Family

There… Patrick almost lost his breath. In the middle of widespread ice and mountains, as far as the eye could see, a valley spread out green, from one high end of the mountain range to the sea and farther, to end in a mass of ice meeting the horizon. The valley stretched for more than two hundred miles from the highest mountain to the shore and about fifty miles out in sea. It was about sixty miles wide down to the coast, where it ended in a wide peninsula where the ice masses, like a wall, took over.

Skyjland was finally visible and … Patrick just couldn’t believe it. He reached for Tobias, sitting next to him, and he wasn’t far. His hand was already there beside his to hold. The sight and feeling of Tobias near was overwhelming, and a tear of joy trembled down his cheek.

As they came closer, the green landscape and its contours became more distinguished.  There were green fields spread out in unusual patterns, as if they followed the landscape and its will. Obviously some serious farming took place here. There was a river, quite large for this relatively small valley, and it could be seen almost from the top mountain range. Smaller rivers flowed down from the mountain sides to join it.

“Look there, Patrick! Do you see the wall surrounding the valley, on the highest mountains and in between?”

“Yes, I see it.”

“That’s Skyjland’s state borders, it’s here we live—this is home. Your home too now, right?”

Patrick nodded back shyly, and more tears trembled down his cheek without him understanding why.

“Don’t worry. You have a home here with us—I’ve spoken to my wife and my children, and you’re welcome to live with us if you want, and they’re all eager to meet you. Whatever you choose, you will never be left alone here. Skyjland is filled with souls like us—there’re about thirty-thousand of us living here.”

Patrick unconsciously squeezed Tobias’ hand hard. Tobias responded comfortably, making the flood of tumbling tears on Patrick’s cheek slowly cease.  He didn’t let his grip on Patrick’s hand loosen.

“Look there, beyond the wall! Skyjland is bigger, you can see now, than its border shows. Outside a radius of about a hundred miles, we let nature rule and don’t let any humans in. That outer border is where the Skyjland gate ends, and the border doesn’t even let a bug in. You see, Mr. Zed and his wizards can filter matter passing through dimensions, and there are thousands, he says.”

“Like where the Skyjland tube meets the ground?” Patrick added.

“That’s right, Patrick, you’re getting this fast,” Tobias exclaimed, stretching with his other arm to give Patrick a firm hug, cheering him up.

“But, what is that?” Patrick suddenly asked as they got closer.

Tobias moved back a bit to his seat, enjoying the question. He had felt Patrick’s positive response and now knew that his family had expanded.

“That, Patrick, is White City, the capital of Skyjland. It’s built almost in the center, a bit up in the valley. You can see that the Sky River almost surrounds it, trying to pass down at the bottom. And now you can also start to see the beach I was joking about. There, at the one side, the river doesn’t pass. It’s a lake, mostly manmade by us. It gets fresh water from the river at the top which we warm up and later use out in the fields. The river is almost untouched, and we have great, big fish swimming there. And, do you see what that tall skyscraper looks like? There, in the center of that high inner wall surrounding the top?”

Patrick was so entranced by the sight that he got up from his armchair and fell on his knees while looking through the window.

“But… I don’t get it? It looks like a fairytale castle, but it’s huge! What is it?”

“That, Patrick, is how it all started. That’s what Ms. Matey predicted in her tales. The walls outside surround the castle with its four major corner towers, southwest, southeast, northwest and northeast.  They mark the center of White City.

“Outside that area, down the mountain slopes, is where we live. And, as you can see, White City is situated on a fairly high peak, with magnificent views over ancient grounds that have been buried in ice almost forever but are now blooming again.”

“Where do you live?” Patrick asked.

Tobias did something with his TeeWee, and Doris made the Mush turn of a bit from their original approach route. And as they got closer to the ground on one side of White City, Tobias joined Patrick on his knees close to the window so he could point out his home.

