"S-Splendorman?" Eli looked at the strange man with a funny expression. "W-what kind of n-name is t-that?"
"Why, it's a Slender name of course!"Splendorman looked at Eli with his huge grin growing wider.
"A S-Slender na-name?" Eli looked at Splendor man in confusion. "W-Whats a S-Slender?"
"Me, I'm a Slender." Splendorman pointed to himself.
"W-Wait so you're t-telling me that y-your last name i-is S-Slender? Is i-it like a tr-tradition in y-your family t-to give y-your kids n-names like S-Splendorman?" Eli looked at Splendor man with a small smile on her face, that was a silly family tradition.
"A family wha…" Splendor man looked extremely confused for a second before his eyes lit with understanding. "Oh no, Slender is not my last name. In fact I don't even have one…. But any way, Slender is my race."
"Y-Your race…." Eli was truly lost now. "What d-do you m-mean y-your race?"
"Well you know, sort of like how you humans call yourselves the human race. We Slender's call ourselves the slender race.
Eli looked at Splendorman with her eyes wide. "Wait a-are y-you trying t-to say t-that you a-aren't h-human!?"
"Well… Yah, I mean It's not like I look like you humans all that much…. There are some similarities, but there is also a few important differences." Splendorman's forehead seemed to scrunch up when he said this. Eli was sure that if he had eyebrows they would be furrowed together.
Eli was speechless she had felt his face and sure it was different. Impossible in fact, now that she thought about it. She had thought that maybe it was a birth defect he had been born with or something. The idea of some kind of nuclear accident or even a scientific lab test gone wrong had even entered her head at one point. However not once did the possibility that he wasn't human ever cross her mind. She took a minute to actually examine him thoroughly. She had been to surprised that anyone had been in the woods with her at the time and then she was distracted by his face. Cause of this she never took the time to really look at him. Now that she did though the first thought that entered her mind was "Tall" he was huge! Now a ten year old girl is not the biggest person in the world mind you. But he was huge compared to her own father and her dad was around 6 foot 7inches, he was no small person. Even though she was sitting next to him on even ground she only came to his abdomen! The reason she hadn't noticed before was because he was awkwardly hunched over so that his face was down towards hers. That in its self should have been impossible! The way he was bent made him seem like he was made out of bendy rubber or something. Then she slid her eyes down to his arms they were also very long. In fact it looked like his whole had could wrap around her head and still have room to grab some of her shoulders! Speaking of his hands, after looking closer Eli realized that he wasn't wearing gloves at all! She could tell because she could see his hands were tipped with sharp nails in fact they were more like claws, they were so sharp! Eli gulped; if he wanted to he could rip her to shreds without even trying….
"Are you ok?" Splendor man had been sitting quietly while Eli looked him over.
"W-What?" Eli was so into studying his appearance she was confused when she heard Splendorman's voice. "O-Oh, ummm… Yah s-sorry about t-that…." Eli blushed and looked down at her hands.
Splendorman laughed," Its fine, in fact I did the same thing when I saw you humans for the first time as well. If anything I'm just surprised that you thought I was human, more than anything else."
"W-Well you see I-I didn't r-really get a-a good l-look a-at you u-until now…." Eli's voice trailed off in embarrassment, he cheeks turning even redder.
"Ah, that makes sense." Splendorman still had a kind smile on his face.
"Y-You were telling m-me t-that your n-name was n-normal for y-your r-race…. S-So there a-are others like y-you?" Eli was desperate to change the subject off of how unaware of her surroundings she was. That and she was truly interested in this Slender race he had spoken of.
"Well yes though there are a lot less now. But we do indeed still exist." Spendorman held his hand up as if studying it.
"S-So why h-have I never h-heard of y-your people b-before t-then?" Eli watched Splendorman with a strange sense of fascination.
"We tend to keep to ourselves. Most of my kind are not very social, in fact I am one of the few who even dare to venture out of the Slender world, well me and my brothers that is…" Splendorman was now looking up to the sky.
