~|O|~

Chapter 1

~-~

Dull burning pain, in my stomach, or where I thought my stomach was. That’s how I always woke now. The pain there always overshadowed other sources elsewhere in my body.

I didn’t want to wake up. Not that my body gives me a choice.

Maybe there was a hangover. Not that I could tell, it was drowned out by my stomach alone.

Opening my eyes I found myself in the cabin, laying on a hammock. There was a gentle sway as my boat floated upon the ocean.

My name is Josephus Carter, I’m thirty-two, dying of cancer, and six months ago I was told I had less than a year to live.

I don’t remember how I got here. By here, I mean the hammock. I know exactly how I ended up alone on a boat in the middle of the pacific. Parsing my memories, the last thing I could think of was another bottle of vodka or some clear liquor. It was kind of hazy after that. However much I’d had, it was enough to allow me some sleep through the pain.

Probably didn’t last long. The pain never allowed that. In the last eight months, I’d been lucky to get more than three hours of sleep at any given time unless I was doped up on whatever horse tranquilizers the docs would give me. Not that they let me have them. All they’d let me have for my pain was the low end stuff. Ibuprofen and vicodin. None of it worked.

Against the best wishes of everyone, I’d tried other less legal means of pain relief. What I could get, didn’t really help either, and it was hard to get anyway. The only thing that truly worked was the alcohol. That was it. I’d get blackout drunk. The pain was still there, but I didn’t care.

Now that I’m awake, time to start again. I reached up and flipped the light switch, bringing illumination to the sleeping cabin. I rolled over in my hammock, looking for a bottle of something, anything to start.

Nothing but empty bottles lay jumbled underneath and around my hammock on top of a few rank smelling pools of vomit, urine, rotting food, and spilled alcohol.

God what a mess. Not the floor. Me.

I sat up in the hammock.

My balance hadn’t gone yet. Not that I get sea-sick.

I only had one shoe on. Don’t even know when I put them on, or put one on, or lost the second one if I had put both on. Didn’t matter. I got out of the hammock, not caring what I stepped in. Even if there was broken glass, I probably wouldn’t realize it.

Stumbling my way to the hold, i entered. Jackpot. I still had alcohol left. Lots of it. Other than some food and the gas I put into the boat, the only other thing than myself was a moving van a quarter full of alcohol to last me, hopefully until I died. Still had over half of it left. I think I made the store clerks day when I bought it all. At least someone felt good.

I grabbed a six-pack, and four bottles of something, not caring what any of them really were.

Leaving the hold, I went up top. Before exiting, I turned on the small music player I had there. It was loud enough I could hear it from where I’d sit just outside the door. It used a usb drive to hold all the music and I vaguely remember just putting as much as would fit. A couple thousand songs. The first song was some unknown rock piece from the nineties or something. Probably an unpopular song that I had only because I liked the popular song on the album.

The door was already open. Night time. Don’t even know if I had any sun screen left. Not that it mattered. It wasn't skin cancer I had, and at this point getting it wouldn't matter.

I sat down on the deck and stared up into the starry night sky.

Nice. No light pollution and the moon wasn’t up. No clouds above to mask the night sky. Beautiful. Janice would have loved the view.

I rubbed my engagement ring. Would you believe I was engaged before the cancer? My fiance, one Janice Esterhall. She was a sweet country girl from North Dakota if there ever was one. We'd met in college six years ago, five years ago and became inseparable till now.

What I'd become, I couldn't do this too her, or the rest of my family. Even while dying I had my pride. She refused to accept me breaking off the engagement trying to stay with me till the end. I didn't give them a choice taking this boat of mine and sailing to nowhere. The middle of it to be specific.

I opened the first bottle and took a swig. Fruity. I looked at the bottle. Some cheap fruit wine. It’ll do. Maybe I’d destroy my liver first and die from that. It was mostly destroyed anyway at this point between the medicine and cancer.

The first bottle didn’t last long. When done I tossed it over the side of the ship.

Pulled a bottle from the six pack and started on that.

The stereo started pumping out Sinatra’s fly me to the moon.

How ridiculous.

What would it be like to fly to the moon and play among the stars? I don’t think I’ll ever know since I'm dying.

In a fit of cynical silliness, I proffered my drink to the unobtainable glittering heavens above.

“To the unknown. May we never find it all for that would be really boring and stuff.” I downed the rest of the bottle and threw it over the side.

Bunch of bullshit.

I started on another drink and just listened to the music while looking at the sky. Most of the songs were trash and even the ones I know I enjoyed listening to, seemed hollow.

When all I had was one bottle left and the pain was across the room but within yelling distance, I noticed a strange sight in the sky. A hazy green band of light stretched across the sky over me. I’d been looking up most of the night but I think it just peeked into view having been obstructed by the boat's cabin behind me. It looked somewhat like an aurora.

~|O|~

Chapter 2

~-~

Strange, I was somewhere in the middle of the pacific. South of Hawaii, or at least I should be unless I fucked up and went north, but it's not cold. Quite warm. No way should I be seeing an aurora this far south.

Well, it’s another thing to cross off my list that I never really cared about. Bucket lists are for fools. Janice would have liked this though.

At least it was pretty. Whatever reason it was this far south, who cares. I worked on the last bottle and had it finished in no time.

Time for the bathroom. I stood up and stumbled to the side of the ship. It’s easier to pee off the side into the ocean, the world's biggest toilet.

I got my shorts after fumbling around with a zipper. The waves seemed a bit more pronounced and I had to hold onto the rail. At least this time I’d gotten my penis out in time rather than pissing myself. I should probably ditch the shorts anyway. They were kind of nasty, stained with all sorts of things. Done, I let my shorts and underwear fall to the deck and just kicked them overboard. With them went my one remaining shoe.

Naked. Why not. Who cared. I had no one here with me to be immodest with. Only god could look down and judge me, and I didn’t believe in god, so there. Death holds no composure so why bother.

Time to go get more alcohol

It was then I noticed opposite the aurora at the far side of the seeable horizon, another aurora stretched across the horizon.

Weird.

Maybe I didn’t understand how they worked.

Seeing the second aurora didn't stop me. I went below deck. The disgusting smells from my cabin didn’t even phase me. It was probably worse than I could tell.

I retrieved more alcohol from the hold and returned to the deck. The aurora had moved. It still stretched from above directly to was was probably north, stretching across the horizon, but it wasn’t just overhead. It was as if it had passed.

Same with the other aurora opposite it. It’d gotten closer. If I had to guess, they'd soon meet.

The waves were gotten stronger. Clouds were moving across the aurora. Moving fast. I looked in the direction they came from. A large section of the aurora was blotted out. small bits of blue-ish white flashed on the horizon. A storm was rolling in.

For the last two weeks, the weather was nice. Maybe this storm would do me in.

This would be a show worth watching. A hammock I’d set up on deck was still there. I went to the hold again and got more alcohol just in case. Well beyond tipsy at this point. The pain drowned out. I staggered with the increase in waves and grabbed some more.

Maybe this would be enough. Maybe I’d blackout and that’d be the end of it. The storm would capsize the boat. I’d drown. Suicide by default because I’d given up. I’d win. Cancer would lose.

I settled in on the hammock with my alcohol. A total of three six packs and nine bottles of other stuff. The waves were definitely getting stronger.

Fuck you cancer, you’re not going to win.

I had a great job. I had friends. I was gonna get married to Janice, but you had to come along. Fuck you. You thought you could take me. You thought being aggressive as the doctors labeled it, you could out do their efforts. You cost me part of my intestinal tract and a bit of my stomach, and one kidney. But that wasn’t enough. You’re still in my stomach, and my brain, and even my bones now. Fuck you.

At the edge of the storm, bolts of lightning danced between heaven and earth. The wind had picked up and the boat was swaying.

I was downing alcohol as fast as I could stomach it which wasn’t much.

Fuck you cancer.

The wave action became violent. Other than the edge of the storm stretching out above me, the aurora filled the rest of the sky. Rain pelted down meaningless to already being soaked by the waves that had already started to break over the side. A few bottles had fallen away, but I held onto the rest.

Fuck you cancer. you won’t kill me. I won’t let you.

Lightning probably only miles away rang their peals of thunder. The waves had turned stronger, slamming the boat, tossing it about. water, everywhere, below the boat, on the deck, waves on each side, rain.

Fuck you cancer.

The hammock broke, slamming me into the deck, the alcohol scattering away. A wave came over the deck and pushed me to the railing, knocking the air out of me. I curled up reflexively sucking air and a bit of water back in.

“Fuck you cancer,” I choked out.

Lightning played all around me. The boat had had enough of me and gave me to the sea.

Time froze giving me a chance to see.

Three lightning bolts had froze mid race to the water. The boat had capsized. Already it had turned over and had started to sink.

I was going to win. I was going to beat cancer, but time had froze.

The color changed, decaying, crumbling into a flat grey, my body felt the same. All my senses went. Maybe the color wasn’t breaking. Maybe it was just me, dying. I was winning. Cancer was losing.

Time unfroze, my senses returned. I slammed into the water. The darkness swallowed me. I relaxed, letting the air out of my lungs. Any second now, I’d instinctively take the water into my lungs, struggling to breath.

That moment came. Instinctively I grasped at my throat and kicked out to push up out of the water. My initial self protection was reigned in and squashed. I curled up in a ball, using the last of my strength to resist the urge to live and give into the cancer.

I was going to win. Cancer was going to lose. Fuck you cancer.

A thing pushed me, impacted my right side, battering me through the water. My self-preservation won out over my will to die. I struggled against myself, my body betraying my mind. The cancer if it could, was probably laughing at how much a fool I was. I was pressed upon again, from underneath, then from above. Solid closed about, held me, compressing down upon me. Slimy. The pressure increased. Water was forced out of my lungs as whatever it was compressed down and around my body. Slimy, hot , moist, rank air filled my lungs. Raggedly my breaths came. I couldn’t move, stuck in whatever held me. Wherever whatever darkness I was held in, I was helpless. The pain was back screaming right next to me. The alcohol couldn’t have left me so soon.

Am I dead? Is this the afterlife, a non-existence of some sort. I could think. I could still feel, there was air. Pain. My body, I could wiggle a little bit but otherwise remained stuck in this dark prison.

Tired, I was weak. Death maybe? Had I won, cheated the cancer, or was I somehow still alive. The pain was there. Was I laughing, or trying to. Was this a hallucination? Was it the cancer that laughed. Sound. a long sad reverberating horn.

I think I lost consciousness.

No. There's still the pain

The sound of water slapped by something large. Water spraying up and falling down.

The warm slimy thing moved around me, under me.

Bright Light.

Cold water, wet, silence.

The horn again, long undulating, water spray falling on me.

I was floating in the water.

My body was free of whatever held it. I could move. My limbs weak. I reached up to clear my eyes of the gunk on it. The water had washed some of it away, but I still had some sort of slime on me.

My vision clear. Eyes opened.

The bright blue sky wide open over me. Sun to the side shining bright, no cloud in sight.

The water spray again, the horn again. I looked over. A large body moved through the water. The water sprayed up again.

A whale.

Did a whale swallow me and spit me out?

Am I still alive?

A tail came up and slapped against the water, sending me away. I no longer floated and began sinking from the force. My body weak. I could do nothing.

I didn’t know what to think. Was I saved only to die again. So long as the cancer didn’t win, I was fine. That would be nice.

~|O|~

Chapter 3

~-~

Something nudged me from underneath. Instinctively I held my breath, but it wouldn’t be long. I jerked around ineffectual. A number of turtles. Very large turtles were there. One brushed by me, knocking me about, then another, and then a third came up in a way that it pushed me up with it as it broke the surface and swam along.

I was saved. Not from the cancer, if I was alive. The pain was all throughout my body. A leg and foot seemed caught in front by it’s head and a flipper I was dragged along with it. The turtle never went back down. All it had to do was take me below the surface, keep me there, so I’d drown. It denied me death as it traveled along the surface keeping me in the air. Was this some trick. Was this purgatory or a limbo of sorts, where I was doomed to be taunted.

I asked the turtles. I yelled with what breath I could muster, I talked, I begged for them to give me up, but they did not. I was caught with them on their journey.

The sun hung overhead baking me. I was going to dehydrate anyway. Maybe I’d still die. Maybe I was already dead, and maybe by some strange twist of fate, I was alive and maybe the cancer was going to win.

Pain came from all over my body, with the sunburn I was getting and the dehydration setting in compounded it.

In and out of consciousness I travelled.

A bird cry, then another. I’d glance up when conscious. White wings above. The water moved about, but they were up there when they weren’t there before. Were these really birds? If they were, I was close to land.

If they weren’t, were they angels or some other creature to taunt me or take me somewhere.

They circled up there, never coming down. I tried saying hello to ask them what they wanted, but my voice by now was too parched for the effort. It hurt just to open my mouth from how dry and cracked my lips were. The turtle still carried me, purposely ignoring or just ignorant of my will.

A few more times, in and out of consciousness I went.

Then I was out of the water. Still on the turtle. Being jerked forward. Birds still floated about lazily in the sky. A palm tree arched overhead. The jerking stopped. Shade.

What?

I’m still aware. Pain. Pain everywhere. Two birds land on my chest. A small cormorant. I know this because it’s my mother's favorite bird. It’s closer. A larger pelican stood behind it. both seemed to stare at me, watching, judging.

This went on for I don’t know how long. Finally the pelican stretched out its wings, looked up and cawed. It did this eight more times before stopping.

