized him from the drawings.

  The man carried a pile of wood. Upon entering the room, he immediately went over to the fire and threw in a few logs. He blew firmly, yet effortlessly, on the flames to try and get them going, and the fire kicked back up almost immediately. The man turned toward Lumen.

  “Sorry about that, Lumen. I wanted to give you a few moments; I went to get some firewood. Fire is always better when it is made naturally. Those Liros always give me a hard time about taking wood. I understand where they are coming from but sheesh, it’s just some wood; they can make some more if they really wanted. Great people but can be real sticklers for their stuff. I guess everyone is simply watching out for themselves. I can’t blame them. We all need our resources. Anywho . . .” the man trailed off as he poked the fire.

  The man clapped his hands together and looked at Lumen, who sat there dumbfounded. His mouth was stuck slightly open. He didn’t say anything.

  “Oh right, where are my manners? I am Allister Alvetande. You can call me Al, A-A, or simply Allister. They all work for me. Good thing we got you out of there, right? It looked like Blake and his buddies had quite the plan for you. I wanted you to figure this out on your own, but I couldn’t bear to watch any more of the bullying. There are more important things you should be worried about. Quite honestly, I am surprised you didn’t figure it out earlier. You’re a smart young man. I’ve seen those puzzles you do and your ability to ace your classes with ease. It is quite impressive what you have accomplished all while believing you were sick. Quite impressive indeed,” Allister said in a seemingly friendly manner.

  Lumen still didn’t know what to say. He and Allister stared at each other for another moment.

  Lumen cleared his throat and finally spoke.

  “Did you say we?” Lumen asked. It was the only question he could think to ask at the moment.

  “Yes, yes. My partner and I were arguing on what was best for you. He finally convinced me it was time to stop the nonsense. You should thank him when he gets here. You would be covered in feathers at this very moment if it weren’t for him,” Allister stated.

  Suddenly, another cluster of lights appeared and oscillated for a moment when a black cat stepped through the lights. He wore a red vest with goggles on top of his head as well. He was walking on his two hind legs. Lumen noticed he was wearing fingerless gloves and carried what appeared to be a loaf of bread and a slab of meat. The little gloves fit perfectly around the cats claws and looked natural. He had never seen a cat walk on its hind legs like this one was. He was confused as to why Allister dressed the cat up.

  “Ah, I was just talking about you, Janis. I was telling Lumen how you convinced me to get him out of there. Right, Lu?” Allister looked at Lumen for confirmation.

  Lumen looked at the cat, and the cat looked back at him. Lumen responded slowly.

  “Thanks. . .”

  “Oy, no problem mate. We should watch each other backs, especially in these times. No time for crock. We pulled ya out of there. She’ll be right, you know what I mean, mate?”

  The cat seemed to be talking in an Australian accent. Lumen deduced that he must be in Australia. Lumen said nothing.

  “Excuse my friend, Lu. Since his transformation, he feels the need to speak in different accents. Where are my manners? Lumen, this is Janis,” Allister said as he pointed at the cat.

  Janis looked at Allister angrily for a moment before turning toward Lumen. Janis walked over to Lumen and stuck out his paw.

  “Nice to finally meet ya, mate.” Janis smiled at Lumen.

  Lumen thought it was very odd to see a cat smile. He slowly shook the cat’s paw with just his two fingers and a thumb. Janis was strangely able to grip Lumen’s hand.

  “Transformation?” Lumen asked.

  “I wasn't always a cat you see. That is a story for another time, another place. How are you feeling? We have been waiting for this moment for a long time,” Janis said with a grin.

  Lumen had a hard time understanding the accent, let alone take in everything that was happening.

  “Will you stop with the accent, Janis? The boy has been through enough tonight, don’t make it even more difficult by talking in your accents,” Allister said calmly but sternly. Janis just looked at Lumen smiling. Lumen had a hard time keeping eye contact with the cat.

  “Well then, are you hungry Lumen? We have some food prepared. It is on the coffee table. We have some wetchop meat, some bread and some pockets,” Allister said as he set down a wooden plate of food. There was cooked meat sliced thinly, along with a muffin like bread that was steaming.

  Lumen didn’t dare ask what wetchop was.

  “What is a pocket?” Lumen said with a shaky voice.

  “Oh, I think you’ll like those,” Allister claimed.

  Lumen sat down at the table. He was strangely hungry. He thought he had already lost touch with reality so he might as well not starve.

  Lumen took a bite. He was amazed at how great it tasted. Everything on the plate was cooked to perfection. There was chicken-like meat, creamy sauce, and vegetables inside the muffin-like bread .

