by TS Thornton
(branch) out.
He placed everything tiny thing in its place in the three rooms that were already there. He wanted to wait until Winter was awake before he would make changes. He removed items from the duffle piece by piece, the boxes in his pockets and the electronics. He reversed his magic on a few items at a time. He set up everything from memory while trying to figure out how he was going to make them work here. There was no such thing as electricity in the Otherworld.
Close to being done he adjusted the blankets on the bed, the hunger pangs getting to him and his magic almost depleted. He left the house with a smile while the door sealed behind him. Monsters where still roaming the night as he made his way to the center of the island.
“Hey,” A voice called out. “You,” Solin didn’t answer to those things so he kept moving. “Don’t,” The same voice calling out into the night. “Keep walking.” Slurred words this time, Solin knew the man had gotten closer. “You brought the human, I seened you. You brought it.” A swing from the left and Solin had his sword drown and had moved right.
“I want no trouble.” The monster in front of him was a golden green color with grey eyes of a tornado. He was just three inches or so taller than Solin. He held a weapon of his own.
“I do.” Sobered right on up, magic a hell of a thing Solin thought as he parried his attack. Solin knocked the other on the knee with the head of the staff he know held. The swords drawing attention, the other monster went down. Solin hit his shoulder and pinned him to the ground once he fell over. Solin used the rest of the magic within him added to that strike to put him down.
“Leave me be. You know not what you speak. You draw attention with your lies. Keep your mouth shut about what you see, real or fake, Cyndell.” The other monster watched as he towered over his with a threating gaze. This monster was mean and badass, he had to give it to him. Cyndell’s thoughts betrayed his actions. He went to strike and Solin hit him with all he had on his head. He was out like a candle.
Solin felt for a pulse and left him where he lay. The small crowd that gathered had retreated a few yards back. He walked the rest of the way without incident. But once inside his whole world was flipped and what he thought was truth was in truth a lie.
Inside the dwelling of the islands protector his grandmother had a visitor. Solin heard voices as he headed to the kitchen. The male voice reminding him of his, he shook his head at the thought. Solin turned the corner and was welcome with a place of warm bread and butter.
“Solin, sit please.” He did. Staring at the face of the monster all the while, his skin was the same color but his eyes they were different. An olive green that was so like Winters it took his breath away.
“Hello Solin Summer. I am Gavin Summer.”
Begin, Again
“My,”
“Your Father.” Solin was glad he was sitting. He didn’t know what to think about Gavin Summer with eyes of Winter. “I,”
“He wanted to meet his son.” After this amount of time he could only imagine he wanted to meet his son.
“I wanted to meet him 539 years ago and counting. I came for Winter, how is she?” He turned to his grandmother losing having lost his appetite once again. He needed to eat to rebuild his magic, so he forced down the bread and she soon placed a bowl of soup in front of him. He ate while he waited for one of them to speak.
“Winter has completed her transformation. She still sleeps deeply.” His grandmother had said while she moved about the kitchen.
“Mother, please sit this takes time, he may not understand but he will come to, in time.” Solin finished his soup. She took the bowl and placed a sandwich with veggies sticks in front of him. He lifted the roll to see nothing but meat and cheese. He would gladly eat his vegetable’s. His grandmother sat down after she gave him a glass of goji juice.
“Winter?” His father didn’t know of the sleeping beauty that occupied a room in his mother’s dwelling. “Would someone explain?” Solin didn’t think he needed any information but his grandmother spoke before he could swallow his food.
“She is a friend to Solin, who has been gifted by the moon, he brought her to the only place he could.” She smiled sweetly while waiting for Solin to speak to his father.
“I will be taking my leave now. I will gather her and a few things and be on my way. Thank you for the meal Granmother.” He tapped her tusk with his. “Gavin,” He nodded to his father and left the kitchen.
