Onwards
You decide, after feeling the wind brush over your face, that though you are enjoying the freedom of flying about this area, being closer to home sounds like a better idea for the time being - and it’s more familiar to you, too. Thus, you opt to take off and search for the shop where you found the genie.
The genie returns to his previous spot before you take off, and then, you’re in the air, flapping your wings with a gusto and pushing above the treeline again.
‘How does this place work exactly?’ you ask. ‘Will I be able to return here?’
“Ah, yes, Master,” the genie remarks. “Finding it is fairly simple - now that you’ve been here once before, you need only think about it when you are out and about. A path will open up for you, and take you back. As for how it works… well, it’s tailored in part to you and the choices you make.”
You are confused, but also curious, as you soar about, gliding at a reasonably high pace while glancing to and fro. You are a bit surprised that you don’t see any other birds flying around, yet this is shelved, since your main focus right now is finding the shop. Still, you soak in the genie’s words.
“This place is… a world attached to yours,” the genie says after a moment. “Imagine it a separate plane hidden away from the normal world you inhabit. It is one where reality and fantasy blend in many ways, and it opens only to certain types of individuals. You are not the only human to venture here, nor will you be the last. How did it come to be? Where does this magic come from? I do not know, and I have existed for many, many lifetimes.”
You glide through a few clouds. ‘Where did you come from, though?’
The genie chuckles. “A fascinating question. I have no answer. I truly can’t tell if I came to be some day by the whim of this place we are in, or, if I have always existed. Time has no meaning to me. I know that many centuries have passed while I have existed, and I have worked with many Masters. Some were cruel, petty, or stupid. Others were pleasant, like yourself.”
‘Do you miss them?’ you ask. You are curious, sincerely, in knowing.
The genie remains quiet for a moment before answering. “Not in the way a friend or family member misses a loved one. To me, they are past acquaintances. But, I suppose there is some fondness for the good ones. They dance through the nethers of my mind, now and again. That is the truth.”
You can tell that he doesn’t wish to continue on the subject by his tone. You decide to respect that, and focus instead on locating the shop. Fortunately, you soon see it in the distance, and so you fly toward it. Your wings feel natural to you now, and as you near the shop, you begin to second guess whether going back is the better option. You’re having quite a bit of fun, after all…
Written by Hollowpages on 16 April 2020