Born Of Nothing

4

Did they now use magic on Earth? How had the thing been propelled without horses? How woefully behind was I to find myself? I had expected changes, but for the first time since Rebecca offered me escape, a new kind of apprehension set in. Not that I would have refused the chance to flee the Shadow Lands, but I began to realize that my adjustment to modern day might be more problematic than I had anticipated. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done about my ignorance but continue on and adapt as quickly as possible. I had been concerned that I would not know which road was the ‘larger’ one she had mentioned, but when I came to it, there was no mistaking the thoroughfare. Carriages flew along the roadway in a steady stream, and I kept far from their sight. In her rambled warning about modern Earth, Rebecca had insisted the most danger I might face would result from misunderstandings. I would take her at her word that there were no physical threats, but my instincts had me highly guarded. I had little in the way of weaponry, and my knowledge of spells would do me no good in the heat of a battle. My survival techniques in Faery had hinged around remaining a step ahead of my adversaries. Here in this strange new land, that simply was not an option. I continued south, keeping the road in my sights until I came upon a cottage nestled in the gently rolling hills. Brightly colored garments hung from a line in the garden, and I gazed down at my worn leathers. There was no question that I would be noticeably out of place unless I changed clothing. With practiced stealth, I approached the house unseen and rummaged through the basket of clothes set below the drying line. I located a tunic that stretched in a similar fashion to my leathers, and pants that were coarse but would hopefully be protective against any scrub. Some of the pants were cut unusually short such that only half of the leg would be covered. I could not imagine a reason for such an odd garment. I left those articles in the basket. I had not worn shoes in such a long time that I did not bother with locating a pair. Instead, I took the items that looked to be my size and hurried from the property. When I found a safe place to dress, I was pleased with the comfort of the tunic but disappointed at the restrictive, angry blue fabric used to make the pants. They impeded my movements, and the only thing I could say to their benefit was that they contained several welldesigned pockets that would be handy in my travels. Once I had changed, I added my leathers to my pack. They were a symbol of all I had accomplished in Faery, and I was not yet ready to discard them. I walked for the better part of the morning, wary of each metal carriage and structure I passed. For so long I had been forced to fear the unknown—in the Shadow Lands an encounter with something new was rarely a good thing. Reminding myself that this place was not the same, I acknowledged my apprehension but did not let it rule over me. I found the river that signaled my approach to the town, and not far from it was a cluster of buildings where a gathering of children carried on boisterously. Their carefree nature was reassuring, but it was also somewhat unsettling. I rarely witnessed any creature openly draw such attention to itself. While Rebecca had assured me these lands were safe, her words did not dissipate years of ingrained caution. I would never be as openly gregarious as the children, but I hoped that one day, I would be able to live without the constant anticipation of danger. A few of the young people gazed my direction out of apparent curiosity. Despite my updated wardrobe, my differences were still noticeable— whether it was my lack of shoes, my long-grown hair, or merely the way I carried myself. I would need to accept that I might stand out for some time until I acclimated to the modern culture. The red-roofed inn was easy to spot, and relief eased the tension in my shoulders. I would feel better knowing I had somewhere safe to retreat, notwithstanding the apparent lack of threats. I cautiously made my way past the slumbering carriages lined in rows in front of the establishment. Just inside the front door, an older man stood behind a counter and greeted me with a wary look. “Good morning, sir. Checkin’ in?” He spoke with a heavily slurred Irish accent that was hard to decipher. Not only had it been ages since I had been on Earth, but my time spent there previously had been primarily in the Nordic region. I gave him a respectful bow before approaching. “Yes, I am in need of a room.” “You’re in luck, it just so happens I’ve got one available. I’ll just need your license and a card for incidentals, and you can shore up at check out.” He looked at me expectantly, but I had no idea what he had said. Even if I could decipher his words, their meaning was lost on me. Reaching into my pack, I pulled out the stash of papers given to me by Rebecca and handed the pile over to the man. “I need a room, please,” I repeated, attempting to keep my voice from showing my growing frustration. The man’s eyes rounded as he gingerly accepted the currency. “A room it is, let me get your key.” He pointed with one hand, and with the other, he handed over a thin rectangular object that looked nothing like any key I had ever seen. “That’ll be for room fifteen, just down the hall,” he said warmly, pointing to a hallway behind the front counter. Not wanting to draw further attention to myself, I accepted with a tight smile and walked in the direction he had indicated. I found a door labeled with a fifteen and stared at the black box beneath the handle. There was a small slit just the size of the rectangular object, so I inserted it into the hole and a small light briefly shone green. I heard a lock unfasten, and then a moment later, re-latch. Again, I inserted the key, but this time I turned the handle when the light went green, and I was rewarded as the heavy door pushed open.