Game of Destiny [English]

Chapter 4: Rule of time

I was sitting silently on the ground, crossing both my long legs. My cold and pale hands hold the tiny branch of a tree that is ample of small leaves. I was removing the leaves from their components one by one. While saying, I am going home or not, repeatedly. It’s rather weird, but I can’t restrain myself from doing it. Like how the younger Gee plucked all the petals of a tiny flower using her small hands early this morning.

“I’m going to meet him or not? Meet him or not?”

She is crouching on the top of a small rock in their front yard; her hair is still messy. Some strands of them are tangled and covered her small face. She repeatedly removes them while doing her thing. It looks like she hasn’t been rinse her face like how she did not yet brush her hair. I heaved a deep sigh while looking at her. I whirled my gape unto the leaves of the twig that I was holding. A few seconds later, I glance at her again.

Her red blanket is still wrapped around her body from her shoulder up to her feet. The colds will be noticed on her barely shivering lips. A heated glass of milk is sitting beside her left corner. In front of her is her mother, who’s busy watering their plants around their little garden.

“Gee, please drink your milk now? It’s getting cold.”

“Later, am not yet done here,” she replied while glaring at the last petal.

“You can drink your milk while doing that sort of thing.”

“I am busy,” she answered without looking at her, “Can’t you see Mommy?”

Her mother laughed softly while shaking her head vehemently. She turned to her. Traces of fondness are written all over her gaze.

“You’re busy?”

“Yes. I am busy plucking all of these wonderful petals one by one.” Gee pointed them to her Mom by stomping her tiny feet on those petals.

Her father suddenly appeared, and he is coming from the back of their yard. He slightly chuckled. He was holding a cup which is probably his coffee. He leans next to her after he pats her wife’s shoulder. He is now sipping on a cup of his coffee.

“What are you doing, Geselle?” he asked, his eyes are on her tiny fingers.

“I am plucking them,” she answered without looking at him, “It’s obvious, Dad!”

Her Dad, who’s sitting beside her, does a loud laugh, shifting his gaze to her wife. His stunning pair of eyes that shape like almond was like Gee’s lovely eyes is full of fondness. It’s sparkling while looking at his firstborn child.

“Really? And why are you hurting those flowers, Geselle?”

She stopped what she is doing. Her irritated eyes bore into her father.

“I am not hurting them Dad, I was just asking some questions using its petals,” she explained, a bit terrified. She put down the flower’s stalk who’s only one petal left.

A small smile crept on my lips. My woman in the past is here, and she does not look like her. She is exactly like her, especially when it comes to attitude. Maybe because she is still young and a handful of a brat. I hope when she gets old, she will be like the Geselle I know in the past. Soft, lovely, and gorgeous.

“I was dreaming or not? Is he true or just in my mind?” she continues pulling the petals from its flower stalk, “I want to catch a glimpse of him.”

Her parents both laughed when they heard the questions and sentences that she kept saying and murmuring.

“She is kidding, right?” her mother asked her husband, who start to stand up. The cup of his coffee is already empty. “She is just babbling to herself.”

“I guess she is talking about her imaginary friends.” her husband replied.

I was far away from them, enough distance to heard and saw them.

The morning drizzle circulated in the whole area, from the forest tip up to their entire village. It’s a new morning mist. The rays of the sun are preparing for its new breaking dawn. Some of their neighbors are already awake. They were doing their early and every routine in the morning.

“Gee, is that Mael, your playmate, the one that you’re talking about?”

As I looked up in the sky, I put down the twig near my feet. The new daylight is gleaming. A small smile crept on my parched lips. I shut my eyes, and I feel empty. I have forced perceptions to go back to our kingdom. After a little while, I looked at their side again.

“No, Mom, his name is Asamael too, but his nickname is Asa and not Mael, he is not him that you knew,” she explained while picking up the glass of her milk. She starts to drink it. Her blanket fell on the ground when she tried to stretch her not too long arms. “Asa, it’s one of the charming nicknames.”

“Do you like him that much, huh?” her Dad asked her. She repeatedly nods as a genuine smile plastered on my face. I feel the same, Gee. I certainly like it. “Oh no, my gorgeous Gee is falling to his charm. How he looks like?”