“We live on the north side, high up, with a view over the valley. We can see the ocean meeting the horizon on good clear days. There it is, if you see all those balconies sticking out. All apartments have one, and they are about hundred square feet in size, more than enough to enjoy as a backyard. Our apartment is actually big; my wife and I started out planning for a lot of children, but we were able to have only two. So our apartment has one of the biggest balconies—that one there—seven bedrooms, ,a large kitchen, a sauna and a hot tub, and a living room big enough for us all.”

Doris made the Mush close in a bit more on Tobias’ apartment.

“There, do you see now, Patrick? There is where we live. That is home,” Tobias said pointing.

The smile Patrick produced as an answer was eternal.

“Yes, Patrick, you live there too.”

Patrick didn’t dare to look back at Tobias, as if he might reveal an illusion. Tobias didn’t expect an immediate answer; he knew Patrick needed time to come to terms with himself. But the following gentle push by Patrick and then a strong hug made all doubts vanish.

Again with his TeeWee Tobias asked Doris to continue their approach to White City so they would land from above.

“Okay, Patrick, now look! That fairy castle in the middle is our recreation center. It’s where we meet to enjoy ourselves, like for concerts, parties and whatever.  It’s huge, and it’s got plenty of rooms and various theatres. That highest tower is over seven hundred feet tall. The area within the castle walls is open for everyone, and it’s big enough for all sorts of things, from sports arenas to ancient flower gardens. The big round towers you see at the four corners of the castle walls are where Mushes and Cyls take off and land.

“And the tower walls are big enough so that inside are our schools, universities, science and other research labs; Mr. Zed and the wizards work there. That’s also where our healthcare and senior apartments are—that’s in another wing where Ms. Matey’s in charge. Ms. Nodi has her premises here too, as well as Mr. Green. However, Mr. Green is doing things a bit differently than the others—he’s keeping us safe. ”

“What’s a Cyl?” Patrick asked.

“Oh, it’s short for cylinder. It’s another vehicle like the Mushes that’s more convenient for transporting goods. The biggest ones are actually our main factories that can be moved anywhere, like a Mush, no different. Anyway, there’s a lot to see and learn, and this is the center of it all.”

The Mush approached the northeast tower for landing, and the closer they got, the castle in the center seemed to grow in height, and the diameter of the tower widened considerably.

“You know, from these four towers the Mush 875s and Cyl 20^ths also take off and land, and we’re like flies compared to those.”

The northeast tower they were approaching was about 400 feet in diameter, and their small Mush 12 seemed to vanish into it.

“But how can you have accomplished all this without anyone knowing?” Patrick asked while their Mush gently sank deeper into the tower and the mountain below.

“Well, nobody from the outside wanted to know. Many of us are highly qualified engineers whom no one wanted to listen to, mainly because of our looks, handicap, etc. The world outside isn’t always what it says it is, and like rats inside a wheel, they’re all so busy chasing their tails that they don’t notice us.”

“What do you mean by ‘chasing their tails’?”

Tobias smiled, realizing he was talking to a young kid as if he were an adult. Although he was an extremely bright kid, he had no experience or references to rely on.

“Well, it’s an adult saying, and it’s not that easy to understand. It’s about trying to get somewhere doing the same thing over again, even if that thing is failing. I think you and I have a lot to learn from each other in the future, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you will exceed me.”

Patrick looked at Tobias to see if he was joking, or what? But Tobias wasn’t, and he couldn’t be more right. Whatever Patrick possessed was there within, unwrapped; Tobias had seen and felt hints of it. He had met so many others who, like Doris, easily could exceed Patrick in most skills, or perhaps everything. Surely though Patrick possessed that one thing that made him even more special, although Tobias wasn’t sure of what that was yet.

“Okay, everyone, we’ve reached our level. We have a touchdown,” Doris interrupted.

They had sunk quite deeply into the mountain and then moved horizontally onto a mushroom-like rail towards the outside edge of the mountain. As their Mush stopped, they were looking out over a big terminal hall where some people down below were standing, waiting for them.

