The-Wood

The
 Wood
  It
 was
 a
 day
 like
 any
 other.
 
 I
 had
 to
 go
 to
 work.
 
 This
 wasn’t
 necessarily
 a
 bad
  thing,
 because
 for
 the
 most
 part
 I
 liked
 my
 work,
 but
 I’d
 been
 up
 pretty
 late
 the
 night
  before
 and
 I
 was
 fairly
 groggy.
 
 I
 worked
 at
 a
 coffee
 shop,
 and
 it
 only
 seemed
 fitting,
  because
 right
 now
 I
 was
 living
 in
 Seattle.
 
 After
 college,
 I
 had
 no
 plans
 and
 no
  ambitions,
 so
 I
 made
 a
 list
 of
 places
 I
 would
 possibly
 like
 to
 live,
 and
 Seattle
 found
 its
  way
 to
 the
 top
 of
 that
 list,
 so
 that’s
 where
 I
 moved.
  I
 worked
 at
 a
 local
 establishment
 called
 Tasty
 Tom’s.
 
 It
 was
 something
 of
 a
  mix
 between
 a
 pastry
 shop,
 and
 a
 coffee
 shop.
 
 We
 served
 all
 the
 standard
 coffee
  drinks:
 
 brewed
 coffee,
 lattes,
 cappucinnos,
 mochas,
 you
 name
 it.
 
 We
 also
 had
 a
 very
  large
 selection
 of
 pastries
 and
 scones.
 
 We
 didn’t
 actually
 bake
 anything
 at
 our
 shop.
 
  We
 got
 all
 our
 baked
 goods
 from
 a
 local
 bakery
 that
 was
 run
 by
 Tom’s
 good
 friend
  Glinda.
  As
 far
 as
 bosses
 go,
 Tom
 was
 a
 pretty
 good
 guy.
 
 He
 was
 pretty
 laid
 back
  when
 he
 wasn’t
 working
 the
 books.
 
 There
 must
 be
 a
 lot
 more
 to
 managing
 a
 coffee
  shop
 than
 I
 understood,
 because
 it
 seemed
 like
 Tom
 was
 always
 in
 the
 back
 office
  working
 on
 something.
 
 Then
 again,
 he
 could
 have
 been
 playing
 solitaire.
 
 What
 do
 I
  know?
  I
 cooked
 myself
 an
 egg,
 drank
 a
 glass
 of
 orange
 juice,
 and
 then
 put
 on
 my
 rain
  jacket.
 
 It
 was
 raining
 outside
 this
 afternoon
 (I
 had
 the
 afternoon
 shift),
 but
 that
 was
  alright.
 
 The
 coffee
 shop
 was
 only
 4
 blocks
 from
 my
 apartment.
 
 I
 had
 strategically
 

chosen
 living
 quarters
 as
 close
 to
 work
 as
 possible
 because
 parking
 in
 Seattle
 is
 near
  impossible.
  I
 don’t
 know
 why,
 but
 it
 never
 bothered
 me
 walking
 to
 work
 in
 the
 rain.
 
 As
  long
 as
 I
 personally
 wasn’t
 getting
 wet,
 I
 was
 perfectly
 content.
 
 There
 was
  something
 about
 the
 rain
 that
 was
 very
 soothing.
 
 It
 was
 hypnotic.
 
 Walking
 to
 work
  in
 the
 rain
 was
 sort
 of
 like
 walking
 to
 work
 in
 a
 dream.
 
 You
 could
 hear
 every
 drop
  falling,
 but
 at
 the
 same
 time
 every
 drop
 was
 distant,
 like
 it
 wasn’t
 really
 there,
 it
 was
  only
 in
 your
 imagination.
  When
 I
 got
 to
 work,
 Mike
 and
 Sal
 were
 there
 finishing
 up
 their
 shift.
 
 As
 soon
  as
 they
 saw
 me,
 they
 tidied
 up
 the
 bar
 and
 started
 to
 clock
 out.
 
 I
 would
 be
 working
  with
 Cindy
 today,
 but
 she
 hadn’t
 shown
 up
 yet.
 
 I
 could
 manage
 the
 bar
 by
 myself
 for
  a
 while
 though
 because
 the
 afternoon
 shift
 was
 usually
 pretty
 slow.
 
 I
 went
 in
 the
  back
 and
 plugged
 in
 my
 ipod.
 
 I
 decided
 that
 today
 would
 be
 a
 good
 day
 for
 a
 live
 Do
  Say
 Make
 Think
 set.
 
 I
 had
 about
 5
 of
 their
 live
 shows
 on
 my
 Ipod.
 
 I’d
 gotten
 them
  off
 of
 Archive.org.
 
 I
 loved
 that
 site.
 
 It
 had
 thousands
 of
 hours
 of
 live
 music,
 and
 not
  only
 was
 it
 free,
 but
 it
 was
 legal
 as
 well.
  Cindy
 showed
 up
 15
 minutes
 late
 and
 in
 that
 time
 we
 only
 had
 two
  customers.
 
 “Hey
 Cindy,”
 I
 said.
 
 
 
 
 
  “Hey,”
 she
 replied.
  “How’s
 it
 going?”
  “Alright.
 
 You?”
 


 
 
 

“I’m
 a
 little
 tired.
 
 I
 was
 up
 until
 four
 in
 the
 morning
 last
 night.”
  “Doing
 what?”
  “You
 know,
 just
 surfing
 the
 internet.
 
 One
 thing
 leads
 to
 another
 leads
 to
 

another,
 and
 before
 you
 know
 it,
 it’s
 four
 in
 the
 morning.
 
 Crazy
 huh?”
 
 
  “You
 and
 your
 computer,”
 was
 all
 she
 replied.
  The
 day
 at
 the
 coffee
 shop
 was
 pretty
 uneventful.
 
 The
 Do
 Say
 Make
 Think
 set
 

was
 over
 around
 5:30,
 so
 I
 put
 on
 a
 Sound
 Tribe
 Sector
 9
 set.
 
 That
 lasted
 until
 9:00,
  and
 then
 I
 put
 on
 some
 classical
 music
 to
 round
 off
 the
 rest
 of
 the
 day.
 
 The
 night
  always
 seems
 to
 roll
 much
 smoother
 when
 you’ve
 finished
 your
 workday
 with
  classical
 music.
 
 Today
 it
 was
 Mozart’s
 piano
 concerto
 no.
 11.
  By
 the
 time
 I
 clocked
 out,
 the
 rain
 was
 coming
 down
 really
 hard.
 
 They
 were
  those
 really
 big
 raindrops
 that
 seem
 to
 explode
 when
 they
 hit
 the
 ground,
 and
 they
  were
 coming
 down
 ferociously.
 
 If
 it
 hadn’t
 been
 for
 my
 raincoat,
 I
 probably
 would
  have
 been
 completely
 soaked
 by
 the
 time
 I
 got
 to
 my
 apartment.
  My
 apartment
 was
 on
 the
 fourth
 floor.
 
 There
 was
 an
 elevator,
 but
 I
 usually
  took
 the
 stairs.
 
 I
 didn’t
 get
 much
 exercise,
 so
 I
 had
 to
 take
 advantage
 of
 any
 exercise
  I
 could
 get.
 
 
 I
 was
 usually
 pretty
 tired
 after
 work,
 but
 crashing
 on
 my
 couch
 after
 a
  long
 day
 of
 work,
 and
 climbing
 all
 those
 stairs
 was
 blissful.
  I
 grabbed
 my
 oversized
 headphones
 and
 put
 on
 a
 theta
 wave
 binaural
 beat.
 
 I
  had
 discovered
 binaural
 beats
 when
 I
 was
 in
 college.
 
 I
 had
 done
 a
 lot
 of
 drugs
 in
 

high
 school,
 and
 gone
 to
 a
 few
 too
 many
 parties
 in
 college.
 
 I
 really
 enjoyed
 the
  altered
 states,
 but
 I
 didn’t
 enjoy
 feeling
 like
 dumb
 shit
 the
 next
 day.
 
 
 
  My
 roommate
 junior
 year
 of
 college
 was
 a
 kid
 named
 James.
 
 We
 were
 

chilling
 in
 our
 apartment
 one
 evening
 smoking
 hookah
 when
 he
 said,
 “Check
 this
  shit
 out.
 
 This
 is
 pretty
 cool.”
 
 He
 had
 his
 laptop
 open
 and
 he
 handed
 me
 a
 pair
 of
  headphones.
 
 Someone
 had
 told
 him
 of
 this
 program
 called
 i-­‐doser
 and
 he
 had
  downloaded
 it.
 
 It
 supposedly
 could
 get
 you
 high
 without
 drugs
 somehow.
 
  I
 put
 on
 the
 headphones
 and
 listened.
 
 All
 I
 heard
 was
 a
 warbling
 sine
 wave.
 
 

“What
 the
 heck
 is
 this?”
 
  “Just
 listen
 for
 a
 few
 minutes,”
 he
 said.
 
 I
 reclined
 on
 the
 couch
 and
 listened
 to
 

the
 strange
 sound.
 
 After
 about
 5
 minutes,
 I
 started
 feeling
 different.
 
 It
 wasn’t
 like
  being
 high,
 but
 I
 was
 really
 relaxed.
 
 The
 longer
 I
 listened,
 the
 more
 relaxed
 I
  became.
 
 
  “Hey
 man,
 this
 is
 pretty
 cool.
 
 What
 is
 it?”
 I
 said.
 
  “They’re
 called
 binaural
 beats.
 
 It
 plays
 one
 tone
 in
 one
 ear
 and
 another
 

slightly
 different
 tone
 in
 the
 other
 ear.
 
 When
 your
 brain
 hears
 this,
 it
 creates
 a
 third
  tone
 that
 only
 exists
 in
 your
 brain.
 
 Your
 brain
 then
 entrains
 to
 that
 tone
 and
 it
  alters
 your
 consciousness.
 
 You
 know
 that
 new
 age
 chick
 Julia?
 
 She
 uses
 these
  things
 to
 go
 into
 deep
 states
 of
 meditation
 and
 stuff.”
 
  “Cool,”
 is
 all
 I
 could
 say.
 
 I
 was
 very
 intrigued
 and
 over
 the
 next
 few
 weeks
 I
 

did
 extensive
 research
 and
 pirated
 about
 every
 binaural
 beat
 I
 could
 find.
 
 I’d
 never
 

tried
 meditation
 before,
 but
 I
 decided
 to
 go
 for
 it
 with
 the
 aid
 of
 binaural
 beats.
 
  Soon
 I
 was
 going
 places
 in
 mind
 I’d
 never
 been
 before.
 
 It
 was
 better
 than
 any
 drug
  I’d
 ever
 taken.
 
 I
 was
 hooked.
 
 I’ve
 used
 binaural
 beats
 for
 about
 an
 hour
 a
 day
 ever
  since
 then,
 and
 it’s
 changed
 my
 whole
 world.
  I
 was
 lying
 on
 the
 couch
 now
 listening
 to
 a
 theta
 wave
 binaural
 beat.
 
 Theta
  waves
 are
 the
 brainwaves
 our
 brains
 generate
 when
 we’re
 being
 really
 creative,
 and
  when
 we’re
 dreaming.
 
 I
 had
 noticed
 from
 experience
 that
 when
 I
 listened
 to
 this
  particular
 binaural
 beat,
 I
 would
 tend
 to
 have
 really
 elaborate
 daydreams.
 
 Well,
  they
 were
 sort
 of
 like
 daydreams,
 but
 they
 were
 different.
 
 They
 were
 more
 vivid
  and
 more
 visual
 in
 the
 minds
 eye.
 
 I
 breathed
 deeply
 and
 suddenly
 found
 myself
 in
  another
 place
 completely.
  I
 was
 a
 little
 disoriented
 at
 first.
 
 Beyond
 a
 shadow
 of
 a
 doubt,
 I
 was
 no
 longer
  in
 my
 apartment
 laying
 on
 my
 couch.
 
 I
 was
 in
 some
 sort
 of
 tree
 house
 and
 I
 could
  see
 other
 trees
 with
 tree
 houses
 all
 around
 me.
 
 I
 had
 somehow
 become
 completely
  translated
 into
 this
 space,
 body
 and
 all.
 
 When
 I
 looked
 down,
 I
 got
 a
 shock.
 
 The
 tree
  I
 was
 in
 was
 suspended
 in
 mid
 air.
 
 It
 had
 roots
 reaching
 down,
 but
 they
 weren’t
  anchored
 in
 soil,
 they
 were
 just
 floating
 in
 space.
 
 
 
  As
 I
 looked
 down,
 I
 could
 see
 an
 entire
 canopy
 of
 trees
 below
 me,
 and
 as
 I
 

looked
 up,
 I
 could
 see
 the
 roots
 of
 hundreds
 of
 trees
 that
 were
 above
 me.
 
 There
  appeared
 to
 be
 no
 ground
 whatsoever
 in
 this
 space,
 just
 an
 endless
 number
 of
 trees
  going
 all
 the
 way
 up,
 and
 all
 the
 way
 down.
 


 

The
 whole
 place
 looked
 like
 it
 was
 lit
 by
 what
 looked
 like
 tiny
 suns.
 
 They
 

were
 about
 3
 feet
 in
 diameter
 and
 shone
 with
 a
 full
 spectrum
 of
 light.
 
 But
 they
 were
  radically
 different
 from
 our
 sun,
 because
 when
 you
 looked
 directly
 at
 them,
 they
  sort
 of
 dimmed
 and
 didn’t
 hurt
 your
 eyes
 at
 all.
 
 But
 the
 strange
 thing
 is
 that
 even
  when
 they
 dimmed,
 they
 still
 illuminated
 everything
 else
 the
 same
 amount.
 
  I
 walked
 out
 of
 the
 tree
 house
 and
 there
 were
 wooden
 plank
 paths
 stretching
 

all
 around
 the
 tree.
 
 There
 were
 also
 wooden
 plank
 bridges
 connecting
 trees.
 
 I
 could
  see
 in
 several
 places
 that
 there
 were
 staircases
 lead
 up
 to
 higher
 level
 and
 lower
  level
 trees.
 
 I
 crossed
 the
 first
 bridge
 I
 can
 across
 and
 saw
 for
 the
 first
 time
 that
 I
  wasn’t
 alone.
 
 From
 around
 the
 tree
 I
 was
 heading
 toward,
 I
 saw
 a
 very
 beautiful
  girl.
 
 The
 first
 thing
 I
 noticed
 was
 her
 face.
 
 The
 second
 thing
 I
 noticed
 were
 her
 ears.
 
  They
 were
 pointed.
 
 She
 was
 an
 elf.
 
 
 
  The
 girl
 walked
 right
 up
 to
 me
 and
 said,
 “Hi
 Mark.
 
 I’ve
 been
 waiting
 for
 you.”
  I
 was
 baffled,
 “You
 know
 me?”
  “Why
 of
 course,”
 she
 said
 with
 a
 giggle.
 

She
 had
 a
 smooth
 complexion
 and
 violet
 eyes.
 
 Her
 nose
 was
 neither
 broad
 nor
  narrow.
 
