Disclaimer: *In a robot voice* I... own... nothing. *Normal voice* Hang on
yes I do! I own anything you don't recognise. Take that Konami! The little
quote at the beginning is from a hymn I remember. Dunno why.
***Here we go. And please don't complain about how I cut the chapter off. If I hadn't, you'd be waiting a very long time for the rest to come up. This chapter's a bit low on angst. Actually it's very low on angst, but there will be lots in the next chapter, I promise. So enjoy the light- hearted but while it lasts. Thanks to all reviewers. I love you all!***
Resurrecting the Shadow of Memories
A Shadow of Destiny Fanfic
"Ask and it shall be given unto you. Seek and ye shall find."
And so I had my first true taste of freedom. I decided first of all that everything in my master's home would have to be taken with me to the home I intended to create. From that safe haven I could go through every scrap of parchment, read every page of that book and finally come to understand what I was, and what I could do.
But I had to make my new home first. It required very little concentration for me to enter a realm that was not subject to the normal laws of time and space. I watched with a small smile as my body faded from the feet upwards, dissolving in that red glow, as you have seen me do many times. Soon I was drifting in empty blackness, in an oblivion that beckoned to be filled.
And so I created a simple room. Wooden floorboards stretched to a reasonable distance before fading into blackness. That was all my realm was to begin with. The books and papers that I filled it with mostly belonged to my master. I pulled the books through to my realm with my magic, and I arranged them all so that I could read them at my leisure.
But there were things missing. I could not be expected to spend eternity reading these few books. And I needed a window into the outer world.
I smiled. A window. Well why not?
And so I made that magnificent arched window, which when I had no need for it showed me a beautiful, golden sunset. If I wished, it would show me whatever I desired. I could watch and listen to the mortal world from my realm now.
The door was made simply out of a feeling of artistry on my part. My realm was designed on a room after all, and every room needed a door. After a while I discovered that it was a preferable resting spot, where I could look out of my window at leisure, or read a book, or simply sit and think. I made the door to be an opening to the human world, though I didn't really require a door to return and I had no real intention of returning anyway. It just seemed like a reasonable idea at the time, and I never changed it.
And so, when everything was to my satisfaction, I settled down to read. I lay the book out on my wooden floor, and lay down on my front to read it. It was a huge volume, and I didn't honestly expect to hold it in my lap without doing myself a serious injury. With my chin resting in my palm, and a growing sense of excitement, I opened that huge book.
I learnt everything about myself in that book. A large portion was more a diary of events than research notes on my creation. Chronicled events that took place after my creation, a list of my magical abilities, I overlooked all these, not interested in what my former master had thought of my rapid progress or the strange powers that he had never dreamed of.
Then I found something that did catch my interest. This section was about my actual creation. I did not give details of how I was created, but there were a few significant facts that intrigued me.
I read...
//I have bound the djinn to the red stone, which can be found in my treasury. His bondage to this precious gem will allow the holder, possessing the necessary means, to summon him to do their bidding...//
I couldn't contain an amused chuckle at /that/ claim.
//...It is vitally important that the djinn make no contact with this stone. He is a part of it, and as such, merely touching it will erase his existence from the world, and there will be no way for him to return.//
So I was not entirely immortal then, I mused quietly. Oh well, I would just have to ensure that the stone remained here in my realm. I could move it by magic if necessary.
//This also means that the djinn is unable to manipulate the stone in any way. His magic will have no effect on the stone, and so he must rely on his master for its safe-keeping.//
Now I cursed aloud. Getting to my feet, I levitated until I was able to see clearly through the window. As I watched and concentrated, the sunset shifted and flowed into the image of a familiar room, my master's chamber, now empty except for the lifeless bodies on the floor. And something else too...
In the corner of the room, lying on the floor, was a glittering red jewel. I couldn't withhold a bitter smirk when I noticed it was identical to my eyes in colour. It lay in exactly the spot where my master's strong box had been. I glared at it, hating that tiny, insignificant stone for being the one thing in the world that could bring me into the service of man once again. But there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn't touch it or move it in any way. So I was forced to leave it, and hope that it would always be thought of as a simple ruby, nothing more than a source of wealth.
