A World Where Something Exists

Episode 3: Past

We Meet

The boy is trapped in a frozen cage of emptiness, forced into a deep sleep. At one point in his deep sleep the boy heard a voice. Hearing that voice triggered a dream, a memory that the boy forgot was even there. The boy's world is a tundra world of ice and snow that is blanketed in white and decorated with frost, a bland world with no color and no differences. Everything and everyone are the same, everyone and everything are similar. That is all the boy knew, that is all there was. Except, except this small creature was unlike anything the boy had seen before. It is... different? This being has big bright eyes, colorful hair, a warm face, a warm smile, warm hands, everything about it is warm.

"Hello, my name is Traeh. Are you feeling better?" it asked.

"What?" asked the boy.

"You were unconscious for a while. I couldn't wake you up at first. I had to use my flame of life to bring you back. Don't you remember?"

The boy looked up at a tall cliff and at the hard ground of ice and thought for a moment. He remembered that he was lost, he remembered that a lot of snow was falling and he couldn't see, he remembered dropping for a long time, he remembered pain coursing through his entire body and a shard of ice coming out of his stomach, he remembered not being able to move and barely being able to breathe, he remembered seeing light, then nothing.

"What are you?" asked the boy finally able to sit up.

"Me? I told you I am Traeh. What are you?" Traeh asked.

"I am a cool one," said the boy. Traeh laughed at his answer.

"That's a strange name" Traeh replied.

"Name?" questioned the boy.

"Yes, your name, something you are called to distinguish you from others. At least that is what the voices told me."

"We do not have names all the little ones are called cool ones, all the older ones are called cold ones, all the elder ones are called frigid ones, and our leaders are called frozen ones," said the boy.

"But why don't you have names?" Traeh asked.

"Because everything and everyone is the same, everyone and everything is similar, and that is good. To be different is bad, so to encourage things like names that symbolize difference is wrong," said the boy.

"Well, we're different, so does that mean that I'm bad, am I wrong?" Traeh asked. This idea upset Traeh, which in turn upset the boy.

"No-no, you are not bad. I mean, you did help me so you can't be," the boy looked at Traeh reassuringly.

"Really? Thank you" Traeh smiled at the boy. Something was happening, something the boy could not explain. He felt something, something different something that wasn't cold. "Are you ok?" The boy didn't realize how close Traeh was to his face until he looked up. The strange feeling the boy got grew as he looked into her eyes. The boy backed away a little and shook his head yes. Traeh giggled and placed her hand on the boy's cheek. The strange feeling got even worst, something the boy did not think was possible, and he stiffened slightly at her touch.

"Your face is all red. It looks like mine when I'm happy. I guess we're the same after all," Traeh said. For some reason the boy could not help but smile at this, then for some reason the strange warm creature put its arms around him tightly which made the boy a little nervous.

"W-what are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm hugging you, Traeh said, the voices told me that when you like someone or something a good way to show them how much you care is to hold them gently, in other words a hug. Why, do you not like me?" Traeh asked.

"No-no I like you, a lot and-"

"And?"

"And I think your, beautiful," said the boy.

"You think so? Maybe you shouldn't say that" Traeh said.

"Why?" asked the boy.

"Because all the voices in my world tell me I'm beautiful all the time, but when you say it, it makes me feel different." Traeh said.

"Different how?" asked the boy.

"It makes me feel happy," Traeh said.

"That's good because I want you to be happy. I like it when you smile," said the boy.

"Well, that's good because I like it when you smile too," Traeh said. The not so strange creature hugged the boy one more time and this time the boy hugged it back. He liked the way it felt, this warm creature in his arms. Something about it just made everything feel right.

"I must go now." When Traeh tried to leave the boy grabbed her hand and held it tightly.

"Go where?" the boy asked.

"Home," said Traeh.

"Where is home?" the boy asked. Traeh pointed towards the horizon where the golden orb was almost barely visible. "The golden orb? You live there?" asked the boy.

"Yes, and it is leaving without me I have to go now," Traeh said.

"No, why, you don't have to leave. You can stay here with me. I'll take care of you," said the boy.

"I can't stay. I'll die if I do," Traeh said.

"Die?"

"Yes. You see it's too cold for me here. I can't survive in this climate. Also, my world and I are connected. I am my world, and my world is me. If I die then it dies too, and if my world dies then all the light, warmth, and color in your world will disappear. All life will stop," Traeh said.

"Then why? Why would you risk coming here if it was so dangerous for you? Your world has almost disappeared from sight, and you came here anyway knowing all of this. It doesn't make any sense," asked the boy.

"You're right. Truth be told, I'm never allowed to leave my world. The voices forbad me from doing so, but I snuck away from them when they were preoccupied with themselves and came here."

"But why?"

"Because I heard a voice."

"A voice?"

"Yes, and it was coming from this world. I couldn't ignore it, so I came, and it led me to you," said Traeh.

"Me?"

"Yes, I could hear your voice calling out so I left the safety of my world to see you and I'm very glad that I did, but now I must go."

"Will I ever see you again?" the boy asked.

"Of course, one day, I'm sure." The boy let go of Traeh's hand and watched as his new friend raced back home. The boy's eyes swelled with tears. In a flash of light Traeh disappeared into the sky and left a stream of colors that enveloped the heavens. Just then the boy heard something.

"Please don't be sad. I promise we'll meet again and when we do, I will give you your very own name ok?"

"Ok, I'll be waiting," said the boy to the sky, and that was the last time the boy heard Traeh's voice. Until now.