Two Perspectives

Mateus was dreaming.

Everything around him was blank white - like an empty picture. Then, slowly, lines began to form, and an image took shape.

It was a family of four sitting on a bench beneath a large tree. A father and mother, with two small children. Girl looked about three, and was sitting on her mother's lap, but the boy was older, and sitting tight between his parents.

They were talking together, laughing, and Mateus could hear strange echoes, but not a word they said. The father pointed upwards at a pair of strange creatures, and words appeared written next to him.

- My children, do you know what they are?- - No, papa, tell us! - - The big and fluffy one, with a strong crest and powerful hooves, that is a Tuldur! - - Ooooh! Papa, that's my name! -

Looking up, Mateus saw the beast the man was talking about. To be honest, it looked like a shoddy griffin made by stuffing a donkey up the backside of a Cassowary.

- The Tuldur is a migratory beast, and can never spend its life in only one place. Every few years, they pass Florinad on their great journey over this world. Your mother and I called you this, so you would remember that the world is bigger than this city. -

The boy nodded with glowing eyes, gazing up at the mangled Cassowary above.

- The other beast is called a Tilastork. See it's long, graceful legs, and elegant flight posture. We wanted our little girl to grow up to be just as free and beautiful. -

Mateus looked at the other beast, and all he could think was that it would never be mistaken for an earth creature. It looked like someone took an Albatross, replaced its feathered wings with furred skin wings like a bat's, and stuffed it onto the legs of a crane. Then they spray painted it pink, green and orange for fun. Mateus was too blinded by the lurid colour scheme to see if the beast really was elegant.

Once again, Mateus found himself rendered speechless by a beast. The familiar feeling reminded him that he was the outsider here.

The conversation of the family went on, but no more words were written, and it seemed like water hit the picture, blurring the lines and fading the colours away to the previous blank state.

A new picture formed in its place. The father and son, now older by a few years, working in a forge. They shaped metal, gems, and bone to make curious devices and weapons.

This picture was clearly a bonding moment, with the father passing on his skills to his child. The picture lasted quite a while, and Mateus saw many odd devices, but no words appeared to explain.

The picture vanished, same as the first. What replaced it was a tragedy. A home broken, with a pair of children screaming by the side of their dead parents. The image quickly faded, too painful to stay, and was replaced by a montage of new pictures flashing past quickly.

A brother and sister struggling to survive. Arguing with each other, scavenging for scraps, fighting every day to survive. The picture froze on the final image - a boy hardly more than a skeleton, lying flat with fever on an old broken bed, in room Mateus was very familiar with. The first place he saw in this world.

Then, the boy in the picture opened his eyes, sat up and became real.

Everything returned to being blank, but now Mateus had company.

"You're Tuldur, I guess…?" He asked uncertainly.

"Yes, and you're the helper I called. Mateus. I've wanted to talk to you for a very long time, but I wasn't strong enough." The boy said, looking dispirited.

"I'm sorry for stealing your life." Mateus said softly, voicing a guilt so deep he had never dared to think about.

"It wasn't stolen. I was too lost. I invited someone to come into my life to help me. I'm just too weak to stand alone. Everything went wrong after papa was murdered, and I didn't know how to fix it. I made so many mistakes, and I couldn't face Tilastork anymore - I lost the right to be her brother." Tuldur said softly, hugging himself sadly. "When your soul arrived, and was so much stronger than me, I gave in right away - I wanted that feeling of being safe by the side of someone stronger. We were never supposed to meet like this, but you over drew our essence, bringing the pair of us closer, and closer to death."

"So, we're both here. What happens now?" Mateus asked in trepidation.

"Usually, our two souls would fight for dominance of this life, but - I'm tired Mateus. I can't stand to live in this world. So I'm leaving." Tuldur tried to smile, but all the complicated emotions made it a grimace. "Please look after Tilastork just as you have been doing all these years. It's fine not to be an artificer, or weapon maker - but you need to punish our uncle for my father's murder, and retrieve Palmaya. She has an ancestral contract with our family - Tilastork can continue our family tradition in my place."

"Are you sure you want to leave? I don't mind you staying. This is YOUR life." Mateus said gently, reaching out to clasp the boy's wrist. It hurt to see the kid so broken.

"It's YOUR life now, Mateus, and its time for me to go. Thank you." Tuldur said gently, and dissolved just like all the pictures before. Mateus was alone.

Then, slowly, he gained the memories of Tuldur's life, and understood why he was so fatalistic. A six year old boy with a younger sister to protect was forced to face the darkest side of human nature. It was too much of a contrast compared to the happiness he had before, and it broke him.

Standing alone, Mateus mourned for the passing of Tuldur, and hardly noticed when the dream broke into shards of colour, and an unfamiliar voice said: "Doctor, he's waking up!"