A Visitor

The lighting dimmed in the windowless room. The natural-looking light that illuminated its white walls changed to a soft ambient glow, leaving everything in shadow, save for the space above the small table in the far corner of the room, which remained lit.

With no idea what time it was, or even how much time had passed, Eddus felt a small panic set in until he realized what had happened. His alarm was quickly abated when nothing followed the dimming of the lights.

Taking a step to the bed, he sat down, legs aching. He tried for several minutes, bending and straightening them to ease his complaining muscles, but with very little relief.

Until the lowering of the lights around him, Eddus had been standing in the exact spot he’d been in as he watched Abbi leave. And except for the pain he felt from standing for what had obviously been a long amount of time, he still felt as numb as he had when Abbi had made her exit. Lying down, he closed his eyes, though his mind raced.

‘You’re not one of us.’

Abbi’s words echoed in his mind. The way her whole demeanor had changed when he told her about his feelings for her, the very reason he’d come looking for her, was burned into his memory. Her vacant, stunned expression... it was like she had completely shut down.

But what had he expected? His mind posed the question, followed by a barrage of thoughts in response, every reason for why he should at the very least not have said something so bold. He should have known how the younger woman would react, in this, of all places.

Trying to come up with thoughts in defense of himself seemed an exercise in futility. Each time he tried to produce reasons for saying what he had was for the best, his brain fired back, not only shooting down the defense, but bringing up bigger reasons for not even attempting to come into this realm to begin with.

Abbi’s words again came back to him.

’Of course I would have come back! I promised you that I would.”

He hadn’t known her all that long, but she had made it a point of telling him that she kept her promises.

‘I told you that you can never disturb a pixie-ring.’

It had been months, and she had mentioned the possibility of facing some kind of trouble, as well as consequences, for having shown him her little part of the forest.

The only thing he’d wanted to do was to check on her well-being. He couldn’t stand the thought of her being in some sort of trouble for having shown him the faerie-ring. They hadn’t even fully entered it. The thought that he may never see her again...

Had he been foolish to entertain the attention of someone so much younger than himself? It was no wonder she had run away earlier.

Eddus argued within himself, both with the echoes of his conversation with Abbi, as well as with the reprimanding of himself. The overwhelming thought began to creep its way in, taking root and negating all other reason.

Two sharp knocks at the door jolted him, quieting his inner voices. Eddus opened his eyes in time to see the door open a fraction. He stared at the thin black line between the doorframe and the door itself, unsure of what to do or expect next. Slowly, he slowly sat up, turning to the edge of the bed and placing his feet on the floor.

“Ed... Ed, are you awake?” a voice just outside the cracked door asked.

Eddus was silent for a moment. His head felt fuzzy, and he had to ignore remnants of his thoughts from the moment before. He had to think to place the voice.

“Dain?”

“Yes, Ed, it’s Dain.”

There was a pause. Eddus said nothing, his eyes fixed on the door.

“May I come in, Ed?”

“Yes! Yes, of course!” Eddus quickly got to his feet. “Please, do come in.”

The door moved silently on its hinges, opening to let the guard, who held a small tray in front of him, enter. The soft lighting brightened slightly as the guard crossed the threshold into the room.

“Good evening,” he said, tilting his head toward the table in the corner, and starting toward it. “May I?”

Eddus glanced from the table to the tray in Dain’s hands.

“Yes, of course, thank you.”

Dain stopped midstride for but a second before continuing and setting the tray down on the table. Although unsure of it, Eddus thought he saw the faerie guard tense his entire body when he paused. He felt a sharp stab of guilt at the slip.

Dain straightened himself before turning around. His appearance differed from the memory Eddus had of him. It was obvious that he was on duty, as he now wore the same uniform that the guard wore who had escorted him to his hearing, if it could be called that. He smiled as he looked up, his intense green eyes meeting Eddus’.

“I thought you might be hungry,” he said. On the tray behind him, Eddus could see a plate containing some greenery as well as small cakes of some sort. Beside the plate was a glass containing something that resembled milk. “I also hoped that you might speak with me.”