I went back to my reading, and learnt plenty more about myself, and the spirit race of the djinn. I learnt that I was supposed to appear to my master, and grant them one wish in exchange for their soul. The contract ended with the death of the master. I smiled; feeling almost a little relieved. So it would not always be like it was with my creator. I would not always be used like a slave, sent to fetch things or asked to perform tricks. I suspected that most of the time I would be asked to grant something like immortality, or great riches, and that would be it. I had no real problem with any of that.
So I was willing to allow my stone circulate around the world, falling into the hands of greedy merchants and nobles, all of them ignorant of its true purpose. I gradually allowed myself to believe that no human in the world would ever be able to summon me and, in my realm, I lived utterly separate from the human race, basking in my independence and the concept of an undisturbed eternity of peace.
Unfortunately, this left me rather ill equipped to deal with a series of events that took me, and the man involved completely by surprise.
It may have been a few centuries later; I really had no idea since I had given up on keeping track of time in the human world. I was perched on my huge door, doing nothing but staring into empty space, when the strangest sensation gripped me. I had a horrible feeling that I was falling backwards suddenly. I could feel a tightening in my chest, like a pair of huge hands was trying to crush me. I winced, and tried to shake off this feeling.
Unexpectedly the feeling intensified, and I doubled over on my perch, teeth grinding in pain. It was almost as bad as when my old master had punished me. But the fact that I had no idea where or who it was coming from was infuriating.
I could feel it overwhelming me, and I knew there was possibly nothing I could do except give in and hope that, if this was the end for me, it would be mercifully quick.
I was sucked into a vortex that blinded me with swirling colours and filled my ears with strange noises that I couldn't identify. I shut my eyes, and placed my hands over my ears, trying to block out the noise and the light. I felt myself turning over and over, and I felt for certain that I was going to die.
And so the sensation of lying on my side, on cold, wet stone, was shocking and something of a relief, though that depended on your point of view. I felt senses I hadn't required in centuries waking up to hear the sound of a mortal crying out, and feel the presence of a soul nearby.
When I finally opened my eyes, I was curled up like a foetus on a stone tabletop. As I uncurled and sat up, my hands brushed aside broken pieces of crude, clay pottery. I raised my hand to my face and saw a wet fluid dripping from my fingers. Then my eyes refocused, and I noticed the figure standing on the opposite side of the room, looking at me in a mixture of confusion, intrigue and terror. I stared back at him.
He was not young, but not old either. I would have guessed about forty- something. He wore nothing but a strange, skirt-type garment and a simple pair of sandals. His black hair was impeccably neat and glossy. His skin was a deep, sunburnt brown, and this was emphasised by the black kohl that was painted around his dark eyes.
"Well, what do you want?" I asked, remembering suddenly that I was a djinn, and was summoned in order to grant wishes.
He said something in another language, and I realised that I was in a different age, as well as a different place. I would have to modify my communication for this new 'master'.
I repeated my question, but this time, I said it in the man's own language.
He looked, if possible, even more shocked than before. He straightened up and frowned at me, seemingly to collect his thoughts together remarkably quickly.
"I feel I should be asking the same question, stranger," he said warily.
It was my turn to be confused, and I resorted to sarcasm in my own suspicion. "You have summoned me for I reason I presume. I would appreciate it if you would simply make your wish and let me leave. I have better things to do with my time than spend it with mortals."
The man's face showed his increasing bewilderment as I said this. I was starting to worry about the man. Why had he summoned me if he had no clue who or what I was?
Eventually the man managed to stutter; "I'm afraid I don't understand. I did not summon you. I was simply performing an experiment, and suddenly my whole set of equipment exploded, and you were lying in the middle of it."
I glanced down at the broken pottery, the puddles of unidentifiable fluids, and then back at the man.