Loss of consciousness again.

A yell.

“Over here. Over here. I told you I wasn’t lying. See Noemi? See? I told you a man rode on Misarulu and upon him stood Molamione and Calinvar.” A young girl's voice said.

I didn’t have strength to turn my head. The cormorant squawked and looked to my right. A gentle touch on my wrist. The birds did not shy away.

“The man's alive. Hurry Ausra. Go get Arcine and Mina and be quick about it. He’s at the door of Lace Chenos and will soon enter.”

A face moved over mine to where I could see it. An angel, young, olive skin tone, her hair kept back in a ponytail, looked down upon me.

“The goddesses must want you alive to deliver me here to you. I will do whatever I can to help.”

“Noemi,” Called out a voice.

This Noemi looked away. “Arcine, Mina, Ausra, this man was sent here by the gods to us. We must help him. We need a stretcher to take him to my house.”

“What do we make a stretcher from? We have no rope or cloth."

“Your fishing spears, and our skirts will work fine.”

“What? you must be…”

“Don’t dawdle girls. You heard me. Your spears and skirts. We need to get him to my house in the city right away.”

“Oh sure.” Whoever it was, this Arcine or mina, didn’t sound happy.

Both the Cormorant and Pelican squawked and flew off as these women took up position on around the turtle and I. One of them unhooked my leg from where it was caught, eliciting a sharp pain from all over my lower leg as it was disturbed. Surprising it was more than the continual pain I was used too from the cancer.

“Ready?”

The other girls gave their affirmative.

“Go”

Four sets of arms lifted me off the turtle’s back. The pain, the pain increased even beyond that of my leg.

I could see all four angels as they set me down onto their ad hoc stretcher. The pain didn’t stop. I did when my consciousness abandoned me.

~|O|~

Chapter 4

~-~

A harsh voice sounded out, letting me know I was conscious, “Stop Noemi. You know men aren’t allowed in the city.”

“This man is in need of my care Puabi.”

“You can treat him here.”

“No. He’s at the door of Lace Chenos. I need him at my house Puabi.”

“I don’t care Noemi. Rules are rules. Put the stretcher down. I will see how bad he is for myself.”

Those who carried me paused. No one moved.

"I said, put the man down."

This time the makeshift stretcher and I were set to the ground. I managed a moan as my body came to rest.

A woman stood over me, dressed archaically in a simple tunic with a belt at her waist. She may have looked like an angel, but she didn’t sound like one.

“I wouldn’t say he’s at Lace Chenos’ Door, he’s half way through it. We should help him along his way.”

The woman pulled a dagger from her belt, then knelt down. One of her hands pulled at my chin, tilting my head back. It was painful. Despite that I smiled, and I think I managed another fuck you to the cancer.

“See, he welcomes death Noemi. I will help him reach the all embracing arms of Lace Chenos.” The point of the blade pressed into my neck.

“Hold your hand Puabi, do not suppose to know what the gods want in this matter, “ A stern voice cried out.

Puabi removed the knife and stood up. “My queen, I only meant to help put him out of his misery. He is in pain and distress and not long for the world.”

This queen commanded. “Noemi, tell me, was he carried on the back of Misarulu, and both Calinvar and Molamione stood on him?”

“This is true my queen. How did you know this?”

“And these four lovebirds, have they been with him the whole time.

“Yes. They have not left him at all since he passed into our care. They show no fear of us and have stayed at his side.

Four lovebirds. What? I hadn’t even noticed them, but they are small light birds. Naked as I am, I should have felt their tiny claws on my skin. But then again, I’ve probably got the worst sunburn of my life and pain, lots of pain, to drown out everything else.

“Send word to the Oracle of Molamione on the Isle of Nullabar. She must come straight away. I believe this man is the key to fulfilling Molamione's prophecy. This man is marked by the goddesses. Noemi, take this man to your home and care for him. Keep him alive. Do whatever you must. I fear we may be too late."

"Yes my queen."

I was lifted back up and carried on my way. Receding in the distance, I heard the queen speak again. “You and I need to talk Puabi. This type of behavior can’t continue.”

Cheated out of death yet again. This Puabi could have killed me but some mystic mumbo jumbo stopped it. God damn cancer is gonna win. I’m too weak to stop it. I wanted to speak, to say the words, kill me, but I couldn’t.

The women who bore my stretcher hustled through the streets till we entered a building.

From what I could see, it seemed made of well cut stone, although the front facade I could see, appeared to have had parts, left purposely rough as part of some design.

They set me down on a bed, my head lolled to the side allowing me a view of the room. Nothing appeared modern. If this Noemi, who I could see was without a skirt or shirt even, only in what could be the simplest of underwear, was a medical professional, she must be hard pressed and short of supplies. There were shelves, and they only contained numerous pieces of pottery and glass containers. This Noemi, searched through them for a few things.

She came away saying “Found it.” Someone else was in the room. “Ausra, now pay attention. Paste made from the Burrem root will knock him out nicely so we can start on everything else. Straighten his head.”

This Ausra turned my head so I faced up. Noemi appeared overhead with a spoon. Drops of a bitter salty slime landed in my mouth.

“Swallow that if you can. I will help, but if you can do it on your own, it’d be better.”

Sure thing woman. I did my best with my dry throat and managed a little bit down without choking.

She watched on for a while. “Excellent, it should be quick to take effect. The burrem root paste should knock you out long enough for me to take care of you.

I couldn’t keep my eyes open. She was right. I was asleep or at least under some type of anesthesia before I knew it.

When I came up out of it, I could feel the pain still, but… but I was on some sort of painkiller, something that worked better than the ibuprofen or vicodin ever had.

Noemi sat next to me. This time fully clothed. “Do you have enough strength now to speak?”

I tried. It was hard, but I rasped out, “Yes.”

“Good, that means you’re not going to die.”

What the hell is she talking about. My body was riddled with cancer. I was going to die.

“Thirsty?”

“Yes.”

She proceeded to help me take little sips of water over the next few minutes.

“Had enough?”

“Yes.”

“What’s your name by the way?”

Why not. I don’t think It mattered hiding who I was from this native islander woman who spoke fluent english.

“Josephus Carter.”

“Josephus.” She sounded it out, unsure or unfamiliar with the name. “I’ve never heard of a name like that before. But still, you’re lucky to be alive.”

“How?” I whispered. “I should be dead.”

“Don’t tempt Lace Chenos.” Noemi scolded me. “You’re alive, but very sick.”

“I’ve got cancer. I’m dying.”

“Cancer? I’m not familiar with this cancer. Is this a sickness?”

The woman had no idea. No idea what cancer was. How would I explain it to her. They believed in superstitious nonsense. Do they even have any technology here?

“Yes. It is all throughout my body and it is incurable.”

“That’s not good then, but the Oracle of Molamione should be here anytime now. She’ll tell us what the three goddesses want with you. You seem to have been chosen by them.”

Chosen, who’d choose me in my condition.

“Were you a sailor? Is that how you ended up in the water before Misarulu carried you ashore?”

Goddesses? All of this is complete nonsense.

“No… yes. There was a boat, my boat.” Maybe I was already dead. “Is this the afterlife, am I dead?”

She looked confused, “No. This is not any afterlife. We are the farthest one could be since we’re still alive.”

“I think I’m dead. This is nothing like what I thought the afterlife would be.”

“I assure you,” Noemi said, “You’re alive. You have not been embraced by Lace Chenos.”

“I should be there then. I should be dead.”

“Stop this nonsense. Saying such a thing invites disaster.”

Hah, if she only knew. “I was on my ship, dying. Saw an aurora cover most of the sky. A storm, giant rolling waves, lightning, wind, thrown overboard. A whale swallowed me. Then spit me out I think. A turtled dragged me on its back to where you found me. I should be dead. The devil’s own luck kept me alive, but I’m still dying. The cancer is going to win.”

“It sounds like this Devil gave you some of his luck for a reason. I don’t know this god or goddess, but perhaps the three goddesses do. They may have asked the Devil to watch over you.”

What a joke. How can she speak english so well, and she doesn’t even know who or what the devil is? This makes no sense.

“Tell me, where am I? What is this place?”

“You’re in the city of Orthanos, on the isle of Tryosh.”

No idea. Never heard of those names in english or any other language. “I’m not familiar with them? Do you know of Hawaii?” Noemi shook her head no. “The Pacific Ocean?” Again a no. “The United States of America?” Still no recognition.

“Sorry, I am not familiar with any of those places. But I am only familiar with some of the lands in and around the Sea of Korisolt. By the way, are these love birds yours? They haven’t left your side since Ausra brought me to you.

“I don’t know. I don’t think so.”

“Well they seem to be friends of yours. Like I said, they have not left your side at all.”

Still weak, I did my best to look down. There on my stomach sat four lovebirds, staring up at me.

The blue and grey one chirped first. Hopped forward. The red one chirped as well. The other two joined in. They moved up onto my chest, chirping away. Something about their chirping tickled the back of my brain. They were speaking, they seemed excited.

“Their behavior is unusual Josephus. I’ve never seen any lovebirds behave as these do, but I think you’re special. This means something. The oracle of Molamione should be here soon. The queen thinks you fulfill a prophecy of Molamione.

I had no idea who this Molamione is. Another thought entered my mind. Was this world even my world. What if this was some other world out there in the universe. The strange aurora, the storm, the whale.

“I don’t think I’m special, and I don’t think this is my world Noemi. Where I’m from we had gods, but they left us. It was all myth and legend, mostly forgotten in the past.”

“Oh, that’s sad, if you’re from a world where the gods abandoned you. But you’re here on Tohreon, and the gods have not left us. They have sworn to stay and uphold their duty to us. It would be unthinkable for them to abandon their station. That’s sounds horrible for you to have lived there.”

“It really wasn’t. We still had religion. There were a few gods still worshipped, but they never answered our prayers. They ignored us. Most of us stopped believing. I stopped believing."

A knock interrupted our conversation.

“Noemi, The oracle, she is with my mother now, and has called for the man to be taken to them.” It was the voice of Ausra.

~|O|~

Chapter 5

~-~

“Help me get him onto the stretcher, and we’ll be off.”

“Yes Noemi.”

Both lifted me up and set me on a stretcher. A real one, not made of spears and skirts, and much more comfortable.

Both lifted the stretcher bearing me with ease. Was I that far gone that two small women could lift me with ease, or were these really amazons, supernaturally strong and blessed by the gods somehow.

I was carried through this town I could see little of. Still too weak to even turn my head, I was stuck staring straight up into the blue sky. Around us as we moved, I could hear several women and girls talk and whisper things like; There goes the strange man, a man allowed in here, is it true, Molamione sent him to us.

No men. Not a single man I could hear, nor any boys.

The place we ended at had no ceiling. Columns of stone ringed about, reaching to the sky. I was taken down and placed on a table or something flat. Hard, cold. Stone maybe.

The queen was there, commanding everyone to quiet themselves. All the discordant chatter hushed.

“Noemi, how is our guest?”

“He is better, but he is still dying my queen. There is little more I can do right now than to ease his suffering unless the three goddesses will it otherwise.”

“That is sad to hear. Oracle. Tell me what you can about this man?”

A woman, garbed in a multi-colored translucent garb, moved atop me, straddling me. Her weight pressing down upon me, but in a way she didn’t obstruct my breathing. Her clothing left nothing to the imagination. The lovebirds seemed unhappy and flitted around her, challenging her, but she ignored them. She held a small potion bottle in one hand, and a knife in the other.

She started chanting, a rhythmic chant. Her body swaying. Unstopping the bottle with her mouth, she then poured a few drops into my eyes, forcing me to blink, then into my mouth. It was a sour fruity taste. Then she poured it into my hair, all the while rhythmically chanting and tousling my what must be ragged hair. She put the bottle to her lips and seemed to swallow the rest.

She brought the knife up, cut her hand, licked it, bent over low to me and kissed me, the taste of her saliva, the sour potion, and blood mixed into my mouth. Her lips sealed on mine, I was too weak to resist and was forced to swallow She jerked upright, then screamed.

“This man is the one who fulfills the prophecy of Molamione. This lost child has returned. This child must be saved.”

This oracle got off of me.

“Are you sure Oracle?” The queen asked

“Do you doubt the word of the Goddess Molamione, Trenna.”

“No Oracle.” The Queen said, “I only want the rest to have no doubt. I have already ordered preparations for the ritual. The chamber and materials are being readied as we speak.”

“Molamione, Misarulu, and Calinvar are pleased with the initiative you’ve shown today, Trenna. There is little time left. The wick on this child’s life candle is low. Soon the child will be embraced by Lace Chenos. You must hurry. This lost child suffers from a sickness not seen since before the turning of the world.”

“We are hurrying Oracle. The preparations should be done within a day.”

“Excellent. I will wait for the ceremony. Make ready his body.”

“Yes Oracle. Noemi, prepare him for the ritual spoke of in the prophecy of Molamione’s lost child.”

“Aye my Queen. He will be readied.” Noemi spoke

The lovebirds were there chirping away, excited, flittering about. Noemi came over. I knew it Josephus. You’re the child of Molamione, fulfilling her prophecy. I am the one fortunate enough to take care of preparing your body.”

My sides ached from where the woman had straddled me. I coughed again. “It hurts.” The pain was back on and only increasing.

“I’m going to give you some more burrem paste.” She had the same pot as before which she spooned a small bit into my mouth. I swallowed, coughing a bit more.