“There, Patrick, there they are, my wife Nina and my two boys, Dennis and Jack. Come on, let’s go down and meet them.”

Patrick hesitated and suddenly became scared. Tobias’ wife looked so pretty and well dressed, like someone on TV who was important. And the boys looked really out of his league too, like they were eager to welcome their father back home with no room for him at all. Patrick, a black boy from nowhere … who was he? Nobody! There wasn’t even a question mark behind that statement he felt slapping his face. Patrick shrank back and got stuck, like he wasn’t able to move because suddenly there was no place for him to go.

Tobias glanced down and saw tears start flooding from Patrick’s eyes, and when he slid closer he felt Patrick shiver. Tobias signaled to Eve to go and tell his wife that it could take a while before he and Patrick disembarked. Eve nodded back that she understood.

Tobias put his arm around Patrick’s shoulder and then turned to him and embraced him.

Patrick was devastated. How could he ever compare with Tobias’ own sons… he wasn’t even related. He wasn’t even the right race! He was black, he was …. Patrick felt both anger and shame. How could he ever think such stupid things like Tobias—like a white family— would ever want him? These spiraling thoughts made Patrick cry, almost chokingly.

“They want to meet you, Patrick,” Tobias softly whispered. “They’ve come to meet you. Me—they don’t come to the terminal anymore like that for me. I make these journeys too often; there’s nothing special about me leaving and coming back home anymore. They want to meet you.”

“But I’m nobody,” a quiet, broken whisper came between irregular breaths.

“That’s not so, Patrick. I love my boys because of who they are as individuals, and I don’t give out my love just because they’re family. Yes, I love my wife, too, even though she wasn’t family in the first place. We like each other, and over time the love grew, which later resulted in our kids. Nina and I have learned to love our kids for who they are, like I have learned to love you too, for who you are. You definitely are somebody to me, Patrick, and will always be, and my family out there is eager to get to know you. They’ve come to welcome you home to stay with us, Patrick.”

Those last words and the sincerity Patrick felt from Tobias holding him made him breathe easier. Patrick sought comfort, which he never before in his life had. Tobias provided it, and out there eagerly waiting was a family, even though complete strangers to him, even though they shouldn’t be.

Patrick’s breath improved considerably, and he tried to wipe away his tears.

“There you go, Patrick, take your time. This Mush is not going anywhere; it’s grounded till we get off.”

Patrick tried to smile back at Tobias. It took a couple a minutes longer before he was ready to meet his new family, so Tobias and Doris unloaded Patrick’s luggage while he wiped his tears some more.

The kids, Dennis and Jack, ran straight up to meet Patrick as soon stepped out of the Mush, and they did so without any hesitation. That big kid was no stranger to them; they had seen him on the late night show together with their father in Patrick’s school, and their father’s word was good enough for them to welcome Patrick home.

Patrick was still a bit shaken by his own strong reaction, but he recovered quickly. Both Dennis and Jack were eager to have Patrick like a big brother, and they were quick to introduce him as just that to everyone around.

“Now you have something to live up to, Patrick,” Tobias added with a smile. “Little brothers can be tough to handle, and Dennis and Jack are the WORST.”

“NO, WE’RE NOT!” Dennis and Jack laughed back at their father, and Patrick joined in.

Contact was immediate, and Dennis and Jack were eager… well, more than eager to show Patrick his new life, but he enjoyed it. In seemingly an instant Patrick had gained a family who cared for him, and he so wanted to fit in.

When they arrived in Skyjland it was lunchtime, Skyjland time. However, it wasn’t that easy to tell, as the South Pole sun wasn’t the same as from where they left, and here there were two suns to keep track of, exactly as Tobias had joked about. One sun seemed to be creeping along the horizon, never really rising during the day, and the other sun was shining from high above through the Skyjland gate. It was still Sunday though—that was no different—the actual time difference was only three hours.

