Forgotten by the Realms

Chapter 5: Hallucinations

"Have you seen Báye? I'm running out of places to check where he could be moping." Odë strolled into the room hands on her hips. Sasi glanced up at the sundial to check the time. Half past 6.
He was never this late before.
"Maybe he is working in the shed." They shrugged, going back to examining an old carton of crab cakes to see if they were fresh.
Odë plopped down pointing at the expiration date, they were still good. Sasi crammed one into their mouth then went out back to check the shed. All the lanterns were off, and you couldn't hear the tell tale sounds of a hammer pounding. Strange.
Sasi quickly went back into the house, flinging on on their cloak absentmindedly.
"Odë, I'm going to check the square. He might have gotten overwhelmed at the market."
They strapped on their mask and tromped out the door towards the bright lights coming from the vibrant tents.
The Prairie square was a multipurpose wonder. The bright yellows, magentas, teals, and greens of tents bounced and reverberated the light around the market. Wares and food cluttered the space creating a bustling atmosphere, and even in the gathering dusk, scores of people were still strolling about buying things from egar merchants. Sasi ducked under a fruit wagon, and ungainly leaped over a rope holding up a tent. They landed face first in the dirt, their cloak flying over their face. Sasi got up with cheeks burning, listening to the boisterous laughter from a nearby merchant.
"I was going to offer you some gems dearie, but it seems you prefer dust as an accessory!"
Sasi grimaced and brushed the gritty smudges off their cloak, muttering quietly to themselves as they approached the Aryonwyn tent.
Odë had sewn together large sections of dark blue material to make the covering for a tent, and that is what they used to sell the stuff they scavenged. Mostly it was wood, and sometimes a few odds and ends Báye had carved, but the pickings were slim. The tent was empty, the wares packed away in locked cases and the money bag hidden under the counter where it normally was.
He was gone.
Sasi paced back through the crowded marketplace, worriedly twisting the tips of their cloak in anxiety. Maybe he was running behind at school, or the manta system was slow, perhaps there was heavy traffic. No need to worry. But truthfully there was reason to worry. Báye had never been alone this long, and as much as they denied it Odë and Sasi had to admit they treated him like a moth.
Sasi didn't want to go back to Odë without him, so they flapped their cloak and flew over to an outcrop to sit. They stared down at the bobbing lights, and their eyes slowly drooped closed as they were lulled to sleep in the warm evening air.

~

"Sasi! You need some sunscreen, get back here you little crab!"
Sasi grinned dashing away from their mother as they flung themself towards the clear blue waters of the pool. A gentle but firm hand grabbed them by the nape of their cloak.
"Gotcha! Mi Amore, I caught the miscreant, slather them in sunscreen!"
Sasi squealed wriggling to get away before their grinning father ran up and smeared sunscreen over their face.
"Good catch darling! This wild Sasithorn isn't going anywhere without proper sun protection." He laughed.
"Noooooo! Let me GO! I don't want protection, I'm a big strong Crab!" Yelled Sasi, squirming and thrashing to get away.
"Even big strong crabs need protection from the sun. Be a good example for your younger siblings Sasi..." Warned their mother, her kind face stern enough to demand respect.
Sasi sat on the sand, as their parents rubbed in the white annoying cream. Their pudgy moth arms folded in mock disapproval. They glanced over at Odë , who was also white as a ghost, and chasing a butterfly. Báye was sitting immobile in shallow water, staring at a fish swimming up to him.
"Alright your done crab cakes! Don't go deeper then you can touch ok."
"Yes, momma! ODË , COME ON!"
Sasi dashed over and grabbed Odë's cloak pulling her towards the water. The day was perfect for going on a swim. Sanctuary islands were bright and clear, and the teal blue waters were shallow and fun to play in, especially for the young 5 year old twins.
Sasi looked back at their mother wading towards them with Báye on her shoulders, he was playing with her long brown hair, similar to his own. Her blue eyes sparkled as she laughed at their father diving in from the ledge and making a huge splash. He pulled up the twins on his powerful shoulders, letting them swing in amusement.
Sasi laughed letting go and plunging into the sparkling blue. They plopped on the bottom kicking their tiny legs upwards to reach the surface.
"PAPA! Did you see me speed up like a jellyfish?"
Silence. Everyone was gone.
    The sun still shone down just as bright and the fish kept swimming, but no ripples came from where their family had been seconds before.
    Sasi looked down at their reflection, no longer that of a moth, but a cracked mask.
    They kneeled over slowly in the now incredibly shallow and polluted water. Silently crying. What was happening.
The wind rushed past as a long pealing whistle cut through. Sasi stood up, wiping away tears, and wading out of the pond, towards a cloaked figure with their back to them. They stood beside them for a few seconds listening to the wind howl.
Speech seemed futile so they stood in silence. The figure turned and stared at them with big glowing teal eyes.
"This is the third time you've been here Aryonwyn. Something wrong?"
Sasi shook their head frowning. The figure reached out a slender arm and grabbed their cloak.
"Don't lie. Everyone comes to the Void at some point. You are welcome to stay as long as you want, I could use the company." They turned back staring in fascination at several mantas diving into the water.
Sasi had seen them many times before in their dreams, but never had they spoken to them. It was almost as if they didn't belong, like they were merely waiting for a ride to the next place.
"Perhaps.." They thought. "I look the same. Wandering place to place. Never belonging anywhere."
They stood in silence watching the mantas dive, as a storm grew rapidly on the horizon. Plump fat raindrops began to fall and thunder rumbled, as the clouds grew closer blocking out the light.