Traveling through the city was fine. I was able to procure a tarp I used as a cloak, which means I grabbed it from the trash. I needed something, as my flickering orange visage is pretty distinct.

Emanuel mentioned an old vacation home near his family's home in town. Only certain staff members know of the second home, which houses a small Solar Sail ready for takeoff. It can fit three to four people with four bunk beds. It’s the best shot as the keys are there, there is no trail to follow, and best of all, WE DON’T RISK OUR LIVES.

FUN FACT

Gods can die. My research supports this, as I think I can die, although I can survive nearly anything. My research also supports the fact that I’m still alive despite everything.

Most importantly, Emanuel shouldn’t be put in a situation where his life is at risk. What he needed was to be removed from Crane and any situation involving him.

The con is that we don't have a ride there, so it’s almost a three-day walk from where we start.

This walk gives us a lot to talk about. For the first three hours, Emanuel has been quiet. However, the silence wasn’t unfamiliar to me. I prefer the quiet of a person over the quiet of nature. I learned the dark truth when I was drifting in space for a few years or decades.

Space is silent.

There isn’t much you can do about the vast void of quiet. You can go years without seeing a living thing; no matter how loud you scream, a reply is never guaranteed. The silence of a person is simple. I have a foolproof plan to get anyone in the cosmos to respond. My plan, keep talking until they cave.

I talked for four hours straight. It was tough at one point. I think i was talking about how cereal is soup. A hotdog is a sandwich that, when you say you are going up to a place, means you are going, and going down means someone is coming to the location and so much more. All until he finally caved. For a kid so open to telling me his life story earlier, it took me quite a bit to get him to talk about anything.

We had idle chats about what he was into, and it was no surprise that it was math. The kid loved doing math for his dad's business, and apparently, he is amazing at it. According to him, something about it being defined and clear while saying a puzzle.

We chatted until we came across a cliffside overlooking the ocean. It’s beautiful. The waves are lavender, and the grass is the color of hay. The sunset orange hue projected on the clouds brought peace to my mind. There, I promised myself that when I find pure happiness, I will set up my home on a cliff overlooking the ocean. When I can afford a king’s ransom.

Then, Emanuel pointed at a three-story home at the end of a cobblestone driveway. “This is it, my family’s vacation home.”

“This was your family's home?” I shouted as I calculated the cost. This wasn’t like the other houses. It wasn’t made of ship scrape but high-quality material. The total is more than I can ever afford.

“Vacation home,” Emanuel responds as if everyone has one.

“There’s a difference?”

“Yeah, this one was smaller. “ It was when Emanuel says this that I realized I was babysitting a rich kid for free. Sometimes, I question my motives.

We went toward the front door. After that soul-crushing walk, the gentle breeze and setting sun provids a calming aura.

Stale cereal isn’t as bad as people make it out to be. Does it taste good? No. Is the texture the same? NO! But it's still cereal. What you need to look out for is expired milk. Emanuel gave us both a bowl, and we passed on the milk. He then began his tour of the mansion.

The three stories were divided into the basement, where the food and alcohol were stored. Most of the food had already gone bad. The alcohol bottles were closed, but I could see someone snuck a few bottles, as a set of them was partially empty in the empty rack by the door. The basement also had a patted room used as a home gym. The place was covered in dust except for the chair on the bench press.

The first floor was the living room, kitchen, and the usuals. We entered the garage, and there was the family Solar Sail. It's a bit of a camper with some the mileage on this model was fantastic. Next, we examine the valuables of the house. We are desperate for cash as the only funds we will have is any money in the house and whatever I think I can sell. I still wonder if an item I blessed should have a 10 % markup. I think so, but maybe if I ever get more known.

The second floor is dedicated to the kids. Emanuel spent little time in his bedroom. It was a room full of books, a desk with paper scattered about, and no toys or TV to be found. Reminded me of an office more than a room. Emanuel focused more on another room. I let him be as I noticed the crib inside, a few toys scattered about, and an unopened pack of diapers on a changing table. He needed some space, as nothing I could say would remedy the aches in his chest.

The third floor is his parents' master bedroom and office. He spent most of his time there. His posture changed since walking up the stairs. On the walk here, he was digitizing, hyper-fixating on his surroundings. Once he stepped onto the hill, he perked up, and his eyes gleamed. Once inside, he puffed his chest, and his voice carried a bravo you wouldn’t expect a boy eating stale cereal to have.

His shoulders slumped once he walked on the first step of the staircase. He moved slower, and that sparkle of life in his eye was smothered. He accented the dark halls as the fading sunlight was the only light in there. It makes sense when no one is here to pay the bills. He once had a life filled with people and love, a warmth you would let burn your skin. Now he drifts alone in the cold void.

The setting sun beams from the window. He doesn’t care, as his eyes are fixated on his parents' room. I stood at the window, lifted my shirt, and let the light pass through my body. A circle of light passing through my stomach eliminated the shadows of the room.

I maneuvered my goo around my stomach. The circle of light transformed into a sentence projected on the wall. It said, “Want to talk about it?” I saw his eyes shimmer as he read the words on the wall. I felt then that I had reached him—a message of light in his darkest hour. Emanuel turned to me.

“Thats disgusting.” He said, sticking his tongue out.

“No, it’s miraculous.” Insulted he would say that to me.

“You don’t even have the guts to move around. How are you doing that?”

“I’m amazing, thats how.”

“Nah, you’re more disgusting. “

“Wow, coming from the rich kid living in a mansion.”

“This isn’t a mansion. A mansion has vineyards, quarters for help, and large towers.”

“Those are castles. This is a mansion.”

“Well, I bet your churches are way bigger.”

I stay silent, but it’s too late. He figured it out. Emanuel's eyes widen, and then a devil’s grin spreads. “How are you a ‘god’ with no church.?”

“I don’t need one,” I respond, taking another blow to my ego.

“Sure you don’t. You have a local shrine?”

“No”

“Followers”

“You followed me here. Actually, I followed you.”

“A book of scriptures.”

“I talk a lot.”

Emanuel busts out laughing. Longer than I want. I don’t appreciate the air quotes around God, but he is laughing. He gestures for me to follow him. We walked outside through the back to a bench near the lavender cliffside overlooking the ocean.

He tells me this was his favorite spot. When his father needed time to work or if things got “heated” with them all, he would sit here with his mother. The best moments were when they were able to catch either the sun setting or rising.

“My mom had a saying. “ Emanuel says. “Seeing the sunrise means you survived another night, so bask in the sun. Seeing a sunset meant you conquered another day, so greet the moon.”

“I like that.”

“She told me that I would cry a lot.” He says, chuckling. “Every mistake I would make. It’s a lot. I mean, I didn’t want them to worry about everything. I guess that isn’t a worry anymore. Then, why do I still cry?”

“I’m jealous of that, “ I say softly. A kid scarred by life and whose world shattered looks up at me, confused, wondering what I have to be jealous of.

“It's good that you don’t bottle that stuff and are able to release it to the world. I feel that if you bottle up your issues, you want to be able to bask in the sun or greet the moon. It's not easy, letting it out.”

His eyes shimmered as he stared at the sun resting below the horizon, ready to greet the moon. I knew I would greet the sunrise with a smile, knowing then that I had made a new friend.