"What experiment were you performing?" I asked.
"I was attempting to create the elixir of life."
I raised an eyebrow. "The what?"
He seemed rather annoyed by my ignorant response. "The elixir of life. The fluid which cures all illness' and prolongs mortal life. I have spent many years searching for the answer, and I finally found the ingredient that would allow me to create the mixture."
A sense of revelation came over me. "What is this ingredient, may I ask?"
The man took a few steps and was soon standing by the table, I watched, unmoving, as he began to throw aside bits of clay in a frantic search for something. I saw a hint of desperation in his eyes. He was panicked that he wouldn't find this thing. It didn't matter to me. I already had a pretty good idea of what it was he would show me.
Finally, he bent down, and giving a relieved sigh, picked a very familiar object from the floor. He held it up to me.
"You see?"
I stared in bitter understanding at the gleaming red stone in his hand.
"I see," I said icily.
The young man didn't seem aware of my bitterness, but continued to look at the stone like it was some holy relic.
"The Philosopher's Stone," he breathed the name like a prayer. "For years my brothers in the field of alchemy have searched for it. All the stories say that it creates the elixir of life, or that it can transform any metal into gold." The man glanced at me. "So your appearance here is somewhat disconcerting."
I smiled briefly, glad in some small way that I had upset a great discovery. But I was now beginning to understand my situation. I knew of alchemy, and smiled at the irony of the legend of the Philosopher's Stone. I imagined that there would be a number of unintentional summonings like this, if all my future 'master's' were really looking for this elixir of life. Alchemy was a new practice among humans and that, along with the man's appearance, told me where I was.
"Egypt," I muttered to myself. "Full of interfering humans with too much time on their hands."
The man obviously heard me, and was insulted by my words. "Alchemy is a great science," he said.
"It is a great irritation," I replied. Sighing, I slid off the tabletop and walked around the room, taking a forced, rather patronising interest in the man's books and various chemicals.
"But you speak of humans as a separate race, and you certainly do not look human. What are you?" I let him consider his own question for a moment, and had to chuckle at the conclusion he came to. "Are you a servant of the Gods?"
Smiling, I turned back to him. "And if I was, do you really think I would come here and walk among mortals?"
"I suppose not. But what are you then?"
"It is no concern of yours. All that need trouble you is your wish."
"My wish?"
I was starting to get rather annoyed with this human. "You summoned me. Therefore I am forced to grant you any request. So you would oblige me greatly by getting on with it."
My abrupt, callous attitude was probably not too helpful in those circumstances, and I could see the doubt in the Egyptian's dark eyes.
"You are a djinn then?"
I raised my eyebrows, barely masking my surprise in discovering that he knew of my kind. "You know of things like me then?"
"The world walks in fear of creatures such as you," he said, and my smile broadened all the more. "You are mischievous demons that can do good or bad. Most believe that you are sent either as punishments or gifts from the Gods."
I gave a contemptuous sniff. "Well I was not sent by anyone, but since I'm here you may as well consider me a piece of good fortune."
"The elders claim that you know all the secrets of the world, and understand magic beyond all human comprehension."
"Flattering," I said. "And mostly true."
"But they also say that you steal souls."
I shrugged. "And what is the problem with that?"
The man looked horrified. "My soul belongs to the Gods! When I die it shall follow the footsteps of the god Anubis. You cannot have my soul. I will never let you take it."
"Oh spare me the religious lecture," I snapped. "You summoned me, and you signed your spirit over to me by doing so."
"I never intended to call you forth!"
"Do you honestly think that matters to me?"
"How can you defy the god's plan for my soul?"
"Who knows, perhaps this is what was meant to happen to your soul. Besides, I don't believe in any of that religious nonsense. I'm not human, I don't have a soul, and I'll never die. So naturally, none of what you've just said means anything to me."
I was surprised that this particular, irritated outburst seemed to have a reverse effect on the Egyptian. He looked very thoughtful all of a sudden, and I frowned, wondering what he could possibly be thinking.
