Caerialda the Elf Child©

By Richard A. Falb

She was a little elf. A rather precocious one. It wasn't that she meant to cause any trouble. She was just so active and a little scatterbrained at times. Everyone liked her, she had a engaging charm about her. The children in the village and the area around, loved to play with her. Sometimes she led other children into the Elven forest to play with her. She would forget human children became confused when they entered the magical Elven forest. Sometimes they would wander off and be lost for hours. Caerialda told her father the children were lost. Caerialda's father always found them. Caerialda then returned them to their families.

Some of their parents were not very happy about their being lost, but most of the children thought it was a lark. The forest was so beautiful they never felt afraid. Some of those parents told their children they couldn't play with her anymore, or least they couldn't go into the forest with her. But she was so much fun and could think of such wonderful games, the children would conveniently forget what they had been told. She could not see, why those children became confused, she did not. She just saw them as children like her. She never saw them as different.

She lived with her family at the edge of the Elven forest. Her father was one of the guards who patrolled the border of the forest. The guards did not try to keep anyone out, they were there to lead out any who came in and got confused. She didn't have any elf children to play with. It never bothered her to go outside the forest, so she left the forest to play with the children from the nearby village. She always told her mother where she was going. The village children saw the Elven forest as very beautiful and a wonderful place to play. They forgot from time to time they would become confused and lose their way. After all, they were always found and returned home. The forest was not a scary place to them, actually to most it was kind of an adventure to be lost in that beautiful forest. They knew they would always be found.

One day she found a young boy who didn't have anyone to play with. He was about her age. The other children said he looked different, but that is what they thought of her. That never bothered her. Of course, she was so much fun to play with they forgot she looked different. The boy was shy and didn't know how to play with other children. No one seemed to want to play with him. It wasn't that he was ugly or that he was mean, it was just he looked different from other children. Besides, he only had a mother and they had just moved into the village a short time ago. His mother was a healer, so she was looked on as different also.

One day Caerialda did not find any children to play with her. She went to find the boy and asked if he would like to go and play in the forest with her. He readily agreed. He had never been asked to go play in the forest before. He had heard it was beautiful. His mother had never warned him to stay away from the Elven forest, but he had no one with whom he could go with. He had played a couple times with her, but then someone else would come and want her to play with them. He was never invited by the other children to play with them. Caerialda, the elf child, thought it was strange he never came with them. She hadn't realized the other children didn't want him to play with them.

Caerialda took his hand and walked to the forest. His home was on the side of the village toward the forest. Like a good son, he told his mother he was going to play with Caerialda. His mother was happy for him to have someone to play with. She knew the other children seldom played with him. She knew they thought he was different. She also knew that Caerialda was Elven, so she was different from the other children. His mother realized that it did not make any difference to the other children that Caerialda was different.

Caerialda and the boy went to the forest and entered it. Caerialda took him to a place in the forest where she often played. It was a place she could make up wonderful games. They played all day and then Caerialda went with him back to his home. As she was returning to the forest, she realized the boy, his name was Karlian, had not become confused, but enjoyed playing in the beautiful forest with her. She asked her mother, why Karlian did not become confused like the other children from the village. Caerialda's mother was not listening closely to her daughter's chatter, for she did love to chatter. She absently said she didn't know.

Meanwhile, Karlian was telling his mother what a wonderful time he had playing in the forest with Caerialda. His mother smiled and said that was a very nice, and she was glad he enjoyed himself. She hoped that Caerialda would come and play with her son again. Because Karlian's house was closest to the forest, Caerialda decided she would go and get him to play with her in the morning. She really enjoyed playing in her forest home, but up until now she didn't have anyone to play with that was not confused by the forest's magic. She thought it was wonderful to have finally found someone. After she had asked her mother, she forgot that it was strange that Karlian was not confused.