 Her
 lips
 were
 very
 meek
 and
 a
 very
 pale
 color
 of
 pink.
 
 Her
 hair
 was
 dark
  blonde,
 and
 her
 face
 was
 neither
 narrow,
 nor
 rounded,
 nor
 ridged.
 
 It
 was
 like
 I
  couldn’t
 categorize
 her
 face
 at
 all
 it
 was
 so
 serene
 and
 other
 worldly.
 
 Just
 by
 looking
  at
 her,
 I
 would
 have
 guessed
 that
 she
 was
 around
 16
 years
 old.
 
  “Do
 I
 know
 you,”
 I
 asked.
 


 

“Yes,
 yes.
 
 Of
 course
 you
 do,
 but
 perhaps
 you
 don’t
 remember,
 in
 which
 case
 

introductions
 are
 in
 order.
 
 My
 name
 is
 Raine.”
 
 
 
 
 
 
  “Like
 that
 falls
 out
 of
 the
 sky?”
  “No
 Silly.
 R-­‐A-­‐I-­‐N-­‐E.
 
 With
 an
 E
 like
 ‘Especial’”
  “I
 don’t
 speak
 Spanish.”
  “Of
 course
 not.”
  “Where
 am
 I?”
  “You’re
 in
 the
 wood.
 
 Well
 sort
 of.
 
 This
 place
 doesn’t
 really
 have
 a
 name,
 so
 

when
 we
 call
 it
 something,
 we
 call
 it
 the
 Wood.”
 
 
  “And
 who
 are
 you.
 
 How
 do
 I
 know
 you?
 
 What’s
 going
 on?”
  “All
 in
 due
 time.
 
 For
 now,
 let’s
 go
 for
 a
 walk.”
 
 She
 grabbed
 my
 hand
 and
 we
 

were
 off.
 
 We
 follow
 wooden
 paths
 through
 trees
 and
 between
 trees
 and
 around
  gnarly
 branches
 until
 we
 found
 ourselves
 in
 a
 tree
 house
 similar
 to
 the
 one
 where
 I
  found
 myself
 when
 I
 first
 arrived.
 
 
 
  “Where
 is
 this,”
 I
 asked.
  “No
 matter.”
  “What?”
 
 As
 soon
 as
 I’d
 said
 the
 word,
 everything
 evaporated.
 
 She
 

disappeared
 with
 a
 poof
 and
 was
 replaced
 by
 a
 mass
 of
 smoke
 that
 appeared
 like
 

her
 figure,
 but
 quickly
 twirled
 and
 twisted
 and
 dispersed
 until
 there
 was
 nothing
 left
  and
 I
 found
 myself
 in
 total
 darkness.
 
  I’m
 not
 sure
 how
 long
 I
 spent
 in
 that
 void,
 but
 the
 next
 thing
 I
 remember,
 I
 

was
 aware
 of
 my
 body
 laying
 on
 my
 couch.
 
 It
 was
 still
 pitch
 black,
 but
 now
 it
 made
  sense
 to
 me:
 of
 course
 it
 was
 pitch
 black.
 
 My
 eyes
 were
 closed
 and
 the
 lights
 were
  off.
 
 I
 looked
 at
 the
 clock
 on
 the
 other
 side
 of
 the
 room.
 
 It
 was
 11:11.
 
  I
 was
 off
 of
 work
 the
 next
 day,
 so
 I
 decided
 to
 visit
 my
 favorite
 used
 

bookstore
 in
 Pioneer
 Square.
 
 It
 was
 just
 a
 hole
 in
 the
 wall
 of
 a
 place,
 but
 it
 was
  stacked
 from
 floor
 to
 ceiling
 with
 used
 books.
 
 The
 shelves
 were
 aligned
 in
 such
 a
  fashion
 that
 to
 navigate
 through
 the
 store
 was
 a
 bit
 like
 making
 your
 way
 through
 a
  labyrinth.
 
 I
 liked
 going
 here
 on
 my
 days
 off
 because
 I
 always
 found
 little
 jewels
 of
  books
 that
 I
 would
 have
 never
 heard
 of
 in
 my
 entire
 life
 otherwise.
 
 Some
 of
 my
  most
 favorite
 books
 had
 come
 from
 this
 store.
 
  There
 was
 one
 section
 of
 the
 store
 I
 always
 spent
 the
 most
 time
 in.
 
 It
 was
 the
 

new
 arrivals
 section.
 
 Here
 were
 haphazardly
 placed
 all
 the
 new
 arrivals
 that
 hadn’t
  been
 organized
 yet.
 
 Here
 you
 could
 stumble
 upon
 just
 about
 anything
 from
  gardening
 to
 European
 history.
 
 As
 soon
 as
 I
 arrived,
 I
 made
 my
 way
 to
 this
 section.
 
  As
 I
 was
 leafing
 through
 the
 titles,
 one
 in
 particular
 caught
 my
 eye.
 
 It
 was
 a
 very
  thin
 paperback
 called
 Elves
 of
 the
 Wood
 by
 D.Z.
 
 I
 picked
 it
 up
 and
 started
 leafing
  through
 the
 pages
 and
 randomly
 started
 reading
 a
 passage,
 “It
 is
 because
 the
 Elves
  hold
 Fonintine
 in
 such
 high
 regard
 that
 it
 has
 found
 its
 way
 into
 so
 many
 aspects
 of
  their
 lives…”
 


 

I
 was
 about
 to
 read
 on
 when
 out
 of
 nowhere,
 a
 young
 woman
 toppled
 over
 

and
 knocked
 me
 to
 the
 ground.
 
 The
 book
 flew
 out
 of
 my
 hands
 along
 with
 half
 the
  books
 from
 the
 shelf
 it
 was
 on.
 
  “Oh
 my
 God,
 oh
 my
 God,
 I’m
 so
 sorry,”
 The
 woman
 sat
 up.
 
 I
 sat
 up
 as
 well
 a
 

bit
 confused
 as
 to
 what
 had
 just
 happened.
 
 “I’m
 so
 so
 sorry.
 
 I
 got
 up
 a
 little
 too
  quick
 and
 next
 thing
 I
 know,
 I’m
 tripping
 over
 complete
 strangers.
 
 I’m
 sorry”
 
  “It’s
 alright,”
 I
 said.
 
 I
 took
 a
 look
 at
 her.
 
 I
 hadn’t
 remembered
 seeing
 anyone
 

since
 I
 entered
 the
 store,
 so
 I
 was
 a
 bit
 confused
 as
 to
 where
 she
 had
 come
 from.
 
  “Are
 you
 alright?
 
 You
 took
 a
 pretty
 incredible
 fall.”
 
 I
 looked
 directly
 at
 her.
 
 She
 had
  long
 black
 hair
 that
 went
 down
 past
 her
 shoulders
 and
 a
 pale
 complexion.
 
 I
 thought
  her
 somewhat
 attractive.
 
 
  “I’m
 fine,”
 she
 said.
 
 “I’m
 really
 sorry.
 
 I
 feel
 like
 such
 a
 klutz.”
  “You
 don’t
 need
 to
 keep
 saying
 you’re
 sorry.
 
 It’s
 really
 no
 big
 deal.
 
 We
 

maybe
 ought
 to
 put
 these
 books
 back
 on
 the
 shelf
 though.”
 
  “You’re
 right.
 
 We
 should.”
 
 With
 that
 she
 and
 I
 began
 grabbing
 books
 and
 

putting
 them
 back
 on
 the
 shelf.
 
 I
 kept
 my
 eye
 open
 for
 the
 book
 I
 had
 been
 reading,
  but
 I
 didn’t
 see
 it
 anywhere
 near
 the
 books
 I
 had
 been
 reading.
 
 
  “I’m
 not
 used
 to
 fainting
 in
 public,”
 She
 began.
  “I’m
 not
 used
 to
 being
 tackled
 by
 total
 strangers
 in
 used
 bookshops,”
 I
 

replied.
 


 

“So
 I
 guess
 that
 makes
 us
 even.”
  “Right,”
 I
 said.
 
 
  She
 looked
 for
 a
 moment
 like
 she
 was
 searching
 for
 words,
 then
 said,
 

“Anyhow,
 so
 here’s
 the
 tricky
 part.
 
 Here’s
 where
 we
 leave
 this
 bookstore
 total
  strangers
 and
 go
 our
 separate
 ways,
 or
 we
 become
 lifelong
 friends.”
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  “I
 don’t
 think
 things
 are
 so
 black
 and
 white
 as
 that,”
 I
 said.
  “Mabey
 not,
 but
 regardless,
 my
 name
 is
 Rachel.
 
 And
 yours?”
  “Mark,”
 I
 said.
  “Well
 mister
 Mark,
 it’s
 a
 pleasure
 to
 meet
 you.”
  “Likewise,”
 I
 said
  “So
 what
 brings
 you
 to
 Pioneer
 Square.”
  “It’s
 my
 day
 off.
 
 I
 come
 down
 here
 sometimes
 to
 pick
 up
 new
 books
 and
 on
 

days
 when
 it’s
 not
 raining,
 I
 sit
 on
 one
 of
 the
 benches
 and
 read.”
 
 
 
 
  “And
 on
 days
 when
 it
 is
 raining?”
  “I
 sit
 in
 one
 of
 the
 comfy
 chairs
 in
 the
 back
 of
 this
 shop
 and
 read.”
  “There’s
 chairs
 here?”
  “Yeah.
 
 They’re
 in
 the
 back.
 
 This
 place
 is
 sort
 of
 a
 maze,
 so
 they
 can
 be
 tricky
 

to
 find
 if
 you
 don’t
 know
 where
 they
 are.”
 


 
 

“I
 see.
 
 Well
 why
 don’t
 you
 show
 me.”
  “Yeah,
 just
 a
 second.
 
 I
 was
 reading
 a
 book
 before
 you
 knocked
 into
 me,
 but
 

now
 I
 can’t
 seem
 to
 find
 it.”
 
  “Here.
 
 Read
 this
 one
 instead.”
 
 She
 handed
 me
 a
 paperback
 called
 Cyberia.
 
 

“It’s
 one
 of
 my
 favorites.”
 
  We
 made
 our
 way
 to
 the
 back
 and
 took
 our
 places
 in
 two
 of
 the
 overstuffed
 

chairs
 that
 were
 sitting
 there.
 
 
 
 
  “I
 hear
 it’s
 gonna
 rain
 tonight,”
 she
 said.
  “It
 rains
 almost
 every
 night.”
  “I
 know,
 but
 tonight
 it’s
 REALLY
 gonna
 rain.”
  “I
 don’t
 follow,”
 I
 said.
 
 She
 just
 giggled.
 
 With
 that
 we
 each
 picked
 up
 the
 

book
 we
 were
 reading
 and
 didn’t
 say
 a
 word
 more
 to
 each
 other
 for
 several
 hours.
 
  After
 a
 decent
 amount
 of
 time
 had
 passed,
 she
 looked
 down
 and
 her
 watch.
 
  “Oh
 no,”
 She
 said,
 “I’m
 gonna
 be
 late.”
 
 She
 picked
 up
 her
 stuff.
 
 “It
 was
 nice
 

meeting
 you
 mister
 Mark.
 
 Perhaps
 our
 paths
 will
 cross
 again.”
 
 I
 waved
 goodbye,
  and
 she
 was
 gone.
 
 I
 read
 for
 another
 hour
 or
 so
 before
 I
 got
 hungry.
 
 I
 grabbed
 some
  noodles
 at
 the
 shop
 up
 the
 street,
 and
 then
 walked
 home.
 
 By
 the
 time
 I
 was
 half
 way
  home,
 it
 was
 raining.
 
 I
 was
 glad
 that
 I
 had
 brought
 my
 rain
 jacket
 with
 me
 even
  though
 it
 was
 sunny
 earlier.
 


 

When
 I
 got
 home,
 I
 opened
 a
 coke
 and
 plopped
 down
 on
 my
 couch.
 
 Who
 was
 

that
 girl?
 
 Something
 was
 strange
 about
 her,
 and
 she
 reminded
 me
 of
 someone,
 but
 I
  couldn’t
 place
 who.
 
  When
 I
 was
 done
 with
 my
 coke,
 I
 put
 my
 headphones
 on
 and
 listened
 to
 my
 

binaural
 beats.
 
 I
 started
 drifting,
 and
 then
 very
 slowly
 a
 new
 world
 started
 to
  materialize
 around
 me.
 
 I
 was
 in
 the
 Wood
 again,
 but
 I
 didn’t
 quite
 recognize
 where
  in
 the
 wood
 I
 was.
 
 Nothing
 looked
 quite
 the
 same
 as
 last
 time
 I
 was
 here.
 
 I
 just
  stood
 still
 and
 tried
 to
 contemplate
 what
 I
 was
 going
 to
 do.
 
 In
 the
 midst
 of
 my
  thoughts,
 someone
 came
 up
 from
 behind
 me
 and
 put
 their
 hands
 over
 my
 eyes.
 
 I
  turned
 around.
 
 It
 was
 Raine.
 
 
 
 
 
  “Did
 you
 miss
 me?”
 She
 asked.
  “Excuse
 me.”
  “Did
 you
 miss
 me?
 
 It’s
 been
 a
 thousand
 years
 since
 we
 last
 met.”
  “Really?”
  “No
 silly!
 
 You
 just
 ran
 off
 a
 few
 hours
 ago.
 
 I’ve
 been
 looking
 for
 you
 

everywhere,
 but
 here
 you
 are.
 
 It’s
 no
 surprise
 you
 got
 lost.
 
 You
 haven’t
 been
 in
 the
  Wood
 nearly
 long
 enough
 to
 know
 where
 you’re
 going.
 
 You
 hardly
 even
 know
  where
 you
 are.”
 
 
  “I’m
 here.”
 I
 said.
  “Of
 course,
 of
 course.
 
 And
 I’m
 here
 too
 you
 know,
 but
 where
 are
 you
 really?”
 


 
 

“Well
 I
 guess
 I’m
 on
 my
 couch
 in
 my
 apartment.”
  “Yes.
 
 That’s
 one
 place
 where
 you
 may
 be
 right
 now,
 but
 you’re
 also
 right
 

here.
 
 You
 understand?”
 
 
 
  “Not
 really.”
  “Good
 good.
 
 That’s
 perfectly
 fine.
 
 There’s
 much
 work
 to
 be
 done!”
  “Can
 you
 tell
 me
 something,”
 I
 asked.
 
 “I
 read
 something
 in
 a
 book
 that
 said
 

something
 about
 something
 called
 Fonintine.
 
 What’s
 that?”
 
  “I’m
 glad
 you
 asked,”
 Raine
 said.
 
 “A
 fortunate
 question
 because
 it
 just
 so
 

happens
 that
 there’s
 a
 Fonintine
 ceremony
 tonight.
 
 Actually,
 it’s
 happening
 right
  now,
 or
 will
 be
 very
 shortly,
 but
 we’re
 in
 luck
 because
 we
 are
 very
 close
 to
 the
 hall
  where
 it’s
 being
 held.
 