"What kind of wishes do you grant then?" he asked suddenly.
"Any kind," I replied, feeling rather frustrated now, and anxious to be on my way.
"I can have anything I want?"
I rolled my eyes. "For the last time... yes!" There was a pause. An irritatingly long one and finally I snapped. "Would you please just ask for something? I don't-"
"I want you to tell me everything you know."
I was shocked by this sudden request, and more horrified by what it would entail. If I were to tell him everything I knew, then I would be obliged to remain in the mortal world with him. I cringed inwardly at the thought of being treated like a servant again, and immediately wished that he desired something other than knowledge. Most humans were selfish and wanted riches or immortality. Why did this one have to be different?
So I immediately I tried to talk him out of it. "Wouldn't you rather have something else? Eternal youth? Riches?" These suggestions were received with a shake of the head. "What about power?" I asked, barely hiding my desperation.
I was unprepared for the smile that spread across his face.
"Knowledge /is/ power."
I stared blankly at him, unable to believe that I was really back to being the servant once again. But then again, was I really a servant? If I worked this out in a certain way, I would end up being the master and him my pupil. It couldn't do that much harm, could it? To tell a human some of the things I knew. I would never, in one lifetime, hope to relate all the knowledge I had acquired. But a little perhaps, might be possible. How could it hurt?
"But what exactly is it you wish to know?" I asked suddenly.
He shrugged. "Things that no one else in the world knows. About magic, and demons and creatures like you." I narrowed my eyes at him. "The mysteries of the world, really."
"I could never tell you everything."
"Why not?"
"You wouldn't live long enough."
He laughed. "I suppose that's true. But I want to learn as much as possible. So... you don't have much choice really, do you?"
I didn't answer, but I did growl under my breath. I /hated/ being reminded that I was still, for all my powers and knowledge, a servant to whoever called me.
"My name is Kamose," he said. I was surprised by this unexpected formality. I had expected to have to call this man 'master'. But he had given me his name, and I smiled inwardly at the thought that I might win his complete confidence and, somehow, use that to gain my freedom again as quickly as possible.
"Homunculus," I said abruptly. He nodded thoughtfully.
"A peculiar name. Who named you?"
"It does not concern you."
"I did say you were to tell me everything."
I clenched my fists as tightly as I dared. "I was not considering having to reveal personal details about myself."
Kamose seemed to recognise my anger, but rather than being afraid, he simply shrugged. "Well, I suppose I can make some exceptions. Who knows, you may feel able to tell me one of these days."
"I wouldn't stake your life on it," I snarled, though inside I was even more confused than before, since I had been expecting him to force the whole story of my creation out of me.
He shrugged again. "I've already given up my life, so I don't think it would make much difference, would it?"
I stared at this strange human, who suddenly seemed so utterly different from all the others I had watched over the years. Intelligent, but he did not use this maliciously. It occurred to me that I could quite easily have used magic to escape, since Kamose had no amulets that would have defended him, like my creator had always carried around with him. But I felt suddenly intrigued by this human, and so I decided I would stay, and perhaps learn a few things about the human race first hand, rather than witnessing them through my window.
I though about what he had just said and, unexpectedly, I began to laugh.
*******
Unfortunately, Kamose did not live alone. He had a wife, and two young children, who I watched grow into adulthood and whom, against my will, I became quite fond of. They were obedient to their father, and treated me with respect, never asking prying questions, or demanding that I play with them. They didn't always leave me alone, occasionally asking me to perform some magic for them, and I would oblige them, like a tired uncle. They didn't seem frightened of me at all after a few days, which I found strange, and oddly pleasant.
This is more than could be said for Kamose's wife, who was a somewhat nervous woman in her late thirties. She avoided me like the plague, and I often heard her argue with her husband about having me in the house.
He constructed a reasonable lie, which portrayed me as an angel sent from heaven to teach secrets to mankind. I laughed at the absurdity of this tale but, as I learned, his wife was not only nervous but she was superstitious, as most Egyptians were, and she believed the story completely. She feared me as a result. She feared what other people might think.