Eddus paused, unsure if what he was hearing was merely a statement or some form of request. When Dain remained silent and unmoved, Eddus stepped past him, pulling the small chair away from the bigger chair, where he and Abbi had sat facing one another earlier.

“Um, yes. Please sit with me.” Eddus gestured to the bigger and more comfortable of the two chairs. Dain quietly took a seat in the chair indicated to him. Eddus sat on the smaller chair, looking at Dain expectantly.

“I trust you are well, here.”

“I certainly can’t complain.” Eddus shook his head, laughing lightly. “This is much better than I would have ever envisioned a prisoner being treated.”

Dain looked at him sternly.

“Have you had much experience as a prisoner?”

“Well, no. Hence why I can only imagine.”

“You’re not a prisoner here, Ed.”

“That’s what I’ve been told.” Eddus smiled, nodding as he looked around the small room.

“You shouldn’t be here that long. I hear that you were seen this afternoon. I was able to make you a priority.”

“I was taken and questioned shortly after you left. And I do appreciate it, Dain. I appreciate everything that you’ve done for me.”

The guard shrugged his shoulders.

“I am glad for that,” he said. “Ed, I came here to tell you something, and I want to preface it by saying that I really don’t like being the bearer of bad news.”

Eddus leaned forward in his seat.

“You spoke of a friend that you came here looking for. I’ve been asking around, and had others asking as well, but we’ve not had much success.” Dain shook his head, his lips tight. “We asked about anyone by the names you gave me, as well as questioning anyone we found by those names. Our searches have been fruitless. Nobody seems to know you or of you.”

Eddus opened his mouth to respond, but the guard carried on.

“Look,” he said, “this doesn’t mean that your friend isn’t in the area. I do need to ask you something, though. Where you crossed into our realm, it wasn’t coincidental, was it? Did you somehow know to cross the barrier where you did, or was it a random choice? This realm is as big as yours, if not bigger. If you simply stepped into a random ring, it could be like being on the other side of the world from the person you seek.”

Eddus smiled, though it felt rather forced.

“It’s not something that needs to be worried about, Dain. I found her,” he said.

“Did you?” Dain leaned back into the chair, looking mildly surprised.

“Yes. Well, no. I guess you could say that she found me. She came to see me here earlier.”

“Ed, that is fantastic.”

“Yes. I guess the news about my being here got around fast.” Thinking back on how their encounter had ended, Eddus did his best to keep smiling. “And it turns out that she is fine.”

“I had the feeling you could be trusted,” Dain said, “I had a feeling about you when we met. The fact you found her can only help your case for having come here, as well as hasten your return home.”

“I still don’t know what it is you kept me from going through when I arrived, but I just want you to know that I appreciate it.”

“I’m happy that you found who it was you were looking for, Ed. I should be going.” The faerie got to his feet. His wings opened slowly and closed, as if on their own. “I believe that you’re a good human; a good man. I like your manner. As I said, you’re very polite, and I do hope for your sake that this all works out.”

Eddus rose from his chair. He extended his right hand. Dain hesitated for a moment and then grasped his hand with his own. He gave a single nod, which Eddus returned.

The guard then walked to the door, where he knocked once, and it opened. He looked back, one hand on the door.

“Eat something, Ed. And get some sleep. More food will be brought to you tomorrow. If all goes well, you should only be here a couple of days,” Dain said, disappearing through the door, it closing behind him.

Picking up the small chair he’d been sitting on by its back, Eddus carried it to the opposite corner. As he approached the small table, the lights in the room dimmed again, except for the one over said table.

The food on the tray was simple, but arranged nicely on the plate, and a light scent met his nose.

It was not unpleasant, but Eddus had no appetite. He made his way back to the bed. Untying his shoes, he removed them before lying down. He was exhausted. His legs still hurt, and his head felt thick. Turning onto his side, toward the wall, he closed his eyes.