 It’s
 almost
 as
 if
 you
 knew
 we
 were
 going
 there
 all
 along.”
 
  We
 followed
 a
 winding
 path
 for
 a
 while
 until
 we
 got
 to
 a
 spiral
 staircase
 

leading
 down
 and
 down
 until
 we
 reached
 the
 door
 of
 a
 great
 hall
 which
 was
 built
  between
 five
 trees
 that
 were
 each
 separated
 from
 each
 other
 by
 a
 generous
 amount
  of
 space.
 
  The
 hall
 itself
 was
 completely
 round
 about
 30
 feet
 in
 diameter
 and
 at
 the
 

center
 there
 was
 a
 great
 piece
 of
 molded
 glass
 that
 started
 as
 a
 cylinder,
 then
  became
 a
 sphere
 in
 the
 center,
 and
 then
 became
 as
 cylinder
 at
 the
 top
 again.
 
 There
  were
 four
 hoses
 attached
 to
 the
 sphere,
 and
 in
 the
 center
 of
 the
 sphere
 was
  something
 that
 looked
 like
 a
 large
 ball
 of
 plasma.
 
 It
 was
 radiating
 every
 color
 of
 the
  rainbow
 as
 it
 mutated
 and
 swirled
 around.
 
 Raine
 pointed
 to
 it,
 “That
 is
 Fonintine
 in
 

it’s
 evaporated
 form.
 
 It
 actually
 comes
 in
 3
 forms.
 
 First
 it
 comes
 as
 a
 sort
 of
  gumdrop
 that
 you
 eat,
 second
 it
 comes
 as
 the
 most
 delicious
 liquid
 you’ve
 ever
  drunk,
 and
 third,
 it
 comes
 in
 the
 form
 as
 you
 see
 it
 there.
 
 You
 inhale
 that
 into
 your
  lungs,
 not
 unlike
 your
 cigarettes
 in
 your
 world,
 only
 it
 does
 no
 harm
 to
 your
 health.
 
  In
 fact,
 it
 actually
 improves
 your
 health
 tremendously.”
 
  I
 looked
 on
 in
 awe.
 
 There
 were
 already
 about
 twenty
 elves
 sitting
 on
 

cushions
 around
 the
 glass
 device
 in
 a
 large
 circle.
 
 There
 were
 two
 cushions
 left,
 and
  Raine
 and
 I
 took
 our
 places
 on
 them.
 
 Raine
 sat
 to
 my
 right,
 and
 to
 my
 left
 was
 a
  blonde
 male
 elf
 with
 shoulder
 length
 hair.
 
 He
 looked
 at
 me
 and
 introduced
 himself,
  “Hi
 Mark.
 
 My
 name
 is
 Droit.
 
 Raine
 has
 told
 us
 an
 awful
 lot
 about
 you.
 
 I
 am
  absolutely
 ecstatic
 that
 you
 get
 to
 join
 us
 tonight,
 because
 I
 promise
 you
 friend,
 you
  will
 remember
 tonight
 for
 the
 rest
 of
 your
 life.”
 
  “Hi,”
 I
 said,
 “It
 looks
 like
 I
 have
 no
 need
 to
 introduce
 myself.
 
 It’s
 good
 to
 meet
 

you
 too
 Droit.”
 
  At
 that
 moment,
 an
 elder
 entered
 the
 room.
 
 “Hello
 everybody.
 
 It’s
 good
 to
 

see
 you
 all.
 
 I
 will
 be
 moderating
 the
 Fonintine
 ceremony
 tonight.
 
  “That’s
 Laysion,”
 Raine
 said.
 
 “He
 is
 one
 of
 the
 eldest
 amongst
 us.
 
 He
 has
 

lived
 for
 a
 very
 long
 time.”
 He
 couldn’t
 have
 been
 a
 year
 over
 30
 by
 my
 reckoning,
  but
 I
 took
 Raine’s
 word
 for
 it.
 
  “If
 everyone
 is
 ready,’
 Laysion
 said,
 “Let
 us
 begin.”
 
 He
 grabbed
 a
 silver
 tray
 

from
 a
 table
 that
 was
 in
 the
 corner
 of
 the
 room
 and
 handed
 it
 to
 one
 of
 the
 elves
 in
 

the
 circle.
 
 The
 elf
 took
 what
 looked
 like
 a
 clear
 gumdrop
 and
 then
 passed
 the
 plate.
 
  When
 the
 plate
 got
 around
 to
 me,
 I
 took
 one
 of
 the
 gumdrops,
 and
 then
 passed
 the
  tray
 to
 Raine
 who
 took
 one
 as
 well.
 
 Once
 everyone
 had
 their
 gumdrops,
 Laysion
  started
 to
 sing
 in
 Elvish.
 
 They
 were
 the
 most
 beautiful
 words
 I’d
 ever
 heard.
 
  Although
 I
 didn’t
 know
 what
 they
 meant,
 I
 somehow
 intuited
 that
 it
 was
 a
 song
 of
  thanksgiving.
 
 When
 he
 had
 finished,
 everyone
 popped
 their
 gumdrops
 in
 their
  mouth.
 
 I
 did
 the
 same.
 
  As
 first,
 it
 was
 like
 chewing
 on
 a
 gummy
 bear
 void
 of
 all
 taste,
 but
 after
 I
 had
 

chewed
 it
 several
 times,
 it
 broke
 down
 into
 a
 sort
 of
 substance
 that
 was
 half
 liquid,
  half
 vapor.
 
 That’s
 when
 the
 flavor
 hit.
 
 It
 was
 like
 tasting
 every
 flavor
 of
 the
  rainbow,
 but
 not
 just
 the
 color
 light
 spectrum,
 but
 the
 entire
 electromagnetic
  spectrum.
 
 It
 was
 like
 I
 had
 a
 single
 taste
 in
 my
 mouth
 of
 all
 manifest
 creation.
 
 It
 slid
  smoothly
 down
 my
 throat
 and
 gave
 a
 very
 warm
 feeling
 to
 my
 stomach.
 
 I
 looked
  around
 me,
 and
 it
 was
 like
 I
 was
 seeing
 with
 a
 clarity
 I’d
 never
 had
 before.
 
  Several
 moments
 passed
 in
 silence,
 and
 then
 Laysion
 began
 handed
 everyone
 

a
 goblet.
 
 It
 was
 like
 a
 champagne
 glass,
 only
 it
 was
 made
 of
 the
 purest
 silver
 instead
  of
 glass.
 
 Laysion
 grabbed
 a
 bottle
 off
 of
 the
 table
 and
 poured
 everyone
 a
 small
 glass.
 
  When
 he
 was
 done
 serving,
 he
 sang
 another
 song,
 and
 then
 everyone
 drank.
 
  It’s
 hard
 to
 describe
 what
 it
 tasted
 like.
 
 It
 was
 like
 the
 finest
 wine
 I’d
 ever
 

had,
 but
 the
 nuances
 in
 flavor
 were
 incredibly
 more
 subtle
 and
 almost
 infinite
 in
  number.
 
 It
 went
 down
 as
 smoothly
 as
 the
 gumdrop
 and
 settled
 quite
 nicely
 in
 my
  stomach.
 


 

After
 I
 had
 drunk
 my
 Fonintine,
 I
 looked
 into
 my
 Goblet
 and
 could
 see
 my
 

reflection.
 
 It
 seemed
 more
 vivid
 and
 real
 than
 anything
 I’d
 ever
 seen.
 
 As
 I
 was
  staring,
 it
 was
 like
 a
 burst
 of
 lightning
 flashed
 in
 my
 head,
 and
 I
 was
 no
 longer
  myself,
 but
 I
 was
 the
 image
 in
 the
 reflection.
 
 It
 was
 like
 we’d
 traded
 places,
 but
 then
  there
 was
 another
 flash
 and
 it
 was
 like
 I
 was
 both
 myself
 and
 the
 reflection,
 like
 I
  existed
 in
 two
 places
 simultaneously.
  When
 the
 Fonintine
 was
 drunk,
 then
 one
 more
 song
 was
 sung,
 and
 the
 hoses
  from
 the
 glass
 device
 began
 to
 be
 handed
 around.
 
 When
 it
 came
 to
 me,
 I
 inhaled
  deeply,
 and
 it
 was
 like
 being
 hit
 by
 a
 moving
 train.
 
 Suddenly
 I
 saw
 everything
 in
  such
 clarity
 that
 it
 surprised
 me
 that
 I
 hadn’t
 realized
 this
 all
 along.
 
 It
 was
 like
 I
  couldn’t
 believe
 I
 had
 forgotten
 something
 so
 apparently
 obvious.
 
 It
 was
 like
 the
  true
 reality
 of
 the
 universe
 was
 always
 staring
 me
 straight
 in
 the
 face
 and
 I
 spent
 my
  whole
 live
 avoiding
 it
 any
 way
 I
 could.
 
  After
 several
 more
 hits,
 the
 room
 around
 me
 ignited.
 
 It
 was
 like
 I
 was
 seeing
 

a
 million
 colors
 I’d
 never
 seen
 before.
 
 It
 was
 like
 they’d
 be
 there
 all
 along,
 but
 up
  until
 this
 moment,
 I
 had
 been
 totally
 blind
 to
 them.
 
 The
 universe
 seemed
 to
 make
 so
  much
 sense.
 
 It
 was
 like
 destiny
 was
 staring
 me
 right
 in
 the
 face,
 and
 I
 was
 dancing
  with
 her
 like
 we
 were
 four
 years
 old
 and
 didn’t
 have
 a
 care
 in
 the
 world.
 
 I
 reached
 a
  plateau
 of
 unknowable
 clarity,
 and
 that’s
 when
 I
 looked
 at
 Raine.
 
  I
 looked
 her
 directly
 in
 the
 eyes,
 and
 it
 was
 like
 I
 was
 seeing
 through
 her.
 
 At
 

that
 moment
 I
 wasn’t
 staring
 at
 a
 fantasy
 in
 my
 head,
 I
 was
 staring
 at
 the
 face
 of
 God.
 
  I
 was
 overcome
 by
 compassion.
 
 I
 realized
 how
 deeply
 I
 loved
 this
 person
 beyond
 all
 

sense
 and
 reason.
 
 It
 was
 like
 I’d
 never
 known
 love
 in
 my
 entire
 life
 until
 this
  moment,
 and
 in
 this
 moment,
 I
 knew
 all
 the
 love
 in
 the
 entire
 universe,
 and
 I
 could
  see
 it
 in
 her
 eyes
 that
 stared
 back
 at
 me
 with
 an
 innocence
 that
 could
 shatter
 the
  entire
 being
 of
 manifest
 existence.
 
  “Are
 you
 ready?”
 She
 said.
 
 I
 didn’t
 have
 to
 ask
 what
 she
 was
 talking
 about.
 
 

We
 left
 the
 hall
 and
 made
 our
 way
 back
 to
 her
 hut
 and
 for
 the
 first
 time,
 we
 made
  love.
 
 It
 was
 a
 moment
 that
 can
 never
 be
 erased
 from
 my
 mind.
 
 It
 was
 like
 giving
  birth
 to
 the
 entire
 universe.
 
 We
 became
 one
 with
 all
 that
 was,
 all
 that
 is,
 and
 all
 that
  ever
 will
 be
 as
 we
 looked
 in
 each
 other’s
 eyes
 and
 ascended
 to
 the
 highest
 heaven
  while
 sending
 joy
 down
 through
 every
 single
 elemental
 particle
 of
 matter.
 
 Droit
 had
  been
 right.
 
 It
 was
 a
 night
 I
 will
 never
 forget
 my
 entire
 life.
 
  I
 fell
 asleep
 in
 Raine’s
 arms,
 and
 when
 I
 woke
 up
 I
 was
 on
 my
 couch
 in
 my
 

apartment.
 
 My
 headphones
 had
 fallen
 off
 my
 head.
 
 I
 looked
 at
 the
 clock
 and
 it
 read
  12:42.
 
  The
 next
 day
 I
 had
 a
 half
 shift
 from
 2:00
 to
 6:30.
 
 The
 first
 several
 hours
 of
 

work
 were
 uneventful.
 
 I
 put
 a
 Lotus
 set
 on
 the
 stereo
 and
 made
 about
 twenty
  drinks.
 
 Sometime
 just
 after
 four,
 a
 familiar
 face
 walked
 through
 the
 door.
 
 It
 was
 the
  girl
 from
 the
 bookstore.
 
 I’m
 not
 sure
 who
 was
 more
 shocked.
 
 A
 look
 of
 surprise
 was
  on
 her
 face,
 and
 then
 she
 dawned
 a
 huge
 smile.
 
  “Hi
 Mark,”
 she
 said.
 
 “Imagine
 meeting
 you
 here.
 
 I
 suppose
 fate
 has
 chanced
 

our
 paths
 to
 meet
 again.”
 


 

“Hi,”
 I
 said.
 
 I
 didn’t
 know
 what
 else
 to
 say,
 so
 instinctively
 I
 asked,
 “What
 can
 

I
 get
 you?”
 
  “Can
 I
 get
 a
 half
 caff,
 non
 fat,
 sugar
 free
 vanilla,
 wet
 cappucinno
 with
 extra
 

foam,
 two
 shots
 of
 espresso,
 one
 pump
 of
 regular
 vanilla,
 blended
 with
 ice
 and
 just
 a
  dollup
 of
 soy.”
 
 
  “Excuse
 me,”
 I
 said
 dumbfounded.
  “Hehe,
 sorry.
 
 It’s
 a
 joke.
 
 Just
 give
 me
 a
 medium
 light
 brew.
 
 How
 are
 you
 

today?”
 
 
  “Good,”
 I
 said.
 
 “And
 you.”
  “I
 don’t
 know,”
 she
 said.
 
 She
 looked
 at
 me
 strangely.
 
 “I’ve
 just
 had
 the
 oddest
 

thought.
 
 I’ll
 let
 you
 know
 in
 a
 little
 bit.
 
 I’m
 gonna
 take
 a
 seat
 over
 there
 and
 enjoy
  my
 coffee
 for
 now.”
 
 
  “Ok,”
 I
 said.
 
 “Well
 I
 just
 hope
 you’re
 not
 doing
 bad.”
  “Oh
 no,
 not
 at
 all.
 
 I’m
 doing
 good.
 
 I
 could
 be
 doing
 really
 good.
 
 I
 just
 don’t
 

know.
 
 I’ll
 have
 to
 think
 about
 it.”
 
 She
 took
 a
 seat
 in
 one
 of
 the
 leather
 chairs
 in
 the
  corner.
 
 The
 Lotus
 set
 had
 just
 ended,
 so
 I
 went
 in
 the
 back
 to
 put
 on
 some
 more
  music.
 
 I
 was
 in
 the
 mood
 for
 some
 piano
 music,
 so
 I
 put
 on
 the
 Final
 Fantasy
 X
 piano
  collection
 by
 Nobuo
 Uematsu.
 
 
 I
 saw
 Rachel
 smile.
 
 It
 looked
 like
 she
 recognized
 it.
 
  This
 surprised
 me
 since
 she
 didn’t
 look
 like
 the
 gamer
 type.
 
