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10

"Mother, is that you?" asked Shahbaz.

"Yes, I am your mother" said the fairy.

Shahbaz was devastated to see his deceased mother. He was not prepared for his emotions or reactions. Therefore, he remained silence but wept. He could not understand how he could go closer to his mother and hug her.

"Mother, why did you leave me like this? Your son is not in peace. If you were there, I could not have been merciless" said Shahbaz.

"You lost yourself, dear. Remember what your father told you? Plant a tree" said the fairy.

"How could I plant the tree myself? I have no resources and one of my farmers are killed but by me. It was not intended, mother. I first lost you, my father and Karimi" said Shahbaz.

"What about your other half? Doesn't she support you?" asked the fairy.

"If we could not barely talk, we could have developed a lot more. Her father is a traitor to all the kingdom" said Shahbaz.

"I understand what you are going through. Anyway, remember, plant a tree" said the fairy.

The fairy vanished that left Shahbaz shocked. He slowly walked into the woods which was surrounded by the oak trees as well as the fireflies. Despite the serene scenario, Shahbaz was lost in his mother's presence. Therefore, he could not enjoy but he sat down in the tree plus thinking about why to plant a tree.

Suddenly, he saw a lemur who was eating some nuts. Shahbaz was mesmerized by the lemur.

"Hey little fella" said Shahbaz.

"Don't touch me" said the lemur.

"Woah! You can talk!" said Shahbaz.

"Yes, I can, how can I help you, sir?" said lemur.

"I am here for peace" said Shahbaz.

"Anyway sir, I am Capren, Captain Capren, at your service" said the lemur and bowed.

The little Lemur would be quite familiar to those who read Abdul's biography, 'Listening to the Wilds'. Nevertheless, he was not the older Capren but the hyped version of him. He was fuzzy and hot tempered whenever anyone touches. Otherwise, he has the similar decency like his older counterpart. He was cuter than his older self.

"So, why are you here?" asked Shahbaz.

"The spirits allowed you to speak with us and I found out that you are kind of a lost soul. According to the rule of Peaceland, the 'door' is accessible to those who are tired of life but at the same time, those who have kindness, they can speak to us. It is a very ancient rule since the Physician died. In the honor of his spirit, the Peaceland is made by someone above" said Capren.

"Anyway, I am Shahbaz" said Shahbaz.

"The Emperor? Master Mata told me all about you, sir. It was a valiant thing that you saved the giants sir" said Capren.

"The old me. But now a lost soul" said Shahbaz.

"You are more than you are capable of, sir" said Capren.

Then, Capren took the Monkeys' Paradise. It was decorated with colorful clothes as well as the light of the fireflies where the monkeys were entertaining themselves such as some were playing Afro drums, some were dancing as played by a person in the flute and some monkeys were reading the ancient books written by the Physician and the tale was decorated with pictures but with less graphical violence.

THE PEACELAND TRILOGY (For Critics Only) #Wattys2020Where stories live. Discover now