AFTERLAND and The Cryptic Prophecy

09: The Truth or Trick

They created the cable car only for Afterlings, and as an Afterling, being aware of all threats that the cable car might give us was one of our responsibilities. Unfortunately, our parents harbored the truth about our origin. Strong enough to be a soap opera, right? It was also the first time we entered the world of Afterland, and we didn't know what or who we might encounter.

"Franco!" I shouted.

I could tell he had a hard time breathing. We rushed to get to him and the first thing I noticed was his darkened lips and eyelids. Some of his veins showed on his face, partly on his cheeks, chin, and forehead. He looked horrific, and I could not even look at him because of his pale and outrageous appearance.

Harris checked Franco's pulse and brought out something from his backpack. Tiny stones shone inside the small glass container covered with cork. He picked a piece inside, a red inorganic crystalline solid like ruby. He was about to put it in Franco's mouth, but I stopped him.

"I think that's not a good idea," I said.

Franco had allergies, and all medicines he needed to take must be with his doctor's prescription. It's not a good idea for Harris to do what he was about to do. It might cause Franco a rash, hives, or difficulty of breathing. It happened twice already, and it was traumatic.

"Trust me, Charlie, this thing may not cure him, but it will help him," he said in a tone that would make me feel less worried.

I stared at Diordin as if I was asking her permission. Even though Harris and I hadn't seen each other for a long time, I knew he's not capable of doing things like worsen my friend's condition. I knew his intentions well, but we weren't sure what effect it would give to Franco.

"Just let him. He seems to know what he's doing," Dior said.

Although I was full of doubts, I just agreed. Besides, there's no hospital nearby that could help us. I just prayed nothing bad would happen to Franco.

Harris did what he was planning to do. He slowly put the small red stone on Franco's tongue. For a moment, his face lit up with red glow. Seconds dragged by, Franco opened his eyes. He was conscious, but there was still a trace of weakness in his movements. Pressing his head, he seemed trying to remember what had happened. If I hadn't felt sorry for the way he look, I might have scolded him for what he did.

"What happened to him?" Diordin's serious expression made her look like she wanted to bawl Franco out. She's just holding back like me.

"Let's say not all chocolates are sweet, some are deadly," Harris replied as he returned the bottle with small red stones in his bag.

"You mean, that cable car is poisonous?!" I exclaimed, and Harris nodded as an answer. At the very least, we would have been able to avoid something bad from happening if he had told us about it.

I wasn't blaming him, but it's his obligation to tell us what we needed to know since he knew about Afterland better than us. I apologize for being demanding. I'm just worried about my friend.

"What do you feel?" I asked Franco.

He tried to respond, but his condition obstructed him to talk.

"The magenta -the stone, it will only prevent the poison from spreading his body. He still needs the right medicine to fully recover," Harris explained as he helped Franco from standing.

Dior's eyebrows moved together. "What kind of medicine?"

"Honestly, I don't know -" Harris wasn't able to finish his statement.

"You don't know?!" I hollered.

"Yes, but I know who could help us cure him," he answered calmly.

My anger died down. "Who is he, and where can we find him?"