"W-Waite your t-telling m-me you c-come from a-a d-different w-world?" Eli was beyond herself now. It was one thing that he wasn't human but now he came from a different world!? "A-And you h-have br-brothers!?"
"Well, sort of…. It's not like I'm from another planet or anything. It's more like I'm from a parallel world that's hidden from humans. And yes I do have brothers, though we tend to not see each other very often…." Splendorman was still looking up at the sky but this time a bird flew over him and his smile seemed to grow wider.
"A w-world that h-humans h-have never s-seen….. What d-do you m-mean?" Eli was trying to grasp the concept of a parallel world and really she was getting nowhere.
"Hmmm….. How to explain…. Well you see you humans tend not to realize what is around you. You are a rather self-absorbed race you could say. It's not like you walk around holding mirrors pushed up against your faces or anything. But rather humans tend to be absorbed in their own thoughts, so much in fact that they never bother to look at things around them. How often do humans actually stop to look at nature? And the few that do when they see things they immediately write it off as a trick of the light or their eyes." Splendor man looked down at Eli with a slight frown on his face. "Though it is not all the fault of humanity, other creatures like my race tend to hide. We are a world that the naked human eye can rarely see.
"Waite s-so your w-world is a h-hidden one t-that's kept s-secret?" Should y-you really b-be t-telling me a-all of t-this?" Eli looked up at Splendorman nervously.
"Well, it's not like anyone would believe you if you told them. You humans tend to need to see things in order to believe them. A trait that has hindered your race over the centuries." Splendor man still had a small frown on his face when he looked at Eli.
"W-Well I guess y-you are r-right… My f-family w-would probably j-just brush me a-aside…." Eli couldn't help but make a small frown at the idea of her family.
"Hmmm….." Splendorman looked at Eli's frown with concern. "It's starting to get late out and I highly doubt that a young girl like you wants to be stuck in a forest after dark. He stood up and dusted his polka doted pants off. Splendorman then bent down and offered Eli his hand, "Come now let's get you home."
Eli grabbed his hand and couldn't help but gape at him. He was tall when she was sitting next to him sure! But now that she stood next to him he was ginormous! Her head barely came up to his knee! "W-Wow" was all that she was able to get out.
"Yes I know the size difference is striking isn't it?"Splendorman laughed once again at her reaction to his height.
"I-I don't g-get how h-humans h-have trouble s-seeing y-you…." If anyone his height ever walked past Eli she was sure that she would notice without a doubt!
"Well I am able to control my height." Splendorman smiled down at Eli
"W-Wait you c-can!? Will y-you show m-me?" Eli looked up at Splendorman with sparkling eyes.
Splendor man began to grown smaller until he was around 6 foot 9inches. "How this?"
"I-It's a little b-better but i-it still h-hurts my n-neck having t-to look u-up at y-you…." Eli's neck was getting sore from constantly looking up at Splendorman.
"Here how about this?" Splendorman reached down and swopped Eli up into his arms holding her in a princess position.
Eli was blushing redder than a tomato, she could barely speak. "W-Well I c-can see y-you b-better n-now that's f-for s-sure…"
"Good" Splendorman gave her a sunny smile before he began to walk in the direction that she had come. Which made Eli wonder how did he know where she lived?" As if reading her thoughts Splendorman said, "My species has a really strong sense of smell, not many people have been in this forest so your scent is the strongest. I can tell that you came from this direction, however feel free to tell me if I'm going in the wrong direction."
"Uh, nn-o this i-is the r-right w-way…." Eli cringed she hoped that she didn't smell bad or anything…. "D-Do I s-smell o-ok?"
"Huh? Oh, yah you smell rather good actually like rain and plants it's rather refreshing. Though you also smell like salt and tears. It was your smell that made me stop and talk to you in the first place. Lately whenever I tried to talk to humans they all ran away screaming. I was about to give up. So I'm rather glad that I stopped to talk to you it was a pleasant surprise." Splendorman all of a sudden stopped. "Is this your home?"
Eli looked at where they were standing; it was the edge of her yard. "Y-Yah, it is t-thanks for w-walking me h-home S-Splendorman." Splendorman placed her down on the grass gently.
