REBIRTH: a peculiar guide to surviving a divorce

First Contact

Michael thought it was a bit too soon.
He stood outside with his lawn chair in his hand and a piece of toast hanging out of his mouth. The sun shone hard on Plaagen,  making the cement pathways extremely hot to walk barefoot on and drying out atleast seven of Mona's rose bushes. Michael grew a little anxious as he placed his chair under the tree and sat down.

Yesterday he had grown excited for this day but now he was nervous. The woman holding the key to 'humankinds extinction' was opposite him and most probably oblivious to everything Michael was about to tell her. He chewed his toast and nearly choked on a piece, when the woman walked out of her house and towards him.

Michael rushed to eat his toast finish, nearly coughing as he violently swallowed the large bites he had taken. As he searched for his shoes he had earlier kicked off in haste to get away from her, his head comically moving side to side in search of his sandals. In the midst of this he hadn't exactly realised that the woman stood in front of him with a confused expression adorning her face, as well as her arms crossed, waiting patiently for him to notice her.

He was mid chew and holding one of his sandals when he realised there was a shadow cast over him. He looked up and nearly jumped when the woman stood in front of him.

"Yes?", he sarcastically said and swallowed his now, thoroughly chewed toast.

"You don't look like everyone else.", she bluntly said and uncrossed her arms.

"Sorry?"

"You don't look like everyone else, you don't dress like them and you don't talk like them."

"I don't understand?", he was obviously testing her. He had realised that everyone in this town would try to get information from him, as he was the 'unwanted guest' of the town.

"This town is...is different. I'm not meant to be here."

He sighed at her and looked for his other sandal, simultaneously packing up his lawn chair and moving his head to signal her to follow him. She  followed him. They made their way inside his house and he closed the door, locking it and closing the curtains.

He motioned for her to sit.

"Water?", he asked her and she shaked her head.

He sat opposite her and sighed heavily. He really regretted being excited yesterday, clearly it isn't all that exciting as he now knew the weight of the situation at hand.

"Ask."

"How long have you been here?"

"A long two weeks."

"Two weeks. But how? Why didn't you get out, escape or something?", she had begun to breathe heavily and her leg had become restless, bouncing up and down as she spoke.

"You've only been here a day. Why tell me to escape if there is nothing to escape from or run away from?"

"I don't know.", she stated and Michael had begun to relax, having the knowledge of this situation and the upper hand gave him a sense of confidence and he unfortunately, grew amused at her confusion.

He realised she had started talking again and tuned in.

"It's just this town feels strange. The minute I drove through... my heart stopped and I felt like I  was being watched. Even when I went to sleep last night, I felt eyes on me, waiting for me to do something.", she spoke with a fear, a fear of sounding like a total lunatic, a person off their rocker, a nutcase, a escaped patient from the loony bin, a weirdo (Michael nearly laughed at that one).

He wore a smile and the glare she gave him, made him clear his throat and sit up straight in his seat.

"I thought you said you didn't know."

"I woke up this morning and saw you, sitting in your chair, dressed in a pair of shorts. You weren't dressed in a suit or some form of old clothing."

Good for her. She's been here a day, yet already noticed the peculiarity of this town. Good for her.

"Old clothing.", he hummed after that and she was about to speak when he stopped her, motioning with his hand.

"I'm just playing. I've noticed it too, it's explained by a old tale my mother used to tell me, in fact it was my favorite one. Are you familiar with norse mythology?", he asked her and studied her.

"I'm not. But a tale? Are you sure you have it figured out, mythology isn't exactly... you know.", she grew uncomfortable and made hand gestures as if to support her point.

Lack of point more-like.

"Do you question my mother's religion?"

Her mouth opened to protest but he quickly shushed her.

"I'm only playing. My mother believed that the gods had given me a gift, the ability to see the future. She also believed a trickster had trapped these people in a time where they were nearly ready for war."

"A God? You were given what?", he was entertained. Her face screwed up in confusion and her mind incapable of believing that other beings exist alongside us.

"Yes. Gods. Plural. They're real. I can do stuff that you can't. We're stuck in the sixties."

The last one he didn't feel like telling her but rather making her figure out by herself, but then again, she would dwell on the 'time zone' clue and he'll end up doing all the work.

No ma'am.

She was starting to piece everything together, he could see it, it was a bit slow but her mind was definitely working.

"Right, now that we have the little stuff out of the way -"

"Little stuff !"

He rolled his eyes and nearly laughed.

"Yes catch up. Now the war of the giants and gods will commence. According to my mother's story anyway. I will somehow have to alert the gods and then figure out why you are here."

He got up and walked to the kitchen, her heavy footsteps following him.

" You. The children. The sun...was it that order? Probably. "

He continued his mindless talking and noticed once again the slow gears starting to move in her head. She was thinking again.

She really needed to catch up.

He poured himself a glass of water and leaned against the table.

"Why exactly are you here?"

He didn't expect the question and choked on his water.

"Self discovery.", he shrugged her off.

"Right. So the gods... they had a war and now the giants are going to...War with them again?"

He looked at her. He nearly rolled his eyes at the fact that she was still solving that.

He answered her in a way that you would a child. Slow.

"Yes. Y-e-s.", he admits, he was being a bit hard on her, a little bit cheeky, but she had to get with the program as this war would be happening in a weeks time, or whenever the children decide to come play and creep him out.

"Right."

"Right."

"So what's your name exactly?"

"Michael. Michael Arch.", he gestured his hand for a handshake.

"Lena. Lena Ming.", they shook hands.

"Nice to meet you Lena. Unfortunately  we are all going to die soon. So you have to believe everything I say after this."

"Do what exactly? Magic? That power you said you have?"

He scoffed.

"No, I want to finish this glass of water. I'm a bit thirsty. We've been in a drought you know."