“Thank you.”

“Now sleep Josephus. Sleep. Tomorrow is a very important day for you.”

The drug kicked in. It didn’t matter at this point. I was along for the ride. Either by some miracle, I’d be cured of the cancer, or maybe whatever it was they wanted to do with me would kill me. Maybe the cancer would win. The pain washed away.

I woke up a few more times I think as the drug wore off, each time only a haze as Noemi or Ausra drugged me again.

One last time I woke. I was swaying on something. Four ropes from around me went up to join together in a single rope which went up to a pulley suspended over me, then back down out of sight somewhere.

Noemi was there at my side. The four lovebirds were on her shoulders watching me. She said to someone “My Queen, he’s awake,” Then turning to me, “Oh Josephus, it’ll be over soon. Everything will be okay. She brushed my hair back.

I was tired, I tried to ask what was going on, but I was too weak. I could barely keep my eyes open to look around.

The thing I was on, was lowered. I watched Noemi recede away from me.

To the other side a large shiny metal structure, a clam shell came into view. What the fuck?

The platform caught on something on the side opposite the shell as it lowered. The platform turned, and I slid off, head first.

“What?” I think I managed to get out as I fell, then plopped into a thick green liquid. It was deep enough it covered me, covered my face, my mouth, my nose, I was going to drown. It filled my nostrils, my mouth. I was too weak to even struggle, to survive, not that I wanted to. The instinctive panic set in as my airway was first blocked, then filled. I weakly coughed, sputtered as the liquid filled my lungs replacing the air.

It burned where it touched but quickly dulled into a numb warmth. Was I dying. Was this going to kill me and not the damnable cancer. Was I truly dying this time now? Was that too much to ask. Everything shut down much like it had when falling from my boat into the ocean. All I had was timeless thought, and even that disappeared into nothingness.

~|O|~

Chapter 6

~-~

I held a small paintbrush in my left hand. In my right, I held steady a kiln fired ceramic, a small parrot of sorts, a lovebird.

My work in painting this ceramic was over a work desk. To one side, three other lovebirds already painted with glaze, stood. One blue and grey, another mostly green, and the third a red and green. I was mid way through on the last one which seemed to be all red.

Also on the desk was a cup filled part way with what I knew to be paint thinner, murky with the ceramic glaze cleaned off the brushes. Another cup stood full of brushes. Several small bottles of ceramic glaze were off to the other side from the birds.

The room I worked in seemed to be a work area dedicated to crafting of all sorts.

I know this place.

I’ve been here before.

This is my mother's work area.

Out of a speaker played classical music in the background. Chopin’s Prelude, Number Eighteen, in um… F Minor. Strange, how would I know what key this would be playing in.

There were many things, wood, uncarved and carved, tools, ceramic molds, canvases, the kiln that my mother had fired these hummingbirds in, work tables, power tools

I stopped, taking everything in. Definitely my mother's workshop… I looked at what was in my hands.

I remember.

This is when I was nine years old.

The four lovebirds. I begged my mother for them one time we visited the ceramic store. My lovebird Taco, the bird I had since I was seven, died. When I saw they had a set of molds for the lovebirds, I begged and pleaded my mother to get them. She relented.

Why am I here? Am I hallucinating in the final throes of death? Is this a fool illusion of my mind sheltering me in my final moments?

“Something wrong Jo?”

A hand rested on my shoulder. The voice, her voice. Mother’s voice.

“No mom. I was just distracted thinking about stuff.” She stood behind me, taller. I looked up and back into her smiling face.

“You had me worried. You just stopped and stared into space.”

“I’m fine mom.” I say but if I’m dying then it’s meaningless

“Ok. Your lovebirds are turning out spectacular honey. You’re really good at this.”

Her statement echoed by others. Others were in the room with us. Many others, somewhere behind me, just out of sight, all watching and waiting.

“Thanks mom,” I blushed.

Someone, not my mom said, “Awww how cute.” followed by someone telling the person to shush.

“I’ll let you get back to work then. Just let me know if you need anything. She kissed my cheek.

“I will mom.”

I finished the fourth and last lovebird. Just as I remembered it, or was I remembering it as it was, or was this all a fake hallucination of a dying man. Still, I felt others watching me, whispering, just out of sight.

I turned my head to be sure. Only my mother could I see.

She worked on her loom, weaving a strange pattern, similar to a buddhist mandala but also heavy on the geometric shapes not unlike Islamic geometric repeating designs seen throughout mosques and holy sites built during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. How do I know that?

Turning back to the lovebirds I finished painting the glaze on them.

“Mom, I’m done.” I called out.

“Clean up Jo, and get the stands for the kiln.

“Sure thing.”

I busied myself cleaning up my work area. Putting away all the glaze, cleaning my brushes and returning my work area to how it was when I started. It had to be spotless. My mother was a stickler for that. She refused to let me work further or leave until i cleaned everything I’d last used. There were times I’d left a big mess and been grounded for it.

Going to the box of kiln stands, I found one for each of the birds. The kiln was already empty. I placed the shelves we’d use. Being nine, I wasn’t allowed to turn on the kiln, but I could at least do this. I had everything situated when my mother came over.

“You remembered everything I told you about placement. Good for you. I’m glad you listened Jo.”

“Can I turn it on mom? Please?” I wasn’t allowed to do it myself but with her supervision, she allowed me to do quite a bit of things otherwise.

“Sure thing.”

“Yay.” I shut the lid to the kiln, then turned on the control box. This was a digital kiln. I asked, “Mom, what selection should I set it for?”

“Just set it on option C. That should work for firing the glaze.”

“Thanks.” I made the selection and set it to start.

“Excellent sweetie. We’ll let that go for now and I’ll check back in on it later tonight. Let's go get ready for dinner. Your father is home and he should have dinner ready shortly.

I perked up. I’d been so engrossed in my four love birds I’d lost track of time.

“Okay mom. I’m going inside now.”

I left the workshop, and walked across the yard to the house. Opening the door, I took in the the aroma of a home cooked meal being prepared.

“Dad?” I called out.

“I’m in the kitchen.”

There I went. My father stood \in front of the stove. The hiss of gas burners and sizzling food evident. He was cooking. I came up behind him and hugged him.

“Whatcha making?” I already knew from the smell.

“Your favorite Jo.” I’m making corned beef hash with onions.

I peeked around and looked at what was in the skillet and indeed he was.

“Ahhh yes!!! Thanks dad. Need any help with anything?”

“Just make sure the table is set after you wash your hands.”

“Okay.” I left my father and quickly washed my hands at the kitchen sink. After that I sat at the table and waited in my usual seat at the table. My mother came in right when my father had finished. We had the corned beef hash the way I loved my father to make it. There was a salad, and some steamed veggies on the side. Everything was placed. Both my parents sat down with me.

My father spoke, “Now that we’re here, I’d like us all to say something we’re thankful for. You go first dear,” father said to mother.

“Well, I’m thankful for my family. I have a hard working husband. Brenden is strong and determined to succeed and Jo is creative." She smiled at me. I blushed at the compliment. My older brother Brenden would probably laugh at my reaction if he wasn't at baseball camp.

“And you Jo? What are you thankful for.”

“Well, uhh,” What was I thankful for? There were many things I was thankful for, but I needed something new. Many times I’d used my parents or brother, or even my valuables as an easy way out. I needed something I was truly thankful for. There was one person I was very thankful for. For all she had done for me as crazy as it seemed. I said, “Noemi. I’m thankful for her help.”

“Oh sweetie,” My mother said, “I’m sure she’d be happy to hear that.”

“Yes,” my father said, you should let Noemi know that the next time you see her.”

Wait, what. But Noemi… she’s… Was she real? Was any of that real. Had I grown up, gone to college, fell in love with Janice and gotten engaged, had cancer, sailed on my boat into the Pacific, abandoning everything I had in the face of despair the cancer had wrought.

I pushed back from the table and stood up, sending my chair to the floor.

“What’s wrong Jo,” My father asked. Both had a look of concern. The others, the ghosts, I couldn’t see, I felt them startled, in a panic. I’d broken script.

“I…” I looked down at my 9 year old hands. “I…”

“What’s wrong?” My mother repeated my father.

I looked up at them. “I died. I’m dead… The cancer. I don’t want to die. ” I started bawling.

“Quick Nyhielak, the connection, Jo’s severing it at his end.” My mother said.

I cried. My emotions rampant. The feeling of loss, of rejecting Janice, of abandoning my family. Despair filled my soul.

“What’s taking so long? Hurry up before Asarzaly detects him.

“There’s garbage noise in the link, what the…. Asarzaly is scanning for the bypass. Shit.”

“Do whatever it takes, I want my child back.”

“I’ve got Jo. That was close, but I had to change the output template.” My father spoke.

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll have my child back no matter what.”

Both mother and father were there on each side, pressing me between their bodies in what I wished could be an eternal hug.

I cried out, “I don’t want to die. The cancer. I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to."

“Shush, sweetie,” My mother whispered. “Shush, we’re both right here. You’re not dead. Shush. We’re here. We’ll always be here…”

“But I…”

...Snapped awake. A large jarring shook the clamshell. The groaning of tearing metal. Cold flooded over my body restoring my sense of touch.

No pain.

“Come On,” a voice bubbled.

“What,” I mumbled or tried to. Something or someone latched onto my arm. Another took hold of my other arm, a third wrapped it’s arms around me from behind.

“Up… up... swim up… live… “ another voice bubbled

I struggled to swim and whoever was helping, pulled me up. I could feel my body. Strength had returned to my limbs, albeit I was tired, It was cold. I couldn’t see, water, dark. Those around me continued pulling and pushing me upwards, hopefully to light, to air.

I broke the water, Gasped for air. Giggling around me. I was pushed and pulled further, up onto sand, rough and course, beneath my body. A wave of water crashed upon me rolling me over so I was face down in the sand. I was on a beach.

A voice yelled out, “It is as the Oracle of Molamione has foretold.” I recognized the voice. It was the Queen. “She is reborn, this lost child of Molamione and Nyhielak, I present to you and the world, The Goddess Lydalphosdoriel.”

My face in the sand. I was tired. It was a struggle to roll over. A wave buffeted against me. No pain beyond rough sand against bare skin. I had no pain. But sleep. So tired.

A pair of arms gently picked me up to hold me close. Someone strong, someone big. A hand, holding a wet cloth, cleaned the sand from my face, from my eyes. I could crack them slightly.

The Queen held me.

“Oh my, you’re so adorable my goddess.”

“Huh?,” I mumbled. Sleep called and sleep came. I closed my eyes to the world.

The squawk of a bird raised me from slumber.

No pain. There was no pain.

“What is going on?”

I clutched onto a body pillow as large as I.

My voice is strange. My voice is different. It wasn’t my voice. I opened my eyes. Releasing my hold on this giant pillow, I sat up in the bed which I found myself.

“What the fuck?”

My voice it was, but not my voice. Higher pitched, softer.

No pain. There was no pain. None at all.

I stretched out and yawned. Then rubbed my eyes clearing them of the morning crud. Small hands, my hands, not my hands, but they were. I waved my hand where I could see. It did what I wanted. My hand, it was, but not the hand I remember.

I sat up and gazed around the room in my half-awake dazed state.

The interior walls were wood plank walls, treated or stained with a light pickle then most likely waxed to give it a shine. The exterior walls were marble blocks, finely cut and polished, with no apparent mortar in between. An untarnished and very shiny brass brazier sat in a corner, unlit. it was a simple design, straight linear, the only curve was in the bowl on top. Several stone pedestals, most likely made out of the same marble as the exterior wall had several pieces of ceramics with designs not unlike Delftware produced in the Netherlands from the late 16th century onwards to modern day.

Huh? How? What? How do I know all that? Wait, what the hell happened?

The bed I was on was large Really large. It was only a king size bed or very close to it, maybe even bigger. Why does it seem so big? I looked down at myself. Several large size pillows especially the body pillow lay around me. My naked self, exposed except for a thinly woven sheer silk sheet that covered my legs.

The sheet probably averaged a one hundred ten to one hundred twenty thread count, most likely made on a mechanically operated or assisted loom, being too fine or of too high quality for a human-powered one. The thread, taken from the cocoon of a silkworm, most likely the Bombyx Mori the primary species of silkworms used in sericulture. Many other species could be used, but would only be on a local level in preference of the producer.

I held up the sheer silk sheet to really get a good look at it. “What? Why do I know that? Why do I know all this information about what’s in this room?”

Nothing came to mind to explain these bursts of information. Maybe I overheard my mom talk about this stuff. The memories stirred up by the dream of my parents and I had brought back a lot of things. My mother loved to make fabric on her loom at home. Growing up, a lot of the material going into the household linens had been made by her with it. Maybe I had overheard her say something.

Yeah. That’s it. That has to be it.

I focused back on my hands. My small tiny hands holding the sheet. They were those of a child, soft, unmarked with none of the calluses or scars I know I should have had. Dropping the sheet, I moved my arms. They were thin and scrawny. Not malnourished. I moved them. They felt normal, it felt like me, but logically I knew I wasn’t like this before. There wasn’t a weakness to them I could discover, nor anything visibly wrong, nor anything visibly unusual like a birthmark.

I looked down at my torso. I was small, waifish. On my chest, my nipples protruded out.

“What the fuck?”

I pulled the sheet back. My penis was gone. I spread my legs. All that was there was a small slit.

