“Delilah,” her mother said soothingly. “Come close. I have a story to tell you,”
Little Delilah looked up at her mother. She had never heard any stories before! So, she waddled over to her mother on her unsteady, chubby, 4-year-old legs and sat in front of her mother. Her mom scooped her up and placed her on her lap, cuddling her close. The warmth of her mother’s body comforted Delilah, and her mother’s light brown skin matched her own.
“You won’t remember this for quite a while,” Delilah’s mother said, a twinge of sadness in her voice.
“Mommy? What do you mean?” little Delilah asked. Of course she would remember, she thought. She remembered everything!
“The Hoallies are coming next week, Lil. When you turn five, they take you and all your friends to,” she hesitated, choosing her words carefully, “a new home. Where you can play together and have all the fun in the world!”
Now tears shone in her mother’s eyes. Delilah was oblivious to this, busying herself by playing with her mother’s hair, twisting it around in her chubby little fingers. There was a fire burning in the fireplace across the room, and a rocking chair sat near it. The room glowed with yellow warmth. A rough, colorful rug was laid on the hard concrete floor; its colors were mixed up from the brightness of the fire. Delilah’s mother stood up with Delilah in her arms and walked over to the rocking chair. A soft blanket was draped over the back.
“Here. Take your blankie,” Delilah’s mother said, handing Delilah the blanket. She wrapped herself in it, then looked at her mother.
“What story will you tell me, Mommy?”
“I’m going to tell you about The Unconfined,” her mother said. Memories swam in front of her face, unseen by anyone but herself. “Long ago, before you, or I, or even Grandmama was born, people were free. They lived in a small neighborhood, gated so no bad people could enter. All the people were happy there, and they all listened to their leaders, the Hoallies,”
“We have Hoallies too!” Delilah interrupted cheerfully.
“Yes, we do, Lil,” her mom replied. “So, they listened to the Hoallies. Soon, the Hoallies became hungry for more power. They began making strict rules that you needed to follow, or else you would get kicked out of the neighborhood. People began getting mad. But the Hoallies didn’t listen; in fact, they wanted more and more control. They began to extend their power over other gated communities and kept them under their control too. They made each neighborhood an Area. These areas specialized in different things, from farming to making food to using glass. Eventually, they encompassed over a hundred Areas. And we get to now, where the Hoallies are still trying to get control of more and more space.
But, beyond the walls of The Confined World, where we live, lies The Unconfined. A utopia, said to have magical creatures living in it. Things called dragons. Something called magic. And the people are said to take whatever form they choose. It’s said to be a sanctuary for all who enter. And it’s clean, and beautiful. The grass is soft and green, and there are lush areas everywhere. The sky is blue and stars shine every night. It’s said to be wonderful,”
At this point Delilah’s father walked in. His strong, kind gaze fell upon Delilah and her mother, sitting by the fire. He smiled and joined them, sitting on the floor.
“Lil, I have something to give to you,” he said gently, pulling something out of his pocket. It glinted in the firelight. He pressed the object into Delilah’s hand. It was warm from her father’s hand and hard like metal.
“Dada, what is this?”
“It should help you remember us, Lil,” he explained. His voice grew thick with unshed tears. Delilah looked at her father’s face. His warm brown face and deep brown eyes, framed by chaotic, fluffy black hair, looked so sad. He smiled, trying to comfort Delilah, but deep down, even at four years old, she knew something wasn’t right.
She looked at her mother. Her face was streaked with tears, and her long black hair shone in the firelight. Her brown eyes were shiny as well. Her lips were, like her father’s, upturned in a smile, but Delilah could tell it was pasted on for her comfort. But, she didn’t know why everyone seemed so sad. So, she looked at the object in her hand. Two golden rings were intertwined, shining like what Delilah thought was a star. On both of the rings were small, beautiful gemstones. One was a deep, rich blue color. The other was light green. Delilah fiddled with the gemstones and the rings; her parents watched her, then her mother broke down in tears and left the area. She sat by the door, facing away from her family. Delilah watched her with concerned interest, and got up to go comfort her mother. But, her father grabbed her and pulled her back down.
“Let her be, Lil. She needs time to herself,” he told her gently. Then he smiled ever so slightly and put his forehead on Delilah’s forehead, and muttered a few unintelligible words. Delilah felt something gently pulse through her head, only once. She looked at her father and saw his eyes fade into deep brown from a different color. She found this intriguing, but didn;t ask anything of it.
“Now, if you ever miss Mommy and Dada, just put your hand through the ring. No matter what, you need to keep that ring forever. It shows our love for each other, and our love for you. Keep the rings safe, Lil. We love you so, so much,” her father told her lovingly. Her mother stood up, her entire face wet, and walked over to Delilah. She embraced her child and began to weep silently, once more. Her father joined the embrace, and Delilah felt warm and comfortable and safe.
“We love you, Lil.”
***
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Delilah gasped for air. She stared at the rings in the palm of her hand, glinting in the harsh white light of her room. The gemstones seemed to smile at her; the intertwined metal hugged itself. The rings seemed to be congratulating her.
She had remembered.
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