Chapter 1: Of Snips and Snails...
The sandy brown curls flopped into the toddler's eyes as ran ahead of his mother, giggling and squealing in delight as he easily went around the obstacles the adult had trouble negotiating.
"Gotcha!" Mya crowed in triumph and tickled the wiggling bundle of energy as she swept him into a hug. "You shouldn't run in here, Kehl, there are too many things you can get hurt on." She carried him to the tank that held exotic looking fish in the bubbling water. "Look at the pretty fishies."
"Fishies," the boy's eyes lit up as his mother sat him on a chair in front of the tank just out of reach.
"Stay here while I sign in," she whispered as she ruffled her son's hair.
"Bwoo, yewow, gween…" Kehlal shouted the colors of each fish as they swam by. With each color he yelled, he bounced in his chair in excitement.
Unnoticed, a pale man in dark clothes quietly came up behind the youngling, and bent down so that his image was reflected in the glass. At the same time, he used an ancient technique to throw his voice so that it seemed the reflection spoke.
Kehlal sat mesmerized as the floating face softly spoke to him. He blinked when the face suddenly disappeared and he heard his mother calling him. He got up and ran over to her. "Mommy, head with fishies gone!" He held up his hands by his shoulders. "Where it go?"
"What are you talking about, sweetie?"
Taking his mother's hand, he pulled her over to the fish tank and smacked the tank with the palms of his hand. "Talking head gone!"
"Don't do that honey, you'll scare the fishies." Mya took Kehlal's hand as she gently guided him away. "The doctor wants to see you now."
The toddler looked back as he was taken out of the room. "But where head go?"
Around the corner, the pale man smiled darkly as he whispered, "I'll be back, my young friend."