“I’m a girl,” I shrieked out. “What the actual fuck is going on? How am I? What happened?”

There’s no pain. My hands danced over my body, looking for a cancerous lump, a scar, anything. I found none on this body, only smooth soft unblemished skin. I had a full head of hair that came down to my shoulders.

A squawk of a bird brought me out of my wonderment.

On the window, not blocked by anything other than a thin transparent curtain sat a cormorant, and four lovebirds. The lovebirds began a song. A wonderful tune, something familiar that itched the back of my mind.

I should know it yet I couldn’t place it. It seemed a mix of Katie Melua’s Nine Million Bicycles, Colors of the wind from Disney’s Pocahontas, and Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers.

I don’t ever remember watching Pocahontas, and I had no idea who this Katie Melua is. My mother listened to a lot of classical music. but it had really been nothing more than background noise for me when I was around to hear it.

Still, I began whistling along, playing the fifth part to the lovebird quartet. I didn’t know where we were going with this song, but we went ahead anyway. The four lovebirds welcomed my accompaniment and gave way to my lead on our musical journey. I tried to not run roughshod over them. My efforts molded around theirs. We were a group. Pushing past the gauzy curtain, they flew over and landed on me. One on each shoulder and knee. Their little claws tickling my bare skin.

Oh no. I’m a Disney princess.

I kept whistling.

A Disney princess like Snow White or Aurora.

Can’t stop whistling, or they’ll know, or would the birds know? Can they smell fear and anxiety? What the hell has happened to me?

I didn’t let the anxious thoughts interrupt our impromptu performance. The birds seem to genuinely enjoy the moment and I realized I was as well.

Finally, I brought the song to a finish as my mouth began to ache. The lovebirds resumed their chatter as if congratulating each other and me on a performance well done. I felt like I should be able to understand what they said. It seemed I could somewhat pick up their feelings. They were happy.

I smiled and said, “The four of you are really good. Thank you.” The four lovebirds erupted in a raucous chirping of joy and happiness. I think some of what they were saying back was a compliment to me.

“That was beautiful, my goddess, it is good to see you’re awake.”

I jerked my head to face the voice. My sudden movement, sent the lovebirds flitting about. Noemi stood in one of the two doorways. I pulled the thin translucent sheet up in a vain attempt of a shield for my nakedness.

Noemi approached my bedside and asked,“Goddess, how do you feel this morning?”

“I, uh, I’m well. How long were you there Noemi?” Nervous as I was in this moment, it was the truth. There was no pain and I felt wonderful but I’d just whistled along with four lovebirds and this might be embarrassing.

“Long enough to enjoy your beautiful performance with your little friends.” The lovebirds warbled approval at the compliment. “It’s good you’re feeling well.” Noemi smiled “Now, don’t be silly. There’s nothing to be ashamed about Goddess. You have nothing I haven’t seen before. I took the liberty of taking your measurements while you slept so I could have clothes ready for you.”

“I, um”

“Don’t worry. I’m here to help. This morning, we’re going to meal with the Queen and her family and we must get you ready.”

I didn’t move. “Noemi, why am I a girl?”

I had no qualms in pointing out the elephant in the room.

“I’m sorry, Goddess, but I don’t have an answer for that. You’d have to ask your mother, the goddess Molamione.” Noemi had a bundle of something, which when she laid it out I found it to be clothing.

I didn’t move from my spot and asked, “Who is this Molamione? She can’t be my mother. I remember my mother. She wasn’t a, uh, none of us were or are gods. We were just a normal family living in rural Oregon.”

“Goddess, I apologize,” Noemi interrupted, “but you must get ready for the morning meal. The queen has invited you to join her this morning. There will be plenty of time for questions later, but time is short. I will do my best to help you, but the Queen is waiting.”

“Uh, okay.” I guess my questions could wait. I was alive or existed somehow. The memory popped into my head of my dinner with my parents in my dream. If it was a dream. It had to be. “Noemi?”

“Yes?”

“Uh, thank you for taking care of me. I really have no idea what’s going on yet, and I understand little, but thank you.”

“It is the least I can do for you.” Noemi smiled. Now let’s get you to the bathroom, then you’ll get dressed." She pointed to the second doorway with a curtain drawn closed.

I’d seen her almost naked by chance, and from her words, she’d seen me while I slept. I’d take a guess that all the women here had seen me naked as a man. This was foolish of me to care about something that seemed trivial.

I pulled the sheet aside and crawled to the edge of the bed. It couldn’t have been any larger than the bed Janice and I’d shared in our apartment. Still, it was high up. For my new body and I estimated I was at least two feet shorter than I was before. I slid off and gracefully landed. I had no sensation that being short was wrong. I felt natural in my new form. Only the logical part of my brain seemed confused.

What was behind the curtain of the door Noemi directed me to? Noemi followed me in and pointed things out.

I found a toilet of sorts next to a simple sink. Crude plumbing. Ceramic pipes with what appeared to be lead fittings to hold them together. This was just a toilet, not some insurmountable obstacle course.

“Are you going to need help with this Goddess? I know you’re new to being a girl?” Noemi appeared genuinely concerned.

“Uh,” It couldn’t be that hard, or could it. “I think I can figure it out.”

I sat down on the toilet seat and peed. It felt normal as if I’d done it a hundred times. Just relax and let it out. My bladder soon emptied into the bowl. It felt as if it were the same muscles.

That was easier than I thought it would be. It’s like I’ve got some sort of aid like a target assist in a first person shooter. I probably should be nervous about this but it felt normal. I found some sheets of soft paper to wipe. This is what Janice and my mother dealt with on a daily basis. A normal body function, only unfamiliar, but now it’s not even that.

Done, I found the toilet easy to operate. There was a lever near the ground to be stepped on and it flushed when I stepped on it. The plumbing may seem archaic but it was all functional. Thank god, they have it. I’d hate to have to invent it.

Stepping in front of the sink, I found a mirror on the wall over a sink with a single knob.

I looked like me. I still looked like I was my parent's child. Just not the adult male version. If you were to take a picture of male me in elementary school and compare it to a picture of me now, you’d think we were siblings or maybe even twins. If I were to judge my age, I couldn’t have been more than a ten-year-old girl.

“Noemi?” I called out.

“Yes dear,”

“How old do I look?”

I did the best to check myself out in the mirror.

“Your body’s age seems to be that of a girl child, maybe eight years old.”

“Okay.” Not sure what to think about that. In my dream, my father said that he had to change the output template. Maybe it was him who changed me to be a little girl. I don’t feel that I would choose this myself if I had a choice.

“Hurry up. Breakfast is soon.” Noemi spoke.

“Uh, sorry.”

I turned the knob of the sink and a stream of cool clear water came forth. There was a chunk of soap that smelled like cinnamon. Next to that was a real sponge from the ocean, not some cheap mass produced piece of plastic. I did a quick wash of my face and hands and turned the water off. I couldn’t help but stare at myself in the mirror. Familiar yet unfamiliar.

“Are you done in there yet?” Noemi interrupted my thoughts.

“Yeah, uh Yes. I’m done.” I left the bathroom no longer distracted with myself.

Get dressed, and I’ll do your hair up.”

“Sure thing.”

There was a linen loincloth of sorts. If I didn’t have this unknown information source dumping its contents into my brain, I’d have been clueless. Lucky for me the information told me, not only how to sew and craft a pair, but how one would wear it as well.

There was a dark beige sleeveless tunic made of linen that should reach down to my knees. It’s thread count and the possibility of dye used to color it as such popped into my head. This is weird knowing things. I pulled it over my head and down over my body. It fit well, not too loose nor too tight.

Next was a brown leather belt with a silver double D-ring buckle. Actual silver. Somehow I had a surety about this fact. Two leather pouches were on the belt. Both were dyed roughly the same dark color.

It went around my waist. Although my body had the hips of a young girl, my hips were barely wide enough the belt would ride on them without falling down.

A set of flats made of a leather sole and a heavier linen than the tunic. My brain told me this was similar linen used on sailing ships during the 14th through 17th centuries in Europe.

What the hell, how do I know this? I never studied that in college. I was a software engineer, not a historian. Even with my hobby of boating, it was all modern engines and motors. No sailing by the wind. I’d never been interested in it.

“Is something wrong?” Noemi asked. “You look worried.”

“I don’t know. I mean, I know things, but I can’t explain how I know them. I shouldn’t know them”

“I wouldn’t worry about it, my goddess, You are a goddess after all. You get to know lots of things that the rest of us don’t.”

“You say goddess, but I’m just me. I’m not a god. I don’t believe in gods.”

Noemi appeared puzzled at my declaration. “I have no doubt now about you being the goddess Lydalphosdoriel, the daughter of the goddess Molamione and the god Nyhielak. We all witnessed your birth into the world from the person you used to be.”

“Are you sure? I mean, I might be dead, and this is all the last spark of activity in my brain as my life ends.” I said this as I buckled the belt around my waist.

“Please goddess, don’t speak of such things. A god you may be, even gods can die, and Lace Chenos the god of death may take you yet.” Noemi looked genuinely concerned. She believed it, or she was a good actor, or maybe she was just a figment of my imagination.

“Uh, I’m sorry to speak such things.”

“It’s understandable that you’d be curious but be patient with yourself my goddess. Now turn around so I can put your hair up.”

I did, allowing Noemi to do her thing. She put my hair up into a small ponytail using a small leather strap to tie it like a ribbon.

“All done, now let’s go.”

I let Noemi take the lead in walking out of the room.

Overall I felt fine despite the confusion. I felt like me.

.

Noemi led me through the building we were in. The structure seemed the same as what was in my room. Wood paneling and cut stone. Any tapestry or curtain seemed done in the same style.

Other than the two of us I saw no one until we arrived at a small veranda. There was a table set with simple dishware and food. The queen sat at one end, and seven other girls and women sat around the table.

The queen stood up from her place, “My goddess, it is a pleasure for you to be here. Please join my daughters and me for our morning meal.”

Looking at the other women, I saw that Ausra was there among them. I could see the resemblance of the girls to the queen. I hadn’t seen a single man yet, so it was not outside the realm of possibility they probably had different fathers. That is unless these Amazons reproduced differently. I really wouldn’t put it beyond this world to have them work like that.

“Please, sit at the end opposite me,” the queen asked.

“Uh sure thing.” I cautiously moved to the seat. Noemi pulled it back. “Thank you, Noemi.” I sat down and she helped me scoot forward.

“My queen, I will take my leave now,” Noemi spoke.

“Don’t be silly. You are the caretaker of our Lydalphosdoriel. Please, join us as well.”

“Yes, my queen.” Noemi took the last remaining position which was on my right. To my left sat what seemed the youngest girl out of all of the queen’s daughters.

“My goddess, let me introduce my daughters to you. In order from oldest to youngest they are, Meltem, my twins Neves and Graca, Hebe, Zelpha, Ausra, and Onyeka.

The oldest, Meltem appeared to be in her early twenties, late teens at the earliest. Onyeka who sat next to me appeared to be about six years old. She grinned at me.

The queen spoke out again. “My goddess. Before each meal, we pray to the gods.”

“Uh, Okay.” I really hope they don’t pray to me. Please don’t pray to me. Please don’t. Don’t make this awkward.

The queen started, “We give thanks to you, our three goddesses, Calinvar, Molamione, and Misarulu for the providence you have bestowed on us. We beg of thee to bless those who provide for us. We also ask of the goddess Lydalphosdoriel to be kind to us and forgive us any trespass while we fulfill the will of our three goddesses.”

Short, simple, and she prayed to me. They all did. Awkward. I nervously smiled as the queen and the others looked to me. “Uh, Thank you, I guess.” What the hell am I supposed to say? Am I really this vain to be imagining myself being worshiped?

“Let’s eat.” The queen said. Everyone started in on the food.

Some of it appeared familiar fare. I ended up with a piece of smoked sausage of undeterminable meat. Cooking is an art, and I could tell you what information my mind had on how to make sausage. The source of meat eluded me. There was fruit. One tasted like sweet potatoes. Another like mango and for all, I knew it was. There was a fruit juice similar to apple juice but a dark red color not unlike a red wine. The bread tasted like bread. At least that was normal. None of it was bad and in fact quite good. Weird and unexpected it definitely was.

I was not that hungry so I picked at the food, taking a few sips here or there and overall staying quiet and listening.

The Queen spoke with Meltem, and the twins about something labeled the rite of perpetuation and if they were ready for it. Not sure what that is. They seemed well familiar with it and weren’t giving enough clues for me to pick up on.

Zelpha and Ausra chatted about them learning from teachers and varying projects they had to do. It sounded like they didn’t have a standard school system. Maybe it’s a master-apprentice type thing going on. Onyeka seemed to do the same as I, not talking and listening. Although every time I glanced at her, she somehow knew and smiled at me. Noemi remained quiet as well, observing me.

“My goddess, is everything okay?” The queen asked. Everyone quieted and turned to face me.

Awkward.

“I, um, I have some questions.”

“I’m sure you do. Ask them, my goddess. We will do our best to answer.”

“Uh, What’s going on?”

“What do you mean what’s going on?” The Queen responded.

Time to go all in. “This is not the body I was born with. I’m not even sure I’m alive. I remember my family and my parents weren’t deities. I don’t know where I’m at, I don’t know if I’m the goddess you think I am.”

I trembled. A tear, then another, slid forth from my eyes. The queen stood up and walked around the table to me.

