moving.
‘I think someone has been here
already,’ said Gilster softly, as he looked down at the outside
step. Max followed his gaze and saw poor Shibby1 dead on the
door-step, the blood now a black congealed mass, surrounded his
soft little body. Max knelt down as the tears flowed.
‘My poor Shibby,’ she said,
stroking his soft fur, ‘what sort of bastard would do this?’
‘An Anubian one,’ said Daria.
‘They must be gone now or one of us would have sensed them close
by. I’m so sorry Max, is there anything we can do?’
‘You can help me look for
Shibby2,’ she said, choking back tears, ‘I’d like to bury my boys
together, they were inseparable in life and I want them to be
together in death.’ She began looking around the garden, under
plants and bushes, behind the shed.
‘He’s not dead,’ said Daria, ‘I
don’t see him dead nor do I sense him dead.’
‘I don’t understand, how could
you possibly know that.’
‘We’ll explain everything
later,’ said Haven putting a reassuring arm around her, but for now
let’s find Shibby2, he may be hurt.’
‘Shhhhh,’ said Gilster, ‘did
you hear that?’ Everyone stopped, listening intently for any sound
of the missing cat that might be heard above the noise of the
leaves rustling in the breeze, and the night insects. They heard a
faint meow from high up in one of the trees. Max ran into the house
and came back with a torch. The beam of the torch barely reached
the branch where Shibby2 was precariously perched.
‘We’ll never reach him up
there,’ sobbed Max. Then she heard someone softly singing, it was
an ethereal sound and very beautiful. She turned and saw Gilster
with his arms raised to the tree; it was him singing. Max couldn’t
believe what she was seeing in the torch light; the leaves and
branches were gently wrapping themselves around Shibby, and then,
even more miraculously, the tree began to bend very slowly,
creaking and cracking until the branches cradling Shibby were level
with Max; they began to unravel themselves and gently placed the
battered body of Shibby2 in Max’s arms, all the while Gilster
continued singing his celestial song. ‘Oh my god, what just
happened, this is so totally unreal I can’t get my head around it.’
Gilster finished his song, and Max heard him softly whisper.
‘Thank you and may you have a
long life,’ before bowing gracefully in front of the tree.
Max was speechless. Daria
gently took Shibby2 from Max’s arms and walked inside, turning to
Haven as she left.
‘Please bury the body of Max’s
friend while we try and save this one.’
Later, after Shibby2 had been
tended to and was sleeping peacefully in front of the heater, well
as peacefully as he could, given the trauma he’d just been through,
everyone sat down with a glass of wine, (alcohol was something else
Max had to explain as it was unknown on Elaxier), to finally talk
about all that had happened and hopefully, Max thought, get some
answers. ‘It seems odd,’ thought Max, as they sat in the lounge
room talking comfortably, ‘how quickly these people have become my
friends, I feel very safe with them. This time yesterday I hadn’t
even heard of the Chosen, Uthians or Anubians and yet here I am
today, talking about all these things and more with people from
another world. Life is weird.’ Haven smiled behind his hand.
‘Tell me about your “gifts”,’
asked Max. ‘I still can’t believe what you did, especially you
Gilster, I’ve never seen anything like that before.’
‘You know you have a gift too,’
said Daria pointedly, ‘or you wouldn’t be one of the chosen.’
‘Nah, you’re joking, I don’t
have any talents like you do.’ She took a sip of wine, beginning to
relax after the extraordinary day she’d had.
‘I am a dream interpreter and I
also have visions,’ continued Daria, ‘Haven, as you already know is
a telepath, he can send and receive thoughts and Gilster is a
singer.’ Max snuggled deeper into the
‘I think someone has been here
already,’ said Gilster softly, as he looked down at the outside
step. Max followed his gaze and saw poor Shibby1 dead on the
door-step, the blood now a black congealed mass, surrounded his
soft little body. Max knelt down as the tears flowed.
‘My poor Shibby,’ she said,
stroking his soft fur, ‘what sort of bastard would do this?’
‘An Anubian one,’ said Daria.
‘They must be gone now or one of us would have sensed them close
by. I’m so sorry Max, is there anything we can do?’
‘You can help me look for
Shibby2,’ she said, choking back tears, ‘I’d like to bury my boys
together, they were inseparable in life and I want them to be
together in death.’ She began looking around the garden, under
plants and bushes, behind the shed.
‘He’s not dead,’ said Daria, ‘I
don’t see him dead nor do I sense him dead.’
‘I don’t understand, how could
you possibly know that.’
‘We’ll explain everything
later,’ said Haven putting a reassuring arm around her, but for now
let’s find Shibby2, he may be hurt.’
‘Shhhhh,’ said Gilster, ‘did
you hear that?’ Everyone stopped, listening intently for any sound
of the missing cat that might be heard above the noise of the
leaves rustling in the breeze, and the night insects. They heard a
faint meow from high up in one of the trees. Max ran into the house
and came back with a torch. The beam of the torch barely reached
the branch where Shibby2 was precariously perched.
‘We’ll never reach him up
there,’ sobbed Max. Then she heard someone softly singing, it was
an ethereal sound and very beautiful. She turned and saw Gilster
with his arms raised to the tree; it was him singing. Max couldn’t
believe what she was seeing in the torch light; the leaves and
branches were gently wrapping themselves around Shibby, and then,
even more miraculously, the tree began to bend very slowly,
creaking and cracking until the branches cradling Shibby were level
with Max; they began to unravel themselves and gently placed the
battered body of Shibby2 in Max’s arms, all the while Gilster
continued singing his celestial song. ‘Oh my god, what just
happened, this is so totally unreal I can’t get my head around it.’
Gilster finished his song, and Max heard him softly whisper.
‘Thank you and may you have a
long life,’ before bowing gracefully in front of the tree.
Max was speechless. Daria
gently took Shibby2 from Max’s arms and walked inside, turning to
Haven as she left.
‘Please bury the body of Max’s
friend while we try and save this one.’
Later, after Shibby2 had been
tended to and was sleeping peacefully in front of the heater, well
as peacefully as he could, given the trauma he’d just been through,
everyone sat down with a glass of wine, (alcohol was something else
Max had to explain as it was unknown on Elaxier), to finally talk
about all that had happened and hopefully, Max thought, get some
answers. ‘It seems odd,’ thought Max, as they sat in the lounge
room talking comfortably, ‘how quickly these people have become my
friends, I feel very safe with them. This time yesterday I hadn’t
even heard of the Chosen, Uthians or Anubians and yet here I am
today, talking about all these things and more with people from
another world. Life is weird.’ Haven smiled behind his hand.
‘Tell me about your “gifts”,’
asked Max. ‘I still can’t believe what you did, especially you
Gilster, I’ve never seen anything like that before.’
‘You know you have a gift too,’
said Daria pointedly, ‘or you wouldn’t be one of the chosen.’
‘Nah, you’re joking, I don’t
have any talents like you do.’ She took a sip of wine, beginning to
relax after the extraordinary day she’d had.
‘I am a dream interpreter and I
also have visions,’ continued Daria, ‘Haven, as you already know is
a telepath, he can send and receive thoughts and Gilster is a
singer.’ Max snuggled deeper into the
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