  Cindy
 walked
 up
 to
 me.
 
 “Who’s
 that
 girl,”
 she
 said.
 


 

“I’m
 not
 sure.
 
 Just
 someone
 I
 bumped
 into.
 
 Quite
 literally.
 
 She
 tackled
 me
 to
 

the
 ground
 in
 a
 bookstore
 yesterday.”
 
  “Oh,
 I
 see,”
 Cindy
 said.
 
 “It’s
 already
 physical.”
 
 I
 gave
 Cindy
 a
 sharp
 look.
 
 

“Calm
 down
 man.
 
 I’m
 just
 kidding.
 
 She
 is
 cute
 though.
 
 You
 should
 ask
 for
 her
  number.”
 
  “Yeah,
 maybe…”
 
 

An
 hour
 or
 so
 passed
 and
 I
 went
 about
 my
 business
 making
 drinks
 and
  wiping
 tables,
 and
 stocking
 the
 bar.
 
 It
 was
 a
 pretty
 slow
 afternoon.
 
 Every
 now
 and
  then
 I
 looked
 over
 at
 Rachel.
 
 She
 was
 engrossed
 in
 some
 obtusely
 thick
 book.
 
  Finally,
 after
 a
 while,
 she
 put
 her
 book
 in
 her
 shoulder
 bag
 and
 walked
 up
 to
 the
  counter.
  “Do
 you
 want
 a
 refill?”
 I
 asked.
  “No…
 Well
 maybe,
 but
 first
 I
 want
 to
 ask
 you
 something.
 
 This
 may
 sound
  kind
 of
 weird,
 but
 you
 remind
 me
 of
 someone
 I’ve
 been
 waiting
 to
 meet.
 
 I
 mean,
 you
  really
 really
 look
 like
 him
 and
 it’s
 starting
 to
 creep
 me
 out.
 
 I
 don’t
 normally
 do
 this,
  but
 do
 you
 maybe
 want
 to
 get
 together
 tonight
 for
 dinner
 or
 something.
 
 I
 can
 wait
  until
 you
 get
 off.
 
 It’s
 just
 I
 have
 this
 really
 incredible
 story
 I
 want
 to
 tell
 you,
 and
 I
  don’t
 know
 why,
 but
 something
 tells
 me
 that
 you
 might
 understand.”
  “I
 don’t
 quite
 know
 what
 you’re
 getting
 at,”
 I
 said,
 “But
 I’d
 love
 to
 have
 dinner
  with
 you.
 
 There’s
 a
 Village
 Inn
 just
 down
 the
 street,
 and
 I
 get
 off
 at
 6:30.”
 
 I
 looked
 at
  my
 watch.
 
 It
 was
 5:30.
 

“Great,”
 She
 said.
 
 “I
 can
 chill
 here
 for
 another
 hour.
 
 I’ve
 got
 this
 great
 book.”
  “Oh
 yeah,
 what
 is
 it?”
  “It’s
 a
 secret!”
 
 She
 giggled
 and
 then
 returned
 to
 her
 chair.
  At
 6:30,
 I
 clocked
 out
 and
 grabbed
 Rachel
 from
 the
 chair
 she
 was
 sitting
 in.
 
  She
 put
 her
 book
 back
 in
 her
 bag
 and
 then
 followed
 me
 out.
 
 We
 walked
 to
 the
  Village
 Inn
 in
 silence.
 
 The
 sky
 was
 clear
 for
 the
 first
 time
 in
 days,
 and
 I
 think
 we
  both
 just
 wanted
 to
 enjoy
 the
 night
 air
 to
 ourselves
 for
 a
 little
 bit.
  We
 sat
 down
 in
 a
 booth
 near
 the
 back
 and
 we
 both
 ordered
 coffee.
 
 I
 also
  ordered
 a
 skillet,
 and
 she
 ordered
 the
 two
 egg
 breakfast.
  “Don’t
 you
 ever
 get
 sick
 of
 coffee
 working
 in
 a
 coffee
 shop
 and
 all.”
  “You
 can
 never
 have
 too
 much
 coffee,”
 I
 replied.
  “I
 don’t
 think
 that’s
 true,”
 She
 said.
 
 “You’re
 just
 a
 romantic.”
  “Whatever.
 
 I
 know
 at
 least
 that
 I
 haven’t
 reached
 my
 caffeine
 limit
 today.”
  “Fair
 enough.”
  “So
 you
 said
 there
 was
 something
 you
 wanted
 to
 tell
 me,
 a
 story
 or
  something.”
  “Yes,”
 she
 said.
 
 “I
 know
 what
 I’m
 about
 to
 tell
 you
 may
 sound
 fantastic,
 but
  hear
 me
 out.
 
 Something
 tells
 me
 you
 may
 understand.
 
 And
 I
 promise
 you
 I’m
 not
  crazy,
 but
 I
 believe
 in
 fate,
 and
 I
 know
 it’s
 not
 coincidence
 that
 our
 paths
 crossed.”
 

“When
 I
 was
 seven
 years
 old,
 I
 heard
 a
 very
 fantastic
 story,
 somewhat
 similar
  to
 the
 one
 I’m
 going
 to
 tell
 you
 now.
 
 That
 night
 I
 had
 a
 dream,
 and
 in
 this
 dream,
  there
 was
 a
 man.
 
 I
 found
 myself
 on
 a
 wooden
 dock
 on
 the
 edge
 of
 a
 very
 large
 lake.
 
  There
 was
 a
 forest
 of
 pine
 trees
 surrounding
 the
 entire
 lake.
 
 I’d
 never
 seen
 this
 lake
  before.
 
 I’d
 never
 been
 there
 in
 real
 life
 or
 anything
 like
 that,
 but
 for
 some
 reason
 I
  felt
 at
 peace
 there.
 
 I
 could
 see
 that
 out
 on
 the
 water,
 there
 was
 an
 old
 man
 in
 a
 boat.
 
  ‘come
 to
 me
 Rachel,’
 he
 said.
 
 ‘I
 have
 many
 things
 to
 show
 you’.
 
 I
 was
 afraid
 of
 the
  water
 and
 said,
 ‘I
 can’t
 swim
 that
 far’.
 
 ‘If
 you
 can’t
 swim,
 then
 why
 don’t
 you
 fly?’
 
  The
 thought
 had
 never
 occurred
 to
 me,
 but
 as
 soon
 as
 he
 suggested
 it,
 I
 jumped
 into
  the
 air
 and
 flew
 right
 over
 to
 the
 boat.
 
 I
 sat
 opposite
 of
 him.”
  “The
 man
 explained
 to
 me
 how
 he
 was
 a
 sort
 of
 magic
 man,
 a
 wizard
 or
 a
  shaman
 if
 you
 will.
 
 He
 told
 me
 all
 sorts
 of
 fantastic
 things
 about
 how
 he
 could
  design
 and
 create
 entire
 worlds
 for
 people
 to
 live
 in.
 
 I
 didn’t
 believe
 him
 at
 first,
 but
  he
 insisted
 that
 he
 wasn’t
 lying.
 
 He
 had
 me
 take
 his
 hand,
 and
 the
 next
 thing
 I
 know,
  the
 lake
 wasn’t
 there
 anymore.”
  “We
 were
 hand
 in
 hand
 flying
 over
 a
 vast
 city
 that
 never
 seemed
 to
 end.
 
 ‘I’ve
  created
 all
 of
 this,’
 he
 said,
 ‘But
 I
 think
 you
 could
 do
 much
 better.
 
 Would
 you
 like
 to
  try?’
 
 ‘What
 do
 I
 have
 to
 do?”
 I
 asked.
 
 “Patience
 child,
 and
 I
 will
 show
 you
  everything.’”
  “After
 that
 night,
 I
 dreamed
 of
 the
 old
 man
 every
 single
 night
 for
 many
 years.
 
  We
 always
 started
 in
 that
 boat,
 but
 always
 ended
 up
 somewhere
 else.
 
 He
 taught
 me
 

bit
 by
 bit
 how
 to
 create
 entire
 worlds
 and
 together
 we
 created
 entire
 galaxies
 and
  solar
 systems
 teeming
 with
 life,
 but
 all
 of
 it
 was
 the
 manifestations
 of
 our
 mind.”
  “The
 old
 man
 visited
 me
 in
 my
 dreams
 every
 single
 night
 for
 seven
 years.
 
  And
 then
 one
 day
 shortly
 after
 I
 turned
 14,
 he
 stopped
 showing
 up.
 
 I
 still
 had
  dreams,
 but
 they
 were
 different.
 
 I
 was
 no
 longer
 creating
 the
 story,
 but
 rather
 was
  acting
 out
 a
 part
 in
 a
 story
 that
 had
 already
 been
 written.
 
 I
 was
 very
 sad
 because
 I
  loved
 the
 old
 man
 very
 much,
 but
 I
 have
 never
 seen
 him
 again.”
  “That’s
 a
 nice
 story,”
 I
 said,
 “But
 what
 does
 it
 have
 to
 do
 with
 me?”
  “Mark,
 “
 She
 said,
 “You
 are
 that
 man,
 only
 not
 quite.
 
 It’s
 more
 like
 you
 look
  like
 what
 that
 man
 would
 have
 looked
 like
 as
 a
 younger
 man.
 
 When
 I
 first
 saw
 you,
 I
  saw
 a
 familiarity
 in
 you
 that
 I
 couldn’t
 quite
 point
 my
 finger
 on.
 
 It
 stirred
 my
 mind
  into
 reminiscing
 all
 sorts
 of
 old
 memories,
 but
 it
 wasn’t
 until
 I
 came
 into
 the
 coffee
  shop
 this
 afternoon
 that
 I
 was
 absolutely
 sure.
 
 All
 these
 thoughts
 had
 been
 brewing
  in
 my
 mind,
 so
 I
 decided
 to
 stop
 in
 a
 random
 coffee
 shop
 for
 a
 cup
 of
 coffee,
 and
 lo
  and
 behold,
 there
 you
 were.
 
 I
 knew
 it
 had
 to
 be
 fate.
 
 I
 knew
 you
 had
 to
 be
 him,
 or
 if
  not
 him,
 then
 so
 very
 closely
 related
 that
 there
 had
 to
 be
 meaning
 in
 all
 of
 this.
 
 I
  hardly
 ever
 told
 these
 things
 to
 anyone,
 and
 suddenly
 I’m
 telling
 them
 to
 some
  person
 I’ve
 just
 met
 yesterday.
 
 What
 would
 cause
 me
 to
 do
 such
 a
 thing?”
  “I
 don’t
 know,”
 I
 said,
 “But
 as
 long
 as
 we’re
 spilling
 our
 hearts,
 I
 ought
 to
 let
  you
 know,
 that
 from
 the
 instant
 I
 saw
 you,
 I
 had
 the
 same
 sort
 of
 recognition.
 
 You
  reminded
 me
 of
 someone,
 but
 for
 the
 life
 of
 me,
 I
 couldn’t
 place
 who.
 
 I
 know
 it’s
  strange,
 but
 I
 feel
 I’ve
 also
 known
 you
 in
 some
 other
 sort
 of
 life.
 
 I
 don’t
 have
 any
 

memories
 of
 being
 any
 sort
 of
 wizard
 or
 shaman,
 I
 mean
 really,
 I’m
 just
 a
 barrista.
 
 I
  make
 coffee.
 
 I
 don’t
 make
 galaxies.
 
 But
 nevertheless
 I
 do
 feel
 strangely
 attracted
 to
  you.
 
 I
 don’t
 know
 if
 I
 believe
 in
 fate,
 but
 I
 do
 believe
 in
 the
 present
 moment,
 and
  right
 now
 I’m
 sitting
 here
 with
 you
 and
 I’m
 feeling,
 I
 don’t
 know.
 
 I
 don’t
 even
 know
  what
 I’m
 feeling,
 but
 it’s
 exciting
 I
 think,
 or
 interesting
 to
 say
 the
 least.”
  “So
 it’s
 like
 we
 have
 met,”
 Rachel
 said.
 
 She
 held
 out
 her
 hand
 and
 we
 shook
  hands.
 
 It
 felt
 like
 a
 silly
 thing
 to
 do,
 but
 strangely
 appropriate
 at
 the
 same
 time.
 
  Rachel
 looked
 at
 her
 watch.
 
 “Oh
 shoot,
 I
 almost
 forgot.
 
 I’m
 gonna
 be
 

late
 again.
 
 I’m
 sorry.
 
 I
 have
 to
 run.
 
 Let
 me
 get
 this.”
 
 She
 threw
 a
 twenty
 and
 a
 ten
  on
 the
 table.
 
 “That
 should
 cover
 things.”
  “I
 can’t
 let
 you
 pay
 for
 my
 meal,”
 I
 said.
  “No,
 please,”
 she
 said.
 
 “I
 don’t
 have
 to
 worry
 about
 money,
 so
 please
 let
 me
  cover
 it.
 
 I’m
 just
 glad
 to
 have
 met
 you.
 
 Would
 you
 perhaps
 like
 to
 get
 together
 again
  tomorrow.
 
 I
 haven’t
 told
 you
 everything
 yet.”
  “That’d
 be
 great.
 
 I
 get
 off
 again
 at
 6:30.”
  “Great.
 
 I’ll
 stop
 in
 sometime
 tomorrow
 afternoon.
 
 I’m
 sorry,
 but
 I
 really
 got
  to
 go
 now.
 
 I
 enjoyed
 having
 dinner
 with
 you.”
 
 With
 that,
 she
 grabbed
 her
 bag
 and
  took
 off.
 
 She
 had
 hardly
 touched
 her
 meal.
 
 I
 was
 ravenous,
 so
 I
 finished
 my
 entire
  skillet
 in
 silence.
 
 I
 thought
 about
 the
 things
 she
 had
 said.
 
 It
 sounded
 like
 she’d
 had
  some
 genuinely
 interesting
 experiences.
 

When
 I
 got
 home,
 I
 didn’t
 really
 feel
 like
 doing
 binaural
 beats,
 so
 I
 just
 hit
 the
  sack
 early.
 
 I
 laid
 in
 bed
 for
 a
 couple
 of
 hours
 just
 thinking
 about
 Rachel.
 
 I
 was
 very
  glad
 we’d
 met.
 
 I
 felt
 a
 strange
 sort
 of
 joy
 in
 my
 heart.
 
 I
 also
 thought
 about
 Raine.
 
 I
  hadn’t
 said
 anything
 to
 Rachel,
 but
 it
 was
 Raine
 that
 she
 reminded
 me
 of.
 
 It
 seemed
  as
 if
 they
 were
 somehow
 connected,
 but
 I
 couldn’t
 quite
 place
 it.
  I
 waited
 in
 anticipation
 all
 the
 next
 day
 for
 Rachel,
 but
 she
 never
 showed
 up.
 
  I
 hung
 around
 the
 coffee
 shop
 until
 7:00,
 and
 then
 walked
 home
 disappointed.
 
 I
  entered
 my
 apartment,
 and
 then
 noticed
 a
 brown
 envelope
 on
 the
 floor
 of
 the
 entry
  hall.
 