“You’ve all been so nice to me so far, but I don’t know what I’m doing. My head is full of things, things I shouldn’t know but do. I can’t really make sense of it.”

The queen knelt beside my seat to be eye level with me. She wiped the tears from my face. “It’s okay my goddess. I’ve been asked to care for and protect you by the goddess Molamione. I won’t claim to understand what you’re going through, but I and my daughters, and all of the Amazons will do what we can to help you. I may not be your mother, but I will act as such as best I can. These are my daughters, and think of them as your sisters who will help you.”

The queen pulled me into a hug and spoke into my ear. “We will help you find what answers we can.” The queen released me.

I sniffled. “I’m so confused.”

“That’s okay my goddess. You’re not even a day old yet. Be patient and everything will be made clear by your mother. I’m sure of it.”

“Uh, okay.” I sniffled some more. I’m crying like a little girl because I’m a little girl. If only Janice could see me now.

“Could you not call me goddess anymore?”

“Why would we do that,” The queen appeared curious. “You are a goddess, and it would be rude to address you improperly.”

“It’s just that uh, um.” I couldn’t even look her in the eye. “I mean it's, well, goddess just doesn’t feel right. Maybe in time, I’ll grow used to it, but I don’t feel like a goddess.”

“Then tell us how we should address you?”

“I uh, I can’t really keep my own name from before.” Josephus was a guys name. In no way does it fit what I am now and Lydalphosdoriel is definitely a mouthful. “I think Lyda would work.” I liked the sound of that. Short, simple, sweet, and definitely sounds like a girl’s name. I would be okay with that.

The queen pulled my head up to look at her. “Then we will address you as Lyda.”

I managed a smile. “What does my name mean anyway?”

“Lydalphosdoriel means master of the crafts.”

I wiped away a few more tears. “Oh. Well, I’ve always liked art. I guess that fits.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, but what should I call you?” I asked of the queen.

“I am Trenna of the line of Valas. Considering my role that the goddess Molamione has set for me, and I am not your mother, but I am to raise you as such, could you call me Aunt Trenna?”

“Uh, sure, I can do that. Aunt Trenna it is.”

Aunt Trenna moved back to her seat. Ausra asked,“What kind of art did you work on?”

“Uh,” I took a deep breath. “Let’s see. There’s painting, drawing, ceramics, glass fusing, pyrography, wood carving, glass and metal etching, photography, computer generated art,” I lost them with the last one, “and a whole bunch of other things, but I had to give it all up when I went to school.”

“Lyda, if you don’t mind us asking, what is this school?” It was one of the twins, Neves or Graca. I had yet to figure out which was which yet.

“It’s a place where you and others go to learn things for your job.”

“Like apprenticing?” The other twin asked.

“Uh, not quite. In my world, uh where I’m from, everyone has to get a job. My parents couldn’t afford to take care of me forever. I really wanted a career in art, but it wasn’t sustainable. Between school and work, I just didn’t have enough time.”

“Why didn’t you apprentice in a craft?” Back to the first twin.

“I, uh, sort of did, but not really. It’s nothing you would be familiar with. I studied computer science and most of my work after school was programming.”

The girls appeared confused over the terms I’d just used.

“I thought you said you didn’t have time for art?”

“Uh, Programming isn’t art in the way I think you’d understand it. You take a language that has one goal which is to give a computer instructions on what to do. Sometimes you can be so elegant as to have one line do what would normally be done in a dozen or more. But it’s not painting, and not ceramics, and not anything that I truly liked.”

“That sounds terrible,” Zelpha stated. A few of the girls nodded in agreement.

“It wasn’t so bad.”

“It still sounds like it’s not fun.”

“Well, I did meet Janice. You know what, let’s talk about something else.” In no way did I want to think about Janice. The last thing I needed was to breakdown. The little crying I did earlier was nothing like what I knew I would do. I breathed in deeply a few times and thought of anything but her before moving on. “So you’re all Amazons, and there are no men here?”

“That is correct,” said Aunt Trenna.

“In the world, I came from, we had Amazons as well, or at least in mythology we did.”

The girls seemed pleased with hearing that.

“Please tell us about them,” asked Aunt Trenna.

“I don’t remember much from my mythology class so I could be wrong. They were a proud race, all of them warrior women.”

The girls seemed really pleased

“No men were allowed to live among them, but they at times did take a man to have children to prevent them from dying out. It was said that the queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta was herself a daughter of the war god Ares. Quite a few heroes during their time went to them to test themselves. They also had some strange habits. It was said that they removed their left breast to make using a bow less restrictive. They also would take any newborn boys and kill them or abandon them.”

The girls cringed, a few of them putting a hand to their left breast in sympathy.

“That’s barbaric, to self-mutilate.” Aunt Trenna spoke out

Noemi spoke up, “Killing a baby, is a horrendous crime.”

Meltem said, “I’m thankful my twin brother Horlin is still alive. He works hard for his village and his wife. He’s a good man and is blessed by the gods.”

The rest of the sibling's nod in agreement.

“The three goddesses have forbidden the killing of babies. Even if the child is deformed in some way that it would be merciful to end their lives, we are to give them over to the priests for healing. They then become members of the clergy. My eldest child, Athras, serves Misarulu faithfully as a priest,” Aunt Trenna explained.

“It’s only mythology.” I made the excuse, “Many historians from my world disagreed with what actually happened. Some even went so far as to say they never really existed and were stories changed over time with each telling. All of it happened long before I was born. At least three millennia.”

Aunt Trenna said, “Even though we share the same name and some practices I’m glad we’re not like the ones from your world.”

So far other than being turned into a girl, my time spent with these women has been quite nice. All eighty-nine hours, thirty-seven minutes, and twenty-nine seconds, not including the near week I was in the clam shell being changed.

Wait, how did I know how long? What time is it? Eight Twenty-Two A.M. It seems my brain has a built-in clock. But no time zone. Are there time zones here? Or is it just local time. No information popped into my head.

“Where are we?”

Aunt Trenna explained, “We live here on the isle of Tryosh It was gifted to us by Calinvar, Molamione, and Misarulu in gratitude for service our ancestors did long ago. It’s in the sea of Korisolt between the continents of Marfronz to the south and Taklosh to the north.”

“I am not familiar with those names. Is there a map of this world I can see?”

Ausra interrupted, “There’s a big world map in the library. I’d be happy to take you there Lyda. Mom, can I take Lyda there after breakfast?”

“You’ll be late for morning exercises if you take too long.”

“But it’s for the goddess, For Lyda. I only want to help her.” Ausra pouted at her mother’s reticence.

“Okay, Ausra. You can take her, but you’re excused only a half hour. Any later and you’re on kitchen duty for two weeks. That should be plenty of time to satisfy any initial curiosity until later. Noemi, could you please go with them and make sure they aren’t late? I don’t want them to set a bad example.”

“I will my queen.” Noemi seemed absolutely serious in her response.

Ausra seemed pleased. “Is it okay if we leave now. I’m done with my meal.” She looked to both Noemi and me.

“How about it Lyda,” Noemi asked, “are you okay leaving now?”

“Uh, sure.” I had so many questions to ask, but at least I’d see a map.

Noemi picked up my plate of food from in front of me after she stood up and put it on a side table to be cleaned later I guess. Ausra had already done the same with her own. Noemi then helped pull back my chair so I could get up.

“Come on Lyda, Let’s go.” Ausra wasted no time grabbing my hand and pulling me along.

“Bye, everyone. I’ll see you later. It was nice having breakfast with all of you. Thank you.” I bowed my head before leaving. I may be a god, maybe I’m a god, who knows, but at least I can be courteous.

After leaving Aunt Trenna’s home, and I guess my home as well, the four lovebirds joined me, with two on each shoulder.

Outside I could see the home. It wasn’t a grand palace by any means. It looked to be constructed out of the same stone, with the same aesthetics in design. It wasn't even special in its location. The street was a residential area with other similar houses. I could see that the city went up a hill and there were other houses there, none looking any grander or more special.

While walking through the city, Ausra pointed out anything she thought I would be interested in knowing. It’s not like I had any familiarity so I patiently listened and looked. For a place that I felt was antiquated, it seemed fairly well organized in a modern way. The streets could easily accommodate a car going each way down the road with plenty of room for people to walk. I’d dare say if this was a modern town with cars, it’s definitely built for it which doesn’t make sense as there don’t seem to be hardly any carts or wagons in use here. If it was only that, it’d be better to just make roads go one way for traffic. It’s inefficient. Maybe the tech tree flows differently even if science should work the same.

Everyone we came across was friendly. The few women and girls were familiar to Noemi and Ausra, and vice versa. The community appeared to be close knit, yet they were welcoming me with open arms.

I made sure to ask about the stone that everything seems to be constructed of. Ausra said that on the island there’s a quarry for it and also other islands nearby provide other types of stone when the demand is high.

There are no street names. Ausra’s answer was that they know where everything is, so why bother. I explained that the world I came from, every road had a name. We had so any streets that it was impossible for any one person to know all of them so we made maps people could access. Ausra asked me how long the streets could be. We didn’t seem to share the same units of measurement for distance so it was a bit hard to explain. The fact the distance of all the roads on Earth could reach the moon several dozen times over amazed her. But it wasn’t so great the total distance would even reach halfway to Venus or Mars when they are at their closest.

Noemi and Ausra stopped and turned to me when I said Mars. Both looked worried.

“Did I say something wrong?” I asked.

Ausra looked to Noemi. Noemi spoke, “There is a place called Mars. It’s much farther away than the moon. It is a dark and evil place.”

“Where did you say it was?”

"It’s up in the sky. The evil monster Murata lives there. A great evil. The gods long ago fought and banished it there.”

“Murata, Murata, That name sounds familiar. I’m not sure from where. It sounds Japanese.”

“Please don’t speak of the monster. It’s bad luck,” Ausra stated

“I’m sorry. Let’s keep on going to the library.”

I’ve definitely got to find out more about this Murata, and also this Lace Chenos person. A monster that the gods fear and a god of death that can take the life of a god. Either this is all tricks my mind is playing on me, or it’s real. It feels too complicated for just a dream.

The rest of the walk to the Library was mostly in silence with few words spoken. Ausra was less upbeat and subdued. It seems Mars and Murata is a touchy subject. If I’m a god, and I’m real, and the gods fear this monster, should I fear this monster? They fear it but is it supernatural nonsense. Hah, If I’m dying and I’m worried about what I should fear, I must be out of it.

The library had the same architecture style as the other structures in town. But unlike others, the property was larger, bigger than even how big my new home appeared to be. It was large enough for the library building to not be attached to the buildings on the properties around it. A small wall with an opening in its center fronted the road. No gate barred the entrance. A well-maintained garden was in the yard. The centerpiece of the yard was a statue of the three goddesses surrounded by a pool of water.

I stopped to inspect the statues.

One of the goddesses, the one in the center standing up, wore a mask so I couldn’t tell what she looked like. She wore what I’d consider the clothes of a warrior. I didn’t see a carried weapon but she did have a heater shield on her back.

To the warrior goddess’ left sat what was obviously a sea goddess. She was the lowest to the ground, but more to the front. She held a harpoon and had a fish tail of sorts. I didn’t recognize her face. It was a stone sculpture so I couldn’t say for sure what part of humanity she would have come from, but I’d say she was South or Central American.

The last goddess was dressed in regal robes and sat in a chair. She held within her hands a small loom with a half completed pattern carved into it. The same pattern I saw in my dream on the loom my mother had been working on. The face was plain to see. It does look like my mother, at least when I was young when she was in her late twenties.

I pointed at the sitting goddess with the loom, “That’s Molamione?”

“You are correct Lyda.”

“Is that what my mother Molamione looks like?”

“It is what the artist had a vision of.”

“It’s weird, but that is how I remember my mother looking, at least when I was a small child.” I stood for a few minutes staring at the statue of my mother before turning to the other two. “We don’t have much time. Let’s go inside.”

The interior seemed well kept but no one was there. There were numerous shelves of books. I walked to the shelf nearest the door and pulled off the first title that jumped out at me.

The title was in english. The Adventures of the Thorn Men. The construction was simple. A hard leather cover. Someone had taken the time to work the leather to draw a picture of a man holding his hands up high as reaching for the sky. I opened it. I think it was parchment for the pages and it seemed glued along the spine. Simple and effective. The writing inside was in english as well.

I placed it back on the shelf and pulled another one out. Geord’s Account of the Kantark uprising. It too was in english and I could read it and make sense of the content. There was some uprising in some place called Kantark. No idea where that is. I’d have to read it I guess to find out.

Every title I could see on the spine of the book was in English. Same with all the books I pulled down. There was a mix of techniques in their binding and construction. Some had paper rather than parchment. A few had thin sheets of wood for the covers rather than leather. Some were held together by string rather than glue. I could see from where I was a shelf with nothing but scrolls and cases for what I assumed to be more of them. There had to be well over a hundred on that shelf alone. I had a feeling they’d all be written in English as well.

This can’t be a dream. You can’t read in a dream. I double checked by pulling out the same book twice just to be sure. It had the same text and it logically made sense. The rules of basic English sentence structure for writing popped into my head. Nope, not a dream. I still could be dying or this could be real.

“Lyda, over here,” Ausra called out. “The map is over here.”

I stopped wondering about the language and moved around the shelf and further into the library. It wasn’t up on a wall like I’d thought it would be, but was on the surface of a large stone table. Actually, it was the surface of the large stone table having been partially carved and had other stones cut and inset to provide details. Ausra and Noemi were still clearing books off the table when I walked up.