"Would they not consider it a blasphemy?" she asked, throwing glances in my direction that first night. I sat on the stone table of their house, and pretended to ignore their conversation. One of the children, an eight-year- old boy at the time, whose name was Ra, stared at me with wide-eyed fascination. I stared back at him. He was slim, with the same tanned skin as his father, but most of his head was bald, with only a small patch of long hair hanging down one side. His sister, who looked about six, hid behind him, looking at me nervously over her brother's shoulder.
Children had never interested me really. I regarded them as humans with little care for their actions, or the consequences of them. They were reckless and usually extremely pathetic. I had never taken the opportunity to learn anything about them in great detail.
So I wasn't sure what to do when they both, very cautiously, walked up to me, while their parents were occupied in their discussion.
"Are you really an angel?" the boy asked.
I shrugged. "I suppose."
"Can you do magic?"
"Of course."
The boy smiled, becoming more confident with each passing moment. "Can you show me?"
"Yes please," the girl blurted out, before cowering behind her brother again. As she did so, I noticed she held a rather crude looking doll in her hands. It was little more than a few rags filled with straw, and a bit of string supposed to resemble hair. I smiled and held out my hand.
"Give me your doll, and I'll show you."
The girl shook her head suddenly. "No. It's my doll."
"Come on. He wants to show us magic. Give it to him."
"No!"
My smile widened and I beckoned her closer. She shook her head again, clasping the doll even more tightly. Searching her thoughts very briefly, I could see that she was scared, not of me, but of her doll getting destroyed. I saw her, in her own memory, having to sew bits of it back together, and how she had worked so hard to put the pieces together again after accidentally tearing off parts of it. It was the only toy she possessed. It was precious to her.
"If you give it to me," I said softly, "It'll be better than ever before. I'll make sure it never breaks again. Wouldn't you like that?"
I could see doubt in her eyes, but curiosity was overwhelming it gradually. Her grip on the doll loosened. Her brother saw this, and grabbed it from her.
"No!" she cried out as he handed the doll to me.
"It's alright," I said, in what I hoped was a reassuring voice.
I held the doll up and concentrated on it, on the fabric it was made from, and what it was meant to resemble. Slowly the doll began to change. The coarse fabric smoothed out, and the lumps in it evened out, so that it was more of a human shape. The thread strengthened, holding the stuffing in place. The string changed. It wasn't string anymore. It looked more like real hair, soft and ebony black, like the girl's. Finally, I passed my hand over the back, and two gorgeous gauze wings sprouted from the back, glittering in the light. It was a fairy doll now. Or an angel. Whatever she wanted it to be.
I held it out to her, and she took it like I was offering a holy relic. She ran her fingers over the wings in awe, and then turned bright eyes up to me. "It's lovely!" she said. "Thank you!"
I couldn't suppress the proud and satisfied smile that spread over my face. "Your welcome."
"Father," she shouted suddenly, ending the argument between her parents rather abruptly by running between them. "Look what the angel made for me, father!" She held the doll up for inspection.
Kamose looked over at me. I could only shrug. I didn't understand why I had done it either. He smiled unexpectedly. "It's very pretty, Isis. Why don't you go and play with it now."
"Alright!" she said, and throwing me another smile, she ran off into another room in their small house. Her brother ran after her.
"It seems you have made an impression on my children already," Kamose said.
I shrugged again. "They asked me to show them magic. So I did."
"And perhaps now you can begin showing me?"
"That is what I'm here for."
"It is indeed," he said, smiling. Next to him, is wife gave me a nervous glance, and then she followed after her children. I raised a questioning eyebrow. "Never mind her. She will tolerate your presence here. But try not to upset her."
"Oh, I would never want to do that," I said with mild sarcasm.
"She doesn't want you influencing the children. But since most of your time will be given to teaching me, that probably will not be a problem."
"No, I suppose not."
"Shall we begin?"
"I'm ready if you are."
