213) The Salvation of Eden, Chapter 45 -- Tricks and the Secret to Life

It was their eleventh morning since leaving Annuvin, when Kohra woke abruptly to Melkorn shouting, “I’m dead! I’m dead! Help, I’m dead!!” She sat up quickly, rubbing her eyes. Melkorn was standing, pointing down at…himself?

She blinked hard, squinting. 

There was no mistaking it. There were two Melkorns in front of her, one standing, aghast, pointing at a second one who was laying on the ground. 

Melkorn-on-the-ground suddenly sat up, rubbed his eyes and stretched. He saw the other Melkorn standing there pointing, mouth hanging open, and he smiled, that friendly Melkorn grin they had gotten to know so well. Then he waved up at standing-Melkorn. Standing-Melkorn grinned identically and waved back. 

“It’s MEEE!!” he cried. He looked around at everyone. “Do you see? Do you see? It’s me!!” He pointed back at ground-Melkorn, and they grinned at each other some more. “I can be friends with myself!” he laughed, then promptly bent down and picked himself up for a double-Melkorn bear-hug.

A moment later, Lenny’s muffled voice squirmed out from Melkorn’s armpit. “Mmmmmphhhhh mmmeeee GO!!” She yelled the last word, as she wriggled her mouth out enough to talk. 

Melkorn froze, pulling back to stare at Lenny, who he had been crushing in his bear hug. “Where did Melkorn go?”

He set Lenny back down on the ground, staring uncomprehendingly at her. 

Lenny covered her face in her hands, like she was…crying? No, that was impossible. Lenny never cried. 

“Lenny?” Melkorn looked concerned. “You okay?”

Lenny removed her hands from her face. But it wasn’t her face anymore; it was Melkorn’s. Suddenly, she — he — also seemed taller and bulkier, just like the real Melkorn. Even her clothes had changed to match his, or at least closely approximate them. Kohra could tell that when you looked at the little details, like the stitching, they were different.

“Lenny?” The new Melkorn responded, grinning. “Are you okay?” The voice was clearly Lenny, trying to impersonate Melkorn, but the face was a perfect double. Everyone stepped in for a closer look. 

Melkorn grinned, waving at New Melkorn. “I’m back! I can be my friend again!” He burst out laughing. And laughed and laughed. And laughed. Whenever he stopped laughing for a few moments and got himself under control, one look at New Melkorn brought it all right to the surface again. 

“Ohhh, Melkorn hurts,” he moaned, holding his stomach. “Why is Melkorn so funny? Hahahahahaha!” He trailed off into another round of moaning and giggling. 

Then New Melkorn was gone, and it was Lenny again looking back at them. She slumped, stumbling for a few steps like she was dizzy. She shook her head from side to side, then nodded up and down several times. Her eyes rolled around, as though she was just learning how to use them. 

“That was weird.” For once, Lenny looked a bit overwhelmed, maybe a little queasy, although clearly pleased with herself. 

Melkorn didn’t notice these subtleties. He picked her right up, laughing in her face. “You tricked me! Ha ha ha! Lenny tricked me! Ha ha ha! Melkorn likes magic friends!”

* * * * *

That night, Kohra tried to get Lenny to teach her what she had done. 

Lenny described how she would visualize the person’s face until it was really clear, and kind of push her own face around with her fingers, like a sculptor, and then…ta daaa! Kohra dutifully followed her instructions. 

Lenny watched as Kohra poked and prodded and squished her face. 

“How do I look?” 

“Ridiculous.”

* * * * *

The next few days passed without incident; they settled into a routine of scouting and traveling, resting, scouting and traveling, resting. They didn’t push it. They had to think long-term. Life is not a sprint, after all. 

At the first signs that daylight was waning, they would set up camp at the next decent location, then settle into their evening routine of eating, combat practice and private time, so that by the time it was fully dark, they’d be warming themselves around a little fire with some tea, telling each other stories. Even though each was privately haunted by the recognition of imminent, impending doom, and could never for very long shake the knowledge that Reality could split apart at any moment, revealing the terrible truth underneath it all, together, they were able to regain some of the camaraderie and humour that had once seemed so normal and effortless. 

Kohra didn’t know many stories, except for a few about the old Gods she had read about. But Gorb was a treasure trove, having traveled through much of Eden in the earlier years of his life, what he nostalgically referred to as his “walkabout.” 

They listened, entranced, but Kohra always found herself, eyes closed, back in Juanita’s dining room, or the little side-room decorated like a seaside cafe, sipping pear juice.

Little did they know it then, but this is the Secret of Life. Moving, learning, laughing, sharing, loving. It’s powerful magic available to any person, and it’s more than sufficient to keep evil from overtaking your mind.