1) Every story has a beginning, but why start there?

It's dark. I blink repeatedly.. Still dark.. 14 days of darkness, so far. We've all heard the tales about Phansote. The fairy tales that weave mystical stories of these destitute lands. Stories that promise this planet to be majestic and full of colorful things so beautiful you can't even imagine! Full of creatures that our ancestors would never believe could ever exist.. Luscious grasslands and fields of flowers, babbling brooks and roaring rivers.. Flowers that grow tall like trees, trees so tall you can't climb to the top without an air tank! Lies!! All lies! it's only beautiful if you can see in the dark! And learning to navigate by sonar is so much harder in the pitch black darkness that has engulfed us since the moment we woke up here, especially when there isn't enough light to read the instructions.

"I miss the sun!" He complained as if he heard my nagging thoughts.

"You? You miss the sun?" I asked, half teasing.

"Yes! I really do!" He replied not realizing I was messing with him.

"I thought Vampires couldn't be in the sun?" I asked, already knowing he wasn't a vampire. But, what is he? His skin was so pale, almost gray. His jet black hair ran down to his broad shoulders with hints of silver here and there like bright moonlight passing through endless darkness. His silver eyes were so bright, they seemed to glow in the dark. His expression always cheerful and friendly could mesmerize you if you let your guard down.

"We both know I am not a Vampire." He said allowing his disgust at the mere thought of a vampire to show on his usually friendly face. After all nobody can see anyways.

"What are you then?" I asked before I realized I asked! Too late now.. Can't take back words that are already out. What if he's a werewolf? Or worse.. What if he really is a God? Would he punish me for asking so bluntly? Would he.. My thoughts are disrupted by his sweet voice whispering "I don't know.."

"I don't know who I am or where I came from. I woke on the beach in Midnight Bay 5 years ago with no memories. I spent every day since then trying to find the answer to that very question. Two of those years, you've been present for, so maybe you can tell me? What am I?" His voice cracked and he sounded worried as he spoke, as if saying it out loud for the first time made him feel the true depth of his situation.

He hadn't known what planet he was on or what the year was when he woke that day. Hell, he didn't even know how old he was! He knew his name 'Mani' and another name 'Sol'. He didn't know who Sol was, but he had a picture in his mind and imagined it was her. In his mind he saw a woman with long hair that flowed like rays of beautiful warm golden sunlight down passed her waist. She was wearing a fluffy white dress with hunts of sky blue. She rode in a chariot drawn by 2 golden horses racing away so fast he could never see her face clearly. He frowned at the thought of not being able to identify this mystery woman.

Both our thoughts are disrupted by a sudden beam of light!

"Look Mani!" I yelled excited to see anything.

"I see it." he replied mouth agape, in awe wondering where the light came from. Without saying another word, we began moving towards the light.

Mani watched Claire as they walked. He noticed she moved with such grace. She held her chin high, never looking down, she never tripped or got her clothes dirty. She gave off a royalty vibe, minus the arrogance and greed. She was not the most beautiful woman, quite the opposite actually. Despite her beautiful soul and the waves crashing in her deep ocean blue eyes, she was not very easy to look at. Claire's skin was covered in pimples and scars along with patches of red rashes and bruises.. She looked like she washed her face in oil instead of soap. The places where there were no pimples were covered in moles and skin tags. Claire didn't eat much, bathed often and exercised allot, especially now walking about 200 miles with Mani in the past few days. Yet despite all her efforts, Claire was fat. She knew she'd never find a decent man who could look past her outer appearance so she gave up on her childhood dream of a family and a home. Instead she dedicated herself to helping lost souls find their way home.