I could see enough of it to have a realization. I’d say this was impossible. I’m going to say this is ridiculous. This is ridiculous. It was a map of the earth I knew, that I was familiar with. Only all the names were different. There was the Mediterranean sea, but it was named the Sea of Korisolt. There was Africa, but it had the name of Marfronz There was North and South America, and Asia, and Australia, and all the oceans and seas, and everything else one would expect of a general map of the world known as Earth or Terra which orbits a G2 star some called Sol in a star system in the Orion arm of the milky way galaxy.

“Is something wrong Lyda,” Noemi appeared concerned.

If anyone wanted to, I could tell them all about the techniques used to craft this table and make the map on its surface. I could tell you all about how to draw a map, from various materials, to the art, to different types of map projections depending on what your goal is with the map to map out.

“How did the Amazons find out this information about where everything is at in the world? Have the Amazons explored around the world to discover it all?”

“No. Other than traveling merchants bringing the occasional map, it is the gods who have provided us with this information.”

I pointed out to roughly where Oregon would be. That’s where I grew up. It was in a town called Bend. This was in the state of Oregon which was in the country of the United States of America. This whole continent was North America and the one south of it was called South America. This is the pacific ocean, and this one the Atlantic ocean.

On this map, there was no 50 states, nor any countries outlined. The only distinction was the land where the western United States were located, had been made out of a red stone with the words danger carved in it. The place where Oregon would be was just within the boundary of the area.

“I don’t know what to say, Lyda. I think this is beyond me, beyond what any of us here can help you with.”

“This might be a multi-verse.” I offered up the idea. “What if I didn’t die but was transported here? What if this is a different world but only different in the choices people have made?”

Ausra asked, “What is this multi-verse?”.

“Um, think of it this way. If you are on a path and the path forks going left or right you could pick either.”

“Okay.”

“But when you make the choice of which path, you create two universes. One where you go left and one where you go right. Do you understand?”

“Not really.”

“Let’s say that by choosing to go left, your whole life ends up going a certain way, but when you went right, your life ends up being completely different. This is kind of a simplified explanation. I know there were scientists in my world who exclusively researched this and similar subjects. Actually nevermind really, it’s only a possibility for what could have happened. When I was on my boat in the middle of the pacific ocean, there were some strange things that happened to me before I ended up here and I don’t have an explanation for that so who really knows what I’m doing here.”

“What happened if you don’t mind me asking?” Ausra asked

There were two auroras that stretched across the horizon and slowly moved till they met up and connected. A storm rolled in, which wasn’t unusual. Storms happen all the time. But in the middle of it when I was thrown overboard, it felt like time stopped and I spent an eternity in that moment as reality dissolved. Then I was in the water and I think a whale swallowed me. After the whale spit me out a number of giant sea turtles dragged me along to this island. Then you found me and you know the rest. Maybe this world the gods had never left. Maybe they’re all still here. Do you have a god named Zeus, or Odin?

“I don’t think so.” Ausra looked to Noemi who’d remained silent.

“I don’t know of those two gods Lyda.”

“Okay, how about Quetzalcoatl, and Perun, and Izanagi?”

Both of them said no.

“Do you have a god that’s associated with white or light colored skin and can shapeshift or is associated with birds and serpents with brightly colored scales and feathers?”

“No.”

“How about a wolf that’s so ferocious and powerful it had to be imprisoned using an unbreakable restraint made out of objects that would be considered impossible to exist?”

“Sorry, but no.”

“If this is a multiverse then it must have split so far back that even the gods are different.”

Noemi spoke, “Our time is up girls. We need to get going or you’ll be late for morning exercises.”

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll have to come back later and do some research. Thank you both for your help.”

“Sure thing Lyda,” Ausra said as she came over and grabbed my hand. “Let’s hurry up. I don’t want to do any kitchen duty I don’t have to.”

The three of us left and walked back through town, but in a different direction than the one we came from. I’d be back to research.

Questions ran through my mind. Why were the books written in English? Why is the map the same as if it was from my world? Why is half of North America marked danger? Where is this Mars, and who is Murata, and why does that name sound familiar? What is this Lace Chenos? Where are my parents? If I’m here and my parents are here, where’s my brother? Does Janice exist in this world as well?

I feel out of place and the little bit overwhelmed, but I’m not outright panicking. I should be. I am definitely in need of some answers.

The three of us went to the edge of town where there were several open fields with a large building roughly in the center. There seemed to be a large rock formation it was built up against.

Already there were many women out doing exercise. I could see some practicing fighting with each other. Some practiced archery. Some ran, some did gymnastics and worked out on archaic exercise equipment. A few sections of the fields had women and girls playing team sports of some sort.

All seemed dressed roughly the same. A short or skirt, and a leather binding over their breasts. Few wore shirts at all and if they did it was loose and light.

Noemi brought me into the buildings. I found the inside was a locker room of sorts. Noemi stopped at one and pointed to the one next to it. “Your stuff is here Lyda.”

There was a pair of shorts and a lighter smaller set of shorts that looked to be underwear. A leather binding, and a set of shoes that were a type of leather moccasin. A burlap sack hung on a hook.

“When you’re done, put your exercise clothes within it so they can be cleaned.”

“I really don’t have breasts. Do I have to wear the leather binding?”

Noemi was almost entirely undressed already. “Your nipples are sensitive and you don’t want to have them rubbed raw or get bruised. If you haven’t realized it yet, they’re very sensitive.”

Unconsciously, I found I had reached up and touched a nipple. They were indeed sensitive. I hadn’t really focused on them to pay any attention I’m a girl, and I was never a girl before today. Why the heck haven’t I been trying to figure this out? Is this like going to the bathroom, in that it feels normal and I wouldn’t give it a second thought.

“Okay, I get that.”

I found Ausra and Noemi were almost already done changing and had no reservations about getting naked with me there. Both I found to be beautiful, but I realized I had no attraction at all. There was nothing. They are both pretty women and that’s it. Does that mean I’m attracted to boys? I glanced over again at Ausra trying to imagine me with her in a sexual way. Gross. I just couldn’t do it. She’s underage, and it seems my self-image is also of an underage girl. I tried thinking of myself as male doing things with Noemi. It did nothing for me. I tried imagining my former male self naked. Nothing. Maybe I’m not attracted to boys. But if I’m too young, why would I be?

Noemi brought me out of my thoughts, “Hurry up Lyda.”

“Sorry,” I changed. The binder was somewhat frustrating to put on. I had to have Noemi tie it shut for me in the back. Somehow both Ausra and Noemi didn’t need help. I made a quick pit stop in the bathroom and then made my way out to the field with Noemi.

She brought me to a place in the field with a rough dirt track, long worn into the ground, to run around. “I always run a few laps around the track before I start. Most of us do that, but not all.” Ausra went a different direction than us so it didn’t look like she did.

“Oh, okay.”

Noemi took off running. She was fast and graceful in her strides. I took off as well. It felt okay to be running in this body of mine, but I was slow. Not even close to how fast Noemi was.

I was so slow that in the time it took to go around twice, Noemi had completed eight laps. Dying and out of breath, I struggled to finish the second lap.

“Are you okay?” Noemi said as she stopped running when she reached me.

I stopped to bend over, bracing myself with my hands on my knees.

“It seems that running is not something I’m gifted with as a goddess.” I gasped out between deep breaths. “You’re really fast Noemi.”

“I’m not as fast as some of the other women here.”

“But you’re faster than me. You’re definitely faster than when I was a man. I’m not an Amazon so I guess it’d be different for me.”

“I guess not.”

“But I’ll still do it. I don’t want to be lazy.”

“That’s a good attitude to have Lyda. Let’s stop running for now. Follow me over there.” She pointed to a number of women practicing some form of martial arts with each other.

“Okay,” The two of us walked over to where there were several women sparring with weapons. When we got closer I could see they were using what appeared to be sticks of varying sizes. Some were staffs, others were small like knives.

“The world is a dangerous place. I want you to be able to protect yourself.” Noemi explained.

“Okay, so I’m going to learn how to fight.”

“Oh no. Warrior goddess you are not. You’re going to learn how to protect yourself.”

“But what if I have to fight?”

“Then you’re stuck and I hope that never happens.” Noemi walked to a table and perused what was on it. She picked up something and came back. “Here, try this one.”

I took the wood stick she handed me. It was about the size of a knife which for me was about the size of a very large knife or even a small sword. At least I could get my hand around the handle.

“Trelon, I want you to come over here,” Noemi called out to a young girl who had been doing a kata of sorts with a wooden stick about the same size as the one I held.

“Yes Noemi, what can I help you with?” The girl said as she came up to the two of us. She was small, almost as small as I was being only a few inches taller, but she was older. I’d have to guess maybe in her teens. I had no doubt as an Amazon she was stronger and faster.

“It’s not me I need you to help with, it’s Lyda. I want you to help her learn to protect herself. I think it would be a good idea to have someone closer to her in size to help.”

“Errr, Okay. I will help you my goddess.”

“Trelon is your name? Please call me Lyda.”

“Okay Lyda, but you can call me Tree. Let’s start practicing.”

We did start practicing but not what I thought. She had me sheath my stick knife in my belt and practice how I carried myself when I moved and walked, and how to keep aware of my surroundings. I asked her when I’d get to use my knife and she only said that I’d learn to use it when she was done teaching me other things first. That was the only time I questioned about that. I was curious to learn what she was teaching me. I got the impression she was older than she let on. I guessed her to be at least a teenager, maybe seventeen or eighteen. She was just short which is why I was stuck with her.

I did question as to why I was doing this if I was surrounded by all of the amazons. Trell said there are the occasional pirates that like to raid us. There’s also wildlife. It’s better to avoid a wild boar or bear through vigilance if you can than to try and take one on by carelessness.

She was right. I’d never taken any self-defense courses as a male. I hadn’t exercised at all beyond basic gym with Janice. Trel ran me ragged.

Noemi came and got me when the practice was over. She held herself differently as if in pain. Trel said she was looking forward to practice tomorrow. I had to leave my stick knife behind.

On our way back to the locker room, I asked Noemi, “Trel said that sometimes we have pirate raids and there are wild animals? Is that true?”

“True, but we haven’t had a pirate raid in over a decade, and the dangerous animals never come into town.”

“Is that really why I have to do this? I don’t want to be lazy, but if I have all of you around me, why do I need to know this?”

“Like I said earlier, the world is a dangerous place. It is the duty of any person to choose to defend themselves and then learn how to. All the gods have demanded it of their followers. And for you, a young goddess, you must learn this most of all. Your mother has commanded it. She wants you to be able to protect yourself.”

“Well if my mother wants it, I guess my mother will get it.” This whole mom being a god thing was going to take some getting used to. The training didn’t seem so bad, so I saw no reason to refuse. Logic said they were right, but logic couldn’t explain how strong the Amazons were, why I’m a goddess, and so is my mother.

Back in the locker room, which was more crowded with women as they changed, I changed out of my workout clothes, putting them into the burlap sack. I was about to get dressed again when Noemi stopped me. “We’re not done yet.” She had stripped naked but hadn’t put her clothes back on.

Noemi had several bruises on her backside.

“What happened Noemi? Your back, it’s all bruised.”

“Don’t worry Lyda. I just let my guard down and learned a hard lesson. Now come on.”

“I’m tired and sore Noemi. What else is there to do?”

Noemi laughed. “Tired and sore eh, then this will be perfect. We’re going to the baths.”

She pushed me along with everyone else into a bath area. I’d say it was very similar to a Japanese public bath. We washed with soap that smelled of chamomile. Even hurt, Noemi helped me wash my hair explaining what to do and how to dry it. She said I didn’t need to wash my hair more than every few days unless I got really dirty. Even though I bathed first, I waited for Noemi to finish hers. I didn’t feel comfortable yet straying too far from her side.

Then came to the surprise. Again I thought we were done. But Noemi brought me outside on the side of the building that was up against the rocks. It was a hot spring. The place was huge. There were several dozen pools of varying sizes. Each pool was contained by a mix of rough natural rock and carved stone. I thought there were just some rough rock outcroppings behind the building. If I didn’t now know this was here, I would never have guessed it.

There had to be hundreds of women here already. Hundreds of naked women. Naked women everywhere.There were hundreds of women already there, filling the many pools. Boobs and vaginas come in all shapes and sizes. This, in theory, would be almost every hetero male and lesbian’s wet dream. Definitely no attraction to any of them.

Noemi tapped me on my shoulder. I’d stopped and was staring. There were so many people here, I’m not one for crowds, and I don’t really know any of them.

“Is there something wrong Lyda?”

“Um, It’s been a long time since I’ve been around so many people I don’t know.”

“See over there.” Noemi pointed to a pool towards the edge of the hot springs. “Ausra is over there with her friends. I’m sure they’ll be glad for your company.” Noemi turned me and pushed me forward.

One step in front of the other I walked through the hot springs to the pond with Ausra. Many of the women nodded and smiled, or said some greeting.

Getting closer to the girls I could see that there was another girl I’d met before. It was Mina, the other girl who’d helped carry me from the beach as I was dying. There were four other girls there. All of them stopped when I arrived.

“Hi Lyda,” Ausra said.

“Hello, Is it okay if I join you Ausra?”

She grinned, “Yes, please Lyda.” Ausra motioned me in. She and the girls scooted away from the edge of the pool to give me a spot to get in at.