She did go and get him in the morning and they told his mother they would play all day in the forest, if that was alright with her. She quickly gave her consent. She was happy her son had someone to play with. Besides, Caerialda was a very happy, intelligent child who everyone thought of as very nice. Karlian's mother knew why Karlian was not confused by the magic of the Elven forest, but she would tell no one. Caerialda had made friends with many of the creatures of the forest, which made it even more fun for Karlian to play with her in the forest. She would tell him what each animal and bird was. She taught him the names of the plants, the bushes and the trees. They had a wonderful time, and again Caerialda brought him back to his house. She was used to doing this with all the other village children, after they became confused.

Karlian's mother thanked her for coming home with him. She gave Caerialda a little doll she had made for her. Caerialda was delighted and made much of the doll. It actually was made with many of the things Karlian's mother used as a healer. It would help keep Caerialda from getting sick. Caerialda could hardly wait to show her mother this wonderful doll. Because Caerialda had brought Karlian to her home at the mid-day hour so they could get something to eat, Caerialda's mother realized that Karlian was not confused by the forest. She looked very closely at Karlian without letting him know she was watching him. Suddenly she realized why Karlian was not being confused. Karlian must be part Elf. That is why he looked different from the other village children. She decided not to tell Caerialda. Caerialda was just happy she had found a young person who could play with her in the forest. It would not make any difference to Caerialda if Karlian was part Elf.

Caerialda didn't think of the village children as different from her. They were children that she might play with. She was very happy she had found someone who could play with her in the forest. Karlian was just happy to have some one to play with, and especially someone who lived in the forest so he could go there to play. It was much more fun to play in the forest, than around the village. Besides, sometimes the village children were not very nice to him. Caerialda was very nice all the time and he enjoyed being with her. Caerialda's mother was happy that she had found someone who could come into the forest and play with her.

Because Karlian could come into the forest and play, Caerialda began to go fetch him practically every day. Some of the parents in the village were happy about this, but the children were not. They missed playing with Caerialda. She was so much fun. Of course it had been the parents of some of the children who had looked on Karlian as different and this had been communicated to the children. However many of the children noticed, that Caerialda did not seem to look on Karlian as different, and was very willing to play with him. Caerialda was asked by some of the children why she played with Karlian. They said their parents said he was different.

Caerialda didn't see why that would make any difference or why that would mean she shouldn't play with Karlian. After all she was different and they liked to play with her. She told them he was fun to play with and was very nice. She said her mother didn't see anything different about Karlian. Caerialda also told them she liked Karlian's mother and thought she was very nice. Then she asked them,

"Why don't your parents tell you not to play with me? I'm different. I'm Elven. I do not see why that should make a difference." She was very positive about this. She thought they were being silly. Caerialda began to insist, if she were to play with them, then Karlian must also be allowed to play. She told them otherwise she and Karlian would go into the forest and play.

Caerialda had discovered that if she brought the village children just a little way into the forest they would not become confused. She found a small clearing where they could all play. If any of the children happened to wander off, either she or Karlian could go find them. A couple of the village children, whose parents had not said anything about Karlian being different, decided they would be willing to let Karlian play with them. That way Caerialda would play with them and bring them into the forest with she and Karlian. Karlian was very happy that some of the village children were now willing to play with him. Soon these children no longer saw Karlian as strange. He, like Caerialda, was proving fun to play with. Karlian also seemed to be able to think of wonderful games to play especially in the forest. Besides, there were now two who knew about the forest and did not become confused.

Now these children began to look on Karlian much the same as they looked on Caerialda, he was fun to play with and that is all that mattered to them. When they were asked by other children, why they played with Karlian, they answered like Caerialda answered them. A few more of the children began to think about that, and decided they could also see no reason why they should not play with Karlian as well as Caerialda. After all, because the two of them looked different didn't mean they weren't fun to play with. Some of them told their parents that. Some of those parents did think about that and decided the children were right. Karlian actually was a nice, polite boy who was intelligent, much like Caerialda.

