Christmas Shade
Hello, lost kitten. I wish I could keep you But this family already has two cats too many. I’m glad to have you For at…
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Hello, lost kitten. I wish I could keep you But this family already has two cats too many. I’m glad to have you For at…
What does it take for people to change? In my experience, No matter the identity, It always comes back to two things. For change to…
During his youth in the summer, it was customary for Merit Myer and his parents to visit family members that lived out of state. The…
Have you ever liked something before you knew you liked it? Something about it just grabs you. The design intrigues. The concept captivates. And once…
The ongoing debate over right and wrong are often influenced by minor factors- Trends trump the obscure, Attractiveness glosses over faults, Popularity is exalted over…
Your position is just that. You may share your knowledge, wisdom, and skills. However, It is not an excuse to be rude or condescending. It does not…
How can I help? I’ll do what I can for your approval. Your opinion means so much. Like me, love me, respect me. My being, my…
You’re a small but hefty creature. I can barely hold you with a gloved hand. When alone, you sniff about the ground, Yet when held,…
The auditorium has a slightly fancier design when compared to most other rooms in our school. The rows of chairs and aisles scoop down toward…
The sun is blocked by winter clouds, leaving the sky with a grayish hue. The brief flurry of snow just ended, laying just over an…
The sun is blocked by winter clouds, leaving the sky with a grayish hue. The brief flurry of snow just ended, laying just over an inch off the ground. The residents of this quiet, small neighborhood full of single two-story, two-bedroom homes start their day.
In one of these homes resides a family of three. Husband Dave, with a slim build, light beard, and black hair just starting to gray. Wife Janet, with a slightly stout build, and neck-length light brown hair. And their pride and joy: daughter Mila. She has flawless skin, long brown hair that comes down to her waist, and a figure that is a blend of athletic and hourglass.
Still in sleepwear, the family sits together in the kitchen for breakfast. As they finish, Mila and dad play a few rounds of chess, while her mother washes dishes. The room is filled with the sound of dishes clanking together in the water and a sports broadcaster ranting on tv with a low volume. The heat from the stove warms the room to the point where some frosty air from outside would be welcome.
“Checkmate,” Mila says while chewing her breakfast wrap.
“You got me again, Mila-doll,” Dave remarks with a wide grin and a sense of amazement. “That’s the 4th time this morning. You’re as sharp as they come.”
“I know,” Mila replies. “It was really easy, dad. I doubt you’re holding back so you must be getting old.”
“Hey!”, Dave responds slightly annoyed. “Don’t get too cocky. I taught you how to play. And don’t forget, you get your wits from me.”
“I-!”, Mila spouts irritated before stopping herself. “Right,” she says with an apparent dryness.
Dave walks over to help his wife finish cleaning. Just as they start to, she turns to Mila.
“Mila, how are your gym clothes holding up?”, Janet asks.
“They’re okay,” she replies. “I wouldn’t mind getting a new set.”
“Well,” she says lost in thought. “Since you did win your last few track races, I guess we can buy a new set. You’ve earned it.”
“I have!” she expresses proudly and energized by the statement. “Good idea, mom! Can we get it after school?”
“Uh, sure,” she says surprised by her sudden burst. “You’re awfully energetic now. We can go after I get off work.”
“That works too,” she expresses cheerfully.
Her parents resume cleaning as Mila notices the round analog clock on the wall above the kitchen sink window.
I need to get ready, she thought.
Inside Mila’s bedroom, the mood is still and the only light present is morning sunlight coming through the dingy, gray clouds and past the large window. The room is covered in white. From the ceiling to the floor and furniture, everything reflected the light and made the room just a little brighter because of it. Nothing was out of place. Mila had always kept her room neat and organized. She thrived in order.
Mila is dressed in school her uniform and brushing her hair while sitting in front of her vanity mirror. Her supplies are packed and she is just about ready to leave for school. Suddenly, a calm voice comes from the mirror.
“Mila.”
Mila pauses. “Oh. Hello Father!” she says. “I wasn’t expecting you today.”
