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  She wanted to know more about him, obviously, his favorite foods, what music he preferred, stories from his childhood, but the conversation always diverted back to her and since she was a bit of a gossip she picked up the talk and ran with it, regaling him with stories about Sys and her magical hands, Purple music, her adventures among the stars, the games she played with her friends on the beach as a child, sister Roberta's innovative genius, Sarah's lovely realm of herbs and cats, sister Joseph and her always hungry dragon, anything and everything she could think of.

  "You never tell me anything about yourself!" Lily told Hamon reproachfully, but he replied that he didn't want to talk about it and changed the subject. Lily's curiosity grew in time, only matched by her rising apprehension. She couldn't imagine any circumstance that would make childhood on Terra Two, no matter where, so bad that one didn't want to talk about it, she wondered if he had a falling out with his parents, or was fighting his way out of a major setback, and she ran one scenario after another in her head, her natural inquisitiveness fed by her need for things to neatly make sense. She started fearing that he was going to disappear into thin air one day, as suddenly as he arrived, and after that she would have to spend the rest of eternity combing the known universe from one end to the other trying to find him.

  "Don't worry," he joked. "The universe is not that big."

  ***

  "Lily. Like. Wisp." Purple said reproachfully.

  "I do, if you say they're sentient. I haven't been to Vlor in months, though, thanks to your big mouth. Why did you have to tell my parents about the cliff jumping?" Lily retorted, still annoyed at the gossips.

  "Why. Go. Planet." the immortals continued, with a tinge of jealousy in their voice.

  "I have no idea what you're talking about," Lily replied, puzzled.

  "Lily. Dense." Purple grumbled, irate, and refused to continue the conversation.

  ***

  Landing Day was fast approaching and several teams in Airydew were putting together spectacular festivities, the kind that everyone looked forward to for months. Lily was excited about the feast, of course, there was going to be Purple music and air shows, and as usual, sky painting and fireworks. They spent four days in the city, four days surrounded by music and the perpetual mists that inspired its name. They went to the top of the observation tower to see the garlands of islands strewn along highways and silver bridges, half concealed by the clouds, so beautiful they almost seemed unreal.

  Hamon had a strangely sad look in his eyes, a look of undefined longing, and he breathed in the mists of Airydew as if they were a rare and precious fragrance. He was even quieter than usual, if that were possible, and gazed into the mist in search of something only he could see.

  They took the barge back home, because the currents were faster than the shuttle, moving them at dizzying speed past the giant purple bowls of the immortal cities, cities visible even at that depth in the crystal clear water.

  After their return Hamon got into the habit of waking up before dawn to drink his coffee on the porch and watch the ocean breeze move puffs of vapor over the water. He looked into the mist and the mist followed his gaze, painting arabesque patterns in the air and bending around boulders and trees with the grace of silk ribbons.

  One morning Hamon walked into the mist and slowly disappeared from sight, and when the fog lifted there was no trace of him on the beach but a set of slowly dissipating footprints.

  Lily woke up a few hours later and looked for him, assumed he already went to the Institute and went about her daily chores. She ran into sister Roberta, who asked her assistance with the tests for the environmental stabilizer, got engrossed in the work and lost track of time. Around seven, sister Roberta remembered she was late for Vespers and left in a hurry, and Lily decided to take the shortcut through the forest that led straight to her home. The fireflies were glowing in the tall grass, sparkling all around her and she didn't notice the little light that followed her, bouncing in her footsteps on purpose.

  She reached the house and sat on the steps of her porch, watching absentmindedly as a little strip of fog moved playfully in the breeze, approaching slowly, hesitatingly. The wispy cloud reached her feet and disappeared, and the next second Lily felt Hamon sitting right next to her on the stairs. She gazed at him with a stare voided of all thought, still trying to process what happened. Hamon looked back at her tentatively, trying to find his words, and he eventually uttered,

  "What? I missed home."