This began to reflect on how they viewed Karlian's mother and soon they began to treat her like everyone else in the village. Karlian's mother was very happy to be friends with anyone who would be friends with her. More and more of the people of the village began to see Karlian and his mother as regular members of the village and not as someone different. This caused Karlian's mother to be sought out as a healer more often, and pretty soon, she was able to fix up their little house and make it more comfortable.

This made Karlian happier and he became less shy because he could now invite children to his home. Caerialda had already been to his home many times. She had not seen that it was any different, a little smaller and with not as nice furniture as some of the other village houses. That didn't matter to Caerialda because she liked Karlian and his mother. Being the little chatterbox she was, Caerialda told the children that and soon these children began to see this as Caerialda did.

Little by little more and more of the village people began to have the same attitude. They began to see Karlian's mother as just a good healer and a friend and Karlian as just a polite little boy who lived in the village. There were some of the parents and some of their children that did not see this, but it no longer mattered, because most of the rest of the village did see it this way. Of course Caerialda remained a favorite of the village children and most of the village parents. Some of them even realized it was she who made them realize looking different, shouldn't really matter. It was what the person was like that mattered.

The End

A GRAVE GRAVITY SITUATION©

by Richard A. Falb

 

Tom was working late this night. He was pulling together his research. It had to do with the current flurry of claims an anti-gravity device would soon be perfected. Tom had his Ph.D. in Physics and had earned a reputation as a top expert in the effects of gravity. He also had published extensively.

According to his research, no one had actually proven there was a scientific break-through in this area. In spite of this, reports an anti-gravity device would soon be announced kept cropping up. Tom's own research had established, with present knowledge, such a device was probably out of the question. The article, Tom was writing, would basically say he did not think such a device was possible. He was putting this article together for the most prestigious scientific journal in this field. His conclusion, it would be wasting valuable time, effort and money seeking such a device. Tom had finished putting together his basic conclusions for the beginning of the article. He planned to write a popularized version for a larger circulation, popular-type scientific magazine.

As Tom sat back from his computer to reflect on what he had written, he caught some movement out of the corner of his eye. Tom looked toward one wall of the room. A door was opening. There never had been a door there. It swung wide open, revealing a young woman in the doorway. She was dressed in what Tom could only term a very scanty outfit. Tom shook his head to clear his brain. She was still there and she was beckoning to him.

I must by tired, my eyes are playing tricks on me, he thought. The vision did not go away. A young woman was indeed standing there in the doorway and beckoning to him. Tom felt compelled to get up from his chair, go over to that wall and prove to himself, it was indeed a solid wall.

Instead of a solid wall, Tom got a real shock. The young woman, who Tom now noticed was attractive, reached out her hand and took his. She was indeed solid flesh. She was not an apparition. Tom stepped through the door to meet her. He found himself in a scene he had never experienced before. It was like a scene out of a futuristic movie. The type of outfit she wore was apparently worn by most of the young people in this city. She turned to Tom.

"I was sent to bring you here to show you the future. This is your city as it will look many, many years in the future."

Tom shook his head, trying to clear it. He could not believe this was really happening. He was sure he must have fallen asleep and was dreaming. The young woman, who was his guide, smiled at him.

"You do not believe you are really experiencing this. You are not asleep. We have perfected the ability to travel back in time, under certain very specific situations. I was allowed to travel back to get you. We felt it necessary to bring you forward. We knew we must show you your conclusions, which you were soon to publish, are wrong."

He was now beginning to wonder if this was really true or not.

"Why do you want to show me that? Why is it important to you what I publish?" he asked the young woman.

"Because you are a highly respected expert, what you publish could set back research in this area and affect what happens in the future. That could change what you now see," she told him.

"You mean what I publish could change what I am now seeing?" he asked very incredulously. "You are saying that a change in what happened in the past could have a definite effect on what the future will be like."

"We know that to be true," the young woman answered. "That is why I am going to not only show you what anti-gravity devices can do, but also how we were able to arrive at their successful design."

"Will I be sent back to my time after I am shown this?" he asked somewhat fearful of the answer.