I tested the water. It was warm. Slowly I lowered myself into the pool. I closed my eyes to focus on feeling the temperature. Oh man, this was good. No. It’s heavenly. It’s magnificent. I’d never have done this as Josephus, but Janice would have. She’d tried so many times to get me to go do things like this. I didn’t do groups and didn’t do strangers, and I certainly wouldn’t have been around all these women, and I seriously fucked up. Why did I abandon her? I’m a terrible person. I can’t even begin to imagine what she must have gone through when I left her.

“Is something wrong?” Ausra inquired of me, breaking my chain of thought.

I snapped open my eyes. “Uh, um, no. It’s just this feels so good. I’ve never been to a hot spring before.” Lie by telling the truth. Think of anything but Janice. If I splashed water on my face, no one could see me cry right?

“It seems our goddess enjoys the hot springs,” said Mina.

“Just call her Lyda,” Ausra said on my behalf. “This is Mina, who’ve you already met. This is Terna, Berris, Narmi, and Jola.” Ausra identified the other girls for me.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt your conversation. I just wanted to join someone I was familiar with. So please don’t let me stop you.”

“We were just talking about the game we played earlier.”

“I saw the sports being played. Which one were you playing?”

“We were all playing markra.”

“Uh, what’s markra? I’m new here and don’t know what it is.”

The girls quickly went into a description of the game. It was like a mix of soccer and American football. I was never one for sports. My brother Brenden, on the other hand, was all about sports. There wasn’t a school sport he didn’t try playing. I wonder how he was doing. Did my mother Molamione actually have other children, or was my dream fake? Or maybe my memories before I became me are what’s fake?

I should have realized something was coming when Berris and Narmi looked up behind me, but I wasn’t even listening well to the girl’s explanation of the sport. The two girls grinned

Cold water dumped down upon me.

I screamed. “Oh god, oh god, what the heck was that?” I yelled out as I turned to see the source of the freezing water.

The girls with me were laughing. Everyone else in the hot springs had gone silent and were trying to see what the commotion was.

Onyeka stood there with an empty bucket. “Gotcha,” was all she said.

The six-year-old runt. I lunged out of the water, grabbed onto Onyeka before she could get away, and pulled her in, dunking her under the water. “I got you too.” Everyone laughed.

The girl sputtered as she stood up in the water. Onyeka giggled as she moved up next to me and sat down, leaning up against me. The girls went back to their conversation as I listened. Onyeka didn’t pester any of us further. Every time I looked at her, she smiled at me.

I didn’t say much. The girls talked about what they wanted to. I would listen now and ask questions later.

A bell hung over the entrance to the locker rooms rang out several times.

The other girls stood up. Onyeka pulled on me to stand up as well.

“What’s the bell for? Are we doing more training?”

Mina said, “Oh no. It’s lunch time. Hurry up or you’ll miss out.”

“Come on,” Onyeka practically dragged me out of the water. Even for a six-year-old, she was stronger than me. Together we went back to the locker room. I’ve got to say that I’m glad the clothes were simple. There were so many women changing, but they were quick about it.

Noemi was there at her locker getting dressed. “How do you feel? Did Onyeka give you any trouble?”

I dressed. “I feel pretty good, and Onyeka was fine.”

A small hand pulled on my arm. I turned and found Onyeka there. She held a brush and pointed to my hair. She was already dressed. “Sit,” she ordered.

“Oh, okay.” I sat and Onyeka moved behind me and began brushing my hair.

“Looks like you’ve got a friend.” Noemi smiled. Even though she was sore, she was taking care of her hair now, brushing it.

Onyeka, finally satisfied, left my hair unbound, hanging straight down. She then handed me the brush and sat next to me. I’d never brushed another person’s hair before. No time like the present. Gripping the brush resolutely I began.”

I immediately hit a knot and jerked Onyeka’s head.

“Ow ow ow ow,” she said. She grabbed my hand and put it further up the hair to hold it. Makes sense.

“I’m sorry. I’ve just never brushed anyone’s hair before.”

“It okay.” Onyeka rubbed her scalp.

Noemi spoke, “It’s just like I showed you earlier, but for someone else. Not so much force.”

I worked the brush through her hair until it was free of knots.

“Thank you,” Onyeka said once she was satisfied with my efforts. She didn’t waste any time pulling me along to go to lunch.

Although Ausra and Noemi stuck close by me, it was Onyeka who held my hand as she pulled me along.

We were at the tail end of perhaps a hundred other women as we all made our way into yet another part of town I’d not been to. This time, we ended up in a large courtyard. It was big enough we could all fit. There were several trees to provide shade, and in the center was a water fountain that sprayed water up into itself. A pressurized water system of some sort. Is it an artesian well, or something more? Already many of the women were sitting, eating their noon meal. Along one side of the courtyard, a number of tables had been set with food.

As Onyeka pulled me closer, I could see many of the trays of food were already picked over. We were late. Most trays had fruits and vegetable, but there was some bread and some meat.

Onyeka finally lets go of me when we got to the table. There were simple ceramic plates for use. No utensils, but like this morning it was all finger food. I was going to at least try to taste everything getting one of each item.

“You can only have three sausages Onyeka. You know what your mother said.”

I glanced over to Noemi on my right and she had a stern no-nonsense expression. Onyeka harrumphed in displeasure. I looked to her. She had three sausages on her plate and her hand was hovering over the tray of them. As soon as Noemi turned her attention elsewhere, she reached in, taking as many sausage links as she could in one hand and dumped them on my plate.

“Hey.”

Onyeka motioned her head a no and smiled.

“Ah, okay.” I nodded with a grin. She could only take three. I could take as many as she wanted. That probably wouldn’t last long, but if no one said, no, it wasn’t technically wrong of me to help.

I turned slightly away from Noemi and held my plate close. She didn’t seem to notice.

The two of us, done with getting our food, walked over to sit under a tree in the shade. Noemi didn’t follow going elsewhere with other women. Once we sat down, I dumped all but one sausage onto Onyeka’s plate.

“Thanks. I like these the best.” Onyeka stuffed two in her mouth. I giggled.

I’ve got to say one thing about this food here. It’s good. Way better compared to what you’d find in a modern grocery store. There’s no sugar in the bread. The sausage is peppery but it’s not as greasy and it’s missing the taste of chemical preservatives. There wasn’t anything I could see on the surface of the fruit in the way of a preservative. I could get used to this. There were some foods I didn’t like, but what I did was delicious. Onyeka was willing to take the foods I didn’t like from me.

Ausra and a twin set of girls walked up.

“You can’t keep Lyda all to yourself Onyeka.”

Onyeka stuck her tongue out at her older sister.

“Do you mind if we join you?” Ausra asked.

“Not at all,” I responded.

“Let me introduce you to two more of my friends. This is Gevla and Senla

“Hi.”

“Hi.” They both said in unison.

“Were both of you in the baths? I don’t remember seeing you there?”

“No, it’s our turn on Kitchen duty this week.”

This actually made sense. The food didn’t just magically appear and someone had to take care of it.

“How many people do you think are here right now?” I asked.

Onyeka blurted out, “A whole bunch” between bites of sausage.

Ausra and the twins glanced around, “I’d say just under two hundred,” Ausra spoke.

“Yeah, almost two hundred,” Senla said.

“This can’t be everyone.”

“No, there’s eight other courtyards just like this where we eat our noon meal together. Outside of the city, those closest to each other take their meals together, but usually in much smaller groups.”

“How many people live here in the city.

“I’m not sure how many live in the city, but the last census said there were three thousand one hundred fifty-four of us amazons living here on Tryosh.”

Senla added, “I think there’s just over eighteen hundred living here in the city. But I’m not sure either.”

The two girls looked to Gevla, who shrugged her shoulders. Onyeka had already consumed half of her sausage. I munched on some fruit.

“When we’re done here, what do we do?” I asked.

“When the bell rings, we go to work.”

“Work, you seem kind of young?”

“We’re apprenticed,” Ausra spoke. Apprenticing had been mentioned during breakfast.

I was stuffed. I proffered my plate to Onyeka. She stopped eating to look at me. I nodded. She scraped all the remaining food from my plate onto hers and smiled.

“I’m really sorry for asking so many questions. I’m new to this.”

“It’s okay. We’re here for you. My mother has ordered any and all Amazons to help you if you need it.”

“Uh, Thanks. Tell me, have the three of you picked what you want to do?”

Senla said, “I’m apprenticed under the architect Huni. Other than architecture, we help with the construction and repair of the city and outlying settlements.”

“If you didn’t already realize, I work with Noemi to be a healer. Same as Mina.” Ausra said.

“I’m going to be the queen,” Onyeka got out between bites of food.

“How about you, Gevla? Have you finally decided on something?” Ausra asked.

“No. I haven’t picked anything yet, but it’s definitely in the crafts.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, how long do you have to decide on a trade?”

Ausra explained, “The adults rarely let us pick something before the age of ten. I can’t think of anyone over the age of twenty who hasn’t picked something.”

“So you’ve got time,” I said to Gevla.

Yeah, A cool thing is that we can always take lessons from others.

“What crafts are you interested in?”

Gevla shrugged her shoulders, “Well, all of them. I just like making things. I’m not picky about it. Currently, I’m working with Torvis. She specializes in metal jewelry, although there're a few things we cross over with other trades to get the work done.”

“Ooooh, I might be interested in the jewelry part. I’ve never made jewelry before. Can I come with?”

“I thought you were the goddess of crafts?” Senla asked.

“Hey, I’ve only been at this less than a day. I’ve got a head full of knowledge, but no hands on experience. Even if I know how to do everything you do and more, I still want to do it with my hands because I’ve never done it before.” I held my small hands outstretched, palm up.

“Sorry,” Senla apologized.

“Don’t worry about it. This is new for all of us. I’m probably the first goddess you’ve ever met. I’m glad you’re here to answer questions. Thank you all.”

The three girls beamed at my praise.

“So can I go with you Gevla?”

“Yes, Lyda, please. I’m sure Torvis won’t mind.”

“Good. I never had an interest in architecture, but I know there’s definitely an art to it. I’ll go with you next Senla. Would tomorrow work?”

“Yeah, that would be great,” said Senla.

“Say, I’m curious about the economy. I don’t know if any of you know, but how much of the economy is based on trade with outsiders?”

The girls looked at each other and shrugged. Ausra answered “We don’t know. If you want to know, you could ask Gretha, the harbormaster. If anything leaves or enters the island she knows. My mother would know for sure.”

It’s not like I expected them to know much.

Ausra added, “Noemi seems to always be getting something healing related from the merchants who stop into port. They're things we can’t grow or make here on the island. It’s probably the same for every craft. There’s always something we can’t get here.”

“Torvis says she has to order some of the most precious metals that are rare. Stuff like platinum. She only lets me work on copper, brass, and tin. I’ve only seen her once work with gold, and silver is few and far between.” said Gevla.

“Huni and other masons sometimes buy small blocks of stone. It’s all stone not found locally in the quarry on the south end of the island.”

Even if these girls didn’t know much, asking these questions gave me a basis to build up my knowledge of the world. I continued to ask them questions and they did their best to answer.

The same bells that had rung when bathtime was over, rang again. I thought about what time it was. 12:00 PM popped into my head. Thinking about it, I had yet to see a single sundial or hourglass. There are many ways one could tell time. I’d have to find out how. Yet another thing to figure out.

“I’ve got to run. I’m glad I could eat lunch with you, Lyda. I look forward to tomorrow,” Senla said as she took off.

Onyeka grabbed my plate and put it on hers which was empty. What? How did she? I don’t even know how she ate all that food and she’s smaller than I am, and I feel tiny. She took both plates to turn in leaving me with the twins and Ausra.

“Give me a moment, I want to let Noemi know where I’m going before I leave.”

Although Ausra could have easily passed along a message to Noemi, I didn’t want her to worry between now and then. I sought her out in the bustle of women leaving on their way. Gevla had followed me.

“Noemi, I’m going with Gevla to visit Torvis and hopefully work on some jewelry.”

“I’m glad you’ve already found something to do. Gevla, please help Lyda in any way you can and bring her home safe.” Noemi showed no hesitation over my safety and seemed genuinely happy for me.

“I swear it, Noemi,” Gevla said with all seriousness.

“Me two,” Onyeka spoke from behind me. “I swear it.”

“And what do you think you’re going to do Onyeka? I don’t think Torvis will appreciate you getting into trouble.”

“I promise I won’t.”

“Does this mean you’ve decided you’re going to be a jeweler?” Noemi asked in jest.

“No, I’m gonna be queen, but I’m also gonna protect Lyda.” She hit an open palm with her other fist.

“Oh, are you now. Well, I’ll let you go this time, but if I hear you’ve misbehaved from Torvis, your mother and you will have words.”

“I know.”

“Have a good time, girls.”

“I’m sure we will,” I spoke for all of us. That’s what I hoped for at least.

Gevla led the two of us through the city to an unremarkable shop. I say unremarkable because I’d walked down this road earlier with Noemi, Ausra, and Onyeka, and It looked nothing like a shop. Gevla unlocked and opened the door. It was quiet within.

“She’s not back yet, this gives me time to set up my workspace.”

“Where is she? Was she in the group we ate with?”

“No, Those who live closer to the waterfront like Torvis, usually exercise on the beach and take their meal at the harbor.”

Gevla went to work, opening a few cabinets and pulling out items to put on a small desk area that had been barren of anything else before that.