The reflection fades and shifts into the image of an older man wearing a long, flowing hooded cloak and sitting in a cloudy space with a starry night sky behind him. “I thought it would be fitting to see you off on your first school day of the year,” Hu says.
“There’s no need for that Father,” she says with a sigh. “Just another day, another year, and almost another decade of living the mortal life.”
Hu’s expression became slightly worried. “Take heart Mila,” he says. “This experience is good for you. The daughter of Hu must be a model of humility and its advocate. What is a better way to attain that than to live as a human? Your time on Earth has not been so difficult, has it? Have your mortal parents been treating you well?”
“My life here has been fine,” she responds. “My parents here aren’t perfect but they aren’t bad. They care for me and give me their best. I just really miss the celestial plane. Everything just feels so... limited here. I don’t understand why humility is so important. By March, I will be considered an adult here and I still don’t see what’s so great about it.”
“Give it more time,” he says. “It is often an overlooked virtue, but a fine virtue no less. As its god, I would know. I am sure a full life or more will help you understand.”
“Or more!?” she says with a raised eyebrow. “How many lives do I have to live in this realm?”
“As many as it takes,” he says with a sly grin.
“That’s... great,” she says with clear disappointment.
Hu’s grin loosened and shifted into a frown. The sight of his daughter being upset and so eager to return home reminded him of how much he misses her and how he ultimately wanted the same. He runs his fingers through his beard as he looks up in thought.
“However,” he utters, “If you show a reasonable amount of progress by the day of your 18th year, I suppose we could discuss making arrangements for you to return.”
“Really!?”, she shoots up from her gloom. “Thank you, Father! You won’t regret it!”
“Settle child,” he asserts with a halting hand. “Nothing has been decided yet. You will still have to make strides to earn it. Your efforts will have to be outstanding if you hope to return by then.”
“Good enough for me!”, she gleefully states. “I’m sure I can.”
“Mila, it’s time to go!” her dad says from downstairs.
Mila turns to her cracked bedroom door. “I’m coming dad!” she says casually. “I have to go now, Father. Let’s talk later.”
“Very well, daughter. Grace and love to you” he says. His image quickly shifts back to her reflection.
Mila gets up, grabs her backpack, and swiftly walks out of her room.
After a 20-minute car commute, Mila gets dropped off at her school and rushes into the building. The light squeaks from her boots are the only sound that fills the hallway as she jogs to her classroom. As she reaches the door, she hears the muffled voices of her class inside. She enters into a boisterous and chatty homeroom filled with her classmates.
“Mila!” says her friend Clair while waving to get her attention near the front of the class. She is sitting next to her other friend, Lori.
“Hey guys!” she replied as walked towards her.
The three girls hug and sit down.
“How was your break?” Lori says.
“It was okay,” Mila replies.
“Are you joining any more clubs?” Clair asked. “I thought about joining you in the chess club. It looks fun and you make it look easy.”
“She makes everything look easy.” Lori asserted. “Honor student, athletic, a born leader. All while looking like a model!”
“Aw! It’s so nice of you to notice!” Mila says with a smirk. “But seriously, most things become easy once you learn the rules.
Mr. Howell walks into the class still bundled in winter gear. “Alright class, welcome back. Let’s get started!” He says.
The class settles down as he takes roll.
“Okay. Today you’re going to go start working on your career projects,” he says. “I noticed a lot of you were undecided when I asked about your plans after graduation. So, each of you will be paired up and will be given an area of study to research. At the end of the semester, you will report findings explaining why that area is still relevant today.”
Mr. Howell assigns pairs and eventually gets to Mila.
“Mila and Brent, your two will research and present on English Literature,” he says.
This caused most of the class to briefly snicker. Likely because Mila and Brent were so different from each other. Mila is an extroverted champion of life and Brent is the introverted weird guy that does and says random things. Though they’ve been in the same class a couple of times before, they have never interacted with each other.
Brent had an average build with brightly dyed hair. He was almost always seen slouching appeared to look a little disheveled. He was infamous for spacing out and seldomly disrupting class with outbursts. It’s as if he sees and talks to people who aren’t there. He always sits in the back of the classroom and his classmates generally try to ignore him.