 “Mark”
 was
 written
 on
 it
 in
 gold
 in
 the
 fanciest
 calligraphy
 I’d
 ever
 seen.
 
 I
  opened
 the
 envelope
 and
 there
 was
 a
 small
 note:
  Dear
 Mark,
  I
 understand
 that
 you’ve
 visited
 the
 Wood
 by
 now.
 
 I’m
 very
 happy
 for
 you.
 
  Many
 treasures
 are
 in
 store
 for
 you
 indeed.
 
 Oh
 the
 joys
 of
 youth!
 
 I
 see
 that
 you’ve
  met
 my
 granddaughter
 as
 well.
 
 I’m
 happy
 for
 you
 both.
 
 May
 you
 enjoy
 much
  Fonintine
 together.
 
 I
 myself
 am
 very
 old
 now.
 
 I’m
 glad
 to
 know
 there
 is
 someone
 to
  carry
 on
 the
 legacy.
 
 I
 wish
 you
 the
 greatest
 of
 joys,
 for
 I
 know
 they
 are
 yours
 to
  behold.
  Sincerely,
  D.Z.
  I
 put
 the
 letter
 back
 in
 the
 envelope.
 
 Was
 this
 the
 same
 D.Z.
 that
 had
 written
  the
 book
 I
 had
 seen
 in
 the
 bookstore.
 
 It
 had
 to
 be.
 
 He
 had
 mentioned
 Fonintine.
 
 But
 

how
 did
 he
 know
 who
 I
 was?
 
 And
 how
 did
 he
 know
 I’d
 met
 Raine?
 
 And
 how
 did
 he
  get
 into
 my
 apartment
 to
 deliver
 this
 letter.
 
 These
 were
 strange
 mysteries
 I
 couldn’t
  comprehend.
 
 I
 wanted
 answers
 though.
 
 Maybe
 Raine
 would
 know.
 
 I
 decided
 to
 try
  and
 visit
 her
 again.
 
 I
 reclined
 on
 my
 couch
 and
 put
 my
 headphones
 on.
  I
 was
 floating
 in
 a
 black
 space
 when
 suddenly
 an
 entire
 world
 started
 to
  materialize
 around
 me.
 
 I
 was
 on
 a
 spiral
 staircase
 somewhere
 in
 the
 wood.
 
 From
  around
 the
 corner,
 I
 saw
 Raine.
  “You
 know,
 you
 have
 a
 really
 nasty
 habit
 of
 disappearing.
 
 I’ve
 been
 looking
  everywhere
 for
 you.
 
 You
 certainly
 do
 have
 a
 wandering
 spirit.
 
 Nevertheless,
 here
  you
 are.
 
 You
 didn’t
 think
 you
 could
 escape
 from
 me
 before
 I
 showed
 you
 the
  greatest
 game
 in
 the
 entire
 world.”
  “Huh?”
 I
 said.
 
 “Game?”
  “You
 sure
 have
 a
 lot
 to
 learn,”
 Raine
 said.
 
 “What
 fun
 would
 life
 be
 if
 we
 didn’t
  have
 any
 games
 to
 play.
 
 Come
 on.
 
 It’s
 this
 way.”
 
 We
 wound
 our
 way
 around
 trees
  and
 up
 staircases
 and
 across
 bridges
 until
 we
 found
 ourselves
 in
 the
 middle
 of
 an
  open
 courtyard
 with
 a
 number
 of
 tables
 and
 benches
 set
 up.
 
 Each
 of
 the
 tables
 had
 a
  large
 game
 board
 that
 looked
 somewhat
 like
 a
 GO
 board,
 only
 there
 were
 many
  many
 more
 intersections.
 
 To
 the
 side
 of
 the
 boards,
 there
 were
 ceramic
 bowls
 filled
  with
 different
 types
 of
 stones.
 
 The
 bowls
 were
 shaped
 in
 such
 a
 way
 that
 you
  couldn’t
 see
 what
 stone
 you
 were
 picking
 up.
 

“This
 is
 Compostis,”
 Raine
 said.
 
 “You
 might
 not
 quite
 understand
 at
 first,
 but
  once
 you’ve
 gotten
 the
 rules
 down,
 it
 really
 is
 quite
 fun.”
  “Ok,”
 I
 said.
 
 “How
 do
 you
 play?”
  “There
 are
 five
 types
 of
 stones.”
 
 She
 grabbed
 a
 handful
 of
 stones
 and
 set
  them
 down
 one
 at
 a
 time.
 “Black,
 Grey,
 White,
 Clear,
 and
 Prism.
 
 You
 always
 start
  with
 a
 black
 stone.
 
 A
 black
 stone
 has
 the
 power
 to
 create
 a
 major
 form.
 
 A
 form
 can
  be
 anything,
 a
 sound,
 a
 shape,
 a
 smell,
 a
 taste,
 or
 just
 about
 anything
 you
 can
  imagine.
 
 I’ll
 start
 us
 out
 really
 simple.
 
 Here
 is
 a
 cube.”
 
 Raine
 placed
 a
 black
 stone
  on
 the
 board
 and
 as
 soon
 as
 it
 touched
 the
 board,
 I
 saw
 the
 form
 of
 a
 cube
 in
 my
  minds
 eye.
 
 It
 was
 like
 I
 saw
 the
 empty
 space
 that
 a
 cube
 would
 occupy.
 
 The
 cube
  itself
 was
 completely
 tranparent.
  “Do
 you
 see
 it?”
 Raine
 asked.
  “Yes,”
 I
 replied.
  “Good.
 
 Now
 a
 prism
 stone
 adds
 texture
 to
 a
 form.
 
 The
 most
 simple
 texture
 is
  a
 color.
 
 Just
 watch.”
 
 Raine
 placed
 the
 prism
 stone
 which
 looked
 something
 like
 a
  soap
 bubble
 adjacent
 to
 the
 initial
 black
 stone.
 
 Suddenly
 in
 my
 mind’s
 eye,
 the
 cube
  now
 had
 a
 green
 surface.
  “A
 grey
 stone
 either
 makes
 a
 minor
 form,
 or
 modifies
 a
 major
 form.
 
 I’ll
 show
  you
 a
 modification
 first.
 
 Here’s
 a
 ripple.”
 
 Raine
 set
 down
 the
 grey
 stone
 in
 close
  proximity
 to
 the
 first
 two
 stones
 and
 suddenly
 the
 cube
 in
 my
 mind’s
 eye
 was
  rippling
 like
 the
 surface
 of
 water.
 

“Now
 a
 grey
 stone
 can
 also
 make
 a
 minor
 form.
 
 A
 minor
 form
 is
 less
 clearly
  defined
 than
 a
 major
 form.
 
 I’ll
 show
 you
 by
 adding
 a
 musical
 note.”
 
 She
 placed
  another
 grey
 stone
 in
 a
 different
 area
 of
 the
 board
 and
 in
 my
 mind’s
 eye,
 the
 rippling
  green
 cube
 was
 suddenly
 resonating
 a
 tone.
 
 I
 couldn’t
 quite
 place
 the
 pitch
 though.
 
  It
 was
 unstable.
  “A
 clear
 stone
 makes
 a
 duplicate
 of
 the
 entire
 board
 and
 adds
 a
 modification
  to
 that.
 
 Watch.”
 
 Raine
 placed
 a
 clear
 stone
 near
 the
 first
 3
 and
 suddenly
 my
 mind
  split
 in
 two.
 
 In
 one
 half
 of
 my
 mind
 I
 saw
 the
 rippling
 green
 cube
 that
 was
  resonating
 a
 sound,
 and
 in
 the
 other
 half
 of
 my
 mind
 I
 saw
 a
 rippling
 red
 cube
 that
  was
 resonating
 an
 altogether
 different
 indistinguishable
 sound.
 
 It
 was
 like
 the
 two
  hallucinations
 were
 occupying
 the
 same
 space,
 but
 in
 different
 dimensions.
 
 I
 was
 a
  little
 disoriented
 to
 say
 the
 least.
  “Don’t
 freak
 out,”
 Said
 Raine.
 
 
 “The
 Bifurcation
 of
 mind
 is
 a
 little
 disorienting
  the
 first
 few
 times
 you
 experience
 it.
 
 Some
 of
 the
 Compostis
 masters
 like
 Laysion
  can
 play
 games
 of
 Compostis
 that
 bifurcate
 into
 thousands
 of
 dimensions
  simultaneously.
 
 It
 takes
 many
 years
 to
 develop
 skills
 like
 that,
 but
 first
 we
 start
  with
 baby
 steps.”
  “Finally,
 we
 are
 left
 with
 the
 white
 stones.
 
 The
 white
 stones
 are
 for
  organizing
 all
 the
 stones
 of
 the
 board.
 
 You
 can
 use
 a
 white
 stone
 to
 merge
 two
 or
  more
 already
 placed
 stones
 together.
 
 Or
 if
 you’re
 ambitious,
 you
 can
 merge
 the
  entire
 board
 into
 a
 single
 white
 stone.
 
 This
 is
 how
 we
 save
 our
 creations.
 
 I’ll
 show
  you
 in
 a
 bit.”
 

“Finally,
 the
 last
 rule
 is
 when
 you
 draw
 a
 prism
 stone,
 you
 get
 to
 draw
 again.
 
  Like
 this.”
 
 Raine
 drew
 2
 prisms
 and
 one
 black.
 
 By
 placing
 the
 prisms,
 the
 cubes
  took
 on
 the
 colors
 purple
 and
 blue
 in
 addition
 to
 the
 green
 in
 one
 dimension
 and
 the
  red
 in
 the
 other
 dimension.
 
 Already
 after
 just
 a
 few
 turns,
 my
 mind
 was
 spinning.
 
  This
 was
 pretty
 crazy
 stuff.
 
 Raine
 must
 have
 noticed
 I
 was
 tired
 because
 after
 a
 few
  more
 turns,
 she
 stopped.
  “Alright.
 
 That’s
 enough
 for
 today.
 
 Watch
 this.”
 Raine
 grabbed
 a
 white
 stone
  and
 touched
 it
 on
 top
 of
 every
 stone
 in
 the
 board
 in
 turn.
 
 Each
 stone
 in
 turn
 melted
  into
 the
 white
 stone.
 
 When
 she
 was
 done,
 all
 that
 was
 left
 was
 the
 white
 stone.
  “And
 now,”
 She
 said.
 
 “We
 store
 this.”
 
 Raine
 grabbed
 a
 piece
 of
 glass
 out
 of
  her
 pocket
 that
 was
 rounded
 and
 roughly
 the
 shape
 of
 a
 zippo
 lighter.
 
 She
 placed
  the
 white
 stone
 on
 top
 of
 the
 glass
 and
 the
 glass
 swallowed
 it
 up.
 
 It
 was
 like
 the
  center
 of
 the
 glass
 became
 water,
 the
 stone
 sunk
 into
 the
 water,
 the
 water
 solidified,
  and
 then
 there
 was
 nothing
 there
 but
 the
 glass.
  “What
 is
 that?”
 I
 asked.
  “It’s
 a
 form
 of
 Elvish
 technology.
 
 It’s
 somewhat
 like
 a
 computer
 in
 your
  world.
 
 Watch.”
 
 She
 grabbed
 the
 piece
 of
 glass
 from
 diagonal
 corners
 and
 stretched
  it
 out
 until
 it
 was
 the
 size
 of
 a
 laptop.
 
 The
 glass
 retained
 the
 same
 thickness,
 so
 I
  was
 confused
 as
 the
 where
 all
 the
 extra
 material
 came
 from.
 
 She
 set
 it
 in
 the
 air
 in
  front
 of
 her
 and
 it
 floated
 in
 mid
 air.
 
 She
 tapped
 it
 in
 several
 places
 and
 keys
 began
  to
 form.
 
 She
 pressed
 one
 of
 the
 buttons
 and
 a
 holographic
 image
 appeared
 with
 an
  interface
 that
 absolutely
 blew
 my
 mind.
 
 It
 was
 like
 adding
 an
 extra
 spacial
 

dimension
 to
 the
 file
 management
 system.
 
 It
 was
 much
 more
 intuitive
 than
  anything
 I’d
 ever
 seen
 before.
  “I’ve
 got
 to
 get
 one
 of
 those,”
 I
 said
 all
 excited.
  “We
 can
 talk
 to
 Laysion,”
 Raine
 said.
 
 “Perhaps
 he
 can
 help
 you
 out
 with
 that.
 
  This
 one
 was
 a
 gift
 from
 my
 grandfather.
 
 But
 never
 mind
 that,
 all
 I’ve
 showed
 you
  so
 far
 is
 the
 game
 for
 creating
 composisms.”
  “Composisms?”
  “Oh
 yeah,
 I
 forgot.
 
 When
 you
 play
 Compositis,
 the
 creation
 you
 come
 up
 with
  is
 called
 a
 composism.
 
 I’ve
 made
 hundreds
 myself,
 and
 I
 look
 forward
 to
 making
  more
 with
 you.
 
 But
 like
 I
 said,
 the
 act
 of
 creation
 is
 only
 half
 the
 fun.
 
 Come
 on.
 
 I’ve
  already
 invited
 Droit
 and
 Sasha
 over.
 
 You’re
 in
 for
 a
 real
 treat
 tonight.”
  “Sasha?”
  “Droit
 you
 met
 at
 the
 Fonintine
 ceremony.
 
 Sasha
 you
 haven’t
 met
 yet.
 
 She
 is
  Droits
 wife.
 
 She
 wasn’t
 at
 the
 ceremony,
 but
 no
 matter.
 
 You
 will
 meet
 her
 tonight.
 
  Now
 come
 on.
 
 Let’s
 get
 back
 to
 my
 hut.”
 
 We
 followed
 more
 winding
 paths
 and
  staircases
 and
 bridges
 for
 what
 seems
 like
 a
 very
 long
 time,
 and
 then,
 quite
  suddenly,
 we
 were
 at
 Raine’s
 hut.
 
 It
 didn’t
 seem
 to
 matter
 which
 path
 you
 took
 in
  the
 wood,
 you
 always
 ended
 up
 where
 you
 intended
 to
 go.
  “They’ll
 be
 here
 soon,”
 Raine
 said.
 

“How
 do
 you
 know?”
 I
 asked.
 
 Raine
 just
 smiled.
 
 Sure
 enough
 Droit
 showed
  up
 a
 few
 minutes
 later.
 
 He
 was
 accompanied
 by
 a
 very
 beautiful
 woman
 with
 green
  eyes
 and
 dark
 brown
 hair
 that
 went
 nearly
 to
 her
 waist.
  “You
 must
 be
 Sasha,”
 I
 said.
 
 I
 held
 out
 my
 arm.
 
 She
 didn’t
 say
 anything.
 
 She
  just
 looked
 down
 at
 my
 arm
 and
 smiled.
  “Don’t
 pretend
 you
 don’t
 remember
 me
 Mark.
 
 It
 hurts
 my
 feelings.”
  I
 was
 flabbergasted.
 
 I
 didn’t
 know
 what
 do
 say.
  “Relax
 Mark.
 