“If Torvis makes and sells jewelry, where is her storefront? I thought she’d have one?”

“She custom makes her pieces on order. Anything else she decides to do is traded to the merchants who stop by in the harbor.”

“Oh, okay. Makes sense.”

“Onyeka, don’t touch that.” Gevla reprimanded the girl who when I turned, could be seen looking through a box of what I think were metal blanks. “Remember what Noemi said. Go sit over there.” Gevla pointed to a stool in the corner. “I said go. If Torvis says that it’s okay to do something, we’ll do it, but not until then.”

The girl harumphed, and marched herself over and sat on the stool to stare at us with her arms crossed.

Gevla turned her attention back to me. Onyeka stuck her tongue out. I barely contained a giggle. “The upstairs is where Torvis lives and that’s off limits, but down here is the workspace. Here in the front room is pretty much where we store our materials. Anything that we can do that doesn’t require fire we do here as well. This is my workspace.” Gevla indicated the small area on a table that she’d set her tools out. “That’s where Torvis works.” She pointed to a much bigger workbench with many more tools. Very clean, despite being worn with age.”

You said fire?”

“Yes. In the back here.” Gevla went to a door on the back of the room and pushed it open for me to take a peek inside. There was a small furnace, an anvil, tools, cupolas, a stack of some metal blanks.

This is where we smelt and work with hot metal.

I started to take a step in, but Gevla stopped me, “Torvis doesn’t want anyone going in without her being here to supervise, so let's wait out front.”

It was good of Gevla to be responsible. We returned to the front room just in time for the door to open up.

In stepped the amazon that must be Torvis. She wasn’t tall, looked to be older in her fifties, and had her hair cropped short.

“Who did you bring with you Gev?”

“I brought Lyda, and the Queen’s youngest daughter Onyeka.”

Torvis asked me, “Are you here to have a piece made my goddess?”

“Uh, no. I’m here because I hear you make metal jewelry. I’d like to make some jewelry?”

This caught Torvis by surprise.

“Really girl, are you sure?”

“Well, you see, I’ve never made jewelry before, and I uh, would like to if you didn’t mind?”

I think I broke Torvis. I don’t think she expected the brand new goddess who was supposedly the goddess of what amounted to be arts and crafts would ask her permission to make jewelry. At least that’s what my guess was because Torvis still looked surprised.

“So, I’m brand new to this goddess thing, but when I lived with my mother before, I was able to do lots of crafting. I got to do things like ceramics for example and painting, but I never made any jewelry. So, you know, I’d like to do it and could you help me with that?”

Torvis was trying to say something. I think she was in shock.

“Please?”

“You know, this is the last thing I expected in my life. I would be happy my goddess, to help you craft. I’m honored. How familiar are you with the tools?” Tovis wasted no time.

“That’s the weird part of this.” I tapped my head. “Thanks to my mom, I apparently know all sorts of things.” I walked over to her bench and named off what I thought were the proper names for each tool.

“That makes sense my goddess. So you’re looking for the experience. Know a lot but never done it. You want to actually feel the work. ”

“Exactly, but please call me Lyda. It kind of feels weird to be called a goddess.”

“Yes my goddess, I mean Lyda. Well, I was having Gevla here work with bronze wire and different beads to create pieces. Have you ever done anything similar?”

“Not for art, but I’ve done the wiring for electronics. It’ll take too long to explain what electronics are, but know it’s not the same. That’s really the only thing I’ve ever used wire for.”

“I see. I can show you the basic jewelry we make as a way to get started then. Gevla, you get to work. Lyda, please come sit with me.” Torvis pulled a stool up next to hers at her bench.

I climbed up on it. It was almost as big as me. Torvis rummaged through some boxes to pull a few things out. She came over and laid them out on the table. There were several wires of varying thickness and probably rigidity as well. A jar full of metal beads. A jar full of glass beads, and a few other bits of metal I could recognize with the library of knowledge in my head as being used in making jewelry. A set of what appeared to be needle nose pliers were set down. I picked up one of the sets of pliers. It felt a bit too large, but I think I’d manage.

“I’ll have you make a set of simple dangle earrings for someone with pierced ears.”

Torvis began instructing me on what to do. The knowledge popped into my head as she went, verifying what she said. Rather than do it herself, she only laid a hand on my work to help me with handling the pliers. We both agreed that any tools I used should be custom made smaller for me. Gevla offered the use of some of her tools and even those were too big.

Woo hoo, my first piece of jewelry. It was a simple set of earrings I constructed. Bronze hooks with small rods that each had five beads on it. A small round bronze bead at each end and three red glass cylinder shaped beads in between. Janice would love this. No, no, no, don’t think of her. Don’t. Think happy thoughts.

I started work on a few more pieces out of the remaining stock, Torvis had. I began questioning her as I worked about how she operated her business, and who she went to for what she couldn’t make.

Torvis was pleased with the interest I showed.

When it came time to end the day, I counted out how many pieces I’d made. Twenty-two sets of earrings. I managed to get it down to about ten minutes per set. Torvis suggested I could probably go faster if I had the right sized tools. My biggest problem was getting used to doing it. My hands kind of ached.

Torvis surprised me at the end. “Lyda, please be honest with me. You’re a goddess of the arts. From what you mentioned earlier, you know much, but have no experience. I have a feeling that you know more than I do about techniques and designs. Is this true?”

“Yeah, I don’t know how much you know, but I haven’t run into anything yet I don’t know about as far as arts and crafts go. So I’m going to say yes.”

“Please teach me.” Torvis bowed her head

“Woah, please don’t bow to me Torvis. Uh, yeah, I’ll teach you things. Just uh, don’t bow. The thing is, I don’t know when I’ll be able to get to it. I’ve already committed to going with someone else tomorrow and see what they craft. But I promise I will be back.”

“Thank you, Lyda. Thank you so very much.”

I didn’t even think I could make someone this happy. Torvis bid us farewell for the night and the three of us left. Onyeka managed to behave the entire time. When I thanked her for that, all Onyeka said was that she was my bodyguard and she did her job.

Gevla had a few words to say about the evening events. She was amazed and said she’d never seen Torvis act like this. It was like she was a young again. Normally she’s strict and somewhat taciturn and shows very little emotion. You had her going.

As we walked back to the queen’s residence, I continued to ask any questions I thought of. But really, I was thinking over a thought that had occurred to me which raised two questions I wouldn’t dare ask aloud.

The first was that if I am truly a goddess, and these women see me as such, how much power do I hold over them?

The second was based on the first. How much power do I have in this world?

Noemi sat on a stool next to the gate to the Aunt Trenna’s residence reading a book.

When we got close enough, she put the book down and called out, “Welcome girls. Thank you Gevla for taking care of Lyda.

“It was my pleasure Noemi,” Gevla said.

Gevla bid her farewell to me, “Good night Lyda. I had a good time tonight, and I’m glad you came.”

“Me too. Good night. See you tomorrow.” Gevla left Onyeka and me with Noemi.

“Let’s go inside. It’s late and you both should get to bed soon.” Noemi spoke.

“Okay, lead the way.” I walked with her and Onyeka inside. I didn’t see any of Onyeka’s sisters on the way to my room.

Onyeka tried to follow me into my room, but Noemi forced her to go to hers. It was cute that she really wanted to protect me.

Once I was in my room, Noemi said, “Get undressed and hand me your clothes. How was your first day?”

I began undressing. “I think it went well. A lot of strange things have happened to me, but today was good.”

“That’s good. Is there anything else you want to talk about?”

“I feel kind of weird about it all.”

“How so?”

“When I say strange, I mean, there’s no basis in my previous life for even imagining what’s happened to me to happen. And yet, I’m not freaking out about it. There're moments where I want to cry, and things that I know will make me cry, but that seems normal. I think someone in my position would be terrified. I’m in a land I know nothing about, with people I’ve never met. My mind is full of information, I shouldn’t know. And yet here I am, and I feel fine even though logically I know I shouldn’t. It’s weird.” I explained this as I climbed up into bed.

“I can understand that Lyda. I promise I’ll do what I can to take care of you. I don’t know what your mother’s goals truly are, but I have faith, she loves you and wants the best for you.”

“I hope so.”

Noemi by now had taken all of my clothes and jewelry and put them away.

“Can I ask you a weird question?” I said.

“Yes.”

“How well did I do as a girl?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, this is all new to me. Yesterday as you know, I was not a girl. If you were to ask me yesterday how to be a girl, I’d have said I had no idea what it would be like. So that’s why I’m asking. Was I good at being a girl?”

“Yes, I would say that if I didn’t know you were a man before, and even though you say some strange things at times, I would not believe you were anything but a girl.”

I didn’t really know how to handle that answer. I know I wanted an answer, but am I already acting like a girl? Have I gone native? This is so weird. When I meet my mother and father, I’m so going to have a word with them.

Aunt Trenna interrupted from the doorway. “We’re all going to help you, Lyda.” Although she was certainly dressed down, in what I think was a sheer nightgown.

“Noemi, I would like to speak to Lyda alone for a bit.”

“Yes, my queen. Good night Lyda. Sleep well.”

“Good night.”

Noemi left us alone.

The queen came and sat on the edge of the bed next to me. She held out an ornate brush, probably made out of polished bone or ivory. “I’m going to brush your hair and we can talk about anything you like.”

I scooted closer to her so she could. She began brushing my hair out.

“Thank you, Aunt Trenna. I know you’re not my mom, but you’re going to be the closest thing to one in providing for me, and already, you and your daughters, and the rest of everyone here have helped. Thank you.”

The queen stopped brushing. I turned around to look at her.

“Lyda, I had a dream last night. I didn’t want to tell you this morning because I wanted to see how well you were. Your mother visited me in my dream. She asked me to take care of you and protect you from the world until she calls for you to go to her. I don’t know why she decided this having you stay with us.” The queen was tearing up. “I don’t know why she picked me, but I think that as the queen of the amazons and a mother of seven daughters, she feels I’m up to it.” The queen tried to bite back the tears. “But that’s mere speculation on my part. All I know is that it is an honor and duty I’ll take very seriously to stand in for your mother.”

I leaned forward and hugged her. “Thank you.” I would take all the help I could get. The hug was nice. This wasn’t something I’d ever really done since being a child. I mean, I hugged my family and some friends when visiting, and I hugged Janice, but I’d fucked up there.

“While you're brushing my hair, can you tell me about my mother. You said she visited you in a dream last night. What’s she like?” I turned around and Aunt Trenna started brushing my hair again.

“Your mother hasn’t been seen here on Earth in well over a thousand years, although if she chose to not reveal herself to us and come in secret how would the rest of us know. She only visits in dreams and speaks in the world through her oracles. I’ve had several visits from her, as have many other Amazons. In the dreams, I’m always a child. We’re usually in a field of tulips. Sometimes I am sitting across from her, sometimes my head rests in her lap. She’s not my mother, but she feels like how it felt when my mother raised me. Her touch is gentle. It’s funny, but she likes to run her hand through your hair and she’s not afraid to be playful in her banter. She’ll listen to your problems without judging you, and she’s always got a word of advice to help. She always knows how to lift your spirits.”

“Does she look like the statue in the library's courtyard.”

“Yes and no. That’s just a stone approximation and even though the artist tried, it’s not the same. But it is close.”

“Can you tell me about my father Nyhielak?”

“Well, he’s your mother’s only husband and your father. He is not central to our worship and I must admit, there’s not much taught about him. His position in the pantheon of gods is kind of vague. He isn’t known much for anything, but I do know a number of other stories about the gods mention him in some form or another as helping out. I can’t really say more than that. He isn’t worshiped here or else I’d have one of his clergies explain more. I can put the word out to those who work the harbor to seek out any traveler passing through who worship him to visit with you. There also might be a few books in the library. I’m sorry I can’t say much more. He doesn’t visit us in dreams like your mother does.”

Aunt Trenna had finished brushing my hair. She had me lay back with my head resting in her lap.

“So, I also had a dream. Not last night, but right before I woke up after being reborn. I was at home where I grew up. Both my father and mother were there, although my brother was not. Near the end, before I awoke, my mother called to my father to save me even though I don’t think I was in danger or at least I didn’t feel in danger although I was afraid of dying. It felt so real. They both addressed each other by the names you call them, but I know that wasn’t their names when I grew up. My father’s name is or was Henry. My mother’s name is Tina. Yet they were them. They looked like them, smelled like them, acted and talked like them.”

“The gods are powerful Lyda. They may have other worlds out there with other people. It would make sense that they could have raised you in one, and brought you here. I’ve never heard a clergy speak of it, but I’ve read about it. I can have one of the priestesses of the three goddesses help you with that.” Aunt Trenna offered.

I yawned. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Looks like you’re tired. “I don’t want to keep you up late and I’m sure you’ve got many questions, but they’ll have to wait till tomorrow.”

I lifted my head so Aunt Trenna could scoot out from under me and off the bed.

“Good night Lyda.” Aunt Trenna went around to each candle and put them out.

“Good night,” I said as she left me alone.

I tried clearing my mind and managed to fall asleep.

When I woke up, it was to Noemi coming into the room. We went through practically the same routine, only I had a million questions to ask.

If what I dreamt while being transformed was true and Nyheilak, my father chose my form, he could have at least made me taller. Maybe as a goddess, I could change my own body.

But maybe I should ask another deity for help. But who, and how. My mother and father seem obvious. Does one deity pray to the other? Is there a hotline?