The Fabulous & The Ancient Artifact

Part 8: The Conical Archer

After a five-minute walk through an open field after the bridge, the two found themselves nearing some tall grass and dark green vegetation. In the distance, the tall grass grew to become a small forest with short trees.

"Custódio, are we getting close to Acalangus yet?"

"A-ca-lan-tus," corrected the angel. "Well, the school is just beyond this forest, at the peak of Mount Daydream. It would take a few days to get there on foot; but with the Charon's Yellow Canoe, it's much faster. A half hour and you'll arrive there."

"Wait, 'you'? Why just me? You're not coming with?"

"No, I'm not. It's a tour made only for cracker children. Although I would love to go back and reminisce on the time I spent studying there. I miss the classes and the professors. My favorite teacher was, without a doubt, Master Pete Atlas."

"Are there video games at the school, too?" Cauã asked, showing interest in the academy.

"No there aren't, but there's Freefall, which is way better!" the angel responded excitedly.

"What is freefall, Custódio?"

"It's by far the most popular fabulous sport!"

"Like soccer?"

"Way better than that, Cauã!! I suppose if you had to compare it to something you know, it's like soccer, but you play vertically!"

"Sounds fun," he muttered, definitely not interested in vertical soccer.

"A friend of mine lives near here and she is a total master at freefall. Her name's Arachne!" the angel said, wistfully looking into the distance. "Those were good times we had, playing freefall almost every single day. We only stopped at 5 PM because she wanted to have afternoon tea or crochet with her mother."

"Um, Custódio," Cauã interrupted his guardian's reminiscing. "How long have you been my guardian angel?"

"Going on seven years now."

"Seven years? But I thought that I had chosen you this afternoon with the game."

"It's the guardians who choose who they take care of, actually. I chose you when you first said that guardian angel prayer all by yourself when you were three. You're my first cracker ward."

"Cracker ward?"

"Yes, that's the name we give the cracker children that we take care of. I graduated from Aca.L.An.Tu.S. just before you learned the prayer, and then I chose you to be my ward.

"Then, you must know everything about me!"

"Not even, Cauã. I don't know everything by a longshot. I know your name is Cauã Nascimento Travassos. You're ten years old. Your birthday is the twenty-third of February. Your parents are Luiz and Bernadete. Oh, and I also know what mischief you get into. But the rest of the stuff about the cracker world, I don't have the slightest idea. All that technology that you have down there doesn't make a bit of sense to me. Here, we just do everything by emanating graces. Besides that, I have another ward to take care of, too. But you know, it's always you who gets into trouble. I have to keep an eye on you with my binoculars day and night to make sure you don't get hurt," Custódio complained, taking a small device out of one of his suit pockets. "What made you think going the wrong direction down a one-way street was a good idea? And that business with that coxinha and soda, downing it like there was no tomorrow — did you want to get an upset stomach? I had to make you get rid of it all."