"Yes," the young woman said somewhat sadly, "That will be necessary so you can rewrite your article." Tom looked at her thoughtfully.

Then he asked, "Will I retain the knowledge of how you successfully built those devices?"

She smiled at his question. "It will be buried deep in your mind. You will only be able to give a vague description on how you think these devices will eventually come into being," the young lady replied. "Otherwise you might change the future by having these devices invented before they would ordinarily have been."

"In other words that also would change the looks of this world," he said.

"Yes," the young woman replied, "And I wouldn't have done my job the way I was suppose to do it."

He smiled at her. "I wouldn't want to disturb your world. I shall try to do my job the way I am suppose to do it." Then another thought crossed his mind. "Will I be able to stay here for a little while?"

The young lady smiled at him. "I think that can be arranged, but are you sure that is what you really would want."

He looked at her. He had somehow been too busy with his career to be serious about any one woman. No woman had attracted him like this young woman did, and she was from another time.

"Yes," he finally replied, "I would like to be able to stay here for a little while. I would like to get to know you better."

"In that case, that will settle the question of where you will live, because then you can live with me," the young lady said, then because of his rather startled, questioning look, she added, "that is perfectly normal in our society."

They took a vehicle that was parked along the street. She drove him to a residence that looked like a futuristic massive apartment complex. She parked the vehicle in the street in front of one of the entrances and led him into a courtyard within the building. The impression he got was he was in a yard with sunlight streaming in.

She led him to a transparent tube, walked into it and motioned him to follow her. Immediately they were shot up and then stopped. The young woman walked out, onto a pathway exactly like the one on the ground floor. They were again in a courtyard. She led him to a door, which opened to admit her. He followed her in. They were in a very attractive home. She showed him all through it. He was surprised at its size. He was also surprised to note that some of the walls of some of the rooms looked like they were large windows. They appeared to look out on a beautiful scene of gardens and woods, and in the distance, some hills. They did not look like any mural he had seen. They were three-dimensional. He also noticed there was only one bedroom. He noticed she was looking at him with a smile on her face.

"Do you think we need more than one bedroom?" she asked.

He took a deep breath, "Oh no," he quickly replied.

The place was completely equipped, although many of the things, especially in the kitchen, he had never seen before. Some things in the home he recognized vaguely. They came into what he assumed was the living room. On the one wall, a large panel lit up and suddenly a woman appeared on the screen.

"You have arranged as to where he is going to stay?" the woman asked.

"Yes," the young woman replied, "he is going to stay with me. He asked if he could stay a while and get to know me better."

The woman on the screen smiled, "I am not surprised, but did you ask him if that is really what he wanted to do?"

"Yes, and he replied that it was what he wanted to do," the young woman answered with a smile.

"Then I will let you get acquainted, Seranze, and you can show him the city today. However we must start his instruction tomorrow. We cannot delay his return to his own time too long," the woman on the screen told her. "Requisition some appropriate clothing for him. We do not want him to stand out, as your are taking him around the city."

The screen faded and the wall assumed its former look. Seranze took Tom into another room and lead him over to the wall. She pushed a panel on the wall and something looking like a computer keyboard slid out. Seranze then told Tom to stand beside her and slowly turn around in a complete circle. Then she punched a series of keys.

In a short time, a door in the wall, slid open and a large package came out. Seranze began taking clothing out of the package. She piled some up in his arms and then gathered the rest up and led the way into the bedroom. She touched the wall, and doors opened, revealing a closet half filled with clothes.

"You can put yours on this side. Then you can select an outfit and change into it. When you have changed we can go out and look over the city. I will introduce you to my friends as a childhood friend. I will introduce you as Tomazin," Seranze told him.

He looked at her wondering if she was going to stay while he changed. Then he thought that was a stupid thought. It was obvious that she intended that he would be sleeping with her.

Actually she help him decide what outfit he should wear and then showed him how to put it on. With her so close, he had an almost overpowering desire to take her in his arms and kiss her.