Brent just stares into space after hearing his assignment. Mila walks over to him and is startled when he looks at her. She stops. He looks mean, she thinks as she continues toward him. Give him a chance. I must act humbly to get back home.
“Hi Brent,” she says as she extends her hand. “I guess we’ll be working together.”
He snaps out of his mean-looking trance and shakes her hand. “Yeah, looks like it. Nice to work with you,” he says with a surprisingly warm smile.
Maybe he just looks mean, she thought as she pulls up a chair to face him and noticed he’s looks sleep-deprived. “Long night?”
“You could say that,” he says. “I couldn’t stay asleep. Happens a lot.”
“Where do you would you like to start?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he says. “Where do you want to start?”
“Let me think,” she says. “Oh! Let’s start with Classical Renaissance.”
Brent sighs roll his eyes. “If we have to.”
Mila pauses. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not crazy about this era of literature.”
“Really? It has some of my favorites. The gods are always fun to read about.”
“Are you serious? They’re the worst part: arrogant, hypocritical bullies who do what they want and go into overkill on anyone who goes against them. And don’t get started me on the plot armor most of their divine descendants have.”
“Hey!”, she said with an intense glare. “They’re not... all like that.”
“They are. And it's so annoying how fans treat it like it’s some perfect piece of writing. It’s really pretentious.’”
“Why shouldn’t they? The gods are almighty and create order. And their texts have been inspiring people for centuries.”
“Hmm. Don’t confuse old and common with right.”
Mila’s face fills with rage and grits her teeth. “You are-”
She stands and accidentally knocks a thick textbook off the desk. The loud slam on the floor causes Brent to jump out of his seat and clasp the wall behind him. This lapses the class’s chatter as they all look back at the two. After five long seconds of awkward silence, a boy speaks.
“Uh-oh! Brent’s flipping out again!”, he says. The class bursts out in laughter as Brent’s eyes are still fixed on the book and breathes excessively. He then darts out of the classroom.
Mila stands there flustered with her fist balled up at her sides. What’s with this guy? she thought and stormed back to her seat at the front of the class.
That night, Mila lays in her bed and speaks with Hu via her round, white pocket mirror.
“He actually had the nerve to call the Gods arrogant hypocrites,” she said fumingly. “What’s his problem!?”
“Calm yourself, Mila,” he says. “He is free to think what he wants.”
“I know that but he shouldn’t have said it,” she says in a murmur. “It felt like he was insulting us. You’re by far the least arrogant being I know. That might be part of your job, but still.”
Hu smiles and chuckles. “Gratitude, daughter,” he expresses with a grin. “While it pleases me that you are so proud of and eager to defend me, that boy’s perspective is not unfounded. Most of the older gods lacked humility and did as they pleased. Thus, it is not surprising that many humans would follow suit. I am grateful to be a god that brings more of it about. Neither of your beliefs is wrong. I suggest you attempt to make peace with him.”
“What!?”, she exclaims. “You expect me to apologize? No way! That god-hater doesn't deserve it.”
“Is that so?”, he says in a cunning yet pouty tone that Mila is too familiar with. “You will not endeavor a more harmonious resolution. How odd. That does not sound like someone who is trying to be humble and wants to return home.”
“Fine, Father,” she says with a sigh. “I'll try to make things better between us.”
“Very good.”
The next morning Mila arrives early to class and sits at a desk next to Brent’s. Brent walks in and notices her. He nods his head, sighs, and walks to his desk.
“Hey,” he says.
“Hey,” she responds.
They sit there for almost a minute before talking again.
“I’m sorry,” he says while exhaling. “I wasn’t feeling well and I overreacted.”
“You sure di- I mean. It’s okay,” she says. “I’m sorry I offended you.
“Same here. It’s just hard for me to side with them. From what I’ve read, they’re pretty brutal. Even the nice ones.”
“Well, someone reminded me of some of the stuff they did so you aren’t completely wrong about them.”
“Yeah. It’s weird. They probably aren’t even real, yet they’re real enough to piss me off.”
“I guess that’s the power of good writing.”
“Heh. Maybe.”
“By the way, why did you freak out when the book dropped yesterday. Do you have a problem with loud noises?”
