Fourteen Moons

It has been a week since I began living with Revus. Living with him has been simple, yet brutal. My day starts off with Revus waking me to the smell of an already-cooked breakfast. Before I join him for breakfast, I go to the washroom to wash my face and use the toilet. Revus always  makes sure I finish my plate, and then does all of the cleaning up himself. 

After breakfast, Revus sits at the table with me and teaches me more about his language, which I have learned is called Zoic. Aside from learning the letters and numbers, he has also taught me some general words and objects within the house. Chiefly among these are what Revus and I are, and what everyone else is. Revus and I are known as fairies, while non-fairies are called enōōfen. Like in Svelta, it seems as though there are varied and unique kinds of people. 

Thanks to his intense workload, I am learning around forty words every day. Our sessions start by reviewing the previous day’s work, and then he dumps a new workload on me that utilizes the letters and words I have already learned.

The language can be difficult at times due to differences in sounds and pronunciations. That, combined with the amount of work, Revus’ constant sighs, and his jabs at my forehead, makes the sessions torturous.

Thankfully, Revus only holds new lessons in the mornings, while the rest of the day is spent on other tasks or reviewing. He makes a light lunch when he finishes teaching me new words for the day. Once eaten, the dishes are again cleaned by Revus. By then, it is approximately midday, so we head outside so that I may practice flying. Over the past week, I have learned to manipulate my wings more naturally. With their new-found responsiveness, I have managed to increase the duration and speed at which I can flap them. However, even after practicing until I am exhausted, I am unable to stay airborne, let alone fly.

While I tire myself out trying to fly, Revus usually sits silently on the ground with his legs crossed. At first I thought he was sleeping, because he would not react to sight, but, if I made too much noise, he would open his eyes. I tried asking Revus about what he was doing, but, after he explained everything in Zoic, I gave up and decided to wait until we could communicate better before asking again.

My flying practice usually lasts for several hours, which I enjoy. Whenever I get tired, I find a nice spot in the sunlight, sit on the ground, and absorb the surroundings. I bask in the wondrous sights, fresh smells, and primal, yet serene sounds, all while feeling the warmth of the sun and the cool winds’ breeze on my skin. Even though I have lived in this forest for almost a week, I feel like I could stay here forever and never get tired of it.

On some days, Revus will interrupt my flight practice and have me go back inside so he can prepare for an outing. While I wait, he will leave multiple times for anywhere from a few minutes, to almost an hour. His outings involve gathering food or other materials for daily life. He often returns with various meats, skins, or large fruits and vegetables, as well as flowers, stones, or wood.

During Revus’ excursions, I stay inside and attempt to review my lessons from earlier that day, but I usually fail to stay focused. As I sit there alone, my mind wanders, and I start thinking about my situation. I asked Revus for some paper and have been using charcoal to write down my thoughts. With my overall lack of information, however, I have taken to writing down questions that I feel are important. Even though I know what to ask, our lack of proper communication prevents me from attaining answers. While brooding over my questions, I remain inside alone, awaiting Revus’ return.

It is during these lonesome times that I noticed this weird feeling in my chest. This odd sensation directs me toward the flower chamber. Once inside, it intensifies, and my attention is forced onto the flower. While I stare at the flower, something about it calls out to me, causing me to approach it. Touching the flower gives me a sense of comfort that washes away my lonesome worries. The solace I find has been so great, that I even began sleeping with the petal that fell from it.

When Revus returns from his hunts, I help him put away the gathered items. During dusk, Revus will spend his time performing various tasks. Occasionally, he will clean the house or wash some clothes. Other times, he will stay in the workshop and build various things. His creations range from clothes and blankets, to furniture, dinnerware, or even daily products like the paper and charcoal we use.

There was one night when I saw Revus not building something, but, instead, writing something down while looking at me. I went to see what it was, but he quickly hid it from me. He has not repeated what he was doing that night, so I can only guess as to what it was.

Once the sun sets, Revus starts preparing dinner and has me go over the material from my morning lessons. As I review the words, I occasionally glance at the man I have been living with. From watching Revus over this week, I have come to learn a handful of things about him. One is that Revus always seems to be doing something, and never relaxes. Another is that, regardless of what he does, he seems to try and perform the task efficiently, yet perfectly. Whenever he makes a mistake, even if it is something seemingly insignificant, he gets frustrated. The weirdest thing I have noticed is that I have yet to see him sleeping, for he is always awake before me, and goes to sleep after me.

