A New Life

Grigio

I got married to an elf, called Jasmine Elfine. She and I were of different race, so we both knew things the other did not. And were of different times, so we had different backstories. Jasmine wanted to know so much about times back then, and I would amuse her with funny little mistakes and thoughts back then. In the afternoon, we would go to the fields and ensnare clouds.

I don't mean ensnare clouds by daydreaming. I mean literally. Jasmine and her kind knew how to take a wisp of it and change its shape. I was not an elf, but she told me how she did it, and added onto my metal arm things that would aid me in the process. It needs a lot of patience and practice, but I practiced everyday, and gradually got better. She was still better at forming, however. I was making spheres when she would be making models of cars and castles.

It was really funny when I shaped it into a bone and Salty went jumping all over my arms to mess it up. He licked it and snapped at it until it became just mist on my hands. She did have to tell me to be careful though.

"These are good talents to have, to be sure, but have a care who you do it in front of. Also, do not try it while it is raining, or in a thunderstorm. None of my kind know what would happen if someone did, but warnings have been passed down from generation to generation." She laughed at the serious look on my face that she knew so well; the face I have when I am thinking.

"What are your thoughts this time?" Jasmine asked with a flick of her light blue dress. I smiled because I knew that she remembered the time I told her I was pondering why elephants are grey.

"I've been thinking. Why am I here?"

She sat down on the chair.

"You're here because you've earned this place. You've got a job. You've been responsible."

"No, I mean, why? Why didn't I just die with my parents? Die like everyone else in my old town? Why me?"

"These are very deep questions Freckio. You know, sometimes you don't need to know the answers. Sometimes it's not right to know the answers. You're here, because God decided you would be the one to stay alive. That's all anyone needs to know."

"Why do you think that?"

"I've been in your experience before." She sat down. "You see, I'm not a real elf. I'm only mostly elf. My mother was an elf, my father a human. He died when I was still very young from a group of bandits. During the attack my mother took me out of my bed and carried me to a bush. Leaving me there, she ran back. I never saw her again. I was found by other elves, however, and taken to their home. When I grew up they told me everyone else in the village had died. I used to wonder, what am I?"

I had never heard this story before, but it sounded familiar. My eyebrows frowned as I pondered, and she smiled.

"Still haven't convinced you, hey?"

"I've been thinking...what was the name of the village you left?"

"I don't know. I was too young then. But I do remember that on its northern side there was a large mountain, the village was cut into it. On the southern side there ran a stream, so we had put a bridge over it. And there were lots of trees, for we grew them and never cut them down. That's all I remember."

"The mountain was blue." She looked at me in surprise, "And on its slopes were wild flowers of different colors, red in the sunlight and pale at night."

"How do you know all this?"

"That's where I lived. My mother and father fled with me into the forest, along with a few others. We found another village, the town that is now abandoned. Obviously the environment was too great a strain on my blood, and I fell sick often. My vessels would freeze, the blood would stop flowing. One night the sickness came, and you know the rest of the story."

I looked away. "It's like you said, Jasmine. We are similar. And different. In ways that we do not even know. But we shouldn't question it." I looked at her. "We should believe."

She laughed again, at the eagerness and seriousness on my face. She whispered something to me.

I chuckled, for that was an old joke.

When Jasmine goes off to visit her parents, what I really like to do is walk. Salty would pester me to take along one of his puppies, for he was a full-grown dog mated to a sweet labrador Jasmine had. In fact, he would not let me go out the door without taking one of the pups to see the world. He trusted me as much as any dog could, but would not allow more than one to leave at a time.

Anyway, I would go on a walk. The puppy I would usually take was a white labrador(Salty's puppies were either pure sheepdogs or pure labradors, never, ever mixed). That is, it was all white except a light brown spot on his left paw. He liked my arm, but never wanted to be held. He liked heights, but not off the ground. He enjoyed spicy food, but would never add spices to his food. In short, this puppy enjoyed much, but was picky. He despised anyone calling him 'dog', and the small pup would get up and leave the room if anyone uttered the word. Grigio was his name, Italian for Grey. We had to guess the name a few times, for Grigio only replied to one name. Don't blame me that his name has nothing to do with his color!

Despite Grigio's breed, he acted much like his father in his young age. He seemed a mixture of a kind labrador and a fierce German Shepherd. He was kind to most who walked by us as we passed through the streets. His small tongue hung out and his short tail whisked from side to side. At the park I would take off his leash and he would chase butterflies. However, if anyone even came near me he would rush to my side, show his teeth, and snap at him. If the person did not leave quick enough he would bark loudly and chase him down the street, heedless of my calls. I knew I could not bring him back, but he would get tired quickly and look towards me. At such times I would turn around and pretend to go home. Grigio then raced back and begged me to stay at the park, with his labrador eyes. I had to stay then, and Grigio would go back to chasing butterflies.