Hidden

Tom opened his eyes and let out a deep sigh. He saw the vast azure sky, stretching and dotted with fluffy white and sapphire clouds, while the sun beamed, casting a beautiful glow on the earth. The breeze, hitting him with a soft touch of serenity and comfort and he closed his eyes again. He hoped he was not late. He sat up then cringed. He was on the ground covered with green grasses stretched further to meet what looked like woods. He must still be dreaming and it was time he woke up. He got on his feet, looked round the hummock befuddled. Where was this?  This did not feel like a dream. It was at that point he heard some voices, and he turned round. He realized he was on a little hill so he moved to the edge. The slope lead to a flowing pellucid stream which extended to meet a river. Now he was sure he was not dreaming because he felt the lower temperature of the hummock now hitting him. He saw three women, all dressed in long gowns with sleeves, over skirts with linen chemise. They all had their hair decorated with hair flowers, pearl feathers and made into braids. They talked and laughed. Tom was astonished when he did not see the camera crew as he assumed they were acting an epic movie. They did not look like they were acting a movie. Why were they dressed like 16th century damsels? How did he get here? He shook his head and assured himself he was not dreaming. He seemed not to remember how he got here. “What do we have here?” A voice said and Tom turned swiftly. He saw three men standing behind grimly. Just like the women, they looked like the men of the 16th century. They wore contrasting fabrics with embroidery, applied trims and surface ornamentation.  It seemed they were dressed for a special occasion                                                                                                          They looked at him as if they were seeing an alien. He was right; they began to move back while their hands moved to their swords as they saw him as an alien. “Hey, guys chill.”Tom said “What are you?” One of them asked, fear displayed on his rotund face while his hand shivered on his sword. They saw his dark square cut and wondered what king of hair he was wearing. Then he wore denim pants, white T-shirt which he covered with a black leather jackets. His high-top basketball sneakers looked so strange they were sure he was not from this planet. “I am Tom.” He said and saying his name brought a spark that popped up some memories into him. He remembered he was Tom ; a nineteen year old college boy based in Los Angeles. How did he get here? “Where am I and what year is this?” He asked. The men looked at each other. They got the message. He was not from here and maybe the seed of the Dark Dragon. They drew out their swords. “He is the seed of the dark dragon.” One of them said and they all moved back in readiness. “He is I spying on our girls and plans to snatch them to the Land of Quiranza.” The second man said “Kill him!” Tom knew he was in trouble so he turned and broke into a run. He did not hesitate to take a jump down the cliff which was over eighty feet high and jumped into the river. He submerged  for a few a minutes before emerging but the men did not jump after him. He began to swim away, still trying to figure out how he got here and why he could not remember how he got here. He kept swimming and after about forty minutes, intuition told him to get out of the water. He felt cold, wet and famished. He had to leave this place but how? He had to remember how he came in order to have an idea of how he would leave. He was now walking along a farm with no idea of where he was going to. He heard voices and stopped, quickly lay down and crawled underneath the plants. It took just a few seconds before he saw a man with bushy mustache holding a woman as they talked and laughed. “John said that to me a long time ago.” He said. “Really?” The woman said. “But he feels you can handle it for him.” “I can handle more than that, my honey. I can handle his wife too.” She giggled and they kissed. “Secret affair has it’s unique sweetness.” She said. “Especially when we are both married and have to come to the farms.” They laughed again. Tom watched them cuddle and their clothes began to fly off their bodies. Just within a few seconds, they were on the ground and Tom knew he had no time to hesitate. They were just a few hundred yards away from him but a******y had overwhelmed them and they were lost in ecstasy. Tom crawled and within a few seconds, he dragged his clothes and got up. His steps alerted them and they sprang up in shame but did not see him. “Hey! Hey!” he shouted but Tom was running already. He could not believe his luck when he saw a horse tied to a tree. He quickly untied it , mounted it and rode away. Fifteen minutes later, he stopped the horse and alighted. He tied it to a tree and pulled off his clothes and wore the man’s clothes. He chuckled as he imagined what he looked like. He buried the clothes. The clothes were like a death sentence. He then covered his head