He resisted, realizing he didn't know what the customs of this time were. He did not want to do anything that might offend her.

"We will eat out today. I have been issued plenty of credits so I can show you around," Seranze told Tom as she led him out of the house and into the tube, then on to the street. There she again got into a vehicle parked there and motioned for him to come in beside her. She punched a few keys and the vehicle took off.

They were soon in what appeared to him to be the heart of town. Seranze parked the vehicle and led him, into what apparently was a cafe or restaurant. Seranze was obviously known here. She was greeted by name as she came in. Tom began to realize this was not just an ordinary young lady he was with. She must have some real stature in this society. She stopped and introduced Tom to some of her acquaintances, but she led him to a secluded table. It seemed obvious they were not to be joined by anyone here.

"I will tell you what you should order, and explain why, after our server has gone," Seranze told him. She leaned close to him as she briefly explained the menu and indicated what he should order. Tom did exactly as she said, and then she explained why. She quietly briefed him on the food he would be eating and what type of eating establishment they were in. She also briefed him on the other most popular ones in the city.

When the food and drink arrived, he was pleasantly surprised at how good it was and how much he enjoyed it. Seranze was obviously pleased at his reaction to her choices for him.

After they finished eating, and Seranze paid the bill. She took him to some bars and entertainment places. It was at those places, that Seranze introduced Tom to her friends. No one questioned who he was. He was accepted as Seranze's friend.

The afternoon and evening went very swiftly, and it was late before they returned to Seranze's home. They again went into the building, into the tube and then to Seranze's place. She waited for him in the bedroom, then swiftly undressed and slipped into the bed. Seranze motioned Tom to follow her example. He slipped in beside her. When he woke in the morning, his first thought was that apparently making love hadn't changed much over the centuries.

Seranze stirred, lazily slipped into his arms, gave him a kiss and then slipped out of his arms and slipped out of bed.

"I will shower and get dressed. Then I will fix us some breakfast. You can shower and dress while I am making breakfast." Seranze set out the outfit Tom was suppose to wear today. As they were eating breakfast, Tom noticed Seranze's outfit for today was a little more subdued and covered more of her. He wondered if the outfit she had worn when he first saw her was for a purpose.

The next days were very busy, as Tom, was briefed by experts in the field of anti-gravity. However, the evenings he was able to spend with Seranze. She seemed to delight in showing him the many sights of the city. The time went much too fast for Tom. He learned all he was supposed to learn, realizing some of the research that was being done in his time was going somewhat in the right direction.

He also realized he did not want it to end. He was falling in love with Seranze. He knew this was impossible. He had to go back to his time, but he did not want to go. Finally the day came and Seranze lead him back to the point where they entered the city. She put her arms around him, kissed him, and then quickly turned him around. He was back in his own room and the door closed behind him. He turned back to feel the wall. It was completely solid. There was no sign of any door.

He reluctantly went back to his computer. After sitting there for a while looking at the blank screen, he called up his report. He read it over then deleted it from the computer's memory. He began to rewrite the whole article.

Over the next week, he rewrote his research notes to reflect what he now knew. The article he wrote, said that with further research in certain areas, it might be possible to come up with an anti-gravity device in the future. He urged that more research be devoted to this project.

He threw himself into this writing project. He had to keep busy to keep from thinking of Seranze. All the while, he kept hoping that when he had finished this project, that the door would open again and he could return to her. He knew that this was impossible, but he couldn't help but hope. She regularly peopled his dreams.

He didn't dare tell anyone about what he experienced and saw. It now seemed like a vague dream. Everything that is, except Seranze. He could recall her perfectly. He definitely couldn't tell anyone about her. They would have thought he was going off his rocker. Scientists, who deal with futuristic projects, are always suspect. That would have definitely made him suspect.

As planned, his article appeared in both publications. Sometime after the articles appeared in print, he was attending a cocktail party given by a colleague in his field. There were, he noticed a number of people he had not met before.