“I uh... really wasn’t feeling well.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Can we start over?”, He says as he reaches out his hand.
“Sure,” she replies as she shakes his hand.
A month goes by. Just past noon, Mila and Brent are alone, working together on their project in a small school library study room. They sit in front of each other at a square desk table with a couple of literature history books and a laptop for each of them. Thirty minutes in, Brent falls asleep.
“Julie,” he said with a few chuckles. “You’re the best!”, and continues to snores.
Mila was flushed and considered waking him before she heard more.
Suddenly, his snoring became loud enough to wake him up. He springs up and frantically looks around the room.
“Are you okay!?”, Mila asked.
“Yeah,” he replies with a few heavy breaths.
“Good,” she says with an unsure expression. “So... who’s Julie?”
His face blushed. “Uh... no one. Forget what you heard.”
Her eyes squinted into a glare. “You’ve been saying that for weeks now. Just spurting out stuff like that. What’s going on?”
He sighs and looks toward the floor. “You wouldn’t believe me.”
“I’ve seen some stuff. Try me,” she asserts.
“Well...” he says still avoiding eye contact but now looking to the side. “I’ve been here before.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve had a lot of past lives and that’s just how my mind processes it.”
Mila was surprised. She was expecting something along the lines of mental illness and sleep disorders. She wanted to believe him but wasn’t sure if she could.
“Are you serious?”, she says in a genuinely curious tone. “Are you sure it’s not... something else? “
“Yeah, it’s true,” he assures. “Ever hear about reports of people who claim they were reincarnated and can confirm information they couldn’t have known otherwise? Or briefly become an expert on a topic they never studied? That’s me times 50. Probably more. And way more random.”
“How so?”
“Have you heard of retrocognition and precognition?”
“Precognition sounds familiar.”
“I had to look it up myself. The former allows me to look into parts of a past life and the latter into the future of my current one. I never know when either is going to happen but retrocognition happens more often.”
“What did you see?”
“Plenty but two examples come to mind: once where I perfectly sowed back a pair of jeans I tore and another when I solved a few advanced math problems in fifth grade.”
“What about precognition?”
“That one’s a little trickier. It only seems to work when I or someone I know personally could be in physical danger or is dying. I foresaw each of my grandparent’s death hours before it happened and I was able to prevent my dad from driving a route that had a massive car accident the very same day. Plainly, all of it spooked him good.”
“Really!?”
“It doesn’t seem to work when it comes to avoiding awkward moments. Would’ve helped with the shell shock I got from that book drop last month. And not a day goes by where I don’t experience some sort of déjà vu. Not to mention most of my dreams preview bits and pieces of an old life and end with me dying.”
“If all this is true, you live a creepy life.”
“It is true!”, he asserts before slumping over and blushing. “It’s just... hard for me to prove it right now.”
Mila sits there fully absorbing what she just heard. Brent seemed genuine and detailed enough but how could she be sure? Then, she had an idea.
“Well since we’re being so open, I had a past life as a goddess,” she says confidently while placing a hand on her chest.
“Very funny,” he counters crisply. “I shouldn’t have told you.”
“No!” she cautions, “I’m not teasing you. It’s true. My father and I are gods and we can prove it,” she says she gets up and walks toward him.
“What!? Gods!? How?”
“I can contact my father from this mirror,” She says as she places her pocket mirror in front of him.”
Brent picks it up and examines it. “It’s just a regular mirror,” he says in a muddled tone.
“It is for now but watches this.,” she claims as she grabs the mirror. “Father, can we talk?”
Hu appears to her through her reflection. “Of course, dearest,” he eagerly retorts, “What troubles you?”
“Who are you talking to?”, Brent asks.
“You don’t see him?”, Mila reacts. “Let me try something.” She stands next to him, wraps an arm around his slouched neck much to his surprise, and extends her arm holding the mirror.
Brent stands there dazed until he sees their reflections shift into Hu. He became frozen with fear and disbelief. His mouth opens and his body scarcely convulses.
“Mila!?”, Hue orders. “What is the meaning of this?”
“It’s fine, Father,” she assures. “I need you to confirm something for me.”
