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Fire churns in my chest as I ponder this possibility.
I stand close as she enters the great hall and I automatically try to place my hand on the small of her back, to guide her around a corner…and my hand goes right through her body. It’s very disconcerting. And she doesn’t even notice.
“Red Soldier?” she calls me.
It saddens me that she doesn’t yet know my real name.
Who is this human? Where did she come from? Why is she staying in this aging domicile? I need to learn more about her, but after listening to her discussions with others and reading over her shoulder communications that appear on the screen of her tablet, I’ve learned—nothing. Nothing. I cannot understand what the Gravians say, nor can I translate any of her textual communications.
She seems to be settling in and not trying to leave. Interesting. Does this mean that she’s here to stay? But how can she stay? This place is a ruin without functioning power or communication equipment and the kitchen is ruined. I can only live here because I’m not entirely phased into this plane.
The female leaves the castle and progresses to the front gate. I walk alongside her, but when we arrive, I’m only able to watch and listen from a distance. This is the edge of my boundary. I hear every word she speaks and understand none of it.
Then she walks outside and lets the gate close shut behind her.
My chest tightens because I cannot follow her outside. It would mean sudden death. She’s in the road amongst a large group of Gravians. I remain as close as I can, impatient to know the outcome of her meeting. Is she leaving, like all the others had done before her, never to return? I can’t hear her conversations from this distance or see exactly what is happening because of all the dense vines that block my view. I pace in the driveway, steaming over the fact that I cannot have her nearby.
But eventually she returns, with a smile on her face. She carries many more bags of supplies. The female walks back up the road and I follow behind and watch as she returns to the castle to deposit her bags in the bedroom upstairs.
She pauses to eat and drink some hot Traq she’d brought. I stare at her longingly, wishing I could also eat and drink alongside her. I’m not hungry during the day, when I’m phased out, but at night I want to eat everything in sight. I fill my stomach with water from the garden well and the fruits that grow on the trees. And I hunt and eat what I catch, or store meat for later. It is not terrible. Living this way keeps me alive and fit, but I miss something as simple as flavored Traq.
More importantly I’d kill for a pint of ale.
I’ve eaten alone for an entire year. It would be nice to have company—someone to speak with, laugh, and exchange stories. But I cannot converse with this human, or any of the Gravians outside. I am constantly tormented by the fact that I am imprisoned on an estate that is not on my own home planet but is on the planet Salo. If this strange imprisonment had happened to me on Tarvos, I would’ve been rescued right away, but on Salo I fear that my lockdown will go on indefinitely.
How long can my body and mind remain healthy in this half-phased state? I do not know.
The female eventually makes her way downstairs again and returns to the gate and is given even more heavy bags and carries them all back again by herself back up the stairs to the master bedroom. I can hear her panted breaths and I know this is tiring for her. I stand close by, wishing I could take this burden from her and carry all these bags and whatever else she needs. I am also angry that none of the beings at the gate are brave enough to step inside the estate and help her carry this load.
Gravians are a very superstitious species. This is why no one has remained here since the peacekeepers left.
The good news is that not once has she met up with a male, or any offspring. If she were mated that male would have escorted her to the tower. He would have her in his arms and be constantly at her side. And if she had offspring she would be hugging and kissing them at the gate. None of these situations are occurring. My poor female appears as alone as I am—a foreigner living on Salo.
The human female pauses to eat again; this time she nibbles on a protein bar—which again I wish I could share with her. She sits in a window seat, picks up her tablet and taps on it, reading as she eats. I sit down on the floor next to her and lean my back against the wall, near her swinging feet. At this time of day, I’m lucky to not phase through the wall. I have to focus just to keep from falling through and down to the first floor. I like staying with her in the master bedroom though because it is the best place for me to remain phased in this plane.
And I want to be where she is.
I am actually very pleased to have another being nearby all day. I’m usually alone, which I do not enjoy. Even though I can’t speak to her or touch her, or affect the movement of any objects, I do like hearing her voice, even if I can’t understand what is said. And I like the trail of her scent. The look of wonder on her exotic, beautiful features as she examines the other rooms in the castle is delightful. I will give her a complete tour of the estate this myself. Maybe I can do this for her in the middle of the night, when I am able to maintain my solid, natural form?
Can I also trust her enough to show her the basement? Is this the being who will free me from this prison? If anything goes wrong, it will mean my death, and possibly hers. After seeing the crowd at the gate, none of whom would cross onto the estate, I am even more cynical about the thought of any Gravians stepping forward to help me.
I can train her on the steps to set up the correct generator, but they are difficult, and I need a being whom I can trust. And I don’t want her hurt in the process. I am not going to rush to a rash decision. I will wait because this needs to be done right, or not at all. I will not gain my freedom at the cost of her life. I would rather stay here for decades, alone, than hurt this human.
After her meal, the female takes a brand new cleaning bot out of one of her many bags and places it on the floor, and she gives it instructions. I watch in interest as the bot gets to work, freshening the room. Soon the dust is gone and the floor is clean.
The suns begin to lower on the horizon, and I know I will soon become solid. I leave the female behind because I have much to do in a short amount of time. I go outside and around to the back of the basement, to the cold storage room. This is where I hang and preserve my meat for later consumption. I focus on remaining solid and I’m able to open doors and get to work and most importantly—I’m now able to eat.
The female’s teeth are blunt, so I assume she will not be able to eat her meat raw; she needs tender meat. I bury the ribs of a large predator I took down last month in a pit, covered with hot ebony bark. It will slow cook this meat and we can eat it tomorrow night. I consume other meat I’ve preserved, not bothering to go on the hunt tonight because I don’t want to lose time with this female. Luckily, I have plenty of meat in stock because I was readying for the winter season.
I wash up, pumping the well water, not wanting the female to see any gore or blood on me. I do not think she knows this pump is here, because she is using the water from the bathroom, or jugs she brought. I will have to show her.
I pause to place a bowl of the best fruit from the trees in the garden, perfectly ripe, for the female. Tomorrow will find them on the table in the great hall. Hopefully she will understand that this is my gift to her.
At about the same time as last night, I ready to return to the master bedroom. The suns have set, and it is dark outside, but the two moons are full. I can phase through the door and stand at the foot of the bed again this one last time, but I will soon remain entirely solid, which is my preferred state while I sleep. It allows me to rest in the bed without fear of falling through the floors, which happened during my first night here alone, and I do not want to recreate that unpleasant sensation of burial within the foundations of the castle.
I pause in the great hall, at the base of the stairs and glance at the front door. What if she has snuck out while I was out back? She looked like she was determined to continue to stay with me here, but what if she changed her mind?
I dash upstairs and phase through the door in a sudden rush.
