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“He’s waking up!” A voice cries.
Bright light flashes across their vision as they attempt to open one eye. The next thing they know is a feeling of deep longing. For what; is still to be known.
***
Something is gently lifting their head and water is being lightly splashed on dry lips.
“There, there. Easy now.” A new arid tone mumbles.
When it becomes too much the small body jerks up and gasps, sputtering out what they could not consume. Eyes open and trying to understand all these new sensations. Ultimately their vision clears up and they start to breathe better, inhaling the dusty air. Now able to calm themselves, they hear more voices chattering.
“-‘s what we saw! He just crashed into the sand!”
“How?! There were nothing to fall from-“
“THAT! THAT IS WHAT I KEEP TELLING YOU!” shrieks the first voice, “HE FELL FOM THE SKY!!!”
“There is no way-“
“But he did!”
“Could he have been attempting to ride a Manta?”
“There was nothing else around to-“
As the voices continued to chatter the child, looks around at their surroundings. Noticing two of the voices framed by the light of a entryway. Directly at their side is a feeble looking being with long hair growing out of their face, looking at them with a curve in their lips and glimmering eyes as they turn around.
“If you two are going to continue being loud you better just leave. Poor kid looks like they are still disoriented.” The kindly being turns to face the child, “I must apologize for the commotion, but you gave poor Arna quite the fright it seems.”
The child continues to just stare at the old man, not quite seeming to process what was happening around them. They look down and notice the soft cloth laid across their lap and focuses on the feeling of the fabric between their fingers. It’s a pretty color.
The old man is watching the boy, take every little detail in; like they are seeing for the first time.
He also recalls his first experience in the mortal realm… watching his fellow Fallen Stars absorb every scent, sight, and new phpphenomenon. It took a bit for us to figure it out, he remembers fondly.
“It’s gonna be alright,” he whispers.
The child just glances back on his way to look out the window at the stars above.
***
“Daleth, I’m back!” shouted a youthful voice as the old man looks up from his tomes.
Alef is in the doorway, huffing away as he wipes sweat off a face just starting to show the sharpening features of growth.
Elder Daleth stood up from his table and began to put his work away. Alef was back and it was time to prepare for the evening rituals.
“Did you enjoy your lessons with Jekk and the others?” he asked in a calm tone, used to his ward's excited nature when it came to learning new information. The boy was a sponge.
But tonight Alef was quiet.
Alex mumbled an affirmative as he made his way towards the water pitcher. Pouring himself a cup and drinking as he looked out the window to the twilight sky.
“Would you care to share?” asked Daleth pouring his own glass.
Alef continued to stare towards the setting sun. After a few silent moments, he spoke.
“Sola was telling us about life cycles. How everything living creature instinctively knows to go to the Eden Light when they are ready to move on, even people.” He sounded melancholy. And then turned his head to look at his caregiver, as if it would be his time soon.
“Will we go there when it’s time?” pondered the young man, looking at Daleth with soulful eyes.
Despite the Elder's research, he still had no clue. But years ago he had promised himself to be truthful when speaking to the his ward.
“Before you came, I would have given that question a hard no. The others and I had never aged. What we came down is how we remained for the last hundreds of years,” He looked to his child, “but you age. Despite us sharing the same origin, we are not quite the same. You could stop aging at some point in your life, or maybe the rest of us just age at a snail’s pace.” He chuckled at his own little joke.
Despite his attempt to lighten the topic, Alef was still in his mood.
“So we may never return home?”
Daleth stilled.
This was a topic he and the others refused to voice aloud as their star child grew. Every Elder could remember why they no longer shine with the Sun. They knew their sin and chose to make the best of what they had with the mortals. Existence was inevitable, no matter where it was. Even though Samekh was split in two upon impact, through an act of mercy, the twins lived on.
This is home. It had to be.
But Alef was so young. Younger even when he fell. And unable to know why he was cast out of the heavens. No answers. Only that yearning for Above. Like any child missing their mother, wanting to know why they are not with her.
It broke Daleth's heart.