  “This tastes like chicken pot pie! Only mini bite-size pies!” Lumen was ecstatic and grabbed a few more.

  Allister smiled at Lumen and grabbed some wetchop and bread.

  “We thought you would like it. Can I offer you anything to drink?”

  Lumen’s mouth was fu
ll but managed to spit out, “water.”

  Allister grabbed a few glasses, held them by the table, waved his hand, and ice cubes seemed to just fall from the air into the glasses. He waved his hand again, and all the glasses filled up with water. Allister set them down. Lumen stopped chewing and stared at Allister. He gulped all the food in his mouth.

  “Okay, I have officially lost it, right? How do I get back to reality? Am I still in the bathroom, or did I lose it before that? Was there even a dance? I thought I was getting worse but I didn’t think it was this bad. My mom is probably so worried . . .” Lumen trailed off and just stared off into space.

  Janis cut him off.

  “Relax, mate. You’re not crazy. This is all real.”

  Lumen began to laugh.

  “Yeah, says the talking cat wearing goggles and some gloves,” Lumen sat back and started laughing even more.

  Allister got up and looked at Lumen with a very stern face. Lumen looked at him and noticed the wrinkles on his forehead and cheeks.

  “He is right, Lumen; this isn’t an illusion or a hallucination. You’re not crazy, you never were. You are an extraordinary human. Very few humans have the power you have. There are some with the power you contain that have gone crazy because they didn’t know what they were seeing and it became too hard to handle. Others used their powers for the wrong reasons. You on the other hand, you are different. You are a brilliant young man. We have been watching you since you were just a boy and can see your potential. We have been waiting for the right time to introduce you to this world. We wanted you to get here on your own, but enough was enough.”

  Lumen looked at Allister very confused and began to laugh again. He laughed for a few moments and caught his breath to speak.

  “Right, right. I’m special, yeah, yeah. Are you my doctor, and is this my nurse?” he pointed at Janis.

  “Why would I be the nurse?” Janis responded.

  “Look, I am aware that I am losing it, okay? I have accepted what my sickness can do to me. You two need to get out of my head so I can get help. I guess I have to try and get myself out of this hallucination or whatever this is.” Lumen closed his eyes shut really tight and seemed to be trying to do something challenging without actually moving.

  He opened his eyes and nothing had changed. Allister and Janis stared back at him. Allister grabbed his glass and refilled the cup with ice and water, again he seemed to pull the ice and water out of midair. Lumen took notice of the ice. The blocks looked familiar.

  “That ice—I have seen those cubes before. Wrigley has been chewing on ice in our house that looks just like that,” Lumen said concerned.

  “Right, most dogs love ice. I was just checking in on a couple of things and calmed him down with a treat. Ice is always a good one to give dogs. They won’t get an upset stomach from some frozen water, and they think it’s a treat,” Allister said with a smirk.

  Lumen was very confused now.

  “Oh my gosh,” Lumen was thinking very hard.

  “See, we told you it was real, mate? Nothing to worry about,” Janis replied, back to his Australian accent.

  “No, I have been hallucinating for so much longer than I thought. Have I even been in school? What was the last thing that happened that was real? Am I going in and out of hallucinations?”

  Janis sighed dramatically. Allister looked at him and put his hand out to signal patience.

  “Lumen, I cannot express the utmost importance of this. We need you. Humans on Earth need you,” Allister stated.

  Lumen got serious for a moment.

  “Okay, I’ll go along with this for a little. I know I shouldn’t, but I am fascinated that my mind can create all of this. First off, what is Wetchop?”

  “It would be like a . . .” Allister looked at Janis for help.

  “Uh, it’s like a rabbit, only bigger, and faster . . .” Janis shrugged at Allister.

  “Fine, how did you get water and ice from the air? You just waved and there appeared some ice and water?”

  “Well, this is where things get a bit complicated. I can conjure water from the air. If there is moisture, I can manipulate it to do what I want it to do. It takes a lot of practice and concentration; people like us, you included, can do it. There is much more to learn, but we can delve into that another time,” Allister snapped his fingers, and more ice fell into each of their glasses.

  Lumen looked at Allister; he wasn’t sure if he was amazed or scared.

  “Right, what were you doing in my house, and how did you get there? How did nobody see you? You would stick out like a sore thumb. And the cat? You would be a worldwide sensation.” Lumen’s eyes were open as wide as they could be. He was hardly blinking.