And so it began and would go on for ten years...
***To Be Continued in part 2 ***
***Here we go. And please don't complain about how I cut the chapter off. If I hadn't, you'd be waiting a very long time for the rest to come up. This chapter's a bit low on angst. Actually it's very low on angst, but there will be lots in the next chapter, I promise. So enjoy the light- hearted but while it lasts. Thanks to all reviewers. I love you all!***
Resurrecting the Shadow of Memories
A Shadow of Destiny Fanfic
"Ask and it shall be given unto you. Seek and ye shall find."
And so I had my first true taste of freedom. I decided first of all that everything in my master's home would have to be taken with me to the home I intended to create. From that safe haven I could go through every scrap of parchment, read every page of that book and finally come to understand what I was, and what I could do.
But I had to make my new home first. It required very little concentration for me to enter a realm that was not subject to the normal laws of time and space. I watched with a small smile as my body faded from the feet upwards, dissolving in that red glow, as you have seen me do many times. Soon I was drifting in empty blackness, in an oblivion that beckoned to be filled.
And so I created a simple room. Wooden floorboards stretched to a reasonable distance before fading into blackness. That was all my realm was to begin with. The books and papers that I filled it with mostly belonged to my master. I pulled the books through to my realm with my magic, and I arranged them all so that I could read them at my leisure.
But there were things missing. I could not be expected to spend eternity reading these few books. And I needed a window into the outer world.
I smiled. A window. Well why not?
And so I made that magnificent arched window, which when I had no need for it showed me a beautiful, golden sunset. If I wished, it would show me whatever I desired. I could watch and listen to the mortal world from my realm now.
The door was made simply out of a feeling of artistry on my part. My realm was designed on a room after all, and every room needed a door. After a while I discovered that it was a preferable resting spot, where I could look out of my window at leisure, or read a book, or simply sit and think. I made the door to be an opening to the human world, though I didn't really require a door to return and I had no real intention of returning anyway. It just seemed like a reasonable idea at the time, and I never changed it.
And so, when everything was to my satisfaction, I settled down to read. I lay the book out on my wooden floor, and lay down on my front to read it. It was a huge volume, and I didn't honestly expect to hold it in my lap without doing myself a serious injury. With my chin resting in my palm, and a growing sense of excitement, I opened that huge book.
I learnt everything about myself in that book. A large portion was more a diary of events than research notes on my creation. Chronicled events that took place after my creation, a list of my magical abilities, I overlooked all these, not interested in what my former master had thought of my rapid progress or the strange powers that he had never dreamed of.
Then I found something that did catch my interest. This section was about my actual creation. I did not give details of how I was created, but there were a few significant facts that intrigued me.
I read...
//I have bound the djinn to the red stone, which can be found in my treasury. His bondage to this precious gem will allow the holder, possessing the necessary means, to summon him to do their bidding...//
I couldn't contain an amused chuckle at /that/ claim.
//...It is vitally important that the djinn make no contact with this stone. He is a part of it, and as such, merely touching it will erase his existence from the world, and there will be no way for him to return.//
So I was not entirely immortal then, I mused quietly. Oh well, I would just have to ensure that the stone remained here in my realm. I could move it by magic if necessary.
//This also means that the djinn is unable to manipulate the stone in any way. His magic will have no effect on the stone, and so he must rely on his master for its safe-keeping.//
Now I cursed aloud. Getting to my feet, I levitated until I was able to see clearly through the window. As I watched and concentrated, the sunset shifted and flowed into the image of a familiar room, my master's chamber, now empty except for the lifeless bodies on the floor. And something else too...
In the corner of the room, lying on the floor, was a glittering red jewel. I couldn't withhold a bitter smirk when I noticed it was identical to my eyes in colour. It lay in exactly the spot where my master's strong box had been. I glared at it, hating that tiny, insignificant stone for being the one thing in the world that could bring me into the service of man once again. But there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn't touch it or move it in any way. So I was forced to leave it, and hope that it would always be thought of as a simple ruby, nothing more than a source of wealth.
