Meeting the God

            I knew he would open the door of this bookshop long before he did, and as I recognized his face my heart skipped a beat and I gasped with excitement. His blonde wavy hair softly danced as he strode to the Fantasy bookcase, picked a book and started thumbing frantically thru it with a very serious face. His fingers moved nervously from one page to the next, and sometimes he would stretch his index finger and follow the lines. As I watched him silently, I wished I could change places with this book and feel the caress of his skin. All of a sudden, he seemed to freeze, his eyes locked on the page he was reading, then he slowly nodded and kept his head down. Several customers had spotted him and stared at him in disbelief. The clerk himself, whose desk was next to the entrance, kept his mouth open, ignoring the moaning queue of impatient customers.

 "Excuse me, did you write this?"

      His voice sounded just like I thought. I smiled at him and took the book from his hands. As I did, our fingers lightly touched and he flinched. "Yes, I did. Do you want me to sign it for you?" He seemed to hesitate, his look going from the book to my face, then he shrugged. "Yes, please."

    Now it was my turn to be tense: though I was looking down, I could feel his stare on me, as well as all the questions he wanted to ask me." Thank you", he said when I was finished and handed him the book back. Then he pretended to be on the verge of leaving, suddenly frowned and faced me again.

" Do I know from somewhere?" he asked.

"You don't know me but I do know you", I answered smiling.

      He nodded to himself but I could see he was still very nervous.

"How come?"

       All the customers were watching us now. Some of them were holding my book at the very page of this scene. I reached out a hand to touch his face and he flinched again. The anxiety I reckoned in his eyes made his whole body stiff, but he finally relaxed and leaned over me.

"Maybe I wrote this book about you, I whispered in his ear. Maybe your life is in this book. Maybe you wouldn't be if it weren't for me."

       He laughed strangely, searching my eyes, but I remained serious. At that point in time, he realized the other customers had gathered around us in circle and were staring at him. A young man reached out a hand to touch his shoulder. "He is real", he uttered, flabbergasted. "This is Handr*!"

        Whispers of astonishment and wonder followed this statement. Handr looked at me inquiringly.

"What are those people saying? How do they know my name? Why is my life detailed in this book?"

         I laughed and opened a book from the pile I still had to sign, at the very page I wanted to read.

"Don't be afraid, Handr. You are safe. I am the Guardian of Worlds. I know everything about you and your people. I am here sure to make they will live forever, just like the Gods."

KAB (N.T.)

* in « Cité de Laneleer», Handr is the Prince of Eyrenn, one of the three kingdoms of the City of Laneleer.