10

                                                                    Vietal

                                                                  32.11.3243

There are small settlements in Golm Neest. Golm Neest means The High Land. Some settlements have a few thousands of people. Some have less than it. Golm Neest is the country where we live in. It is almost the center of the continent. It has only one city named Vietal. That is why many call this country as Vietal most of the time. It is used both for us as the people of Earth or the land of people of Earth.

Vietal is a beautiful place. There are lots of rocky formation areas and its variations throughout the land. The first settlement was established on a higher and wide plateau due to the fear of the environment. It got bigger in time and later the city became a metropolitan. Vietal has over three million people now. In time, the city created new areas around itself. There are huge slits over the surface. Vietal has only one mountain. It is called Hivertal. It is a half-made word from hivert and Vietal. Hivert means mountain. So, it basically means the Earth People Mountain.

During the sunset, you can watch how the sun goes down over the sky from Vietal. At those moments, life has some huge influences on me. The huge existence of Hivertal is like a giant statue in the country. I always love how clouds flow around it. It gives me an ancient feeling. I feel like I am home. A place where I am always familiar with.

But today, as it was getting darker and darker and the sky was getting colorful, I thought about Fonare. The storm was interesting. It was really big but there was something else in them. There were heat signatures that appeared out of nowhere. It was interesting and some scientist said they could be potential bombs. Because last year, Zuana declared war at that beautiful land.

Zuanals are stupid people. At their weakest times, because they tried to invade other east countries, they were about to infect the virus to their own country, and this weakened their power. And then they asked help from Fonare to eliminate Ena Vuer and Tigarid. But their intention was to clear those infected areas and settle in those two lands and later add them to their own country. But Fonare didn’t accept that and then there is that war going on.

I hate it how all nations are in conflict now. I wish we all were in peace, so we could just visit those places. Kwena or Fonare or at some points maybe Golmira. How nice it would be if I just could see them all. But during sunset and the falling of the evening, I felt something else today. The sky was different. It had colorful energy layers and they were moving to the north. At some points, they looked beautiful, but I swear I could feel a pain or a kind of deep sorrow. Almost a sad song over the sky.

“Hey, evening boy!” shouted Hieldi. “Are you ready?”

I turned back and found him looking at me smiling. He had a weird, almost a ridiculous costume on. It was a local creature’s costume. A sea fish with claws. His head looked like a funny cone.

“What is this?” I asked.

“Oh, come on!” He laughed. “It is a costume party.”

“But you didn’t mention it back at the café.”

“Of course, I didn’t. We knew you would say no if we mentioned the costumes. So, we agreed not to say anything.” He looked at me with a guilty face. “Sorry, dude. Really. We just want you to come with us.”

“I don’t like parties. Especially costume parties.”

“Man! You don’t like any kind of activity when it comes to more than five people at a place. Maybe book parties but come on, it would be like sitting at the library. What is the fun in that?

“It is not true.”

“Come on, girls are waiting!”

“But I don’t have any costume.”

“We know.”

“So, it is okay if come like that?”

“We already thought of that. Don’t worry. You are gonna-love-it!” He smiled widely saying the last sentence as if it was one word. He always had a weird talking style. But he was talented to make it look like fun.

“I am not sure about that.”

“You can be. Come on. Let’s go.”

I followed him, but then I turned my head back and looked at my mom. She was happy that I was invited to a party and I accepted it. She waved at me her hands and smiled with happy eyes. I did the same and left the garden forgetting what I was thinking before.

Winge and Beana were sitting at the back. Jilda was in from of them. So, I sat next to Winge.

In Vietal, we use different kinds of vehicles. Most of them can fly. We use anti-gravity to fly them. But there are still vehicles that are like old cars from planet Earth. People like to drive them. Hieldi has one of them. To be honest, I don’t like cars that don’t fly. But sometimes it is nice to be in them waving throughout the surface of this world.

We used a lighted lane, and, in a few minutes, we were at the party house. The music was loud but sounded nice. I felt like I wanted to dance but then imagining it interrupted my mood. I didn’t know how to dance. I was never a social guy to take activities such as.

“Here,” said Jilda. “These are yours.” She handed over some clothes.

“What is this?” I asked. But I was also very curious.

“Just wear them dude.” Insisted Hieldi. “You will like it. I promise.”

“Fine.” I said. It was really weird. Those kinds of parties always looked stupid to me but, this very moment, I was attending one. I felt that fast heart beats in my chest. It was so weird.

It was a bird-like flying panda costume. The white colors had glowing lights. The black parts were curved inside. It was more like a deformed creature. Scary but stupid, funny but interesting, catching eyes but not too much.

“Look at that!” said Hieldi when I was done. “Look at that creature! I loved it man!”

“It is beautiful!” said Winge. “I wish I were you.”

