Star’s eyes fluttered, and gradually, they opened up to a kind and gentle foreign-face. An old woman with smooth and chubby features, responded to her awakening with foreign words to her ears.
"ruoY ekaw! t'onD evom. ekaT ruoy emit. uoY tosmla denword tuo ereht!"
"What? I don’t understand?"
"uoY t'nod kaeps ym egaugnal? uoY tsum eb fo eht snaitartlihP. yehT era eht ylno seno ohw t'nod kaeps ruo egaugnal fo ardnaiL. tuB neht uoy od evah eht tsegnarts serutaef!" The lady touched Star’s hair for a brief second and with her thumb, semi-circled Star’s left eye.
"kcalB riah ni eht tnorf, etihw ni eht kcab! dnA nedlog seye!"
"Where am I? Please tell me... Oh my head!"
The women gently pressed Star down indicating her to rest. And with a smile, she gave Star some warm soup. Understanding her meaning, Star did what the women indicated.
"This is good soup. Wait! Where are you going?"
The gentlewomen place her finger on Star.
"Oh my..." Star’s cheeks warmed up to the notion of her nakedness and slight insecurity. "Yes! My clothes! That is most important!"
When the old women left, calmly, Star began sipping her soup again. It was sweet and refreshing, and it soothed her head. Starting to feel better, she wondered Where am I? This house appears too ancient and hut-like to be in the city! Do they have a phone? How am I to contact my family? Wait a second... Why am I NOT in a hospital?! This is certainly strange... Star glanced at her soup as if looking for answers in her distorted reflection.
Plop! A furry, fox-like creature suddenly hopped onto her bed and began to say, "Whew! What a stuffy house! I thought that old women would never leave!"
"What! I can understand you! You speak my language!" Under extreme happiness, Star held its hands and shook it. Finally! Someone I can talk to. But then she hesitated. Looking down at the strange fluffy feeling on her hands... Furry paws?!
Quickly shifting away, "What are you?! You’re not human but... but dresses like one and talks like one! But you’re a... a fox!" "Not the traditional greeting but you do mean who am I?" He coughed in a gentleman manner. "My name is Swift Fox. How do you do?" He bowed.
"This is crazy! I must be dreaming!" Star pinched herself. "Ouch! No, I’m not?!" Star, perplexed by the situation, began to pout with her eyebrows knitted up. Am I in the circus or something? This is impossible! Must be a trick! Yes! It must be Eric or Lily?!
Swift uncomfortably continued. "Star, I’m a friend. I won’t harm you. Please don’t be upset."
"Is this Eric or Lily playing with me! I tell you, I’ll not be made a fool!" Star curiously looked around and under her bed.
"Calm down. Don’t you remember? I’m the one who jumped down to save you."
Star looked at him with suspicious eyes. Suddenly an image appeared before her. An image of this fox and... the falling... the women... Her eyes widened in disbelief. "I do! I do remember, but why did you bring me here?"
"I didn’t bring you here. You did!"
"How is that possible? I don’t even know where here is!"
"Well, all I remember is that your hand held onto this talisman I’m wearing and said something that I wasn’t even familiar with... Then here we are! Home again! (Well my home anyway...)"
"I did all that." She thought to herself of what Swift seemingly, truthfully said, but all was so vague to her. My head hurts... "Then what are you? Why are you here?"
"I cannot tell you now. It’s too dangerous here to talk about it." Swift turned his head for a quick look at the door.
"Then tell me what you can! First, where am I? Second, how can I get back home?"
"This is Liandra. A world equal to your Earth, but of different Gods."
Star looked at him as if he was doing the Hoky Poky! Man I must’ve hit my head harder than I thought! "Liandra?" The word rolled from her tongue as if it was her own name. So familiar, almost like blossoms, a memory...
"By the look of your features, your bloodline must be of the Xiins, Water for Blood"
"Water for Blood? Xiins? Bloodline?! I have a bloodline! You’re kidding me!"