with the man’s cap to hide his haircut and felt safer. He mounted the horse and began to ride on. He felt so hungry and tired he allowed the horse to lead him on. After a few minutes, he found himself on a windy road. Should he go on or stop? But he had to find food or a place to rest and at least have the mindset to know what was really going on. He saw a man on a horse riding towards him. He hesitated. A part of him told him to turn back but another part told him that may lead to suspicion. The scariest part was that he had no idea where he was, what  year it was or the kind of people living there. “Good afternoon, Sire.” The man said and rode past him. “Happy Salvar day.” Salvar day? “Good afternoon, sire.” Tom repeated. “Thank you and Happy Salvar day too.” He began to see more people, all dressed alike and, while some walked on foot, some were in horse drawn carts while some on horses. He began to see a few houses, mostly built with wooden frames filled with bricks with thatched roofs .Some were just huts and it was obvious that the type of house one built depended on his financial capability. He saw kids playing around, women holding pots and probably going for water, and men could be seen around but it was a small village. Even though Tom was dressed like them, some gave him curious looks which meant it was a village where a stranger would be identified easily. Now he was here with no money and needed food and a place to have a rest. He saw an old man sitting on a wooden pew by the road. “Happy Salvar day, sire and good afternoon.” “Happy Salvar day kid. Have you had your Salvar stringing?” Salvar stringing? “Ohhmmm, I am a stranger here and in need of food right now. I will deal with that after that.” “You still have Time kid. Sunset is still a few hours. Did you say you are a stranger? The old man gave him another look. “Have you lost your way? That is where you need to go and you will have plenty of food.” He pointed at big wooden building at the far end of the street. “You must be Joseph of Guhamton. I recognize you now. You grandfather and I were in King Vincent’s Special Regiment during the Rebel uprising. There he met your grandmother. Okay, boy, sure do come and have a Salvar drink with me later. I need to tell you some old time stories.” “Sure sire.” “Happy Salavar day once again.” Tom nodded and rode on. He was now so famished and lassitude he felt like falling off the horse. He saw women carrying food in trays, men slaughtering and roasting lambs.    Then a group of teenagers, all dressed in blue dresses came up the street, holding blue flags and singing aloud: Sal-sal-sal-sal Sal he had to up there Dying for us he says my dear Sal-sal-sal-sal-salvar is rare Dirty dragon. Oh you dark fire sputter Now it's winter Your reign is glimmer Sal-sal-sal-sa-sal Here comes Salvar The great server Now it’s happy, happy time Gold and diamond in my mine Take the egg and go away Can’t you see it is my day? Saaaaaaaaalvaarrrrr!     Tom saw the people around singing along with them with bliss so he began to move his lips and shaking his head if he was singing along. After his experience with the three men with swords, he never wanted to have a similar experience here. The building was large and stood out. The wooden frames were thick and the bricks were decorated and painted. The roof was high and the door was wide. Tom wondered why he was directed here and was mistaken for Joseph of Guhamton. Well, if that could fetch him food right now, he was going to keep being Joseph but he paused. He should have asked the loquacious old man more about Joseph but that may have raised suspicions. He went to the front door and knocked. “Happy Salvarrrr!” a youth tapped him hard on the back and ran past him excitedly. “I got my first Salvar stinging! I am now a Sapharino.” Tom did not expect the tap and that scared him at first, coupled with his paranoia. “Shut up, Pius. I got my fifth today"  A voice from afar emerged. “Because you are old, ol’boy.” Some girls laughed. The front door opened and a lady appeared and gave tom a quizzical look. She looked at him in a similar manner the three men had looked at him. What was wrong? His head was covered and did not look different from them. “Good afternoon ma’am and happy Salvar day.” For a woman, she was one of the tallest women he had ever seen. She was chubby with a slim neck and small round face. Her braided hair was milk colored adorned with shiny crystals and flowers. Her inner gown was skinny from the top and widened below.  