I looked at her costume. It was a two-headed bird with golden color wings that moving in the air like smoke. The beak over her face looked really funny.

“What is this?” I asked.

“It is a noisy sad bird.” She answered. “The Sad Bird.”

“From that story?” I asked. The Sad Bird was a short sad story. It was about a bird that died in the quake and her little babies were left alone. I never understood why a writer would write such a story.

“I know, it looks stupid.”

“For a party maybe,” I answered. “I thought it was supposed to be a fun one.”

“It is man!” said Hieldi. “She is like that. Always the opposite.”

“Then she got my vote!” I smiled.

“Thanks!” said Winge. “That means a lot. It is not every day that you compliment on someone.”

“How about me?” asked Jilda appearing from back of the car.

“That is nice.” I said.

“Oh, my goodness!” said Winge. “You changed it?”

“Yes!” said Jilda jumping on the ground with her weird costume. When she did that, the costume released fire colors around us. It was a trick of light. It waved like water. It was almost hollow and transparent. Like a wave over a clear ocean but fire colors in it. I liked it a lot.

“It is so beautiful, Jilda!”

“Thanks! I know, right?” she said also confirming herself.

“And now me!” said out loud Beana. She appeared just like Jilda. Her costume was a dragon like creature. There was raining fire like glowing snow over her head. But they weren’t real. It was a 3D projected animation. But it was really beautiful. The sound effects created a dragon sound that said, “I am hungry, I want to eat you!”

I laughed out loud.

“I know, right?” she said. “It’s so fun!”

“It surely is.” I said.

“Now that everyone is ready, it is my turn.” Said Hieldi. He took out his Euri, a kind of mobile device, and opened an app. Then he turned into a tree. It was huge. Almost ten meters tall. But of course, the most parts of it were hologram.

“Wow!” I said.

“It is said that this is a local costume from Kwena. They celebrate the spring wearing these things.”

“I never heard this before,” I confessed.

“It is a secret celebration!” Whispered Hieldi smiling insidiously.

“Sure, it is!” laughed Jilda. “Let’s go.”

Together we walked in and then there was that loud music with every kind of weird costumes and lots of teenagers with their funny behaviors. I think it was the first time that I felt like a teenager in my life so far. But I also liked it because I like to push my limits. Sometimes they can be really stupid.

“Now that is a hell of a party!” said Hieldi loudly. “Let the music play and your body find its rhythm!” He danced along the way to join the motioned group of dancing people.

He quickly waved into the crowded area with his huge tree shaped hologram. The dancing tree shape looked funny. Then the girls joined him. I felt alone for a moment but then someone handed me a drink.

I knew it was a girl. She had a layered costume of grass waving up and down while shaking flowers around. It was a beautiful hologram. With her moves, the flowers thrown away in colors.

“I loved your costume!” she said loudly. Due to the high volume of the music and crowd she came closer and continued. “Wanna see what else I got?” Her voice was charming and had definitely an intrigued effect.

“Sure!” I said drinking from the glass. It was sour but sweet. Cold but burned my throat. I immediately put it on a table and followed her. She went upstairs. There were boys hugging and kissing girls or girls doing the same or at some points, boys kissing boys and girls kissing girls. At some stairs someone had a triple kissing moment. It looked okay though. I always loved how people would enjoy their lives.

I couldn’t be sure who was dominant there in such activities, but it seemed to me that their bodies could easily go with the flow. I barely walked among them and then the loud music decreased a bit. She opened a door and went in. I did the same. Then the door got closed. The music tone was even less now. I liked it more.

“You know this is my favorite costume,” she said approaching. “Your voice sounds familiar?”

“I am not sure but maybe.”

“No, I swear I know this voice.” She said. “Don’t give me any clue. I will find out by myself. Give me a minute.” She put her arms around her chest. I didn’t know who she was yet, but her voice sounded really nice and attractive. It was familiar from somewhere. I probably heard her before.

“Viemi?” she said in doubt. “Are you Viemi?”

“Yes.”

“Oh! My! Goodness!” she said separating every word in excitement. “Oh, my goodness! You came to my party?”

“That’s your party?” I asked.

“Yes, you silly!” Then she turned off her costume. Her blue eyes, blond hairs and smiling happy face looked in a positive feeling. “I can’t believe you came to my party!”

Moneana.

Some would call her Monea, some Neana. She was the most popular student at the school. The daughter of one of the generals in our army force. Almost every boy would dream about her at some points but intimidated by her influence. She always looked beautiful to me. But I didn’t know much about her. We never were at any class in common. Sometimes I would see her during the activity areas with her other friends. She was never alone. Always with someone. Exactly opposite of me.

“I am surprised as well.” I said. But I definitely had that excitement she had. I was always like that. I would immediately take anyone’s feeling as my own.