After we finish dinner, Revus heads into the washroom to prepare the bath for me. I have gradually been adjusting to my new body, and, every time I use the toilet, I get a little bit closer to accepting the difference. Even so, I have continued to wash myself with my eyes closed, as I still feel uncomfortable looking at my exposed body.

When I get out of the bath, Revus is usually busy working on his projects that he started before dinner. Once he notices me, he puts his project on hold and uses warm, conjured wind to dry my hair. The heated air, coupled with the warm water from the bath, helps to remove the cold that embraces me every night. After Revus dries my hair, I sit under the window looking at the slivers of the moons through the forest canopy, reminiscing about the first night. The first couple of nights, Revus asked if I wanted to go and see the night sky again. I refused, and did my best to explain that the next time I saw them, I wanted to get there on my own.

Once I am settled in, Revus heads to the washroom and prepares a bath for himself. I either continue to sit under the window and gaze at the scattered stars, or, if I am tired enough, make my way to bed. I occasionally try to stay awake until Revus gets out of the bath, but I have fallen asleep a couple of times before he gets out. If I remain awake, he will stay up with me and we try to talk about how the day was, until drowsiness forces my eyes shut.

Today, Revus and I have already finished breakfast, my morning lessons, lunch, and my flight practice. Now, I watch as Revus finishes prepares for another outing.

“Evetta, you stay home,” Revus states while walking toward the front door, “Home safe.”

I know I know. I stare at his exposed back as he opens the door. You don’t have to remind me about those bugs. I shudder as Revus turns to face me, “I be back soon.”

“Yeah yeah,” I reply in Zoic, Revus’ language. He exits the house, and, as he closes the door, I holler, “Revus, be safe.”

Without reacting to my words, the door closes and I hear the fluttering of his wings. As they quickly grow distant, I sigh and close my eyes. Alone once again. I turn toward the flower chamber. Okay, time to check if I’m right. I walk over to the chamber door, open it, and head inside.

The flower chamber looks almost identical to how it was when I awoke here one week prior. The differences being that the petal that fell to the floor is no longer here, and that there are a couple of sheets of paper and charcoal that I have been using to document my thoughts on the table.

I walk over to the table, grab the charcoal, and walk to the left of the door leading back into the main room. I place my back against the wall, straighten my posture, and draw a line on the wall above my head. I turn around and look at the three distinct lines on the wall. So I’m not going crazy. I am getting taller. I continue to analyze the lines. The lowest one is still above my eye-level, but there is clearly a gap between all three lines.

I look down at my clothes, and twist my torso. The clothes that were slightly big on me at the start of the week now fit me comfortably. Well, I’m glad I’ve confirmed that I’m growing. I look back at the paper on the table. But that doesn’t explain why I’m growing so fast. It has to be related to being a fairy… I hope. I walk back over to the table, grab a few sheets, and return to the main room. Sitting down at the dining table, I write the question down in Sveltish, adding it to my growing list of unanswered questions.

Once I finish writing, I look over my notes starting from the top. How did I get here? Why did I wake up on that flower? Why can’t I remember my old name? Why am I a girl now? How did I become a fairy? Who is Revus and why is he here? Is everything big or am I small? Where are we? Why aren’t there other people around here? Why are the moons different colors? What is this weird feeling I get from the flower? Why am I growing so fast?

I let out an exhausted sigh. Yep, nothing but worries. I look at the front door. It’ll be nice when I can talk to Revus and ask him about these things. I stand up, walk over to my bed, lay down, and wrap my arms around the white flower petal. I analyze the smooth petal in my arms, pulling it tightly against my chest. It’s so strange. I just feel better whenever I hug you.

“Argh,” I roar as I bury my face into it, “I just want to know what’s going on!” Sitting up and pulling the petal away from my face, I look back at the table with the papers on them. Guess sitting here isn’t going to solve anything though. I get off the bed, take my notes back into the flower chamber, and return to the dining table to resume my studies.

With my petal resting on my lap, I sit there for several minutes reviewing the letters of the Zoic alphabet, before moving on to trying to spell some of the words that I have been taught. 

Thunk. A rough, simple sound echoes from outside.