 You
 know
 I’m
 just
 playing.
 
 It’s
 good
 to
 see
 you
 too.”
  “Are
 we
 ready?”
 Raine
 said.
  “Of
 course,”
 Droit
 replied.
  “Well
 then,”
 Raine
 said.
 
 She
 moved
 a
 rug
 that
 was
 on
 the
 floor,
 and
 under
 the
  rug
 was
 a
 trap
 door.
 
 She
 opened
 the
 door,
 and
 there
 was
 a
 ladder
 that
 led
 down
 into
  a
 dimly
 lit
 room.
 
 I
 followed
 her
 down.
  “This
 is
 our
 personal
 sanctuary,”
 Raine
 said.
 
 “This
 is
 where
 we
 go
 to
 live
 our
  composisms.”
  “I
 don’t
 undertand,”
 I
 said.
  “Just
 wait.
 
 By
 the
 end
 of
 tonight
 it
 will
 all
 be
 crystal
 clear.
 
 Today’s
  composism
 was
 rather
 small,
 so
 the
 evening
 will
 be
 a
 little
 short,
 but
 no
 matter,
 it
  will
 be
 as
 good
 as
 good
 as
 good.”
 
 

We
 all
 sat
 down
 in
 a
 circle
 in
 this
 room
 which
 had
 no
 windows
 and
 quite
 a
  few
 comfy
 cushions.
 
 Raine
 pulled
 out
 her
 glass
 computer
 thing
 and
 set
 it
 in
 the
  center
 of
 the
 circle.
 
 Droit
 pulled
 out
 a
 similar
 device.
 
 They
 placed
 them
 side
 by
 side.
  “We’re
 going
 to
 cross
 breed
 our
 composisms
 now.
 
 This
 makes
 it
 more
  exciting.”
 
 There
 were
 a
 few
 flashes
 of
 light
 and
 the
 two
 devices
 merged.
 
 They
 began
  to
 glow
 a
 soft
 green,
 and
 then
 floated
 up
 into
 the
 air.
 
 Raine
 went
 into
 a
 corner
 of
 a
  room
 and
 pulled
 out
 a
 different
 glass
 device
 and
 a
 liquid
 vial.
 
 The
 glass
 device
  looked
 like
 something
 from
 a
 chemistry
 set.
 It
 was
 a
 cylinder
 with
 a
 sphere
 on
 the
  end.
 
 The
 top
 of
 the
 sphere
 had
 a
 hole
 in
 it
 and
 the
 hole
 went
 down
 into
 a
 tube
 that
  circled
 around
 a
 few
 times
 and
 then
 opened
 up
 in
 the
 middle
 of
 the
 sphere.
 
 Raine
  looked
 at
 Droit
 and
 Sasha.
  “Are
 you
 alright
 with
 Arkennistite?
 
 It’s
 Mark’s
 first
 time.”
  “That’s
 fine,
 “
 Sasha
 said.
  “I
 haven’t
 tried
 Arkennistite
 in
 a
 while,”
 Droit
 said.
 
 “Should
 be
 good.”
  Raine
 dipped
 a
 syringe
 into
 the
 glass
 vial
 and
 took
 out
 a
 single
 drop
 of
 liquid.
 
  She
 then
 placed
 that
 drop
 in
 the
 opening
 of
 the
 glass
 device.
 
 It
 traveled
 through
 the
  glassworks,
 and
 when
 it
 reached
 the
 center
 of
 the
 sphere,
 it
 ignited
 into
 Fonintine
  plasma.
  “That
 looks
 like
 Fonintine,”
 I
 said.
 
 “Why
 did
 you
 called
 it
 Arkennistite?”
  “Well,”
 Raine
 explained.
 “Fonintine
 is
 sort
 of
 like
 computer
 software.
 
 It
 can
  be
 programmed
 to
 have
 different
 effects.
 
 Think
 of
 Arkennistite
 as
 a
 program
 

running
 on
 the
 Fonintine
 operating
 system.
 
 It’s
 designed
 to
 make
 the
 body
 feel
  warm
 and
 fuzzy
 and
 to
 make
 the
 mind
 fluid
 with
 crystalline
 clarity.
 
 It’s
 one
 of
 the
  more
 euphoric
 variations
 of
 Fonintine,
 so
 I
 thought
 it
 would
 be
 appropriate
 as
 you
  experienced
 your
 first
 composism.”
  “I
 see.
 
 Well
 then
 let’s
 get
 started.”
 
 The
 glass
 device
 was
 passed
 clockwise
  around
 the
 circle
 seven
 times.
 
 Each
 person
 in
 turn
 took
 a
 very
 deep
 inhalation
 and
  at
 the
 end
 of
 the
 seventh
 round,
 Raine
 placed
 the
 glass
 device
 back
 in
 the
 box
 she
  had
 gotten
 it
 from.
 
 At
 this
 point
 I
 was
 feeling
 really
 good.
 
 It
 was
 like
 I
 was
 sliding
  through
 my
 stream
 of
 consciousness
 as
 if
 I
 were
 a
 child
 sledding
 down
 a
 snowy
 hill.
  “Are
 you
 ready
 to
 meet
 your
 child?”
 Raine
 asked.
  “Yes,”
 I
 said
 even
 though
 I
 didn’t
 know
 what
 she
 was
 talking
 about.
  “Good.”
 
 Raine
 tapped
 a
 few
 times
 on
 the
 glass
 computers
 that
 were
 floating
  in
 the
 air.
 
 The
 next
 thing
 I
 knew,
 the
 room
 what
 gone.
 
 The
 memory
 of
 ever
 having
  been
 in
 the
 room
 was
 gone.
 
 The
 memory
 of
 ever
 having
 been
 anything
 was
 gone.
 
 I
  was
 in
 a
 void.
 
 I
 was
 the
 void,
 but
 suddenly
 the
 void
 had
 definition.
 
 The
 void
 was
 a
  cube,
 and
 I
 was
 the
 cube.
 
 I
 felt
 myself
 being
 clothed.
 
 It
 was
 a
 magnificent
 jacket
 of
  green.
 
 The
 green
 brought
 me
 an
 unspeakable
 joy.
 
 My
 joy
 was
 alive.
 
 It
 was
 rippling.
 
  It
 rippled
 into
 two.
 
 Suddenly
 I
 was
 two
 conscious
 beings.
 
 I
 was
 two,
 but
 I
 was
 also
  one
 married
 together
 in
 the
 ultimate
 bond.
 
 It
 was
 Eros
 that
 connected
 my
 separate
  selves
 into
 one
 coherent
 whole.
 
 This
 all
 seemed
 vaguely
 familiar,
 but
 I
 was
 too
  enraptured
 to
 think
 anything.
 
 It
 was
 as
 if
 any
 thought
 would
 disrupt
 this
 holy
  moment.
 
 Suddenly
 I
 felt
 wave
 after
 wave
 of
 emotion.
 
 Sadness,
 joy,
 anger,
 

embarrassent,
 happiness,
 rapture,
 bliss
 all
 blending
 into
 one,
 yet
 existing
 on
  separate
 levels
 simultaneously.
 
 
  I
 heard
 a
 melody.
 
 It
 was
 beautiful.
 
 But
 I
 didn’t
 just
 hear
 the
 melody.
 
 I
 was
  the
 melody.
 
 I
 was
 rippling
 through
 infinite
 space
 as
 I
 became
 so
 many
 emotions,
  and
 also
 nothing,
 all
 at
 once.
 
 The
 melody
 became
 more
 and
 more
 beautiful
 until
  suddenly
 I
 came
 to.
  I
 was
 in
 fetal
 position
 on
 one
 of
 the
 cushions.
 
 Raine,
 Droit,
 and
 Sasha
 were
 all
  standing
 over
 me.
 
 Sasha
 smiled,
 “I
 think
 he
 liked
 it.”
  “Are
 you
 alright
 Mark?”
 Raine
 asked.
 
 Words
 were
 beyond
 me,
 so
 I
 just
 said
  the
 first
 thing
 that
 came
 to
 mind.
  “Lions
 and
 Tigers
 and
 Bears,
 OH
 MY!”
  Raine
 smiled,
 “He’ll
 be
 fine.”
  It
 was
 an
 hour
 or
 two
 before
 I
 came
 to
 my
 senses.
 
 As
 some
 point
 in
 time,
 I
  realized
 I
 just
 had
 a
 huge
 grin
 plastered
 on
 my
 face.
 
 I
 suddenly
 realized
 this,
 and
 it
  felt
 odd,
 so
 I
 let
 me
 muscles
 relax.
 
 Raine,
 Droit,
 and
 Sasha
 were
 playing
 some
 sort
 of
  card
 game,
 and
 Droit
 looked
 over
 at
 me.
 
 “Hey,
 his
 grin’s
 gone.
 
 I
 think
 he’s
 coming
  to.”
  “Welcome
 back
 to
 the
 land
 of
 the
 living,”
 Raine
 said.
 
 “How
 do
 you
 feel?”
  “Splendid,”
 I
 said.
 
 “Just
 splendid.”
  “Good.”
 

After
 a
 while,
 Droit
 and
 Sasha
 went
 home.
 
 Raine
 and
 I
 were
 alone.
 
 I
 was
  feeling
 very
 sleepy.
 
 “Think
 I’m
 going
 home
 now.
 
 I’ll
 see
 you
 later.”
 I
 said.
 
 I
 fell
  asleep,
 and
 when
 I
 woke
 up,
 I
 was
 on
 my
 couch
 in
 my
 apartment.
 
 My
 clock
 read
  1:24
 AM.
  The
 next
 day
 when
 I
 showed
 up
 at
 work,
 I
 was
 in
 an
 especially
 cheery
 mood.
 
  “What’s
 happened
 to
 you,”
 Cindy
 said.
 
 “You
 look
 like
 you’ve
 just
 met
 Santa
 Clause.”
  “If
 I
 had
 to
 tell
 you,”
 I
 said,
 “You
 wouldn’t
 even
 believe
 me.”
  “Well
 you
 don’t
 have
 to
 if
 you
 don’t
 want
 to,
 but
 something’s
 happened.
 
 I
 can
  tell.”
  “Something
 indeed.”
  Around
 five,
 a
 familiar
 visitor
 made
 her
 way
 into
 the
 coffee
 shop.
 
 In
 all
 the
  excitement
 of
 the
 previous
 night,
 I
 had
 almost
 completely
 forgotten
 that
 Rachel
  stood
 me
 up
 yesterday.
 
 
  “Hi
 Rachel,”
 I
 said.
 
 “It’s
 really
 good
 to
 see
 you.”
  “You’re
 in
 a
 cheery
 mood,”
 She
 said.
 
 “Sorry
 about
 yesterday.
 
 I
 was
 held
 up.
 
  Nothing
 I
 could
 do
 about
 it.
 
 Sorry.”
  “You
 say
 sorry
 too
 much.”
  Rachel
 smiled,
 “Yeah
 I
 know.
 
 Sorry
 about
 that.”
  “Stop
 it.
 
 You’re
 gonna
 hurt
 yourself.”
 

“Anyhow,”
 Rachel
 said.
 
 “I
 haven’t
 forgotten
 about
 our
 date.
 
 Do
 you
 have
  anything
 going
 on
 tonight?”
  “No,
 I
 don’t.”
  “Good.
 
 When
 do
 you
 get
 off.”
  “6:30.”
  “Alright.
 
 I’ll
 be
 back
 here
 at
 six.
 
 See
 ya.”
  Despite
 my
 anticipation,
 the
 rest
 of
 the
 day
 went
 fairly
 fast.
 
 Rachel
 showed
  up
 right
 before
 I
 clocked
 out,
 and
 we
 walked
 down
 to
 a
 Thai
 restaurant
 that
 was
 a
  few
 blocks
 away.
 
 We
 got
 a
 table
 and
 sat
 down.
  “I
 didn’t
 tell
 you
 this
 last
 time
 we
 got
 together,
 but
 I’ve
 been
 having
 some
  crazy
 fantasies
 of
 my
 own.”
  “Oh
 yeah?
 
 Do
 tell
 me.”
  “Well
 it’s
 like
 I
 keep
 finding
 myself
 in
 this
 immense
 elf
 village
 called
 the
  Wood.
 
 And
 there’s
 this
 elf
 girl
 who
 keeps
 meeting
 me
 there,
 and
 she
 keeps
 showing
  me
 the
 craziest
 things.
 
 There’s
 this
 game
 they
 play
 to
 create
 conscious
 forms
 and
  then
 they
 use
 this
 drug
 called
 Fonintine
 and
 become
 the
 forms
 they
 create.”
  Rachel
 smiled
 at
 me
 knowingly,
 “Did
 you
 say
 Fonintine?”
  “Yeah,
 why?”
 

“I
 have
 something
 to
 show
 to
 you
 tonight.
 
 Again,
 I
 don’t
 normally
 do
 this,
 but
  I’m
 going
 to
 invite
 you
 to
 my
 apartment
 because
 there’s
 something
 you
 have
 to
 see,
  or
 rather
 hear.
 
 Anyhow,
 don’t
 get
 any
 wrong
 ideas.
 
 I
 don’t
 want
 anything
 to
 happen
  if
 you
 know
 what
 I
 mean.
 
 I’m
 not
 quite
 prepared
 for
 that.”
  “Yeah,
 okay,
 great.
 
 I’m
 curious
 now
 as
 to
 what
 this
 huge
 surprise
 is.
 
 Don’t
  worry
 about
 me.
 
 I
 won’t
 take
 advantage
 of
 you.
 
 I
 hardly
 even
 know
 you.
 
 I’m
 not
  that
 sort
 of
 person.”
  “Good.”
  We
 finished
 our
 meal
 and
 then
 headed
 out.
 
 She
 started
 walking
 and
 I
  followed
 her.
 
 After
 about
 ten
 minutes
 I
 started
 getting
 really
 suspicious.
 
 We
 were
  heading
 in
 exactly
 the
 same
 direction
 as
 my
 apartment.
 
 Ten
 minutes
 later,
 we
 were
  in
 front
 of
 my
 apartment
 building.
 
 “here
 we
 are,”
 Rachel
 said.
  “You’re
 kidding,”
 I
 said.
 
 “This
 is
 the
 same
 apartment
 complex
 I
 live
 in.
 
 What
  floor
 do
 you
 live
 on?”
  “The
 fourth.”
  “Are
 you
 joking?
 
 I
 live
 on
 the
 fourth
 floor.”
 
 We
 went
 up
 to
 the
 fourth
 floor
  and
 walked
 right
 past
 my
 apartment.
 
 We
 walked
 down
 the
 hall
 past
 three
  apartments
 and
 Rachel
 pulled
 out
 her
 keys.
 
 
  “Here
 we
 are,”
 she
 said.
 

“I
 can’t
 believe
 this.
 
 How
 long
 have
 you
 lived
 here?
 
 You
 live
 three
 doors
  down
 from
 me
 and
 I’ve
 never
 seen
 you
 in
 my
 life
 until
 a
 few
 days
 ago.”
  “Stranger
 things
 have
 happened.
 
