A good talk

This feeling again.

I was face up in the middle of a shallow river, floating adrift I wondered how I got here.

The river of lavender-colored water flowed gently over my body but I didn't feel the liquid touching me at all.

This feeling of being continually ignored by everything around me is beginning to wear on me. I thought quickly realizing that my bad mood had returned but not like before.

I was a little frustrated, but not so much that I had to continually worry about my surroundings.

The curiosity I felt now was somewhat different, I no longer felt the need to go off on my own and explore by myself but I could feel that something had taken root deep inside me.

As if a flame was burning inside me looking to be constantly fed to become a fire.

Although I was still very curious about the new tree-filled environment I had appeared in I no longer felt relief completely.

Although I wasn't getting as upset as before I could feel a hint of worry being born in me, and yet I wasn't afraid.

More than fear for my safety I felt slightly a touch of anguish, but I wasn't sure why I felt it.

Maybe I was worried about some action I had done before, maybe I had done something wrong…

No, I think what I was feeling was because of something else, this strange feeling that pricked me like a needle was not due to a specific reason but… to several of them, the events that were constantly happening around me did not stop to give me a break and continued their course acting like a living being that continues with its life as usual.

I didn't feel pressured at all by whatever was bothering me right now, I didn't feel terror, I was calm but I couldn't identify what the exact reasons were that were bothering me.

Getting up and stepping on the now common pearly sand below the river, I wondered if this sudden change of emotions was because I had fallen into this lake.

Another foreboding…

As if the purple liquid was responsible for my carefree state having vanished.

Thinking about whether somehow the river water that had been ignoring me until now would have had some influence on me in some way.

If this presentiment was true then the influence this liquid had on me was not only passing around me as if it was not there but it was able to take away the absolute tranquility that the trumpets had given me with their singing.

Wait… but if the water was ignoring me, how was it that I was floating a few moments ago?

It could be something similar to what happened on the bridge, with its snowy floor that didn't allow me to touch it when I started walking and that made me float.

Remembering that I could identify one of the several reasons that were bothering me.

My companion and my guide plus the other two fireflies were nowhere to be seen in this place.

I immediately looked in all directions for the three fireflies and the red-haired woman who had become suspicious of me.

Where are they…where the hell are they!

I thought getting more desperate and impatient at not being able to see anyone near my location.

Had I been brought here alone?

 Looking around me at the large pine-like trees and the small sand hills that formed to contain the violet water of the river.

Fuck… and now what… what am I going to do!

Holding one hand under my nose and the other above my forehead I tried to think of a solution or something that could be of use to me, ha, as if that gesture was going to make me useful, I mocked myself feeling the anxiety rising again.

If you've finished taking a nice bath, it's time to go.

Hearing the soft voice of what sounded like an old man, I went in search of the place where it came from.

A person!...there was a person here besides me!

Excitedly I possessed my sight to the place where that voice came from, but I was more confused and puzzled instead of being happy to see the creature again.

What?!

I looked with astonishment at the firefly that was watching me from the top of the small hill that was still next to me.

…Was it…was it the one that just spoke?

The firefly was standing casually in the same place where the voice had come from before, it was watching me from above like a hawk watching its prey but…where did it come from, it wasn't in that place before…I think maybe…I don't know. I could feel my own inner voice fading with insecurity.

So you can understand us now, right.

Said another voice, but this time I had seen who it belonged to, one of the two reddish fireflies had landed next to the yellowish firefly and had…spoken?

It had moved its mouth and a hoarse voice came out of it, words whose meaning it had been able to understand this time. It was definitely talking.

I stood still as a stone for a few minutes, watching the creatures with me with an expression of complete surprise.

What are you waiting for, get in, we must go, there is much to explain and we still have a long way to go.

I was paralyzed by the impression they had given me, but I managed to get going by moving slowly through the water, then seeing myself I noticed something I had not paid attention to until this moment.

The purple liquid of this water path had ignored me or so I had thought, looking at myself carefully I realized that I was soaked, but I did not feel soaked, I thought I was being ignored as before but I was completely wet from the body, I did not feel in the least the drops of water running down my face.

I couldn't feel the water running through my fingers even when I was touching it directly and even when I took some of it with both hands I still didn't feel its weight.

