"Dad, can you tell me a story?"
The father grinned at his young son and sat down next to him on the bed. "What story would you like to hear?"
"A new one!" the son said excitedly, pulling the blanket up to his chin to ward off the cold night air.
The father thought for a moment, and an idea entered his mind. "Have I ever told you about The Other World?"
The boy shook his head and settled in. He loved it when his father told stories, and he could tell this one was going to be good.
"Well," his father began, "legends say that we're not the only world out there. Many people say there's a world very different from our own."
"What's it like?" the eager boy interrupted.
"Hang on," his father said with a smile. "I was getting to that."
"Sorry," the young boy muttered sheepishly, but his father just smiled.
"This 'Other World,'" the boy's dad continued, "is very strange to us. You see, there's no magic."
"What?" the boy interjected, confused. "No magic at all?"
"None whatsoever," the father confirmed. "Instead, they use technology."
The boy sat with his mouth agape, not understanding what his father was saying.
"Do you remember how way back in our world's history, before magic made the shades appear, magic was widely accepted and people used their spell to build cities and help people?"
His son nodded, and the father continued.
"None of that ever happened in their world. The Gods never granted them magic, so the people had to rely on other things to survive. The Other World uses super advanced technology, like metal boxes that move through the sky or huge towers that can send messages across thousands of miles in an instant."
"But if there's no magic," the boy asked, "what about the Eyyliks?"
"There are no Eyyliks, son."
"There isn't?"
His father took a deep breath to collect himself before responding. "The Eyyliks are the Gods' way of protecting us from the shades and to-" he paused, not sure how to explain the Eyylik's more sinister duties to the young boy.
"To kill sorcerers?" The boy offered.
His father sighed. "To stop us from using magic and summoning more shades," he clarified. "If this world doesn't have magic, there's no need for the Eyyliks."
The boy leaned back into his pillow and stared at the ceiling as if he was gazing off into the distance. "A world without Eyyliks? That'd be amazing."
The father smiled. "Even a world without the shades would be a world worth living in." He leaned back on the bed beside his son. "Then we'd be able to use our magic to help people again, like we used to hundreds of years ago. We'd be able to help so many people..."
He trailed off, and his son grew sullen. "Dad, do you think we'll ever go there?" the boy asked quietly.
"Go where?" the father asked, still lost in thought.
"The Other World," the boy asked again, turning over onto his side to face his father squarely. "Do you think we can see it?"
The father leaned over and kissed his son on the forehead. "Maybe, one day," he said as he rolled out of bed. "But for now, it's way past your bedtime."
"Okay, Dad." the boy grumbled, snuggling deeper into his warm bed. "Good night."
"Good night, son," the father said, blowing out the candle and closing the door gently behind him.
He paused a moment to stop and contemplate this other world where he and his son could be free to live their lives without fear of the Eyyliks seeing the magical aura that surrounded them.651Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU07kir16Jb
Lost in thought, the father was oblivious to the pair of dark red eyes watching him from the window.651Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdOgM00W957