 I
 promise
 you,
 much
 stranger
 things.”
  When
 we
 entered
 her
 apartment,
 the
 first
 thing
 I
 noticed
 were
 the
  instruments.
 
 They
 were
 everywhere:
 guitars,
 basses,
 flutes,
 cellos,
 saxophones,
  drums.
  “Are
 you
 a
 musician?
 
 Do
 you
 play
 all
 these?”
  “Yes,
 well
 sorta.
 
 It’s
 kind
 of
 a
 long
 story.
 
 How
 can
 I
 explain?
 
 Well
 it’s
 like
  this:
 ever
 since
 the
 dreams
 began,
 I
 started
 to
 have
 this
 nagging
 feeling
 that
 I
 was
  different,
 like
 really
 different.
 
 I
 saw
 the
 modern
 world
 around
 me
 and
 I
 didn’t
 like
  what
 I
 saw.
 
 People
 are
 drowning
 in
 their
 television
 shows
 and
 their
 magazines,
 and
  I
 said
 to
 myself,
 ‘It
 doesn’t
 have
 to
 be
 that
 way’.
 
 I
 dreamed
 of
 being
 able
 to
 take
 the
  skills
 I
 had
 learned
 in
 my
 dreams
 and
 translate
 them
 into
 the
 real
 world.
 
 One
 day
 I
  thought
 why
 not?
 
 And
 that’s
 when
 I
 wrote
 my
 first
 song.
 
 The
 man
 in
 my
 dreams
  explained
 to
 me
 how
 everything
 was
 a
 song.
 
 All
 the
 worlds
 we
 had
 created
 together
  were
 nothing
 more
 than
 songs.
 
 Very
 elaborate
 songs,
 but
 songs
 indeed.
 
 I
 said
 I
  didn’t
 understand,
 so
 he
 said
 that
 he
 would
 show
 me.
 
 On
 my
 fourteenth
 birthday,
 I
  received
 a
 package
 in
 the
 mail.
 
 The
 package
 contained
 a
 cassette
 tape.
 
 Written
 in
  sharpie
 on
 the
 tape
 was
 the
 word
 Fonintine.
 
 There
 was
 no
 return
 address,
 and
 no
  note.
 

“I
 waited
 until
 everyone
 in
 the
 house
 had
 gone
 to
 sleep,
 and
 then
 I
 put
 that
  tape
 in
 my
 tape
 player,
 and
 put
 on
 my
 headphones.
 
 The
 next
 45
 minutes,
 I
 was
  taken
 away
 to
 another
 world.
 
 It
 was
 one
 of
 the
 worlds
 I
 had
 created
 with
 the
  magician.
 
 I
 remembered
 it
 very
 clearly.
 
 Somehow
 whoever
 had
 created
 this
 tape
  was
 able
 to
 boil
 an
 entire
 world
 down
 into
 soundwaves.”
  “That
 night
 I
 dreamed
 of
 the
 wizard.
 
 He
 told
 me
 that
 I
 could
 do
 the
 same,
  that
 that
 would
 be
 my
 task.
 
 In
 my
 dreams,
 he
 taught
 me
 to
 play
 a
 multitude
 of
  instruments.
 
 He
 then
 taught
 me
 how
 to
 combine
 sounds
 together
 to
 evoke
 the
  worlds
 we
 had
 created
 together.
 
 He
 taught
 me
 all
 these
 things,
 and
 then
 one
 night,
  he
 stopped
 visiting
 me.”
  “All
 I
 had
 was
 the
 memories
 of
 our
 creations
 now.
 
 I
 somehow
 understood
  that
 I
 would
 never
 see
 the
 magician
 again.
 
 I
 knew
 that
 now
 my
 task
 was
 to
 convert
  my
 memories
 into
 music.”
  “That
 very
 month,
 I
 received
 an
 envelope
 with
 $3,000
 in
 it.
 
 There
 was
 no
  return
 address
 and
 just
 a
 very
 short
 note
 which
 read,
 ‘There
 is
 much
 work
 to
 be
  done,
 I
 believe
 strongly
 in
 the
 importance
 of
 your
 work,
 so
 I
 have
 taken
 it
 upon
  myself
 to
 become
 your
 patron.
 
 
 As
 long
 as
 you
 continue
 to
 write
 music,
 you
 can
  expect
 to
 receive
 an
 envelope
 full
 of
 cash
 every
 month.
 
 I
 wish
 there
 was
 more
 I
  could
 do
 for
 you.
 
 I
 love
 you
 very
 very
 much.
 
 Goodbye
 Rachel.’
 
 The
 note
 wasn’t
  signed,
 but
 I
 knew.
 
 Like
 clockwork,
 the
 money
 has
 continued
 to
 come
 in
 every
  month,
 and
 I
 have
 held
 up
 my
 end
 of
 the
 bargain.
 
 I’ve
 written
 over
 four
 hundred
  hours
 of
 music
 distilling
 my
 wildest
 dreams.”
 

“I’ve
 never
 shared
 any
 of
 this
 with
 anyone,
 but
 I
 know
 now
 that
 you
 are
 the
  one.
 
 I
 know
 you
 are
 the
 heir
 of
 the
 dream.
 
 And
 that
 is
 why
 I
 have
 brought
 you
 here
  to
 listen
 to
 Fonintine,
 because
 everything
 is
 connected.
 
 Everything…”
  Rachel
 took
 an
 ornate
 wooden
 box
 off
 of
 a
 shelf
 and
 set
 it
 on
 the
 coffee
 table.
 
  She
 opened
 it
 up
 and
 inside
 there
 was
 a
 cassette
 tape.
 
 She
 took
 the
 tape
 out
  handling
 it
 with
 extreme
 care
 and
 placed
 it
 in
 the
 cassette
 deck
 that
 was
 sitting
 on
 a
  table
 next
 to
 the
 wall.
 
 She
 pressed
 play.
  A
 lone
 voice
 began
 to
 sing.
 
 I
 recognized
 the
 song
 at
 once.
 
 It
 was
 the
 elvish
  song
 that
 Laysion
 had
 sung
 at
 the
 fonintine
 ceremony.
 
 Only
 now
 it
 was
 different
  because
 very
 subtly,
 more
 voices
 began
 to
 join
 in,
 and
 after
 a
 minute
 or
 so,
 you
 could
  hear
 the
 soft
 whisper
 of
 strings.
 
 The
 song
 became
 more
 and
 more
 beautiful
 as
 layer
  upon
 layer
 was
 added
 to
 the
 sound.
 
 I
 started
 feeling
 all
 sorts
 of
 emotions,
 emotions
  of
 love
 and
 sorrow
 and
 joy,
 and
 a
 million
 other
 things.
  I
 was
 flying
 now
 in
 my
 mind’s
 eye.
 
 I
 was
 flying
 through
 the
 Wood.
 
 It
 seemed
  to
 go
 on
 forever,
 but
 then
 I
 jumped
 out
 of
 myself.
 
 There
 was
 a
 snow
 globe
 in
 my
  hand,
 and
 in
 the
 snow
 globe,
 there
 was
 the
 Wood,
 and
 there
 I
 was
 flying
 through
 the
  wood.
 
 I
 was
 standing
 in
 a
 place
 I’d
 never
 been
 before.
 
 It
 was
 a
 vast
 city
 built
 of
  ivory
 towers.
 
 I
 was
 on
 the
 top
 of
 one
 of
 the
 towers
 looking
 down.
 
 “Somebody
 has
 to
  build
 a
 bridge.”
 I
 remember
 thinking
 to
 myself.
 
 As
 soon
 as
 I
 thought
 it,
 I
 was
 in
 a
  crowd
 of
 people.
 
 I
 looked
 all
 around
 me
 and
 reflected.
 
 I
 realized
 that
 in
 reality
 I
 was
  all
 alone.
 

But
 I
 wasn’t
 all
 alone.
 
 I
 was
 sitting
 on
 a
 couch,
 and
 next
 to
 me
 was
 a
 lovely
  girl.
 
 It
 was
 Rachel.
 
 Suddenly
 I
 was
 terrified
 for
 a
 reason
 I
 couldn’t
 even
 explain
  why,
 but
 something
 compelled
 me,
 and
 I
 knew
 what
 I
 had
 to
 do.
 
 I
 looked
 Rachel
  directly
 in
 the
 eyes,
 and
 I
 looked
 through
 her.
 
 My
 heart
 burst
 because
 I
 recognized
  who
 she
 really
 was.
 
 She
 was
 Raine.
 
 I
 leaned
 forward
 and
 kissed
 her
 on
 the
 lips.
 
  Nothing
 could
 contain
 the
 love
 I
 felt
 for
 her,
 but
 she
 withdrew.
  She
 was
 crying
 and
 pushing
 me
 away.
 
 “Stop,”
 she
 said.
 
 “I’m
 not
 who
 you
  think
 I
 am.
 
 Just
 stop.”
  “You
 don’t
 understand,”
 I
 said,
 “Nothing
 can
 contain
 what
 I’m
 feeling.
 
 The
  breath
 of
 the
 universe
 is
 in
 your
 eyes.
 
 You
 must
 be
 the
 one.
 
 You’ve
 always
 been
 the
  one.”
  “No,”
 she
 said.
 
 “I’m
 sorry.
 
 I’m
 really
 really
 sorry.
 
 I’ve
 always
 been
 sorry,
 but
  perhaps
 you
 can’t
 understand
 that
 now.
 
 I’m
 not
 the
 one
 you
 think
 I
 am.
 
 Not
 really.
 
  You
 just
 can’t
 understand
 right
 now.
 
 I’m
 sorry
 to
 do
 this,
 but
 it’s
 the
 only
 way.
 
 I
  thought
 it
 might
 turn
 out
 different.
 
 I’m
 such
 a
 fool.
 
 How
 could
 I
 have
 known.
 
 I’m
  sorry.
 
 I’m
 really
 sorry.
 
 I
 didn’t
 mean
 to
 hurt
 you,
 but
 I
 fear
 this
 is
 necessary.”
 
 With
  that
 she
 held
 her
 index
 finger
 to
 my
 head.
 “Be
 still
 now,”
 she
 said.
  All
 of
 a
 sudden
 I
 felt
 an
 intense
 wave
 of
 drowsiness
 pass
 over
 me.
 
 I
 fought
 it
  with
 all
 my
 will,
 but
 it
 was
 too
 much.
 
 Out
 of
 the
 corner
 of
 my
 mind,
 I
 thought
 I
 could
  hear
 her
 weeping
 and
 the
 next
 thing
 I
 knew,
 everything
 went
 black.
 

When
 I
 came
 to,
 I
 was
 lying
 in
 my
 bed
 in
 my
 apartment.
 
 I
 was
 a
 little
 dazed
  and
 confused,
 but
 slowly
 it
 came
 back
 to
 me.
 
 “Rachel,”
 I
 said.
 
 I
 threw
 on
 some
  clothes
 and
 ran
 down
 the
 hallway
 to
 her
 apartment.
 
 The
 door
 was
 part
 way
 cracked
  and
 there
 was
 an
 envelope
 taped
 to
 the
 door.
 
 It
 had
 my
 name
 on
 it
 and
 I
 opened
 it.
 
 I
  read:
  Dear
 Mark,
  It
 was
 nice
 to
 really
 meet
 you.
 
 It
 was
 real
 good.
 
 I’ve
 suddenly
 remembered
  something
 and
 I
 have
 to
 get
 going,
 but
 it
 was
 nice
 while
 it
 lasted.
 
 It’s
 your
 turn
 now.
 
  I’ve
 left
 you
 everything.
 
 The
 apartment
 is
 pre
 paid
 for
 the
 next
 6
 months.
 
 That
  should
 give
 you
 plenty
 of
 time.
 
 Your
 task
 is
 to
 listen
 to
 what
 I’ve
 created.
 
 You
 are
  the
 hearer
 and
 I
 am
 that
 which
 is
 heard.
 
 It
 has
 to
 be
 that
 way
 for
 now.
 
 There’s
 a
 CD
  binder
 on
 the
 second
 shelf
 of
 the
 bookshelf
 in
 my
 room.
 
 My
 life’s
 work
 is
 in
 that
  binder.
 
 Please
 listen
 to
 every
 one.
 
 It’s
 crucially
 important
 for
 the
 story
 to
 go
 on,
 but
  that’s
 not
 for
 you
 to
 understand
 right
 now.
  With
 Much
 Love
 (You
 Don’t
 Even
 Know),
  Rachel
 
 
  I
 read
 the
 note
 several
 times
 trying
 to
 grasp
 the
 meaning,
 but
 failed
 every
 

time.
 
 It
 was
 my
 day
 off
 and
 I
 didn’t
 know
 what
 to
 do,
 or
 what
 to
 think,
 so
 I
 just
 took
  off
 and
 went
 for
 a
 walk.
 
 It
 started
 raining,
 but
 it
 didn’t
 bother
 me.
 
 I
 didn’t
 have
 my
  raincoat
 on,
 but
 I
 didn’t
 care.
 
 I
 walked
 through
 the
 rain
 for
 hours
 until
 it
 got
 dark.
 
 

By
 the
 time
 I
 got
 back
 to
 my
 apartment,
 I
 was
 completely
 drenched.
 
 I
 had
 a
 nasty
  chill,
 so
 I
 took
 a
 shower
 and
 put
 on
 some
 dry
 clothes.
 
 Rachel
 was
 gone.
 
 I
 didn’t
  know
 where
 she’d
 gone
 to,
 or
 why,
 but
 I
 thought
 to
 myself,
 “Well
 mabey
 she
 really
 is
  Raine.
 
 All
 I
 need
 to
 do
 is
 go
 to
 the
 Wood.”
 
 I
 put
 on
 my
 binaural
 beats
 and
 waited
 for
  the
 wood
 to
 appear.
 
 It
 didn’t,
 and
 somehow,
 I
 wasn’t
 surprised.
 
  I
 went
 to
 Rachel’s
 apartment
 and
 just
 looked
 around.
 
 I
 saw
 a
 guitar
 sitting
 on
 

it’s
 stand,
 so
 I
 picked
 it
 up.
 
 I
 strummed
 a
 couple
 of
 tunes.
 
 I
 had
 been
 decent
 on
 the
  guitar
 when
 I
 was
 younger,
 but
 wasn’t
 so
 great
 anymore.
 
 The
 key
 to
 the
 apartment
  was
 on
 the
 kitchen
 table.
 
 I
 put
 it
 in
 my
 pocket.
 
 I
 went
 to
 her
 bedroom
 and
 found
 the
  CD
 case.
 
 I
 chose
 a
 CD
 at
 random
 and
 put
 it
 in
 the
 stereo.
 
 Wonderful
 melodies
  danced
 in
 my
 head
 and
 for
 the
 first
 time
 all
 day,
 I
 felt
 at
 peace.
 
 When
 the
 album
 was
  over,
 I
 locked
 the
 door
 and
 headed
 back
 to
 my
 own
 apartment.
 
 I
 slept
 a
 deep
  dreamless
 sleep
 that
 night.
 
  Every
 night
 for
 months
 I
 tried
 to
 return
 to
 the
 Wood.
 