I look up at the window and glance outside. I see a mixture of trees and shrubs covered in lush foliage. What was that? Thunk. There it is again. I get up from my seat, walk over to the window, and start looking around for the source of the sound. Peering out of the window, I fail to find anything that could be making the noise as the leaves and branches are resting lifelessly.

Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. The sound repeats every few seconds. 

Sweat starts to form on my hands as my heart rate increases. I don’t see anything? Thunk. Where? Thunk. Where is it? Thunk. What is it? I race over to the other window and begin scanning the horizon for anything that might be causing the irregular sounds. Thunk. I still don’t see anything. Thunk. I look over at the front door. Outside… I take a step toward the door and reach my hand out but stop. No. Revus told me it’s safe here. Besides, if it’s another bug… A shiver runs up my spine. Yeah… I’ll wait for Revus to come ba- Wait… the sound’s gone? 

I snap my attention back to the window, resuming my search for the mysterious source of sound. Why did this have to happen whil-

Snap, SNAP, crunch, snap. Instantly, several sounds of something breaking resound through the walls of the house.

BOOM. Suddenly, a singular, much louder sound erupts from outside. Paired with the unexpected blast, massive tremors violently shake the ground. The house trembles, and the interior quickly descends into chaos as multiple sheets of paper, dinnerware, and tools fall from  the tables, counters, and shelves.

“Ah!” I scream as the quaking floor throws me to the ground, “What’s happening!?” I curl into a ball and place my hands over my head as debris is thrown around. 

As the furious vibration comes to an end, silence fills the air. Is it over? I stand up, scanning the room. The entire house is a complete disaster as much of the furniture has been knocked over, and smaller items litter the floor. What just happened? I look back to the window, hoping to see whatever caused the sound. The now quiet forest has been covered in a light cloud of dust that is slowly making its way inside through the shattered windows.

I look around a bit more, and, after a moment, let out a sigh of relief, “Well, whatever it was, it’s gone now.” I turn my attention to the mess that was once our quaint house and start running my fingers through my hair near my shoulder. Revus is probably going to get mad when he sees this mess.

I start to slowly gather the scattered items atop the dining table. Most of them are either dinnerware, tools and containers Revus uses in his workshop, or, the sheets of paper we use for writing. While cleaning up in front of the workshop, I find a wooden cylinder that I have never seen before. What’s this? I pick up the cylinder, examine it, and notice that one side is a lid that can be removed. I take off the lid and slide the contents out. Inside are three rolled up sheets of high-quality, tan paper.

I pick up the chair and sit at the dining table. I move some of the debris to clear a space so that I can unroll the papers. I place the rolled paper down, and straighten them out, using a jar to keep the paper from coiling up. On the paper is a beautifully realistic picture of a small rabbit with its eyes closed, resting under a large bush. It is black and white with incredible shading. Each hair on the rabbit, every leaf on the bushes, down to the smallest details, are all meticulously drawn. It appears as though a fragment of reality was placed upon the paper.

“Woah,” I mutter, running my hand across the paper, trying to feel the fur of the rabbit. Right. It's just a picture… I pull my hand away from the image and scan the paper once more. “Still, this is incredible.”

Moving to the second paper, there is an equally lifelike depiction of a large bird resting on a branch, backdropped by one of the moons. The light from the moon almost silhouettes the form of the avian. The craters and shadows of the moon, the lightly-twinkling stars in the sky, and the shading of the feathers, are expertly illustrated. Similar to the previous picture, the bird looks like it is sleeping, and seems to be captured within the thin sheet of paper. Conversely, the dark colors of the bird, against the bright glow of the moon, make it stand out far more than the rabbit.

“Did Revus make these?” I wonder, “But, why would he keep them hidden? These are so good.”

I move onto the final paper, and, on it, I see a young girl laying on a bed with her eyes closed. Her round face accentuates her large cheeks, thin lips, and small nose. For a moment, my attention is fixated on the long, pointed ears that poke out from her lengthy, light-colored hair. Because the girl is lying down, her face is partially buried in a pillow, causing her bangs to drape over her thin eyebrows and full eyelashes. A fur blanket is covering her body, while her exposed arms are wrapped around something white. Is this… me? I stand up. Wait… I walk over to my bed and hold the picture up in front to it. I take a few steps back, comparing the slightly ajar bed to the picture, until it mostly matches. That’s definitely my bed. Then… He drew a picture of me. Is this why he was staring at me the other night?