  ***

  [UNIVERSAL TRANSLATION COPY]

  *

  *

  *

  MESSAGE ORIGINATION: PLANET VLOR, THE ORION CONSTELLATION, 3RD QUADRANT

  MESSAGE BROADCASTING FREQUENCIES: ALL

  MESSAGE CHARACTER: PERSONAL

  MESSAGE ENCRIPTION: PRIVACY STANDARD

  MESSAGE ADDRESSEE: THE HUMON CLOUD, HONORARY HOST OF THE DOMINIONS, GERMINALS OF THE THIRD SPHERE, VALENT RANK FOUR

  *

  *

  *

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

  27th Gyration, Planetary Rotation 327, Third Revolutionary Cycle

  The Tagas Cloud, Guardians of the Strongholds, Germinals of the Fourth Principality, Valent Rank Two

  Vlor

  The Orion Constellation

  *

  *

  *

  Re: PERMISSION FOR SABBATICAL LEAVE

  *

  To the Humon Cloud, Tagas Cloud's Secondary Inheritor, in Grace

  The message of the Third Circle failed to reach you and was forwarded to our cloud in the hope we can shed more light on your whereabouts.

  We know how committed you are to your sacred duties and grieve over the possibility the assembly might think a host of your rank delayed thanking the Circle for their consideration for an entire planet rotation. We attach their official letter to this message, in reference.

  Your request for sabbatical leave submitted to the Third Circle on the 15th Gyration of Planetary Rotation 320 has been rejected. The Circle wisely and unanimously agreed that your continued presence in the polymorphic cloud can not be substituted.

  We took the liberty to share what sparse knowledge we had of your present activities with our covalent clouds and your other progenitors. They are all sending their blessings and expressing concern over your prolonged out of contact status, especially at this critical time when you have passed the threshold of your thousandth planetary rotation and the Second Circle honoured you with a selection of covalences for your Bonding.

  The Second Circle's message also failed to reach you, therefore we all thought that notifying the First Circle was for the best under the circumstances; this way we can all get the benefit of their wisdom. The second letter is also attached to this message, for your reference.

  We rejected the incongruous rumors regarding your regression to solid state and your interaction with physical beings as what could only be the misinformed opinions of lesser ranks; we honor their progress and plead for their swift acquaintance with the more subtle formalities of our tradition. Surely a Host of the Dominion does not take physical form, as any germinal of the Third Circle knows, nor does it reveal itself to solids, a feat better left to the lower ranking clouds whom they have been privileged to lead and educate.

  Our dedication as progenitors is unending and only matched by our appreciation for your superior status; your integration into the Dominions has provided humble gratification to us all and we anticipate that your ascendance into the Second Circle is forthcoming.

  Eagerly awaiting a response, we look forward to sharing accounts of the duties we're certain you have been tirelessly carrying out with your other progenitors, in obedience to the Laws of Tradition and the sacred obligations of our standing.

  Eternally devoted,

  The Tagas Cloud, Principal Progenitors

  Attachment 1: Re: PERMISSION FOR SABBATICAL LEAVE - THIRD CIRCLE POLYMORPHIC CLOUD, 13th Gyration, Planetary Rotation 327, Third Revolut
ionary Cycle

  Attachment 2: FINAL COVALENT CLOUD SELECTION - SECOND CIRCLE POLYMORPHIC CLOUD, 20th Gyration, Planetary Rotation 327, Third Revolutionary Cycle

  - end of release -

  ***

  About the author

  Visit Francis Rosenfeld's Blog at

  www.francisrosenfeld.com

  ***

  Other books by Francis Rosenfeld

  Terra Two

  Letters to Lelia

  Fair

  Door Number Eight

  The Plant – A Steampunk Story

  ***

  Connect with the author Online:

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/FrRosenfeld

  Facebook: https://facebook.com/francis.rosenfeld.5

  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francisrosenfeld