I had been wrong it was not the water that was ignoring me this time, perhaps the influence this purple liquid had on me was greater than I had imagined.

Now it was as if my body was being the one that was ignoring the sensation of being surrounded by water.

I didn't feel any resistance from the water either, as if I was walking normally on any floor right now.

Maybe it was because I already knew that military uniforms were waterproof that made me not so surprised that the water could not get through the uniform I was wearing but it still seemed a bit curious that only the visible parts of my body were wet and that my clothes had completely repelled the water as if I was not in direct contact with the purple liquid.

This time the water did seem to be ignoring my uniform or perhaps the uniform was simply repelling it. I think I had been more surprised by the fact that my uniform was waterproof than the fact that the purple water could not or would not come in contact with it.

I thought that those of us who were part of the aslv organization no longer mattered to the government of humanity and therefore were no longer considered human beings, but this is a surprise.

I'm surprised they went to the trouble of making these waterproof uniforms, wow, should I…thank them?

 Let's go brat or we'll nurse you there.

I heard the fireflies again I hurried and quickly got out of the river of purple water.

I had not even tried to dry myself as to provoke that reaction and although I was intrigued to know why the liquid had suddenly abandoned me, I decided to listen to the fireflies and stop delaying to go up the small hill.

I am not on a hike I kept repeating to myself. Taking a step to try to somehow climb the hill, I tried to get my whole body in a good position.

But when I tried to jump the whole hill of golden pearl shook itself trapping my foot and arms somehow without having to press me to do it and like a mechanism the thousands of pearls that formed the hill moved.

The shock was stronger than the impression of suddenly going up, the pearls climbed me changing positions like a see-saw while a row descended another acedia, taking me with them to the top of the small hill with a push that was enough to reach the fireflies.

I stood for a few seconds suspended in the air watching as my foot only touched with its tip a small part of the extension of pearls, which was not enough to support me.

I took the initiative by stepping forward and putting myself in a more secure position… I went to the side of the fireflies at the top of the hill, before the beautiful pearls could stop holding me.

 The hill was lower from the back side than in front of the river looking in this part more like a lump than a hill and below this lump was my companion who unlike me and the fireflies, was watching what was going on on alert for any sign of any threat.

I watched her for a few moments not knowing what to say or being able to say anything coherent at this point until we exchanged glances and I quickly gave in to nervousness.

Does she hear them too?...can she too, understand them?

No, she can't, she can't speak our language unlike you.

The little creature spoke again answering the question I had asked in my head and slid down from the pearl bundle along with her two russet colored companions.

It's time to go and you better not try to talk to us at this time at least not directly or she might become more paranoid than she already is or unless you want her to become more suspicious and distrustful of you I suggest you don't remain silent while listening to us.

What, how, she answered my question but I didn't utter a word.

I followed the little creature that was now flying at a moderately fast speed along with the other two fireflies that had not said anything after it had climbed up the hill.

That's easy I just read your mind and answer you, simple, right. Said the creature moving its snout again but this time I could distinguish something that I had not been able to distinguish the previous time, next to the meaning that came with his words there was another sound but this sound was nothing like the one that came to me with his words.

It was as if what he was telling me was in his own language but it was not directly translated, no, I understood the language and unconsciously I was listening to him with his voice in my language or that is the best I could explain it to myself.

Simple, what… if it was simple I doubt very much that I would have got into a situation like this.

Well, that's uncertain, your species is able to read other people's minds without difficulty but they don't know it yet.

If that is the case then why have I never heard of someone doing something like that…well someone…someone normal.

In time you will discover the truth that they have been hiding from you but for now we will continue on our way.

On our way to where… to where exactly we are falling asleep.

To our home. Said one of the reddish fireflies next to our guide, who was flying more amusingly than the others as if remembering his home would give him pleasure.

Your home…

Just like you, when we brought you here and asked you to follow us when you fell down that hole in the cave, soon you will know a place you will never want to leave and will always want to return to in search of what you long for the most.

What, wait then,…if it was you who was communicating with me earlier, I knew it!

That was kind of obvious, don't you think?

I guess so, but if you can communicate with me mentally why are you talking,

Why, isn't it obvious, there's no other reason than to spread our beautiful voice, that and why it's more comfortable to communicate that way, don't you think?

I guess so. We walked into the vast forest that stretched on endlessly.