 It
 was
 hopeless.
 
 I
 

never
 got
 there.
 
 And
 every
 night
 for
 months,
 after
 my
 failed
 attempt,
 I
 would
 go
 to
  Rachel’s
 apartment
 and
 listen
 to
 one
 of
 her
 albums.
 
 They
 were
 wonderful,
 but
 it
  was
 sad
 not
 to
 have
 anyone
 to
 share
 them
 with.
 
 After
 six
 months,
 Rachel’s
 lease
 was
  up.
 
 As
 I
 was
 considering
 what
 to
 do
 with
 her
 stuff,
 I
 got
 an
 interesting
 surprise
 in
  the
 mail.
 
 It
 was
 an
 envelope
 with
 money
 in
 it,
 a
 lot
 of
 money.
 
 There
 was
 a
 note
  which
 simply
 read,
 “Your
 work
 isn’t
 over
 yet.
 
 The
 included
 bills
 are
 for
 rent.”
 
  I
 listened
 to
 one
 album
 a
 day
 for
 over
 a
 year.
 
 Each
 one
 was
 new
 and
 

fantastic,
 however
 as
 time
 crept
 on,
 I
 was
 slowly
 running
 out
 of
 new
 albums.
 
 One
 

day
 near
 the
 end
 of
 April,
 I
 made
 my
 way
 to
 the
 last
 album.
 
 When
 I
 was
 done
  listening,
 I
 didn’t
 know
 what
 to
 expect.
 
 I’d
 listened
 to
 them
 all.
 
 What
 now?
 
  The
 next
 day
 as
 I
 was
 walking
 home
 from
 work,
 it
 began
 to
 pour
 rain.
 
 There
 

was
 thunder
 too.
 
 It
 was
 really
 loud
 and
 couldn’t
 have
 been
 that
 far
 away
 from
 me.
 
  Then
 a
 lightning
 bolt
 struck
 not
 even
 20
 feet
 away
 from
 me.
 
 I
 jumped
 back
 and
 my
  heart
 skipped
 at
 beat.
 
 The
 thunder
 that
 emanated
 from
 that
 bolt
 was
 so
 loud,
 I
  thought
 I
 may
 have
 incurred
 hearing
 damage.
 
  I
 felt
 a
 sort
 of
 fear
 in
 me
 as
 I
 continued
 to
 walk
 on,
 and
 that’s
 when
 it
 

happened.
 
 All
 I
 really
 remember
 what
 a
 bright
 flash
 of
 light,
 and
 the
 sharpest
 pain
  I’d
 ever
 experienced,
 and
 then
 it
 was
 over.
 
  I
 woke
 up
 and
 looked
 around
 me.
 
 I
 was
 on
 the
 futon
 mattress
 in
 Raine’s
 hut.
 
 

My
 heart
 skipped
 with
 joy.
 
 “The
 Wood!”
 I
 exclaimed.
 “I’m
 back
 in
 the
 Wood!”
 
 A
  familiar
 face
 appeared
 in
 the
 doorway.
 
  “Of
 course
 you’re
 in
 the
 Wood.”
 Raine
 said.
 
 “You’ve
 never
 left.
 
 Although
 you
 

had
 me
 worried
 to
 death.
 
 I
 wondered
 where
 you
 were.
 
 I
 haven’t
 been
 able
 to
 find
  you
 in
 days,
 and
 yet
 here
 you
 are
 in
 our
 hut
 like
 you’ve
 been
 sleeping
 there
 the
  whole
 time.”
 
  “I’ve
 had
 the
 strangest
 dream,”
 I
 said.
 
 “I
 dreamed
 that
 I
 lived
 in
 this
 very
 

technological
 world,
 and
 I
 lived
 in
 this
 city
 where
 it
 rained
 every
 day,
 and
 there
 was
  this
 mysterious
 girl
 who
 vanished,
 and
 I
 served
 people
 this
 bitter
 drink
 called
 coffee.
 
  It
 was
 a
 trip.”
 


 

“Sounds
 like
 a
 pretty
 awesome
 dream
 to
 me,
 but
 never
 mind
 that,
 let’s
 go
 

play
 compostis.”
 
 
  “Alright.”
  I
 lived
 with
 Raine
 for
 seven
 years.
 
 We
 played
 hundreds
 of
 games
 of
 

Compositis
 and
 consumed
 even
 more
 Fonintine.
 
 One
 by
 one,
 I
 began
 to
 meet
 other
  inhabitants
 of
 the
 Wood,
 and
 I
 forged
 many
 amazing
 friendships,
 but
 one
 day,
 I
 felt
  incredibly
 tired.
 
  “Raine,”
 I
 said.
 
 “This
 might
 sound
 strange,
 but
 do
 you
 remember
 that
 dream
 I
 

had
 all
 those
 years
 ago?”
 
 
  “The
 one
 about
 the
 brown
 liquid?”
  “Yeah.
 
 It’s
 weird,
 but
 I’ve
 just
 had
 this
 weird
 thought
 like,
 ‘what
 if
 that
 was
 

my
 life?’
 
 It’s
 like
 what
 if
 that
 was
 my
 life,
 and
 the
 wood
 is
 just
 a
 dream.
 
 I
 don’t
 know
 
  sometimes
 it
 just
 feel
 like
 none
 of
 this
 is
 real.”
 
 
 
  “So
 the
 day
 has
 come,”
 said
 Raine.
 
 “I
 suppose
 it’s
 time
 you
 know
 the
 truth.”
  “What
 truth?”
  “That
 world
 with
 the
 brown
 drink,
 that
 was
 the
 real
 world,
 from
 your
 frame
 

of
 reference
 at
 least.
 
 You
 discovered
 the
 Wood
 in
 a
 dream.
 
 In
 that
 world,
 dreams
  weren’t
 real.
 
 The
 Wood
 doesn’t
 exist
 in
 time
 and
 space
 as
 you
 understood
 it
 there.
 
  It’s
 sort
 of
 difficult
 to
 explain,
 but
 the
 wood
 is
 a
 sort
 of
 place
 you
 created
 for
 yourself
 

when
 the
 burden
 of
 reality
 was
 bearing
 down
 on
 you.
 
 Do
 you
 remember
 walking
  home
 through
 that
 thunderstorm.”
 
 
  “Yes.”
  “Well
 you
 got
 stuck
 by
 lightning
 that
 night.
 
 You
 died
 Mark.
 
 You
 don’t
 exist
 

there
 anymore.
 
 Your
 body
 has
 already
 started
 to
 break
 down
 into
 the
 elements
 that
  composed
 it,
 and
 those
 elements
 went
 on
 to
 be
 other
 things.
 
 You’re
 in
 the
 air
 Mark,
  completely
 dissolved.
 
 A
 million
 people
 breath
 you
 in
 and
 they
 don’t
 even
 know.”
 
 
 
 
  “So
 what
 does
 that
 make
 me
 here?
 
 Where
 am
 I?”
  “You’re
 in
 the
 Wood.”
  “But
 what’s
 the
 Wood?
 
 What
 is
 this
 places?”
  “This
 place
 is
 an
 illusion
 you
 created
 for
 yourself.
 
 You
 made
 it
 in
 order
 to
 

cushion
 the
 impact
 of
 the
 truth.”
 
 
  “What
 truth?
 
 What
 are
 you
 talking
 about?”
  “The
 truth
 that
 we
 can’t
 escape.
 
 Everything
 that
 is
 born
 eventually
 dies.
 
 

You’ve
 been
 resisting
 it
 all
 this
 time,
 but
 perhaps,
 just
 perhaps
 you’re
 ready
 now.”
 
 
  “Ready
 for
 what?”
  “Ready
 to
 wake
 up,
 or
 perhaps
 go
 to
 sleep.
 
 It
 really
 just
 depends
 on
 how
 you
 

look
 at
 it.
 
 Ready
 to
 drink
 the
 ultimate
 Fonintine,
 the
 fonintine
 that
 all
 other
  fonintine
 pales
 in
 comparison
 to.
 
 Come,
 let
 us
 find
 Laysion.”
 


 

We
 left
 the
 hut
 and
 followed
 a
 brand
 new
 path,
 one
 I’d
 never
 seen
 before,
 and
 

after
 what
 seemed
 like
 minutes,
 or
 perhaps
 hours,
 we
 arrived
 at
 the
 hall
 of
 the
  elders.
 
 We
 went
 inside
 and
 there
 was
 the
 twenty
 four
 elders,
 and
 in
 the
 midst
 of
  them,
 the
 head
 of
 them
 all:
 
 There
 was
 Laysion.
 
 
  “Laysion,”
 Raine
 said.
 
 “I
 think
 he’s
 ready.”
 
 Laysion
 nodded.
  “I
 understand,”
 he
 said.
 
 “Come
 with
 me.”
 
 We
 crossed
 many
 paths
 and
 

climbed
 many
 many
 flights
 of
 stairs
 until
 we
 reached
 a
 place
 I’d
 never
 seen
 before.
 
  It
 was
 the
 top
 of
 the
 trees.
 
 Above
 us
 was
 nothing
 but
 sky
 as
 far
 as
 you
 could
 see.
 
  And
 in
 the
 sky,
 there
 was
 something
 else
 I’d
 never
 seen
 in
 the
 wood
 before:
 stars,
  real
 stars.
 
  We
 were
 standing
 on
 a
 sort
 of
 platform
 and
 on
 the
 platform
 was
 a
 small
 

table.
 
 On
 the
 table
 was
 a
 small
 box,
 and
 in
 the
 small
 box
 was
 a
 small
 vial.
 
 
 
  “It
 only
 takes
 one
 drop,”
 Said
 Laysion.
 
 “Are
 you
 ready?”
  “Yes,”
 I
 said.
 
 “I
 think
 so.”
  “Good.
 
 Then
 stick
 out
 your
 tongue.”
 
 I
 obeyed
 and
 he
 gently
 dropped
 a
 single
 

drop
 of
 the
 liquid
 on
 my
 tongue.
 
  I
 started
 to
 feel
 the
 familiar
 fonintine
 rush,
 but
 this
 time
 it
 was
 different.
 
 This
 

time
 I
 felt
 the
 love,
 but
 it
 was
 stronger
 than
 it
 had
 ever
 been
 before.
 
 It
 was
 a
 violent
  force
 and
 it
 was
 tearing
 my
 body
 apart.
 
 It
 was
 bliss.
 
 I
 could
 feel
 myself
  disintegrating
 and
 I
 knew,
 this
 is
 what
 I
 was
 waiting
 for.
 
 This
 was
 what
 I’d
 always
 

been
 waiting
 for.
 
 My
 heart
 burst
 into
 a
 thousand
 pieces
 and
 all
 that
 was
 left
 was
 the
  light.
 
 I
 was
 the
 light.
 
 I
 was
 a
 star,
 and
 then
 I
 was
 a
 galaxy,
 and
 then
 I
 was
 a
 million
  galaxies
 dancing
 in
 the
 most
 blinding
 light.
 
 I
 was
 zooming
 out
 and
 zooming
 out
 until
  the
 entire
 manifest
 universe
 was
 a
 single
 dot,
 and
 I
 was
 the
 infinite
 space
 that
 dot
  existed
 in,
 and
 then
 even
 the
 dot
 disappeared,
 and
 then
 nothing.
 
  Raine
 looked
 at
 Laysion
 as
 Mark
 disappeared
 into
 a
 whisp
 of
 smoke.
 
 There
 

were
 tears
 in
 her
 eyes,
 but
 they
 were
 tears
 of
 joy.
 
 “I
 don’t
 think
 he
 ever
 suspected,”
  She
 said.
 
  “No,”
 Laysion
 said.
 
 “Probably
 not.
 
 He’s
 at
 peace
 now
 though.
 
 You’ve
 done
 a
 

very
 brave
 thing.
 
 I’m
 very
 proud
 of
 you.”
 
  When
 Raine
 got
 back
 to
 her
 hut,
 she
 pulled
 out
 her
 stationary
 kit
 and
 began
 

to
 compose
 a
 letter:
 
  Dear
 D.Z.
 

Thank
 you
 so
 very
 much
 for
 Mark.
 
 He
 was
 the
 best
 Composism
 I’ve
 ever
  experienced.
 
 I
 do
 believe
 you’ve
 finally
 persuaded
 me.
 
 Thanks
 for
 never
 giving
 up
  on
 me.
 
 I
 has
 been
 a
 very
 good
 dream.
 
 I
 want
 to
 say
 thank
 you
 in
 a
 thousand
 ways,
  but
 words
 cannot
 express
 the
 way
 I
 feel.
 
 Some
 day
 I’ll
 say
 it
 with
 a
 kiss,
 but
 I
 doubt
  you’ll
 understand.
  Love
 Always,
  Raine.
 


 
  up.
 
  A
 small
 girl
 looked
 up
 at
 her
 grandpa.
 
 “Is
 that
 true,”
 She
 said.
 
 “Did
 she
 really
  Raine
 went
 to
 sleep
 that
 night
 feeling
 peaceful
 and
 content.
 
 She
 never
 woke
 

never
 wake
 up?”
 
  “Well,”
 her
 grandpa
 replied,
 “I
 suppose
 that
 all
 depends
 on
 your
 perspective.
 
 

But
 you
 do
 know
 who
 she
 really
 was
 don’t
 you?”
 
 
 
 
  “No
 Grandpa.
 
 Who?”
  “Well
 Rachel,
 Mark
 and
 Raine
 were
 your
 great
 grandparents.”
  “I
 thought
 you
 made
 them
 up.
 
 How
 can
 that
 be
 possible?”
  “Rachel,
 Rachel,
 Rachel,
 my
 dear,
 beyond
 your
 hopes
 and
 fears,
 beyond
 your
 

ideas
 and
 intuitions,
 beyond
 who
 you
 think
 you
 are,
 beyond
 who
 you
 hope
 some
 day
  you’ll
 be,
 beyond
 the
 death
 of
 your
 deepest
 desires
 and
 most
 noble
 strivings,
 there
 is
  the
 One.
 
 With
 him
 all
 things
 are
 possible.
 
 Don’t
 you
 see?
 
 Perhaps
 some
 day
 you
  will.”
 
  Rachel
 closed
 the
 book
 on
 her
 lap.
 
 The
 title
 read,
 “The
 Elves
 of
 the
 Wood
 by
 

Dietrich
 Zonhoffer”
 
  “Well
 dear,
 if
 I
 may,
 it’s
 been
 a
 very
 long
 day
 and
 I’m
 very
 tired.
 
 Off
 to
 bed
 

with
 you
 now,
 and
 don’t
 forget
 to
 brush
 your
 teeth.”
 


 

“Yes
 Grampa.”
 
 Rachel
 slid
 off
 her
 granpa’s
 lap
 and
 got
 herself
 ready
 for
 bed.
 
 

Her
 mind
 was
 swimming
 with
 thoughts,
 but
 her
 pillow
 was
 very
 inviting.
 
 That
 night
  Rachel
 slept,
 and
 as
 she
 slept,
 she
 had
 a
 dream.
 
 It
 was
 a
 very
 good
 dream.
  The
 End