She had the widest hips he had ever seen and he could guess she was a between twenty-eight and thirty years old. “I am Joseph of Guhamton.” He did not know that to say next. Should he tell her that he was here to get food? “Ohhh, Joseph, come inside. How are you?” He felt a sensation of relief. “I am fine ma’am.” “What a pleasant Salvar surprise. You must be tired. Wait please….” She turned, “Gaius!” She called and a middle aged mqn Tom guessed was a servant appeared. “Get the horse to the stables.” Yes, Madam.” He said, came out and bowed at Tom before taking hold of the horse and taking it away. “Please come in.” She said and tom walked into a big living-room he found beautiful but archaic. This triggered some memories in him. He saw images of LCD Smart TVs, laptops, i-pads, phones…The thought of a hone gave his heart a bang. He tried to know why it felt different when he thought of a phone but he felt that part locked up. “You must be tired. Please sit down.” “Thank you, ma’am.” As she walked away, Tom saw her vibrating bum and quickly took off his eyes. She must be the wife of a powerful and rich man. While she went out of the vast, heavily furnished living-room, a lady he guessed was a maid pass by and climbed up the stairs. After a few minutes, the huge lady came back with a smile. “Are you going to stay for a while?” “Yes ma’am. At least for a few hours or more.” “You look fagged-out. Please come with me.” She led him to a long dining table where the maids had served food already. Tom was salivating already. “I guess you have not had the new meat introduced to England and my husband ordered for plenty. Only three families eat it here and only three families use sugar. Sugar is very expensive so the poor have to use honey. It is called Turkey. Introduced to England Last year.” Turkey? Was she serious? It was official that he was living in history. “Last year…what name is last year, please?” She gave him an astonishing look. “1525 0f course.” 1525? So this was 1526. Oh God. Now some things made sense to him like the fruits that were cooked and made into pies and tarts. It was believed at the 16th century that fresh fruits were bad for health so it was cooked and made into pies. The rich Tudors ate preserved fruits. They ate vast amount of meat but rarely ate vegetables and were therefore poorly fed. Poor people ate plenty of vegetables because they had no option and vegetables were cheap while meat was expensive and a luxury. “Oh, I thought it had a special name like the year of Turkey.” She chuckled. “No.” On the table were a variety of preserved fruits, gingerbread, sugared almonds and jelly, turkey soup, Christmas pudding and lots more. “Come on, enjoy your meal. Excuse me please.” She walked away and he starred after her for a second as she swayed her hips. Who was Joseph and why did they think he was him? Was it his double-ganger or someone he possessed his soul to come here? He forgot about all of that and pounced on the meal. The taste felt different from the food the he was used to  but he enjoyed it and coupled with the fact that he did not know when last he had any meal. He did not even know how long it took him to get here. After the meal which was obviously not for the poor, he felt satiated and more relaxed but the image of a phone kept resonating with him. She came back. “I hope you enjoyed the meal. We have the best cooks in Dransvalle.” “Excuse me?” “The name of this village, have you forgotten?” “No ma’am.” “Now you need a wash. Come with me.” As he followed her, he had troubles trying not to stare at her wide, round back and the fact that she swayed the hips coquettishly exacerbated his libido stir. She led him to a beautiful quarter with a small pool carved out of stones with a channel that allowed used water to flush out and another for replenishing. There were pots of indoor flowers. “I guess you need a bath and new clothes.” She said and added, “Joseph.” “Yes, ma’am and a shaver.” “Very well. My husband got a shaver giving to him as a gift from King Pius. I will let you use it.” “Oh, thank you. Is he around?”   “Excuse me.” She went out and came back after a few minutes with an obsolete straight razor shaving stick. She also brought a towel and said, “you will have to bring your clothes so the laundry man can handle it. I got new clothes for you. I guess you must be hungry. Today is Salvar day and there is more than enough to eat. My husband hosts Salvar night which starts from midnight as a tradition.” Tom wanted to know about Salvar but this was not the right time. “Have you had your Salvar stringing?” “No ma’am.” "You will do that with the men. We do it traditionally here but as you know, only adult men do it and that starts from age fifteen.” “Fifteen?” “Yes, why? A fifteen year old is an adult. Puberty, hair on places and voice changing.” Tom was used to adulthood starting from eighteen. “Yea ma’am. I forgot …” “When did you have your first Salvar Stringing?” “Uhhmm…I was seventeen.” “How old are you, Joseph? I guess I forgot.” “I am nineteen and would be twenty in three months time. I will like to watch Chicago Bulls play that day.” “Chicago Bull? What specie of bull is that?” Chicago Bull! That just slipped out of his mind and it must have come from a subconscious, preconditioned mind-set of his. What was Chicago Bull? He could see the head of a bull and something round with stripes. Basketball! Yes, Chicago Bull was his favorite basket ball team. The memory locked again. “Enjoy your bath, Joseph.” She said and went out. He quickly removed his cap and shaved his hair. It was better to have a shaven hair which had had always existed than the flat top he wore. He pulled off his clothes and was now naked. He got himself into the water and was astonished to find it warm. How did they do that? Then he saw the water inlet and guessed they have pumped warm water into the pool. He felt the warmth and closed his eyes to let all his troubles drain so he could enjoy the warm bath after the royal meal. He heard a sound and opened his eyes. “I think I need a bath too.”  