“He is...handsome..” she twitched her lips, glancing at her mother’s side who’s laughing again. “I am telling the truth. He is attractive as you, Dad.”

“You’re deceiving me.”

“I am not!”

In a few moments, her father scooped her up using his two hands. They turned around over and over again. The beam of rising sun kissed her bare face, and the messy strand of her hair twisted golden. She giggled and squealing merrily. A few seconds later, her mother joined them.

“Dad stop!” she screamed as her father tickled her neck, using her growing mustache. “It tickles! I’m going to pee on my pants!”

“You’re not Gee!” her mother started to tickle her too under her two tiny feet.

She wiggled, trying to escape from his father’s embrace. She is laughing out loud. I can almost see her palate. Her fading laugh is a sign that she was about to cry if they didn’t halt. She’s not pleased anymore.

“I’m going to pee!” she cried out from the top of her lungs.

“You are not Geselle.” her father replied.

He starts to run around their small garden can hear the cheerful tones of their laugh a few meters away from their home. Gee wrapped her tiny palms into her father’s neck.

“Dad stop!” this time, she starts to sob, “I told you it tickles me painfully.”

“Okay, I will stop now.” her Dad flees and drop her into the ground of the moist garden.

Drastically, when she stands up, she wiped away her tears using her one tiny palm. She looks annoyed and a bit sad. Then she glanced at my side. I was surprised when our gaze has met. It’s okay. She did not notice me.

“Asa, is that you?” she screams.

I promptly stood up, the tiny twig that I was holding fell on the grassy ground. I veered around, keen to escape. I don’t know why I am like this, maybe because of the aromatic scent that I know very well. For some reason, I was frightened because Gee saw me this time while I am silently watching them. Stealing some peeped at her.

“Asa!” I heard her tiny voice coming near me, “Is that you?”

I was about to run and disappear from that area when she abruptly grabbed my hand. I froze to death for a second when she squeezed my hand. I feel weak, and I can’t move my feet backward even one single step. I dominated her with my shade. She is looking up now to my face. I looked away, trying hard to avoid her heated gape. I realized that she was catching my glimpse.

“It’s you! I was right, you’re real!” she exclaimed while still holding my palm. “Mom! Dad! Asa is real! Look at him--”

I squatted in front of her as our eyes are now on the same level. I removed my hat from my head. It made her tremble in a short period. I smile while looking at her stunning pair of lovely eyes. Her scented smell is incredible; it evolves and even more vital as the days passed by.

“Sshh, don’t concede them.” I tried to loosen up her grip on my hand, but she didn’t allow it. “Let go of my hand, young lady, I have to go, and I am leaving.” I tried to smile again at her while settling back my cap on my head, and just like what I was guessing, she didn’t accept it as my main reason to escape and leave.

“Aren’t you hungry? You look pale.” she tried to divert our main subject to something else.

I give her a passionate smile while continuously shaking my head. Unbelievable! I was caught off guard by this little girl and seized and uneasy.

“I am not--”

“You’re lying!” a bit annoyed, she cut me off, she wrinkled her nose while looking at me intensely. “Look at your face, you’re hungry,” she said with a thoughtful tone. I want to laugh! She is talking to me as if we are the same age when she is not. “Where are you from? Where is your home?” I was stunned, a bit surprised! She scanned her tiny pocket on her pants, using her free hand while still looking at me. “I’ll give you some food, it barely a little, but it can scrub your hungry feels.” she stretched her one palm that holding her biscuit. That’s her snack, and she chuckled a bit. I want to laugh with her. It is a misunderstanding, and I am not eating biscuits! “Take this, I know you’re hungry like a beast.” she put it by strength on my left hand, “Do you want some pancakes? How about milk? Water?”

“Gee, I am okay. Don’t worry about me.”

Her eyes widened while still looking at me. I nibble and twisted my lower lips. A bit shock, she loosens up her clasp from my hand. She allows it to go when she put her two tiny little hands around her impressive small jaws.

“You remember my nickname as I do on your name!” she said happily, her eyes are twinkling like the ray of the sun who’s now glowing, “Are we friends now?”

I nodded carelessly, and I can’t believe this! It feels like I was under her charm and spell. At this point, I want to hug her tight. I want to do it to ease my yearning for a few hundred years. But since she is still young, I couldn’t do that. I need to wait for her to get old so that I can hug her with a personal and reasonable explanation.