As he was crossing the room, he heard a voice that stopped him. He turned to look for the woman who was speaking. He stopped short at the sight of her. She looked at him smiled and started toward him. Tom moved toward her.

"I know it is a very old ploy," Tom said, somewhat embarrassed, "but I have a feeling that I have met you before."

The young woman smiled, "It's funny, but I had the same very strong feeling."

Not knowing what else to do, Tom held out his hand and said, "I'm Tom Jansic," he told her.

She took his hand, "If you promise not to snigger or make any remarks, I will tell you my name," the young woman said with a smile on her face, "It is Seranze." Tom gasped. She looked somewhat strangely at him.

"I'm sorry," Tom apologized, "but the moment before you said your name, it popped into my mind."

Seranze looked at Tom, then with a smile she said somewhat flippantly, "Maybe we met in another life and that is why we feel we know each other."

Tom smiled, "Any chance of pursuing that line of inquiry."

Seranze tipped her head, slightly, smiled intriguingly at him and replied, "I think there is a good possibility that it could be arranged. Do you have any other commitments?" she asked.

"None what-so-ever," answered Tom, "Do you?"

"Not in this time," Seranze answered. "I am free to do some research into why we both think we have met before."

Tom quickly asked, "Do you think that dinner this coming Saturday, would be too soon to start?"

Seranze smiled at Tom, then she said, "You do work fast." Then she added, "I think that would be wonderful." They arranged the time when Tom would pick her up.

They spent the rest of the time at the party together. Tom spent that time stealing glances at Seranze when she wasn't looking. He could not believe that this could be. This Seranze looked almost identical to that Seranze from another time. The only thing different was the clothes.

At the end of the evening, Seranze said she would have let Tom take her home, but she had driven her own car.

Tom replied with a smile, "It will be hard, but I will tough it through until the time to pick you up for dinner Saturday night." Seranze gave Tom a bright smile, then blew him a kiss as she walked toward her car.

Over the next couple of months, they went out rather regularly. However, they became very good friends but not lovers. Tom let Seranze set the rules.

One Saturday night, Seranze greeted him with a hug and a kiss. Then as they were driving to the restaurant, Seranze quietly said, "I have made up my mind. Would you like to stay at my place tonight."

Tom was silent for a minute, then turning to her with a smile said, "I thought you would never ask." Seranze giggled and leaned her head momentarily on his shoulder.

As Tom was holding her tightly as they were dancing at a bar they had gone to after dinner, Seranze said, "I made an unusual discovery this afternoon as I was going through my closet. I found a very strange outfit I don't remember ever getting. It is a very skimpy outfit."

"Are you going to model it for me, Seranze?" asked Tom.

Seranze leaned back away, looked at him with a smile and shook her head side to side as if chiding him, "You are getting a little fast, there, Tom." But then she snuggled back into his arms.

Tom had thrown the outfit he had smuggled back from that other time, into the car. He decided to bring it into Seranze's apartment tonight. He wondered if the outfit Seranze had mentioned was the one he thought it was. There would be something chilling about that.

They returned to Seranze's apartment early in the morning. Seranze locked the door after they were inside then she moved into Tom's outstretched arms and gave him a long lingering kiss.

"You would like to have me model that scanty outfit?" Seranze questioned with a tantalizing smile.

"I will make you a bargain," said Tom with a smile, "If you model that outfit for me, I will model a strange outfit I found in my closet for you." Seranze gave Tom a smile he couldn't quite figure out.

Tom quickly changed into the outfit he had brought and waited for Seranze to come out of her bedroom. When she appeared, Tom gasped. It was Seranze. It couldn't be anyone else. Seranze smiled and moved into Tom's outstretched arms.

"I love you," said Tom. He almost said 'I wanted to go to you,' but he caught himself.

Then Seranze said, "They couldn't bring you forward again for me. They said it would be too dangerous for you the second time. I never had really entered your era. They asked me if I wanted to go back to you. I immediately said yes, so they sent me back to you." Then she kissed him, took him by the hand and led him into her bedroom. Again.

 

THE END