Teracrys-Sons of Gods-Chapter One

Perhaps I should introduce myself before I tell the tale of Teracrys.  They call me Bobfred. I am but a simple scholar who was fortunate enough to know Shailarkis. By mere happenstance of what I consider good fortune, I was in the same place at the same time of her arrival to this world. Now even though she was an unwilling traveler, this is the only reason why the story of her world can be told.

“Shai”, was a very beautiful creature. Teracrysians evidently are almost identical to humans, or so “she” says. However, there are a few minor differences in outward appearance. Their eyes for instance, are like those of a cat often having colors never seen in the eyes of a human.  The same holds true for their hair. Other than that, from what I can see they are very similar. For instance Shai had the most unnaturally white hair I had ever seen in my life. Long and straight it glistened in the sun shining in a myriad of colors. In my eyes she was absolutely perfect, I can assure you that. I would never forget her turquoise eyes and the sound of her voice. And pure she was. Never an evil thought could I imagine crossing her mind. Indeed it fills my heart with miserable sadness when I think of her, even now, years after she disappeared.

I can still see her face when she appeared so long ago. It was like something from a dream. I was a younger man then and had a somewhat likable position at a small college in New Texas. The year was 2201 and as I remember it was autumn. I lived in the city of Vargas, which was named after a president, who supposedly ended the Worst War, but many say that he just happened to be there at the right time.

Vargas is located on the edge of lots of things. We have a desert, a forest, a lake, a river, and a mountain or two. There is a wide variety of trees, grasses, flowers, cacti, and wildlife to boot. In fact they say there are bears in the woods, but I have never chanced upon one yet. However, I have seen a wolf, a coyote, and a rabbit having some sort of a secretive meeting late one evening when I was making my way to a mountain cave for the most curious things occurred after dark.

As I was saying before I wandered off the subject, which several acquaintances of mine insist that I tend to do on an apparently aggravatingly frequent occasion...!

It was late afternoon and I was finishing some notes in my office, when I began to hear a faint whistling and what sounded like wind chimes.  Now these noises which were slowly growing louder were emanating from a small auditorium where I give my lectures upon apparently uninteresting subject matter by the generally uninspired reaction of my students.

I rose from my desk and went to investigate this out of place sound. I was close to the podium, being quite confused by the lack of a source for this ethereal noise, when I saw a shimmering sort of distorted space not ten feet to my left. As I turned to face this strange sight I saw a figure which had the consistency of a ghost running towards me. Well, I began to back away at an increasing pace when there was a flash and a crash and in fact I found myself falling to the floor due to the fact that this figure had materialized and ran right into me. There I was and there she was face to face with me. 

Now I am sure that the look on my face was much like hers because she looked as shocked as I felt. She leapt to her feet and spun around as if expecting an unseen demon to be on her heels. Seeing as this was not the case, she returned her attention to me. She had the most astounding gray cloak when looked upon was like looking inside a seashell in the sunlight. As she drew open her cloak I saw that she wore boots of the same material that went to her mid thighs. My attention was somewhat diverted from her beauty to the glistening blade which she had drawn from within her cloak. The blade appeared as if it were alive. It was in a continual flickering glimmer much like a fire but as I looked on I discovered through the brilliance that it had the consistency of a multi-faceted jewel. 

“Shaydris enthis?  Shan enthri?”

I assume now that she quickly deduced that I had no idea what she was saying. No doubt due to the dumbfounded look on my face as I propped myself up on my elbows while still sprawled on my back. At this point and time I believe she realized that her weapon was not required to deal with me because I had begun to scrabble away from her, still on my back in a state of considerable alarm. In fact she broke out laughing when in my haste I banged my head on the doorframe thus ending my first attempt to flee. She strode up to me and offered her hand, which I realized now was only to help me to my feet, causing me to bang my head yet again. 

This time she put her hand to her mouth to keep from laughing out loud, but still couldn’t completely suppress a funny little giggle which was not at all amusing to me. As she offered her hand to me once again I remember thoughts running through my head, but now I just couldn’t say what they were. The only thought I do recall is if I may get some kind of electric shock when and if I took her hand. But I did and I didn’t. 

