Adam (Episode 6)

Adam

  Episode 6

  Flash fiction

  by

  Chrif Elidrissi

  Copyright 2015-2016 Chrif Elidrissi

  Adam

  Episode 6

  Eva was born to a country family living far from the city, near the hills where the site of the ancient ruins was still standing, her father, "Dean" was a history teacher in the city while preparing for his doctorate in ancient history and soon after, he moved to the village near the ruins where he could do his research about the origin of the people of his country.

  That morning, Eva was going with her father to the hills near the ruins, excited about the field trip, she couldn't finish her breakfast, so her father wrapped up some sandwiches to take with them, and few minutes later they were walking outside the village towards the hills.

  At the site, Eva was amazed by all the rocky monuments standing like giants on top of the hill and all the symbols written on them, so she started asking "Who build all this?"

  "The ancient people who lived here before us" Replied her father Dean.

  "And where they are now?" Asked the curious Eva.

  "The passed away" Replied Dean again.

  "Passed away? And what is that written on top?" Asked Eva again.

  "It's their language" Replied Dean.

  "What does it say?" Asked Eva again with her soft voice.

  "I can tell you that it was the question of the entire linguist society, but lately they were able to translate some of it and I think the meaning is city of the watchers, or the guardians" Replied Dean.

  "Watchers? What were they watching?" Asked the intrigued Eva.

  "I'll tell you all about that when you grow up, O.K?" Said Dean.

  "O.K." Said Eva with her soft voice again, before he added "Let's continue to the interesting part".

  "What is that?" She asked.

  "The cave of course" He replied.

  Eva's eyes widened up, "There is caves in here?" she asked.

  "Yes, and more... You'll see" He replied in excitement.

  They walked up the hill to the entrance of the cave, then went inside to see another entrance that led to a sort of room, and inside of that room, there was a dark glass block in the middle of the wall like it was part of it.

  Eva stood there and suddenly the glass started to glow, "Daddy, what's going on?" She asked.

  "It's nothing, let's go now, O.K." he said.

  "But..." She said.

  "There is no [but], listen to what I tell you please" he said.

  Two minutes later they were walking down the hill, and later that night, Eva heard her parents talking about the cave and the mirror glass, and how to explain it to her.

  She was seven.

  Nine years later, Eva is sixteen and her father and mother were preparing her birthday event with the family, then later that night, they took her to her father’s office in the back of the house and sat her down to talk.

  "Listen carefully my child" Dean said to his daughter, before adding "what I am about to tell you is very important and a family secret, so don’t tell anyone ever".

  "Yes dad" Eva replied.

  "You are sixteen now and it is time for you to know where you come from" said her mother.

  Eva’s eyes widened up, "Where I am from? " she said in surprise, before adding "Am I adopted?".

  "What? No" Yelled her mother almost screaming it, "You are our daughter, you are not adopted" she added in a calmer tone.

  "Listen, your mother and I, we met here in this village, and we got married a year after, then we had you, that’s why I decided to stay here and make this place my study subject, but there is more to it" said Dean.

  "The story start before your father came here, when my father was alive, he was the keeper of the gate, and before he died, he told me that I had to keep the secret and maintain the watch over the site" added her mother.

  "What are you talking about?" asked Eva.

  "Your mother’s family is descending from a long line of watchers who lived here in this region and you are the last of them all" replied Dean.

  "The last? What about my aunts and cousins?" asked Eva.

  "They don’t have the power my dear" replied the mother.

  "The power? What power?" Asked Eva.

  "Remember when you were little, and we went to the site to see the cave?" said Dean.

  "Yes! I remember we rushed back to the house" said Eva.

  "That day, was a special one, your mother and I wanted to see if you had the power to activate the glass doorway, and you did" said Dean.

  "I did? How" Asked Eva.

  "Long time ago, there was a race of powerful beings that ruled his planet, but their greed and evil behavior led them to destroy everything and everyone.

  Men were weak and couldn’t face them until one day, from the insides of the mountain hill, came a man that could, he gathered every one of them and put them all inside that glass door portal.

  He then made sure that no one could escape, and they say that he stayed here for a while and had a family, but my grandma’s stories suggest that he left after, all I know is that his son was the first guardian of the portal and our family is descending from him" said the mother.

  "You mean that you are a guardian too mom?" Asked Eva.

  "No baby, only men can be guardians" Answered the mother.

  "Why is that?" Asked Eva in frustration.

  "Well! I never thought about it really" Replied the mother.

  "So, you have the power and you’re not a guardian?" Asked Eva again.

  "Yes! My father was the last, and I have his power to activate the gate, but no one else in the family have it, except you" said the mother.

  "So what should I do?" Asked the intrigued Eva.

  "Your role is to succeed us, later on in life, like I did for my father, find a husband eventually to establish a family of your own in here" Said the mother.

  "What? A husband?" Asked Eva while blushing.

  "Not right away of course" Said the father quickly, then added "when you finish your school".

  Eva didn’t add a word to the conversation, and waited until they finished then asked "where are those powerful beings now? You think they still inside the glass door? Can they come out? Did anyone else go there after?"

  "Nobody knows anything about that, and no one ever dare to activate the glass again, we just test the children to see who have the power and then appoint the next guardian, explain to him or her the role they play in all of this and that’s it" Replied the mother.

  Eva wasn’t convinced, and wanted more information, but couldn’t say anything fearing to worry her parents, but deep inside she decided to uncover the truth by herself.

  Few years passed, and Eva went to school like her father told her, but the idea of seeing those powerful beings never left her mind, and one night, while she was spending the summer vacation in her parent’s house in the village, she slept and dreamed of a plan, how to go and see the way that glass door works, then, the following morning, she woke up early and prepared herself to go.

  While she was walking up the hill towards the old site, she felt like somebody was following her, and there was her cousin.

  "What are you doing here?" Eva asked.

  "I can ask you the same" replied the cousin.

  "Well! You’re the one following me, aren’t you?" Said Eva.

  "Where are you going?" Asked the cousin.

  "None of your business, now go home" Replied Eva in frustration.

  "I’m telling your mom then" said the cousin before she run away.

  "Come back!" Yelled Eva.

  It was too late, her cousin was so fast, her voice didn’t reach him, and moments later she gave up on him returning, so she was
back on her quest.

  At the cave entrance, she had the feeling that someone was shouting her name, but couldn’t see anybody, and inside the cave, she heard it again but at that moment she thought to herself, there was no going back and this was her only chance to discover the truth.

  "Stop!" yelled the mother.

  "How did you find me?" Asked Eva.

  "When I woke up and didn’t see you in your bed I suspected something like this because I know you, and your cousin told me where you were going" Replied the mother.

  "I want to see for myself if what you told me was true" Said Eva.

  "Why you want to put yourself in danger?" Asked the mother.

  "What’s the worst that could happen? The creatures you were talking about are probably dead a long time ago, and even if they are not, they must be so old they can’t even move…" Replied Eva.

  "You never thought that they reproduce exactly like us?" Asked the mother with an ironic tone.

  "They do what?" Said the surprised Eva.

  "They have children and grandchildren, that’s what you are going to find there" Replied the mother in sarcasm.

  "I thought this was a prison of some sort, like a sealed cage" Said Eva.

  "No my child, this is a different world exactly like