LUSIO And The Hidden Emperor

4. A New Family

"Have ypu lost your mind old man...??" Lusio shouted.
"No. I m absolutely fine and I am not kidding. And one more thing, did your parents never teach you how to behave with an elder person?" the old man replied with disgust. "Now listen. That way(pointing to a road) will take you to Norhatten. It will be better if you shut your mouth up and go there to give yourself a shelter." Ronan added and started walking back to the jungle.
"Where is this Norhatten?? I dont know such place, never heard about it." Lusio asked him making a face.
"Just follow the road. You will get your answeres yourself." Ronan answered. "And if you will further try to follow me then I will tie you with a stone and throw straight into the river. Understood?" He added.
"So mean!!!! I am not gonna follow you. Go to hell" Lusio said and shook his head in a bit of anger.

Lusio started walking by the road. "Norhatten... Norhatten... Norhatten... Bloody where are you..." He was murmuring and kept walking. How long his eyes were going, they were catching hills, forests, trees but no peached road, no buildings or monuments, no vehicles. He was very scared. He could not understand what actually happened to him or how did he get there.

However, after a long walk atlast he came across a village, a very rural area. He saw many peoples there. The place was strange. The dresses of the peoples were also very strange. It looked like he came thousand year back. Even there was no electricity. It was looking like a market conjested with many small stalls. Everybody was staring at him because he looked odd among them. A boy with a modern outfit. He could not afford some courage to ask someone about the place. Finally he gathered some confidence and asked a stall owner,"Hellow... Can you tell me what is this place?"
-"Didn't see you before. Are you new here kid?"
-"Hmm... I m new... I know nothing about this place."
-"Not me either. How much I know this place is called Norhatten. There are six areas under the Kingdom of Sulventium. The six areas are Norhatten, where you are right now, Morland, Pekhom, Lavytan, Surkzilla and Burgentum."
-"For how long are you here?"
-"6 years."
-"Before that?"
-"A normal human being with a job in New York city."
-"So you are also from Earth??"(Lusio got some hope)
-"Everybody is from Earth kid. Every year some new members added here. I was new too like you."
-"Did you never want to go back?"
-"Ofcourse I did. But nobody could go back. There is a way to come in but no way to go out from this world."
-"You mean I cant go back to my life...??"(His face was pale)
-"I am sorry to say this kid. But unfortunately no. You can't go back."
-"Don't you miss your family??"
-"Who doesn't miss his family?? They must be assuming that I am dead."(with a supressed smile filled with deep pain)

Lusio said nothing and walked away brooding over what he just has heard. Is that true? Scientists never discovered a different world like this. Is this magic? No no.. that's not true ofcourse. It can't be. And if it is true even a door always opens at both sides. We can use it for come in as well as go out. I have to go back to my mom dad. I have to go back to Kerry and apolosize to her. He started crying.

He never felt so helpless before. It was being evening now. He had nowhere to stay. He went and sat beside a stall and soon fell asleep. At night the stall-owner saw a young boy just sleeping beside his stall. He waked him up. "Hey boy. Its late. You should go home." the man said.
"But i have nowhere to go at all." Lusio replied with a sleepy inocent sad face.
The man felt pity. "Come with me. U look hungry. Arn't you?"
-"Yes I am."
Lusio went with the man to his house. He was feeling sleepy and could not see the man's face till now. There were many candles lit up in the room. "Dont you use bulbs or L.E.Ds??" Lusio fainted.
-"That requeres electricity my dear. And there is no electricity in Sulventium."
Now he could see the man's face clearly in the light. He got a shock. "Aren't you Mr. Johnes McDorres?"
-"How do you know my name?(with a shocked face and clunchy eyes)
-"I am Lusio Dennison, from Vergum town. And you are the History professor at St. Rodriguez Junior High right? I am a student there."
-"Ohh I see but I have been living here for almost 10 years."
-"But you and your daughter got lost suddenly just a year ago."
-"A year ago? But how that can be possible.?"(With a cofused face)
An another voice startled their conversation,"Daddy... Is there anyone with you??". A girl of almost 18 or 19 came out from the adjacent room. "Hey honey... This is Lusio. And Lusio, this is my daughter Nancy."
"Hi Lusio!" The girl greeted him. "Hii!" he gave back with a tilted smile on his lips.
"Can you bake a bread and give him some fruit honey... He is very hungry" Mr. McDorres said to his daughter. "And you will take him to King for a job if there any suitable for him...Okay?" he added. Nancy nodded in agreement.

Johnes went to sleep. Nancy baked and offered Lusio some food. They two sat with each other and had a little talk. Lusio told the whole indcident how he stucked there. Nancy sighed and told,"I was just 9. It was a fine night. I went to a colleague's party with daddy. On the way back. Our car got pumptured. I saw a beautiful necklace on a cat's leg..."
-"Black cat?"
-"....yup... Black cat. I was a child. I didn't know anything. I just got attracted and followed the cat. I ran to chase that. My daddy chased me. I entered a den. Then i don't know anything what happened. When i opened my eyes I was here, in so called Norhatten. I miss Mom and my little brother Sam. May b we are dead for them. Dont know how are they now. My brother has rurned 16 by now." She began to sobb. Her tears were glittering in the light of the candles. Lusio sat close to her. He wiped her tears. "Hey.. I know I am not your brother. But I am also 16 and I am like your brother too. I promise I will take all of you back to your families. You will meet your brother Nancy. Till then you can call me Sam."
Nancy smiled with teary eyes. Nancy knew that was impossible what Lusio said but his words comforted her and made her feel a brotherly love. Nancy shew her new Sam a room to sleep. Nancy left to her room. Lusio laid on the bed and was thinking about all of his earlier life. Everything was going so fine. And on another fine day everything changed.
"I promise Mom. I promise I will be right back very soon." A drop of tear rolled down to his cheek. After some moments his eyes closed. He fell asleep.

to be continued...