Journeys with a stranger

Bonus Chapter: Beginning

A cold, dark, and sparsely lit forrest of black trees covered the land. Tiny pockets of lights poked out from the trees. The trees themselves are dull and non reflective. Each branch of the individual tree connected to the neighboring trees. The roots all grounded except for three for which each are attached to a monitor. These monitors are transparent save for the veins of metallic substances.

Tiny and microcropic flying machines hummed around to check and clean these trees. Except for one larger one. It pressed on a monitor which opened one tree that has flashed in a odd manner. Inside revealed a cylindrical pole of lights and metallic connectors. As the lights died out, a swarm of larger bronze machines appeared. It awaited near the opened tree.

It was then a slender man came out from a hatch underground. He was dressed in a shiny plastic and matte fiber coat. His head have been covered with a protective helmet of steel and creamic plating. As he walked carefully to the tree, the monitors of that tree changed its screens. On those screens showed a foriegn set of words and menus. From the man's exposed black skin, dark gases of purple and blue emitted on the screen. The man did not move much of his hand. The gases fluxuate and stirred. As if it was the digits of many fingers, the screen picked up on the movements and adjusts accordingly.

Sounds emitted from the pole. And the lights turned off. More of the larger bronze machines appeared. In the middle, they carried another pole. The man recieved the pole gently. Then the machines pryed off the old pole and carried it away. On cue, the other swarm delicately assisted the man as he replaced. While the man is busy held the pole upright, a quietly runged sounds of bells echoed from his pocket. He was unable to answer it.

However, one of the bronze machines noticed and lifted a slab from his pocket. It rung again. "Annnswer...," He said. The machine hulled it to his left side. "H-hello? ... Dad," a sweet young voice said from the slab. Knowing who it is he replied, "Alto, you're awake. How is my sweet little girl?" And she timidly replied, "N-not good. Hughe is still mad at me." The man frowns in sorrow and disappointment. "Did you fight with him again," He asks. It was silent for a while. He heard a breath. "Yes. He won't play with me."

The man thought for a minute. "Alto, I will be home after I finished this pole here. Please gather your brother at the door," he told her. "Okay," was her reply. The slab then hung up. Then it displayed pictures and photos like a band of tape around the mid-section of its body. The edges of the display was jagged with a not-so-straight lines. The machine carried the slab back to the pocket of the coat.

The pole have been connected for a while as he talked to his daughter. He removed his hands. The same bronze machine mimiced the slab. It runged near his left ear. The man turned to look madly at it. "Smart allic," he told it.

The tree closed up when he reached for monitor. The bronze machines flew away except for one. It followed the man back down the hatch. Many different tubes and connections of roots hugged the wide corridor. The man ran down one direction of the corridor. At the end of it, was a seemingly only a white wall. The machine acted curiously. The man pressed his hand and it opened up. The wall splited evenly apart to the sides.

Inside it have a white room that was nearly void of anything. Only a single screen occupied the space. He stood in front of the screen. Behind it, the wall shook. It self looked like it opened. Instead it was a gateway to the door of his home.

The door opened and two children came out to greet. The black skinned boy looked mad. He was very mad in particular at this bronette haired, black skinned timid girl. The man was disappointed at them both. Her yellow eyes looked downward at her feet. And the boy's attention was at her. "Alto! Hughe," the man gathered their attention, "I'm a little disappointed at you both." The two children looked at the man. I wish that you both stop fighting while I am away."

"Alto, I've told you many times that Hughe has that temper and sometimes he needs to cool off," He addresses to her. "Hughe! Would it kill you to play with her sometimes..." The man preached to Hughe before an alarm is sounded. The man felt compelled to answer the alarm. He ran off furiously out onto another corridor.

Hughe had been mad at her but has been stunned at her next action. She crossed the gateway and it closed on him. She rushed into the corridor her father went. And the bronze flying machine followed. She sprinted till she is out of breath. The alarm has stopped. Alto followed the corridor to an opened room of corridors. Not knowing where her father left to, she cried her eyes till she saw the machine.

It figured what she wanted. It latched on her left wrist. This terrorfied her. Alto tried to pry it off. Then a smaller gateway opened and suck her in. She landed face first onto the ground. She cried thoughout the gigantic hall which housed a enormous computer. The computer was shaped like a stilagmite that connected to many tubes.

She knows that was the computer brain of where her father worked. And on cue her father noticed her there on the ground crying. "What are you dong here," He asked her. And she can only respond in tears. He reached and picked her up.