"Kidding? Um... Oh, you mean joking! I’m not joking! Don’t you know about your heritage?"
"My heritage..." An unanticipated thought captivated her. "You know about my parents?"
Shocked, Swift stepped backed a little. She doesn’t know? But his eyes instantly glowed with slyness. "I’m not very sure, but I do know a little..."
"Oh please tell me! I... I..." She hesitated. I don’t remember them...
His eyes looked in a caressing way at her sad face. "I’ll tell you about them, but we must leave here first! Wait, I almost forgot. I was entrusted a very important item. It is this..." The little fox-like creature showed her the trinket around his neck. "This is the Sun. It brought me to you." It was a little crystal bracelet, but shaped for a child to wear. A gentle glitter of sunlight covered it. Tearing herself from the most attractive object... First thing is first! I shouldn’t be thinking about jewelry!
"How can I get back home? This is my only question I want answered."
"But you must listen to this. Xiins are one of the few people who can use the Sun. And the Sun is one of the many treasures from the family of Water for Blood. It is a powerful Puritora or known as magic in your world. And the Puritora can take many forms of Nature and..."
This is boring! I don’t understand a thing he is talking about. Oh my head hurts...
"Star! Star, are you listening to me! You have to know this!"
"All I want to know is how to get back home now."
"Anyway, Puritora is very powerful and only certain items in my world can harness it."
"I’m still hungry. I hope I get more soup!" Replied Star, purposely changing the subject.
"What are you saying? Weren’t you listening to me?"
Smiling, "Sorry, no!"
Swift hunched up and gave Star an angry look. "I’m not going to say a thing!"
"Don’t be a baby!" She laughed, feeling light-hearted. "Wait a second! How can you speak my language?" She asked curiously.
"That’s easy." Straightening back up, he said, "This is the answer." He held up the crystal bracelet. He then took a leather strap, strung the trinket, and hung it around Star’s neck. "Now you can speak to anyone and they can understand you." But before he could say any more, the door creaked open and in came the gentlewomen. She laid down the clothes and began to speak, "Although this is a little old to wear, but it will do for the time being so you won’t catch a cold."
"Thank you. I’m quite satisfied with what you are giving me, but after my clothes are clean I will take them back."
This astonished the women and caused her to smile suspiciously. "You can speak our language! I’m surprised, but before? But then girls these days are learning a lot more then needed. However, I have to tell you that the clothes that you wore before cannot be used any more."
"Why?"
"Because we burned them."
"What?!" She gasped with widen eyes.
"They were torn up and wet. They are useless to wear now. You were half-naked when my son found you don’t you know."
Star’s face shaded red at the thought. Half naked! How did my clothes get ruined? My new skirt! Mom’s going to kill me! "Now don’t’ be embarrassed. My son is a good boy and he didn’t do anything inappropriate. Now little girl, what is your name?"
"It is Star. Midnight, S. Star, madam." She replied shyly.
"How did you fall into the sea, might I ask?"
"The sea?!" There is a sea in my hometown? "I don’t know? I don’t really remember."
"That’s fine my child. Take your rest first."
"Madam... Thank you."
"My name is Ri." Smiling, she tediously walked out of the room. Swift jumped down from the ceiling and gasped, "Couldn’t you speak a little faster! I was slipping!"
"That’s punishment for bringing me here! Where ever here is?!" She hissed.
"You better get dress right now because we have to hurry. This place is dangerous. The feeling here... It’s not normal."
"Like you’re normal! Anyway, how can that sweet old lady be anything bad! She saved my life and look at the clothes she brought for me..." Star looked down and saw herself undressed under the blanket and her face altered into a crimson hue. In anger, she demanded, "How long did you see me naked?!"
With a sly look and in a joking manner, "Heh... For a while?"
"You little pervert!" WHAMMM! She kicked him out the door! Continue?
Chapter two: Black-white hair and Golden eyes-Part:2
Back to:
Chapter 1: A Sudden Change...
Chapter 1: A Sudden Change... Part 2
CNC stories