I walk back over to the table, roll the pictures back up, and slide them back into their container. I’ll ask Revus about these once he gets back. I smile as I tightly grip the cylinder and make my way back over to my bed to place it under my pillow. Once I do so, I move to the end of my bed and begin to push it back toward its original place against the wall.

“Urrrrg,” I groan as my feet slide against the polished ground. It’s times like these that being a guy, or at least bigger would be nice. As I strain my back, trying to get the bed to move, I feel it move slightly. There we go. I keep exerting my will against the bed. Just a bit more! Bump. Hearing the sound of the bed hitting the wall, I instantly collapse onto the ground, panting heavily.

“I… did it…” I wheeze, taking deep breaths as I lay down on the cool floor.

SLAM. “Evetta!” I hear Revus shout as he suddenly bursts through the door. “Evetta! Where are you!?”

I lift my head up to look at Revus and raise my hand to call out to him, “Re-”

“EVETTA!” Revus roars as he zooms across the house. As he does so, sharp winds swirl about within the room. What’s got him so worked up? He quickly kneels down, places his hands beneath me, lifts me up, and lays me on the bed. 

“Hey, what’re you doing?!” I shout in my native tongue.

“Evetta. Are you hurt?” He continues to call out while examining my body with a fearful expression, almost like he just witnessed someone dying.

I put my hand on his face and try to force him away from me. “I’m fine!” I shout in Sveltish, “Now get off me!” My tired body strains to push him away.

“Evetta. ARE you okay?” Revus asks as he takes a step away from me and intensely stares at me.

“Yes,” I answer in Zoic, “I am okay.”

Revus wraps his arms around me and squeezes tightly. “Ah. Too tight. Too… tight,” I struggle and complain as Revus crushes me. Giving up, I let him be, and smile.

“I was scared,” Revus murmurs worriedly. Scared? Of what? My smile fades as I look past Revus. The only thing that happened was- “The boom.” I muse in a whisper.

Suddenly, Revus pushes himself away from me, stands up, and coughs while scratching the back of his head. “Sorry,” he mutters. This idiot just realized what he was doing. I chuckle softly. He must’ve been pretty worried for him to act like that though.

“Revus,” I say, staring at him, forcing myself to sit up, “I hear. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Boom.” I repeat the sounds. “What-”

Revus holds his hand up, interrupting me, glares toward the window, and remarks coldly,  “Home safe. Safe with me.” So you don’t want to tell me?

I glare at him and grumble, “Revus.”

“Evetta.” Revus argues, “Sound is bad. Danger.” His glare is now directed at me as he places his hand on my head, patting it lightly. “Home is safe.” His intense face softens slightly as he puts on a smile.

So whatever made that sound is dangerous. I sigh as I lay down on the bed. My pillow feels stiffer than usual. Right. I glance at Revus and watch him walk toward the window. I smile gleefully, turn toward my pillow, and pull out the wooden container. I can ask him about these. 

“Revus,” I call out, holding the container in my hand. 

Revus turns around and his eyes grow wide momentarily, before narrowing into a menacing glare. His yellow irises glow as he radiates a terrifying energy. “Evetta,” he snarls, taking a step forward.

“No!” I shout as I curl into a ball, wrapping my arms and legs around the container. Based on that reaction, he likely doesn’t want me to have these.

Revus stomps his way toward me. Each step resonates throughout the house until he stands imposingly in front of the bed. He’s… pretty scary, but I won’t let him win. “Evetta,” he hisses, holding out his hand.

“No!” I bellow back, sticking my tongue out at him. He’s really mad that I have this though… But why?

“Argh,” frustrated, Revus exhales sharply while gripping his forehead with his hand, and grumbling something in Zoic. He moves his hand to his hair, pulls on it slightly, then brushes it back to its original position.

I remove the lid from the container, and pull the pictures out while keeping my guard up. I hold up the picture of the girl, point at it, and call out, “Revus.” He glares down at me. I tilt my head and continue, “Why me?”

“Not… you,” Revus answers awkwardly. He looks up, like he is thinking about something. Not me? What’s that supposed to mean? That’s definitely me in the picture. “Tsk,” Revus clicks his tongue as he turns to look away from me. What’s got him so upset? He walks over to the workshop, grabs some sheets of paper and a writing utensil, and sits down at the dining table.