From the moment they arrived at the Skyjland terminal until they entered Tobias’ home, everything was a new adventure for Patrick, one after another. Dennis and Jack didn’t let him out of arms’ reach, showing him everything of interest (and not) along the way and presenting him as their new big brother, straight off, to friends and neighbors whom they met. Patrick just had to accept it.

At the apartment a room was prepared for him, and he had his own private bathroom where he could wash up. There was a lot to unpack and figure out where to put, things that Patrick never had had before. But Nina assisted, giving advice, which Patrick very much appreciated. That became a way of learning about Nina, and she felt the same.

The evening dinner—Patrick’s first family dinner ever—was a joy, and Dennis and Jack behaved perfectly, which Patrick did, too, of course.

The calm, quiet evening out on the balcony Patrick enjoyed much. The quiet was so unusual for him he had to ask about it—he couldn’t hear any motors or other disturbing noises whatsoever. Tobias explained that if you wanted privacy, like when neighbor children were yelling and jumping around too much late at night, you could simply flip a switch to get it. All apartments had what he called filtering, which eliminates a noise, smell, or anything that might disturb you or others. This filtering works both ways, so out on their balcony they could have grilling parties without others hearing them, smelling what they were cooking, or even seeing them, for that matter; light could be bent that way.

“However, most times we enjoy our neighbors, so we don’t need to filter. It’s just when David—a boy who lives to the right—starts to get too intense on his piano that we cut him out,” Tobias said laughing, with Dennis and Jack agreeing.

Nina interrupted, “David has a handicap that makes him overactive, but music helps him calm down, and he’s quite good at playing. Even though he’s only sixteen years old, same as you, he and some other kids have played up in the castle a couple of times.”

“Yes, Nina is right, Patrick—David is a great kid, and we all enjoy his music. I’m sure you’ll like him too when you meet,” Tobias assured.

There was a light, warm breeze out there on the balcony when the Skyjland sun lowered to the horizon. There were no clouds to be concerned about, and according to Nina the next day’s weather would be as sunny and pleasant as today.

Tobias and Nina sat in one corner chatting. Dennis and Jack were at the table showing Patrick what they were doing in school, and Patrick asked a lot of questions. After a while Nina brought the younger boys inside to get ready for bed, as the next day was Monday and that meant getting up early to go to school. Tobias and Patrick said goodnight to them both, and afterwards Tobias moved over to Patrick for a chat.

“I think we need to have a look at the late night news this evening,” Tobias told him. “It will be about Mr. Cantini; Mr. Green is going to replace him.”

Patrick looked up at Tobias. “How? I mean, how does he do that? Can he really?”

“It’s not often Mr. Green appears, but as I’ve told you, I’ve met him once, and I’ve seen him a number of times on TV. And besides, there are stories about him from before Skyjland. He looks tiny, like a half of a man, but he is massive in so many other ways, and I have no doubt in my mind that he can do it.

“And there’s one thing more—you’ve got a letter.”

“Have I? From whom?”

“Well, I don’t know what it says; that’s for you to find out. But I know it’s from the East Wing University, and that’s where Mr. Green is located.”

Patrick became both curious and concerned, and Tobias let him open the letter in privacy. It didn’t say much, but after he had read it he showed it to Tobias.

“Well, okay. Hm …. Well, Patrick. You’ve been invited to join a class that’s going to start this week, on Wednesday, and its Mr. Green himself who’s going teach it. Hm … Mr. Green hasn’t ever shown up like that, or given any lectures, either. Something is happening, and I think you should go there and find out. I have a feeling that this is for you.”

Patrick looked at Tobias with big eyes.

“So, I really think we need to watch that late night news—you, Nina, and me,” Tobias rounded off in a comforting tone, smiling. “There’s definitely something going on here; I can smell it.”

…

To be continued next Friday.