“If we’re already friends can you tell me where do you live?” her innocent eyes were waiting for my answer, her thin and tiny lips pouted. “Is it inside the vast forest, or do you have a home?

Home? I don’t have one right now except for the frosty cave.

I grinned and chuckled as I heard her do the same. My tears are welling up in the four corners of my eyes. It was stingy, as the open faucet. It feels incredible as if I was talking to my woman right now. I repeatedly nodded, wishing to the gust of wind that I can answer her few questions.

“Yes, we have a kingdom,” I answered, her eyes flickered. She looks at me in disbelief. That’s her same reaction in the past when I told her that I was the vampire prince. The flashback of our memories on that day came into my mind like a gusting wind. I heaved a profound sigh as I stand up. That’s true, Gee, we have the kingdom, but right now, it was abolished and nowhere to be seen. And also my problem is I don’t know how to get home, and maybe I don’t like to. I want to stay here with you. I looked at her and said, “I mean, I live in the palace before I got lost in the forest.”

“A palace?” now she looked so surprised, “What are you a Prince?” she let a loud laughed.

“Yes, I am the vampire--”

“Gee! Where are you?!” the scream of her mother, calling her? “Geselle!”

“Geselle!” the hurrying voice of her father is approaching.

Before he could see me, I ran timely and hid behind the tall grass.

“Mom, I am here!” she replied, “Dad, I was talking to Asa, I’ve told you he is a different person from Mael. Asa is a prince of--he’s gone? Again?! Asa, where are you?!”

Her father came; his face is sweating bullets with a severe look on his face.

“Geselle, what are you doing! Why did you suddenly sprint towards here?” he scopes her from the ground, “Are you nuts?”

She starts to sobs which leads her to cry out loud. She looked around, and probably she is looking for me. This place is quite as it seems to be. Birds were chirping, and leaves are dancing in the gentle breeze. I hold my breath. I know it was my fault why Gee is continuously screaming and crying out loud right now.

“Dad, I saw him this time too..” she wept, tears pooled down from her cheeks. “We talk, and he became my friend. He was Asa, the one that I was talking about.”

“Gee...”

She tried to escape from her father’s embrace, still crying.

“I am telling the truth. I wasn’t lying, Dad!”

“Geselle, calm down...alright...you saw him...you talk to him.”

“You won’t believe me!” she continued to cry.

Her worried mother came running.

“Hey, are you okay, Gee? Why are you crying?”

“Mom, I saw Asa. I spoke to him. We became friends.” she replied.

“Really? Then why are you crying?”

“Dad, won’t believe me!” she starts to cry again, “I know he doesn’t believe me!”

She whimpered even more. She kicked both her legs, and she kept on calling my name.

“Asa come out! Please show yourself to them! Prince Asamael!” her voice remained on my ears, specifically when she called me Prince. “Prince Asamael, please... don’t hide! I even gave you my snack, and I know you’re hungry!”

“You already munch your snack Gee.” her mother stroke her messy hair. They start to walk, heading to their home. “Calm down, Gee, you’re just visualizing things.”

“I give him my snack!” she resumed crying, “Asa! Put me down, Dad!”

“We should book an appointment to see the doctor.” her father told her mother while they are walking away, “Lately, Geselle seems like a weird and strange kid at her age.”

“Okay, tomorrow?”

“Okay.”

I shut my eyes tightly and let my tears pooled down from my cheeks. Hearing the voice of suffering, crying of Gee as she is calling my name countless times seems like I was in great pain. I liked to reveal myself, and I want to show them that Gee is telling them the truth and is not strange. She is an ordinary kid with everyday life. I was her only problem because we have an invisible connection. However, I shouldn’t do that thing in this place. Asamael, my human form is still young, alive, and living here. I can not alter and confuse the timeline of my existence in this place. I do not belong here, and I came from another universe. We are fine and good as long as it’s only Gee who undoubtedly saw me twice. It’s the rule of time. I can’t win against them even I was a vampire who was fated to live without a duration time.

“I am deeply sorry, Gee. I won’t reveal myself anymore before your eyes from this moment.” I whispered in the air while quietly weeping, “I professed Geselle, I promised.”