What’s he doing now? I get up from the bed, place the pictures back in the cylinder, and walk over to Revus’ side. He’s drawing?

I watch as Revus draws a diagram of some sort. “Tsk,” Revus clicks his tongue, causing me to glance at him. He’s so angry, but why? I look back at the swiftly, yet skillfully detailed sketch and watch as he continues to work irritatedly.

The sketch shows two people with wings, a man and a woman, kissing. An arrow points from the people to what appears to be an oval. After the oval is another arrow that leads to a blooming flower with a tiny, winged person sitting atop it. So… what’s this supposed to be?

Revus points his finger at the image of the tiny winged-person sitting on the flower, glares at me, and says “This is Evetta.” He then moves his finger to the image of the two people kissing and says “This is Evetta jūūns.” I stare at the sketch of the person on the flower. If that’s me… I glance at the two people kissing. …then joons means… Parents? But doesn’t this mean that I was born from- My attention jolts toward the flower chamber. Wait… Was I JUST born? No, that can’t be. I mean, I look like a kid, but what about babies? I tilt my head and look back at Revus.

Revus points his finger at the wooden cylinder and states, “For jūūns.”

“For joons?” I mimic as I look down at the container. So Revus made these to give to my parents. My parents…

I look back up at Revus and see him staring at the cylinder tenderly for a moment, and then says, “Jūūns no see Evetta now.” He puts a hand on the container and says, “With this, jūūns see Evetta.”

That’s sweet. I smile gently, tilt my head, and stare at the handsome man. I finally let him take the cylinder. Then. My smile fades as I ask, “What is Revus?”

Revus stands up, moves toward the workshop, and places the cylinder on a shelf. As he walks back, he stares at me intensely. Once in front of me, he kneels down, and looks me directly in the eyes. He reaches out, and clasps one of my hands with both of his, and sullenly intones, “I keep Evetta safe.”

Keep me safe? From what? I open my mouth to ask, but Revus shakes his head as he lets go of my hand, and says, “No more. Clean home. Study Zoic.”

I look around the room, seeing the mess that still covers the floor. “Okay,” I mutter defeatedly. Then, we start cleaning up the house. I grab and return the smaller objects to their rightful places, while Revus puts high things back on the shelves and moves the furniture.

When everything is back in its proper spot, Revus works to repair the windows, whereas I sit back at the table and continue to review the material from my morning lessons. I sit there, going over every word that I have learned within the last week, making sure that I know what each word means. I try to pronounce the words while I review in hopes that the sooner I learn, the sooner I will get answers to my ever-growing list of questions.

After studying for a while, “Tsk,” I hear Revus click his tongue. Glancing to my right, I look for Revus near the windows but realize he is not there, and that the repairs are already finished. I sit up straight and look for him, turning my head toward the workshop. I see him sitting on a stool with a complicated expression. He has set up a makeshift easel and has attached a piece of paper to it. What’s he doing now? I get up, walk over to him, and direct my attention to the paper. Upon the paper is the starting sketch of me sitting at the table, studying.

“Revus?” I inquire as I look at him. His face contorts into a mixture of anger and embarrassment. “Pfft,” I laugh, and then ask in Sveltish, “What’s with that face?” Suddenly, Revus brings his hand up and I feel a tight grip on my skull. “Ow ow ow ow,” I close my eyes and cry as I try to remove the hand from my head. Opening my eyes, I see Revus’ red face. “Pfft,” I start laughing again. “Ow…I…pfft…ow… sorry,” I wheeze between laughter and pain.

Revus lets go of my head and, pointing toward the table with the same hand, grumbles, “Evetta. Sit. Table.”

“Sorry,” I apologize as I wipe a tear from my eye, “No table.” I run over to the table, grab the chair, and pull it in front of the window. “I sit here.” This should make for a better picture.

Revus sighs, swaps the paper on the easel with a new one, and makes a faint smile, “Okay, sit.”

“Ah, one more thing,” I reply in Sveltish as I run over to my bed. I collect my petal and return to the chair. “This too.” I smile happily as I sit down. 

Revus’ faint smile grows as he momentarily stares at the petal. His gaze goes from the petal, briefly to me, and then to the easel, before he quietly starts his sketch.