She helped me to my feet and I became enthralled with her eyes, barely noticing that she was slipping some sort of bracelet over my wrist as she held my hand. Realizing this I jerked my hand from hers and started to remove the trinket from my hand, “Don’t take that off.” 

As I was fumbled with this rather odd looking and unwelcome thing she repeated herself then said, “If you do manage to remove the wash device then we won’t be able to understand each other.” 

By this time I was deeply engaged in an apparently futile attempt to wrest the bracelet over my hand. 

“I don’t want to understand.” I replied. 

“Why would you say that?” she replied with an eye cocked. 

Finally giving up on the brute force method, I began to study this thing which was seemingly impossible to remove. It was actually quite exquisite. The bracelet was about two inches wide and was made entirely of a glass-like material. There were two bands or rings if you may, one on each edge about the diameter of a child’s finger. In between the rings was a band of the same material and as I looked closer I noticed a pattern of strange symbols which encircled the band. The bracelet had no apparent means of removal.

“If you will let me explain…” she began but I cut her short.

“I don’t want an explanation. I want this confounded thing off of me!”

I began to wrestle with the bracelet once again and even took to smacking it upon the podium without any apparent effect.

“Are you always this impossible?” She inquired.

“Are you always appearing out of thin air, running over people, brandishing weapons and attaching permanent devices to people you don’t know?” I was quite agitated at this point.

“It's not permanent.” She said.

“Then take it off.” I said.

“Do you have anything to eat or drink?” she asked in a strangely polite little voice.

That was just too much and I began to laugh with abandon.

“Why are you laughing?”

“To keep from crying.” I managed to snort out between guffaws.

“You really are a strange sort of fellow.” She said flicking her hair over her shoulder and assuming the arrogant female stance which I’m convinced is the same throughout the universe. You know, chin in the air, eyes looking away, arms crossed and one foot tapping. Even recognizing this as a sign of badness, the last remark she made was so hilarious to me I broke into an even louder roar of uncontrollable laughter. I couldn’t escape the irony of her observation in any other fashion at the moment and I suppose she realized this, because she decided to wander over and sit down in a front row seat apparently resigned to wait until I could gain some sense of composure. This was a good thing. I was about laughed out by then and finally had to take a seat myself due to laughter induced pain and exhaustion.

So there we were, sitting nearly side by side, as I couldn’t sit next to her at that point in time for some reason, each of us in our own little world. I wiping tears from my eyes and holding my ribs between lingering laugh snorts, occasionally fingering this infernal bracelet, and her in that same female posture only sitting now with legs crossed also, one foot shaking in an air tapping motion would be my descriptor.

“Bobfred” I stated.

“What?” said she?

“That’s what they call me.”

“Oh, I see, they call me Shailarkis.”

“Well I would normally say I’m pleased to meet you, but under the circumstances that would seem somewhat inappropriate.” I stated.

“I can and will say the same. In fact I will say more, because I have ended up here in your, your, whatever this is.” She spoke with a faint hint of emotion I didn’t quite empathize with at the moment. 

She continued, “You have a strange sense of familiarity that totally eludes me and yet you act as if I’m some kind of an apparition.”

I was confused and replied “I don’t understand.”

“You don’t understand what?” she asked.

“Anything you have said actually.” I was probably in a mild state of shock.

“Well I am still hungry and thirsty.” She said and was rather convincing.

In my somewhat limited experience with women, those from earth at least, it has been my observation that you will never proceed with anything you are doing until you stop whatever it is you are doing, and feed them. Let’s just say that is much easier said than done as is most everything that concerns interaction between a man and a woman.

“Okay, let’s go find some food then.” I said already beginning to wonder what she might eat since she was evidently not of this world and if she would be easier to please than other women who I had obviously failed to impress much less please.

After further and even stranger discussion concerning what and how to get where without drawing undue attention, her attire was not something you would see a person wearing on the streets of Vargas; I decided my home would be best.

We arrived without event.