“We should not reveal ourselves to mortals.” he urges.
“It’ll be fine,” she insists. “He may not even be a mortal. I called you to find out. Gods can accurately see the lifespan of a soul, right? Please do so with him. Regardless, you can always do that godly mind wipe thing afterward.”
“Wait, what!?”, Brent chimes in.
Hu lets out a dismal sigh. “Very well. However, we will discuss this later, Mila.”
“I understand,” she accepts as she brings the mirror closer. “This is Brent.”
“Greetings, dear boy,” he addresses. “Would you lean closer and look directly at me?”
“H-H-Hi," he sputters as leans forward. “S-Sure.”
Hu stares fixedly into Brent's eyes while clutching his chin. “My word!”, he reacts. “Your soul is ancient! It is even older than I.”
“What!?”, she jumps in. “Are you serious? How is that possible?”
“I am quite serious,” he replies. “Simply put, this earth-bound soul stems back to the conception of human and I came to be just after humility was first conceived by humans. “
Mila freezes almost as much as Brent. “I can’t believe it.”
“It is true,” Hu confirms. “I know of reincarnates, but I have never seen one quite like yourself. Fascinating!”
Mila and Brent are stunned by the revelation and had become lost for words.
Hu breaks the silence by clearing his throat. “I see that you two need some time to fully absorb this discovery,” he proposes. “I will leave you to it. Farewell.” His image reverts back into their boggled faces.
They collapse into their chairs next to each other and stare into space for a couple of minutes.
“Gods exist,” Brent ejects in astonishment.
“You’re older than me,” Mila replies.
Hours later, Mila continues working on the assignment. She notices Brent staring at her with a wide and smug grin on his face.
“What!?” she asked with clear irritation.
“There’s something strangely satisfying about being older than a god,” he responds. “How does that even work anyway?”
Mila sighs. “Don’t get brash,” she snapped. “There are and were other gods before my father came to be.”
“What kind of superpowers do you have, Goddess Mila?”
Mila perks up. “I don’t have any godly abilities as I am now, but outside of my beauty, intelligence, athletics, and charisma...”
“Those aren’t powers,” he chimes in.
“...I have the ability to occasionally inspire grace in people.”
After several seconds of silence, Brent replies. “Hmm. Handy,” he says with obvious sarcasm.
Mila becomes livid. “It’s not much, but it’s mine!”
After fully realizing what she just said, Mila becomes stunned. It wasn’t unusual for her to take pride in her abilities. She was always proud of what she was born with. However, this is the first time she did so while sounding so much like her father.
A month passes. Mila and Brent are sitting in her kitchen playing cards after school. Brent just taught her how to play Tonk.
“You lose again,” Brent notes.
“This game is so annoying!” Mila spouts.
“Didn’t you say things become easy when you learn the rules?” He says with a smug grin.
“Yeah, but how can I win when I keep getting a bad hand?”, She asks.
“Exactly! You can only make the best out of what you have. Though, it doesn’t hurt to get a little creative either.”
“Let’s play again.”
After four more losses & one more game, Mila lets out a triumphant gasp.
“Yes! I beat you! Whoo!”, she declares.
“Calm down,” he says. “Is that the first you had to struggle with something?
“Actually..., it might be.”
“How does it feel?”
“I hated losing, but because I lost so much, my first win had more meaning. It feels amazing.”
“I think you’re starting to get it,” he says while looking at the time. “I should get going.”
The sun has set and it starts to flurry. Mila and Brent are talking outside in front of her house.
“Do you still want to go back to the celestial realm?”, Brent asks.
“Not yet,” she replies. “I still miss it, but I think it’s best if I finish my time here first.”
“That’s good!”, he said elatedly. “I had a vision of you walking with Hu. It was followed by our class crying after hearing that you passed in your sleep. No need to traumatize your family and friends.”
“You’re right. I would hate to put them through that.”
“Besides, I... I like having you around,” he says with a flushed face that stares at the ground.
“Oh?”, she says with a smirk and raised an eyebrow. She walks up and leans against him with a hug. “I like having you around too!”
Brent smiles and embraces her.
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