A Completely Out of Context Story

What happens when a bored Medic writes a story about two of his main Phoviverse characters then plonks the finished result here on the Daily SPUF with no context what so ever? Nothing. You get a story that’s completely without context, that’s all.

It’s about time that I gave these two a decent story that didn’t involve pain and misery.

“My first day spent with you, and you take me hiking into the middle of nowhere just as I’m recovering from a cold…” Arkay puffed as he traipsed behind Kayel.

“Maybe you should be fitter then. Being outdoors is good for you.” Kayel seemed distracted, as if he was looking out for something, just out of sight.

“Well excuse me for having a large number of medical issues, some of which have caused an excessive amount of weight gain…”

Arkay continued to make excuses, unaware that Kayel was no longer paying attention. He’d quickened his pace, and doing so had caused Arkay to fall behind a little. Or maybe a lot. Kayel was right, Arkay had let himself go recently, but he didn’t want to admit that out loud.

“Where are we going anyway?” Arkay finally asked, as Kayel suddenly stopped.

Ahead of them was a large valley, with the only way across being a long rope bridge. Below them was nothing but rocks and rapids. Without hesitation, Kayel stepped onto the rope bridge, keeping his eyes straight forward.

“That’s not just typical, that’s stereotypical,” Arkay sighed as he too stepped onto the bridge. The height didn’t bother him, Arkay knew that if he fell, he could save himself with his own telekinisis. What annoyed him was the bridge’s existence in the first place, and that wherever they were going, no one cared about structural integrity.

Once they’d reached the other side, Kayel seemed to slow down completely, almost tiptoeing into the clearing ahead. Arkay had noticed that his mother was acting odd before they crossed the bridge, but now they’d cleared it, Kayel was almost trembling, tiny balls of nerves forming in his skin.

Standing in the clearing was some kind of Rethan-like being. Slightly taller than a Threan-type, the type Kayel and Arkay were, but skinnier as well, with blade-like spines on its arms, somewhat similar to those Hertan-types have. Its tail was incredibly long, longer than the creature was tall. On its back was a pair of spindly black wings, nearly skeletal in appearance.

Arkay glanced at Kayel, who was staring at the ground. It quickly occurred to him who this being was. Neither of them seemed willing to speak first. If anything, Arkay was slightly insulted that Kayel hadn’t told him who they were meeting. But Arkay decided to be a better being and introduced himself.

Slowly, Arkay stepped forward, one hand held open and in front, the other held behind his back.

“Hello, I’m Arkay, nice to meet you.”

The creature seemed to smile and took Arkay’s hand, shaking it vigorously.

“I am so glad that you look just like your mother…” Psivee-En’s smile turned into a grin. “You are a beautiful little Rethan.”

Arkay smiled awkwardly, not really sure what else to say. “Um, I guess. Never really seen myself as attractive…”

“Nonsense. You are a little angel…” Psivee-En’s eyes drifted over towards where Kayel was still standing. “Kayel, please, come here.”

Kayel hesitated, then refused to move. He continued to stare at the ground.

“Kayel, my dear…”

“I don’t think he wants to-”

“Shush,” Kayel growled. “You don’t understand, Arkay… You can’t… I’m sorry, this is a little difficult for me. I never thought I’d see…”

Psivee-En let go of Arkay’s hand and edged over to Kayel, delicately placing his hand on Kayel’s shoulder. “I am sorry. Was I too rushed in my request?”

“No. I wanted to bring Arkay here…” Kayel whimpered slightly, emotions flowing everywhere. “I… expected him to be angry with me. I… don’t know how I should feel right now…”

Arkay watched as Psivee-En and Kayel embraced. He too didn’t know how he should feel, but he remained silent. Slowly though, a wave of relief washed over him. Arkay realised that, after twenty five years, Kayel had finally come to terms with not just what had happened, but with what happened afterwards. In both Kayel’s and Psivee-En’s eyes, Arkay was no longer a horrible reminder of a horrible past, he was their kid.

As his parents stopped hugging, Arkay smiled.

“Arkay, uh, son… I’m sorry I tricked you into coming here… I didn’t want to… hurt your feelings or anything, but you…” Kayel whispered, wiping a tear from his eye.

Arkay shrugged. “It’s fine. To be honest, I think coming here was more for your benefits, not mine.”

“What do you mean?” Psivee-En looked confused.

“Well,” Arkay admitted, “I already accepted the truth. I accepted the truth when I found out you’d saved each other’s lives… Actually, may have been before that… Either way, can’t change the fact that I exist, and I won’t let how I came into existence affect how I live my life. Right?”

Psivee-En glanced at Kayel, who nodded with joy.

“At the end of the day,” Arkay continued, “I’m just happy that Kayel has come to terms with everything, and that you, well, I think you’ve proven yourself into a better Rethan… uh, Trehan… whatever you are… than you used to be…”

A smile slipped across Psivee-En’s face. “I appreciate your honesty, Arkay.”

“No worries!” Arkay grinned as something on his person beeped. He looked down at his wrist, where his insu-band was. It had vibrated several times, warning Arkay to check it, but amidst all the emotion, he’d forgotten to. As he read the number on the device, Arkay could feel his legs giving in, and he fell to the ground in a rather unspectacular heap.

“Arkay? Are you alright?” Kayel panicked as he rushed over.

Arkay though continued to grin. “I’m fine. Silly me forgot to adjust my insulin dose before going on this long hike, causing my blood sugar to drop a little too much…”

“Is that bad?” Psivee-En asked as he picked his son up.

“A little, I just need to eat something sweet,” Arkay explained, with a sneaky tone to his voice. “To bring my blood sugar up to normal.”

Psivee-En’s eyes lit up. “What, like ice cream?”

“Yes, like ice cream.”

Psivee-En turned to Kayel. “Can we go get ice cream?”

Kayel smiled and nodded. “Of course we can. I know just the place…”