Chapter Four: March 11th, 2024 2:23 PM
Eli’s eyes were pointed at Neal’s. He then realized, he couldn’t say what he was thinking. It would jeopardize everything he cared about. Eli knew what the markings meant; he was just too scared to admit it. It was a part of the history between him and Neal, and he wasn’t ready to face the repercussions of their past.
Neal hesitantly said, “I think I’m going to take inventory.” He started toward the cold stone chamber that is the inventory.
“That was done only three hours ago. It isn’t time for another check. None of the cages or boxes have been opened yet,” said Grace.
“Either way, I think it deserves one more check.”
“Whatever. What ever keeps you busy.”
Neal started to walk to the back of the chamber. He walked at a slow pace, to avoid attention. As soon as he was out of sight, he started walking quickly. It was as if he is trying to escape his memories. The inventory was a dark room with big stone walls, almost like a cave. At the end of the tunnel, there was a huge wall of safety boxes filled with peculiar ancient tools, different extraterrestrial mementos, unearthly technology, and things the team had collected. To get to the boxes he had to walk past caged creatures from alien worlds— creatures that weren’t worth killing, but they could hurt the Earth. Each one very different from the other. Neal first walked past a Crexton woman, with a white skin and clear holes throughout her body. A naked creature from Treline, oozing purple slime. Finally when he got to the end he saw a broken robot that is made of clear glassite. Neal walked to a section labeled with various dates from the year 1856. He opened the first box. Inside, there was a book about a man’s journey. The next box contained a piece of paper, ripped out of a journal, with a drawing of a medallion, the same symbol that was on the victim’s hand. He looked at it carefully, and it brought back a memory.
It was three weeks after Eli and Neal had met. Neal had finished the book ten days ago, but he was too afraid to go meet this man again. Something about Eli made him feel anxious. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He was ten to fifteen years older than Neal, who was twenty years old. He had also heard Eli was unmarried, and that he has never been with anyone. This left Neal curious. He sat on the porch and watched the clouds move in a dance of light. He worked up enough courage to get up and walk to town. It was a bit of a walk. Neal thought of what he would say to Eli. He knew whatever he had rehearsed didn’t matter; there was no way of knowing what Eli was going to say.
After reaching town, Neal stopped a woman to ask Eli Stone’s address. She directed him, “If you walk straight ahead, for about a mile, you will see a very big mansion. You will not miss it.” Neal started walking straight ahead. A gust of wind brushed against his face, while the sun shone down on his body. It was the perfect mix of hot and cold. Each step brought him closer to Eli. As he approached the front gate, he read, Stone Residence. He was quite sure that he was at the right place. Neal took a moment to observe the people working in the yard. One man was cutting the grass, and another was trimming the bushes. He saw a woman who looked nicer than the others. Her clothes were cleaner, and she was very beautiful. He looked at what she was doing. She was setting out the tea, two cups, maybe she was Eli’s girlfriend. Maybe he got it wrong. Whatever “it” was.
Neal greeted the woman, “Hello, my name is Neal Chatwal. Mr. Stone is not exactly expecting me, but he told me that I could come by any time.”
“MR. STONE! SOMEONE’S HERE TO SEE YOU,” yelled the woman. Neal was surprised by her shout. Maybe she was just a worker.
Eli came out from behind a big bush he was trimming. He smiled when he saw Neal. “Mr. Chatwal. It’s great to see you. Ariel let him in.” The gate opened slowly. Neal slipped through the gate and walked up to Eli. He handed the book to him. “I’m so glad to see you. I was starting to believe you were not going to come at all.” Eli had a great big smile on his face. He was obviously happy to see Neal. “Why don’t sit down and drink some tea, and you can tell me the ending of the book?”
“Are you sure you want to know?” asked Neal. They started walking towards the house.
“I really want to know if the man finds happiness. Tell me what happens.” Eli replied excitedly.
They reached the porch where the tea was set down. Eli motioned to Neal to take one cup, and Eli took the other. They sat in chairs opposite of eachother. “He does. He finds happiness. He falls in love with a woman and marries her just after they meet. He knew he loved her right away, as soon as their eyes had met.” Neal paused. “But she falls sick soon after they get married. She dies before they could celebrate a year of their marriage. He loses faith in love and life and spends the rest of his years alone, in the darkest crevices of his mind.”
“Haunting,” said Eli hiding his emotions.
“Why don’t we head to the study. It’s right inside.”
They walked into the house. They passed through a foyer with amazing white columns and sky-blue walls., and down a hallway with paintings he had only read about in books. They took a sharp right and entered the study. The room was filled with antiques and mementos. Brown chairs were faced towards a fireplace. Eli sat down in the one near the windows. While Neal admired the room, and all the things that filled it.
Suddenly, a thing caught Neal’s eye: a medallion. It looked like it was made of pure gold. It’s shape was round, but it had a symbol on it. Two triangles combined, creating eight different points. Leaving the middle of the symbol its own very special point, but it was a while before he knew what that meant.
“How did you earn such a medal?” Asked Neal.
Eli stood up from the chair and walked up to Neal. “Why, it’s not quite a medal, more of a keepsake. I got this on the day my life changed. I lost someone who fought hard to keep this medal. So I could protect it.”
“You most definitely deserve it. It is just so beautiful. Breathtaking.”
Eli stared at Neal and said, “You cannot not compare a beauty like yours to a medallion, for I see true beauty when I look at you.” Eli looked into Neal’s eyes, and his face showed fear and hope. Eli had gotten lost in his words that he didn’t really understand the significance of what he just said. “Why don’t we finish our tea on the wing at the back by the lake?” They headed outside, and as Neal gazed into Eli’s piercing blue eyes he finally understood what he was feeling this whole time.
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