Jacob stared at the leaf in his hands and thought of the flight that it had once made. Wishing that it could fly like that forever, he imaged that there was no earth for the leaves to fall upon. Instead, they would swirl and dance on the air for all time.
The leaves on the ground stirred and rustled around him. They wanted to obey his will. He looked over at the sound and they settled once again. He shrugged, not sure what it was that he'd heard. But he didn't see anything now.
He returned his focus to the bright leaf in his hand. He wasn't sure what the allure was, but it was difficult for him to look away. The bright red gleamed with the thin film of water on it. The veins in the leaf marked out darker lines that traced out the leaf's life force. Just like the the lines in his own body.
The other leaves could hear his call and they rose up from the ground. They wanted to dance for him. Would he release them? This time he did not look to the sounds that were around him. His whole mind had fallen into the vast microcosm in his hands.
With the air still, the leaves swirled around him and flashed their colors. They glimmered from yellow to orange to red. The browns faded out and they were vibrant again. The glorious fall was renewed and they could hold onto it forever!
"Jacob, it's time for dinner!" his mother called from the back porch.
Jacob's gaze flicked up from the leaf to where his mother stood on the porch with her hand now covering her mouth. The leaves fluttered back down to the ground as he got up. Dropping the leaf, he ran.
"Coming mother!"
She shook her head. She didn't know what she had just seen, but it couldn't mean that he had magic. There must have been a stray wind. But the nagging voice in her head could not dismiss it. There had been too many strange things happening around Jacob. She looked over to the neighbor's lawn and was grateful to see that there was no one out. Their curtains were drawn against the crisp day. She sighed, clutching at the shawl draped around her shoulders.
Once he'd climbed the porch stairs, she wrapped her arms around him and embraced him fiercely. She would protect him. She had to. Nothing would happen to him. It couldn't be that way.
"Mom?" Jacob looked up at her. "Why are you crying?"
She chuckled. "I just love you so much."
She rubbed the stray tear off her cheek with the back of her hand and took his small hand in hers, leading him into the house.
All this happens around him and he never noticed. Never knows that it isn't the way things are for everyone. It was the way that the world has always been for him. Magic was in his blood as it had been in his father's, but he could not suppress it. How had her husband learned to do it? There was no way that she could teach him that art when she herself had never known the whispers of Gaia.
Jacob pulled away from her and smiled.
"What's for dinner?" He called while running into the house; skipping and laughing.
She sighed and followed him. The world is so beautiful and wonderful in his eyes. There were voices that speak to him that she would never hear. But he is unaware of the forces in this world that would destroy him.
"Soup," she answered.
The dishes clattered as he set the table for the two of them. She brought the pot from the stove and set it on a pot holder that he had set in the center of the table. He always put their place settings next to each other rather then across the table from each other. It was one of the many strange things that he'd done since he was very little.
Smiling, she thought about how very little about him had changed as he'd grown. He had gotten bigger, but his mind never seemed to be different then the toddler that watched the bugs and pointed out every butterfly.
Ladling out the hot soup into the bowls, she thought about her husband. They were so much a like; father and son...
The dogs barked and she looked out the window. There were strangers coming up the drive in a small black car. She went to the porch, giving her son a gesture to remain at the table. He obeyed her and continued to eat; blowing gently on the soup. She watched the car pull in and stop.
Biting her bottom lip and holding onto the edge of the window, she watched as the man approached their home. He wore a dark, reinforced suit in a matte black fabric, equipped with lightweight, durable plating on the chest, shoulders, and forearms to provide protection without sacrificing mobility. Like every other suit of its kind, the Guntai insignia was emblazoned over the left breast in a contrasting silver, symbolizing their role as enforcers of the Techie Kingdom.
He wore a high-collared jacket with fitted cuffs that was long, but it didn't hide the stun stick that swayed from his utility belt or the compact pistol holstered on his thigh. He adjusted something on his belt and the knocked on the door. Stepping away from the window, she glanced back at Jacob who was still taking careful sips of his soup.
The Guntai knocked again, harder then before.
"Coming," she called and hurried to the door.
Heart pounding, she took a deep breath and slowly blew it out before swinging the door open and greeting the man with a large smile while griping the door knob til her knuckles turned white.
"Ma'am," he tipped his head down respectfully towards her and she returned the gesture still clinging to the door knob.
"How can I help you, Officer?" she asked.
"We've received a few reports about some strange happenings around this area and we are trying to gather some information," he explained. He hooked his thumbs into his belt, drawing her eyes back to the weapons that the carried.
"Strange happenings?" she asked.
She looked out past him into the neighborhood, struggling to slow her breathing and to think past the pounding of her heart. The vibrant greens of the communal gardens seemed to pulse with life, the neatly tended beds of herbs and vegetables shimmering in the evening sun. She could see children playing on the pedestrian paths, their laughter ringing out like music amidst the gentle rustle of leaves in the breeze. Neighbors chatted amiably, leaning over fences to exchange friendly words, their smiles bright and welcoming. The colorful blooms of flowers adorned the walkways, adding splashes of color to the already picturesque scene.
"Everything looks fine," she added, giving the neighborhood another look over. She had lived in this residential complex her entire life. Nothing had changed.
"Oh cool!" Jacob ran up to the door and scooted between his mother and the man on the door step. He placed his small hand on the stun stick hanging from the man's belt. "What does this do?"
"Jacob!" Clutching at his shoulders, she tried to pull him away, but the boy was too excited and wiggled free of her grip.
The man beamed at her.
"It's alright, ma'am." He ruffled his hand in Jacob's hair. "I have a brother that isn't much older then him."
Giving the man a half smile, she took firm hold of her son and pulled him back.
"That's not how we greet strangers," she whispered while leaning close to Jacob's ear.
"Sorry, mother," he whispered back, still looking up at the man.
"You just be sure to report if you see anything strange happening," he said, flashing another smile and giving Jacob's head another pat before her turned from them.
Holding tightly to Jacob's shoulders, she watched as he walked back to his car.
Jacob waved, even though the man wasn't looking.
"Go finish your dinner before it gets cold," she said, giving Jacob a little push towards the kitchen.
He scurried off and she closed the door, engaging the dead bolt and turning the lock in the door knob. Pulling the curtain down over the door's window, she turned and looked at her son.
With a sigh, she wiped her trembling hands on her apron and walked across the living area to the kitchen where her son waited for her, holding out a spoon to her.
Taking the spoon from him, she sat down with a quiet smile, feeling his wide eyes on her face as he resumed eating. She reached for her bowl, but her mind was far away. As he focused on the soup again, she cast another glance toward the door, thoughts racing over the officer’s visit. The neighborhood always looked like this, peaceful and thriving. The gardens, the families, the bright chatter—they had woven themselves into her and Jacob’s world. But with Guntai officers patrolling, things felt brittle, like a glass figurine set too close to the edge. She would keep him safe. Somehow, she would make sure he never became someone they had a reason to come back for.
"Can we go to the park tomorrow?" Jacob asked, breaking her thoughts as he looked up, grinning.
"Of course." She returned his grin, hiding the worry in her heart. "We’ll spend the whole afternoon there."