  “We aren’t seen unless we need to be,” Janis said.

  Lumen felt relieved.

  “That makes me feel better. How did you give Wrigley ice then?”

  “Dogs can see the lights. He always knew when we were coming. We didn’t want him to bark at us, so some treats always helped. We have had some bad experiences with dogs,” Janis seemed to be thinking about one of those experiences and he rubbed his paws together feverishly and stared off into space.

  “My mom says ice is bad for a dog's teeth,” Lumen said.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about a few ice cubes now and again,” Allister replied.

  Lumen was quiet for a moment and realized Allister said dogs can see the lights as well.

  “So you’re telling me the lights are actually there? Why doesn’t Wrigley speak like you?” Lumen looked at Janis. Janis and Allister chuckled.

  “Don’t be ridiculous; dogs can’t talk, mate. They can just see the other side,” Janis said.

  “What’s that mean?” Lumen asked quickly.

  Allister held his hand up to signal to Janis to allow him to answer. He adjusted the goggles on top of his head and ran his hands through his tangled salt and pepper beard.

  “The lights you see, they are portals between your world and this one. When you put the lights together, you can move between the worlds. Become skilled enough, and you can manipulate the lights to take you anywhere you want. Why do you think dogs can sometimes sense when something is going to happen like an earthquake, or a twister? They can see it coming.”

  Lumen only felt more befuddled at this point.

  “What does that mean? Earthquakes and tornadoes come from here?”

  “Indeed, yes. In a way, most of the natural disasters present on Earth come from here. Luckily, for most of the time, there has been more good here to stop the evil trying to enter your world.” Lumen found it very hard to not listen and nod at everything Allister was saying. Allister was stolid when he spoke.

  “How does an earthquake come from here?” Lumen asked curiously.

  “It is complicated, Lumen. We can speak of that another time,” Allister said, smiling.

  Janis cut in.

  “Just tell the boy; it could help convince him.” Allister hesitated for a moment while he and Janis looked at one another. It was as if they were speaking telepathically.

  “All right. You have your four main elements,” Allister continued.

  Lumen was focused more than ever on him.

  “You have water,” Allister again waved and water fell from midair into the cups.

  “You have fire,” He then waved at the fire and made the flames rise and rise until the room was so bright Lumen could barely see. Allister waved again, and the flames subdued.

  “You have air.” He then began swirling his index finger over the chessboard, and a very tiny tornado appeared, knocking over some of the pieces. Allister stopped moving his fingers and, the twister disappeared.

  “And you have Earth.” He stomped his foot down lightly a couple of times, and some yellow flowers appeared from underneath the floorboards.

  “These are all controlled by the figures of this world. The people of Bonumalus control and manipulate the weather patterns on Earth to make it a sustainable environm
ent for you all to thrive in.”

  Lumen’s eyes widened. He was in disbelief that his mind could make this up. Is this real?

  After a few moments of silence, Lumen spoke again.

  “What do I have to do with this?”

  Allister and Janis stared at each other again. Allister looked back at Lumen to respond.

  “Well, beings from this world are always able to travel between the two worlds. We can all see the lights. Your people, on the other hand, hardly any of them can. Even less have what it takes to handle what they see after they learn of this world. Many, like you are now, question if what they are seeing is real. They end up leaving and never returning, only to hide away from their truly remarkable abilities.” Allister sounded as if anything he said was fact.

  Lumen couldn’t help but finding himself believing everything the man said. Allister seemed to be trustworthy, someone who was a straight-shooter. His mind wanted to question the validity of all of this, but his gut told him otherwise.

  Lumen did not know what to think at this point. He still debated if what he saw was real. There was no way. Or could it be? He couldn’t believe that his mind could create this, but what Allister was saying was absurd. People from here are the ones creating fires, hurricanes, and earthquakes on Earth. That doesn’t make sense. But the ice, he remembered talking with his mom about the ice. She saw it too. Alec saw it too. That had to have been real.

  “So you’re telling me that all the great disasters on Earth came from here?”

  “Yes,” Allister and Janis replied.

  “And you can control things like water and fire just by waving your arms?”

  “It’s a bit more complicated than that, but yes,” Allister responded with a little smile.

  Lumen felt comforted the more Allister spoke.

  “And cats can talk in this world?”

  “Ah, Janis was like me before. Magic is existent here as well. Or I should say was. It is very rare nowadays to see and hear about, and not many can practice it. Janis is a victim of an angry ex-girlfriend that happened to be from a long line of Operres. I don’t want to bore you with that story; Janis can tell it another time.”