“I am glad you came over!” she said and then hugged me. “It means a lot for me. I know you don’t like parties.”

“I couldn’t say no to Hieldi.” I confessed.

“Hieldi brought you here?” she asked in a curious voice.

“Yes.”

“That bastard!” she said laughing. “He has that chemistry over girls.”

“I know.” I said smiling at her.

“Follow me then.” She said holding my hand. Her hand was warm and tiny. Almost disappeared in my hand. Somehow, I loved that feeling.

Back in the early times of schooling, I thought I loved a girl. She was a silent type of a person. Almost shy. Reserved. I found myself thinking about her a lot back then. But later I got lost in books and information and science and then I didn’t live any kind of childhood of my own. Now, I was almost at my twenties and I still didn’t have a girlfriend.

Some nights, I had that feeling to have sex with any girl. Some other times, it was like a primitive feeling. I wanted something deep. Not just our bodies. Something that could burn my soul on fire. But I never met such a person so far.

Yet, that very moment while she was holding my hand and pulling me after her to the balcony, I felt a good sensation. It was like a warm river running through my body. Exciting. Refreshing. Cooling but in a warm way.

“I know you like space, so do you like to see my telescope?” she asked as we found ourselves in her balcony. She seemed to know more about me. That was interesting and at some levels, I liked it.

It was a huge wide terrace-like place. There were trees and moon flowers, zeitegas, flowing in the dark. After she closed the door, the outside was even less loud. The music tone changed every time someone opened or closed the doors downstairs.

“That is wow!” I said looking at her telescope. It was a huge and a beautiful one. Nothing was more beautiful than seeing the space and stars with bare eyes. I immediately took a look. The clear sky was beautiful and colorful on the upper atmosphere.

“There is something more,” she said. But this time her voice wasn’t exciting. Almost anxious.

“What do you mean?” I asked looking at her. I put out the head part of my costume to see if there was something else that I didn’t catch.

“Check with the infrared settings.” She suggested. As I did it, I quickly looked again.

And there was the other version of the sky.

The atmosphere was like on fire. The colors and layers of different energies were all over the sky. And it was moving to the north.

“What is this?” I asked.

“I don’t know.” She said in an upset voice. “It bothers me. There is nothing about it over the net. It feels like it’s intentionally covered up. I couldn’t find anything. Literally anything. Isn’t that interesting?”

“What do you think these can be?” I kept looking at the flow of the energies. It felt like home. I was like I found a piece of my own soul in the sky, but it was also like something more. Something that could touch my existence but not my body.

“It feels something. I don’t know what it is, but I feel sad about it. It is like something about to happen. Something unpleasant.” She said.

“I had that feeling back at home before coming here. There is definitely something in the sky, but I am not sure what I am supposed to think.” I confessed as well. “Maybe because it is Weani.”

“It is like a song.” She said. “A sad ancient song. But I can’t find the lyrics. It is in my soul but not reachable. Do you understand what I mean?”

“It is like missing your home where you don’t know it is located. A place you know but don’t remember.”

“Exactly!” she said. “I am a simple girl. I do parties, hanging with friends, shopping, or other stuff. But today is different. I feel different and that thing scares me. That is why I threw a party, but I don’t enjoy it to be honest. I saw you looking around. Alone. And I suddenly had that feeling to talk to you despite the fact that I didn’t know who you were. I swear everything is different today. I feel like I am rediscovering myself. Maybe it is because it is Weani as you said.”

“I also don’t do this.” I Said. “I mean I don’t follow any girl to upstairs. But I just found myself following you.”

“Do you think these all mean something?”

“I don’t know. Everything means something. I like to give meaning to things, but it doesn’t end as I expect most of the time.”

“You can learn more about what these are. I mean the invisible lights in the sky.” She said suddenly.

“How?” I was also intrigued.

“Your dad.” She said. “He works for the Mirror Company. He can access it.”

“But he won’t do it.” I said. “My dad can’t talk about his job. It is a kind of privacy thing.”

“I really want to know what this is.” She said looking at the sky. Now that I knew there was something more in there, I couldn’t help myself thinking about it. I wanted to learn more, but I wasn’t sure how to do that.

“You and I,” she said. “We can find out more about it. Let’s leave that fucking party and learn more.”

“How?”

“Let me think of that!” she smiled widely, definitely thinking something I didn’t have in my mind. “I may have a way.” “Let’s go!”

She pressed on a button and then we descended from the balcony. She quickly took her car and then we were out of their property. Then out of the city. To the west.

That night was going to be one the most important experience in our lives. The secrets. The covered, hidden truth, the scary part of our existence would change everything we knew. But that moment, as she and I drove away from the city to somewhere I didn’t know yet, I felt that intense sensation of a journey.

I wasn’t sure what it was all about, but I knew we wouldn’t be the same.

Ever again.

The change was about to happen.