He heard them talking but didn’t try to listen. He turned the corner to the room she was sleeping in. He no longer saw any signs of humanity in her. She was all monster, and magical. He followed the flow of dark hair from the floor up to a lighter shade of brown. She won’t like that he thought as he braided it by magic rolling it up into a bun. He clipped it himself being happy his magic was restored. He was full and she was safe, about to be safer. When he picked her up to carry her out he felt a presence behind him.
“We must talk. I need to tell you everything. I must make amends to you.” Solin began to walk from the room.
“How about you start by packing up my room and bring it to my new home.” His father’s nodded making him feel as if he was demanding.
“Thank you for inviting me to your new home.” He smiled rightly at his son turning away as Solin left the room. How was he going to deal with all of this?
“Solin, listen to him, he may not be right but he is your father. My son doesn’t know the pain he caused. You are stronger than he by far.”
“I didn’t have responsibilities to run from. I ran from life itself. I am no different than he.” Solin smiled and thanked his grandmother. He would do as she say and make the home comfortable for them both.
“Fill it with love and hope. Flowers and food, just don’t forget to be happy.” She had walked out the door in the night with him saying her goodnight. She was happy her grandson loved and happier for it. She heard some noise from Solin’s room of storage.
Gavin had had a wife once, a monster of pure love and joy. She was unable to conceive. They tried for over two hundred years when the stress just broke them. His mother didn’t know what exactly transpired but the roots the two of them planted together were removed and a note was left for him. As she touched the framed photo of her late love Borus, the letter next to the photo was to Gavin from his first love. He didn’t open it to read its contents, he let the unknown fester into pain and sometimes hate. Her son’s heart was broken, not repaired before more critical damage took effect. She went to speak with her child Gavin.
“Go to Solin. Tell him what you need to tell him. He has been running from emotion since he left me 220 years ago. He didn’t come back until yesterday. I don’t know if the Moon and Sun are plotting something or the elements are up to something. You and your child cannot be this close and not build a bond. He is your son, who had to grow up without you. Who felt he had to leave his mother at 10.” Gavin had stopped his packing. He was almost done when his mother stormed in the room with anger in her eyes and on her tongue. “Who hasn’t let himself love or be loved.” Her toned had softened as anger turned to sadness. “I wanted a family, what I got was distance, painful distance full of silence.” She cried openly then. Gavin gathered his mother in his arms and let her cry speaking words of praise to her. He loved his mother he had not realized he had caused her such pain.
“I will make this right mother. I will talk to him.” They were standing apart when he spoke. He had to finish this one thing before starting another. His mother smiled, she rubbed his cheek with her left tusk softly.
“I know you will do your best to make this right. He has love in his heart now. He may be able to understand better now had he a century ago?”
“That may be true but I hurt them something bad.” She nodded then left the room. His mother was right Gavin thought, he needed to explain himself and relive himself of his burden. He gathered his son’s things then left the tree. Outside he had built a crate for all Solin’s things. Books, lots
of books, weapons magical artifacts he had never seen before. His son had done a lot of collecting in his short life. He wondered if his son ever settled even for a moment.
As he walked on he saw a monster lying in the grass in between dwelling’s he watched the man but he didn’t move. Not wanting to bother the man he left him be wondering why he was in that position. He walked until he felt the familiar pull. He knew to walk towards the back of the island. It was more uninhabited the further you went back. He continued knowing Solin would want to be as far out as he could get. He would see the smoke from the fires as indication. He was nervous and didn’t know how to start his story. Would Winter be awake? He wanted to take his time to think it all out before he spoke. He found the Redwood that belonged to his son now, he turned around. He could see the moon high in the night’s sky. His surroundings were very familiar to him, the sight of the moon from this angle, the area where everyone seemed to have just left to grow alone. His home with his first love had been very close to where he stood now. He turned around to see that the same home was now inhabited by someone else. He inhaled and exhaled. Could Solin be living in the home that he shared with her? Gavin saw only smoke coming from the one. He fixed his tunic even though he was fine nerves began to get