"I should be the one thanking you. After all you are the first human who has ever bothered to talk to me." Splendorman smiled down at her his eyes beaming with happiness despite him having no eyeballs.
"I-It's there l-loss, you are a-a great f-friend!" Eli looked up at Splendorman her eyes determined.
"You….. you think of me as a friend?" Splendorman looked at Eli his face in complete shock.
"O-Of course I-I do. Do y-you?" Eli's voice went soft when she asked her question at the end.
Splendorman stood frozen before he quickly (Faster than Eli's eyes could follow) reached down and snatched Eli up from off the ground again this time he spun her around until they were both dizzy and laughing. "I have a friend! My very first friend!"
Eli couldn't help but laugh as well. It was truly nice to have a friend she had to admit. After seeing her sister surrounded by friends her whole life and never having any of her own. Eli was overjoyed to have someone she could call her own personal friend. "Y-You are m-my first f-friend as w-well…."
"I-I am?" Splendor man's eyes began to tear. "I can't tell you what that means to me." He pulled Eli into a tight hug. Before once again placing her down on the ground slowly.
"Eli you have truly helped me. I fell that I can now go and fulfill my mission!" Splendorman smiled up at the sky as if seeing a picture of something that Eli could not.
"M-Mission? W-What m-mission?" Eli was confused Splendorman hadn't mentioned any mission….
"I have to make friends all over the world! I am going to help people understand that the Slender race is not all bad!" Splendorman smiled down at Eli.
All around the world? To make friends? It took Eli 10 years just to make one friend! So if Splendorman was traveling around the world and trying to make friends there was no telling when he would come back!"W-Will I ever s-see you a-again?" Eli looked up at Splendor man her face sad.
"I have to keep doing my job of spreading cheer around the world. But I know we will! You are after all my first and best friend!" Splendorman gave a huge smile, "You have helped me to believe that humans are not all bad and that there are nice people out there. Thank you Eli."
Eli couldn't stop the tears from coming to her eyes. "B-But I won't s-see you a-again for a-a w-while…. If you're t-traveling around t-the whole w-world. And w-what if y-you find s-someone t-that you l-like better t-than me a-and make t-them y-your best f-friend i-instead?" The tears were pouring down Eli's face at this point.
"Oh Eli, there is no way that could ever happen. After all you are my first and best friend. I will always remember you, and I promise to come back to see you again once I have make more friends in the world and spread more cheer." Splendorman looked down at Eli's face and his heart broke a bit. After all who wants to see their first friend sad?
"I-I don't w-want you t-to g-go!" Eli knew it was selfish but could you really blame her? No one had bothered to really talk to her before Splendorman.
"Eli….." Splendorman's voice was soft and his eyes took on a slightly pained look. All of a sudden his face lit up and a huge smile once again graced his features. "Waite! I have an idea!" Eli watched as he reached behind his back as if grabbing something. She heard a small snap and saw Splendorman flinch slightly. But before she could ask what was wrong he pulled what appeared to be a gold colored round bell from out of nowhere! The bell seemed small in splendorman's hand but compaired to Eli's ten year old hands it took up here whole palm!(In reality the bell was around two inches wide and two inches tall. Eli just had really small hands.) It had a small hook on top as if something was meant to go through it. "Hang on I'm sure that I have a ribbon around here somewhere…"Splendorman reached into his pocket on the side of his suit and pulled out a long red ribbon that matched his bow tie. He then threaded it into the bell creating a sort of necklace. He kneeled down and slowly bent his torso until he was at Elis height. "Hold still ok?" Eli nodded, she felt him tie the ribbon around her neck. Shhe then felt the bell settle in the center of her chest. It was warm and quite a bit heavier than she expected. "Take very special care of that bell. Ok? It is a peace of me. As long as you have it I will always be with you no matter what."
Eli looked at Splendorman, "What do you mean a piece of you?"