She said and Tom saw her standing by the doorway, stark naked. He shivered as she began to walk coquettishly towards him. He knew he could not refuse her after the reception and the youthfulness in him.   *******   “You are such a sweet young man.” She said as they lay on the bed. “My name is Isabella Joseph and I have a little story for you. I want to know how good your memory is. Are you ready?” Tom nodded, still not comfortable because he knew whoever her husband was, he was rich and powerful. “A young man called Timothy Peter is a native of Fishtown and was taken to East Cathedral Academy where he lived for so many years. His uncle is Simon Aaron and now he has to connect with his cousins and relatives he has not known or seen in years……” She kept talking while Tom listened attentively. “I feel ashamed to celebrate Salvar Day when I don’t know what it is all about.” He thought this would astonish her but she had only smiled. “Salvar is a hero who single handedly fought the Dark Dragon twenty years ago. The Dark Dragon was said to have evolved from a Dragon egg which was preserved  in the cave of Syrusis and found by a witch called Durenga. She hatched it and cast a spell on the dragon which terrorized us and killed a lot of people for three hundred years. No one could face it as many soldiers and warriors were killed. Salvar is from Syrusis and made a team of hunters who hunted the Dark dragon. He was a very smart and inventive warrior who invented a device that could explode. He had to sacrifice his life by blowing himself and the Dark Dragon which was the only way the Dragon could be killed. It is reported that he also destroyed the sister egg which was scheduled to hatch in 1510. So every year, on the day he died, he is celebrated all over England and the cities around it and that includes us. So that is about Salvar the Great.” She had s*x with him again before she went out after giving him new clothes and going away with the old ones. Tom did not know if he capitulated to this a******y because she was his host or her voluptuousness. After an hour, he was woken up by a maid who said to him it was time for the traditional Salvar Stringing. Tom felt his heart racing. He did not know anything about the tradition and he could not ask Isabella. He got up, dressed up and as he walked out; he saw a man and froze. “Who are you?” There was no doubt; this was the owner of the house and Isabella’s husband. Tom recognized him to be the man who he saw making love to a married woman and stole his clothes and horse. This meant one thing; Isabella recognized the clothes and horse and knew he was lying. What would happen to him now?” “I said who are you and what are you doing here?”   ******   2018, Los Angeles, USA.     The SUV pulled up outside a brown building at the end of the street. A fifty-two year old man alighted and walked briskly into the building. He was of average height with grizzled balding hair and wore a clean shaven face. His Italian made suit looked expensive and his golden wristwatch with diamond crystal glittered and made his opulence vivid. He stopped before a wall and removed a smart card. He slot it into an ID machine and small camera-like equipment projected from the wall and scanned his eyes. He then pushed his thumb on a flat glass-like panel which identified him and the wall split to give him entrance. He walked in and the door automatically closed back. He did not turn back but walked down a narrow corridor before he took a left turn and entered a lobby. “Good morning, sir. Mr. Phil is waiting for you” A middle aged secretary said. “Thank you, Gloria.” The man said and went towards a door and turned the door knob. “What the hell is going on, Phil?” The man said angrily as he went into a lavishly furnished office. “Please calm down.” A smallish man, probably in his 60s wearing a Charlie Chaplin mustache who sat behind the desk said. “What do you mean by calm down? How the hell do you want me to calm down when my son is missing? What did you do?” “I don’t know what you are talking about.” Phil said. “My son is gone and it was not time. He is not even prepared and you let him go.” “I did not let him go. He asked to study it and I gave it to him.” “Balderdash! I want him back now.” Phil bowed his head foe a split second. “I am afraid I can’t do anything about it.” “What do you mean? Will he get stuck in the old time?” “I don’t know and I was only trying to help. You want to save your family name and change history, Mr. Richard Salvar. I am not a foe. Tom Salvar will be fine, I promise.” *******