Splendorman smiled at her with a grin that took up most of his face. "It is a physical piece of me, that bell is sort of like….Well to you humans I guess it would be like a small limb like a finger or something." Before Eli could open her mouth Splendorman quickly added. "But don't worry It will grow back. Us Slenders have regenerative abilities!"
Eli was lost on what to say. He broke off a piece of him that was considered as important as a finger to humans, for her? It was touching as well as slightly horrifying. After all she didn't want him to mutilate himself for her! The face that he could grow his limbs back however was a slight relief to her. But in reality not all that much. "T-Thank you S-Splendorman….."
"Your welcome! However there is something else you should know. Though no longer attached to me I can feel everything that happens to that bell, and through it you. So take good care of it!" Splendorman looked at Eli with a warm grin.
"You can f-feel….. W-Waite w-what!? So w-what happens i-if It b-breaks o-or s-something!? Eli gripped the bell protectively, "W-What will h-happen t-to you!?"
"Nothing much, it would be a little painful to me. But it's not like it would kill me or anything. Plus that I trust you." Splendorman eyes Eli's hand that was wrapped around the bell. He was certain now that he had made the right decision. She would never let anything happen to it. This way he would always be with her no matter what. "It's time for me to go now Eli, it's getting late." Splendorman looked around and it really was beginning to get dark.
"I-I will m-miss you….." Eli looked down at the ground with tears in her eyes once again.
"Don't worry I promise we will see each other again. So don't cry, ok?" Eli shook her head yes at Splendorman she then ran to him and gave his leg, (Cause she couldn't reach anything else.) a big hug. "Good girl" Splendoman smiled before patting her on the head and pushing her towards her house. "Its time for you to go home now."
Eli began to walk towards her house, when she got to the door she turned around to get one last look at Splendorman but he was gone…. "G-Goodbye…" Eli whispered to the wind. She then walked into the house a single tear falling down her cheek.
It would be several years before she ever saw Splendorman again…...
Author note:
Now Before you all start getting angry and flaming me about the fact that Splendor man left for several years and so on so forth. I just want to say that the reason I had Splendorman leave for a couple years is because this is a "romance fanfiction".( Though the romance will come a little later.) I can't exactly have a ten year old develop a romance with anyone now can I? Also before people go off saying that I could have used the years to have them bond with one another well let me put it to you all this way. The direction I see that going in would be something along the lines of this. Splendorman would grow to see Eli as more of a daughter or a little sister figure since her own parents neglect her and it's in his nature to take care of and protect kids. Also since Eli is so young and has little to no interaction with other people since she is so quiet. And since her father and mother favor her sister she is deprived of the attention and love a parent is supposed to give. Romance would not be the first thing that would fall into her mind when leaning on and depending on the older character like Splendorman. But instead a parental figure would be the first thing that would cross her mind. And as he grew up she would have always thought of Splendorman as her big brother or father making it very hard to create a romance between the two or any of his brothers. So this is why I had to give them both a couple years apart. To let Eli grow and to let Splendorman go and work at his mission of spreading cheer and making friends. But don't worry neither of them forget each other. After all they were both the first friends that either of them had ever made. Also I know people are going to bring up the fact that Splendorman can Slender walk and so him traveling around the world would not take as long as Eli seems to think. Keep in mind that Eli does not know what Slender walking is and that since Slender's tent to live a veerryyyy llllloooonnnggg time that years to them would be more along the lines of months or days.(I read quite a few fanfic's that say the Slenderman was around since Dracula, the real human version. If I were to take their life span and time line from those fanfic's yah…. They would most definitely view time differently than the average human.) So to Splenderman he just simply lost track of if you were gonna ask how on earth they would be able to stay apart that long there is your answer! I hope you enjoy the story! And remember reviews keep the chapters coming! I need proof after all that people are really reading these things! Also I love when people put down suggestions or tell me what parts of the story they loved the best! So please comment and tell me your opinions! Also what do you all think of Eli's stutter? I like the addition to the character I feel that it helps define her. But I myself know that some people find it annoying when authors wright stuttering into their stories. I'm not really sure If I will have her stop mind you. But I would love our opinions all the same.