I went back to my reading, and learnt plenty more about myself, and the spirit race of the djinn. I learnt that I was supposed to appear to my master, and grant them one wish in exchange for their soul. The contract ended with the death of the master. I smiled; feeling almost a little relieved. So it would not always be like it was with my creator. I would not always be used like a slave, sent to fetch things or asked to perform tricks. I suspected that most of the time I would be asked to grant something like immortality, or great riches, and that would be it. I had no real problem with any of that.
So I was willing to allow my stone circulate around the world, falling into the hands of greedy merchants and nobles, all of them ignorant of its true purpose. I gradually allowed myself to believe that no human in the world would ever be able to summon me and, in my realm, I lived utterly separate from the human race, basking in my independence and the concept of an undisturbed eternity of peace.
Unfortunately, this left me rather ill equipped to deal with a series of events that took me, and the man involved completely by surprise.
It may have been a few centuries later; I really had no idea since I had given up on keeping track of time in the human world. I was perched on my huge door, doing nothing but staring into empty space, when the strangest sensation gripped me. I had a horrible feeling that I was falling backwards suddenly. I could feel a tightening in my chest, like a pair of huge hands was trying to crush me. I winced, and tried to shake off this feeling.
Unexpectedly the feeling intensified, and I doubled over on my perch, teeth grinding in pain. It was almost as bad as when my old master had punished me. But the fact that I had no idea where or who it was coming from was infuriating.
I could feel it overwhelming me, and I knew there was possibly nothing I could do except give in and hope that, if this was the end for me, it would be mercifully quick.
I was sucked into a vortex that blinded me with swirling colours and filled my ears with strange noises that I couldn't identify. I shut my eyes, and placed my hands over my ears, trying to block out the noise and the light. I felt myself turning over and over, and I felt for certain that I was going to die.
And so the sensation of lying on my side, on cold, wet stone, was shocking and something of a relief, though that depended on your point of view. I felt senses I hadn't required in centuries waking up to hear the sound of a mortal crying out, and feel the presence of a soul nearby.
When I finally opened my eyes, I was curled up like a foetus on a stone tabletop. As I uncurled and sat up, my hands brushed aside broken pieces of crude, clay pottery. I raised my hand to my face and saw a wet fluid dripping from my fingers. Then my eyes refocused, and I noticed the figure standing on the opposite side of the room, looking at me in a mixture of confusion, intrigue and terror. I stared back at him.
He was not young, but not old either. I would have guessed about forty- something. He wore nothing but a strange, skirt-type garment and a simple pair of sandals. His black hair was impeccably neat and glossy. His skin was a deep, sunburnt brown, and this was emphasised by the black kohl that was painted around his dark eyes.
"Well, what do you want?" I asked, remembering suddenly that I was a djinn, and was summoned in order to grant wishes.
He said something in another language, and I realised that I was in a different age, as well as a different place. I would have to modify my communication for this new 'master'.
I repeated my question, but this time, I said it in the man's own language.
He looked, if possible, even more shocked than before. He straightened up and frowned at me, seemingly to collect his thoughts together remarkably quickly.
"I feel I should be asking the same question, stranger," he said warily.
It was my turn to be confused, and I resorted to sarcasm in my own suspicion. "You have summoned me for I reason I presume. I would appreciate it if you would simply make your wish and let me leave. I have better things to do with my time than spend it with mortals."
The man's face showed his increasing bewilderment as I said this. I was starting to worry about the man. Why had he summoned me if he had no clue who or what I was?
Eventually the man managed to stutter; "I'm afraid I don't understand. I did not summon you. I was simply performing an experiment, and suddenly my whole set of equipment exploded, and you were lying in the middle of it."
I glanced down at the broken pottery, the puddles of unidentifiable fluids, and then back at the man.
"What experiment were you performing?" I asked.
"I was attempting to create the elixir of life."
I raised an eyebrow. "The what?"
He seemed rather annoyed by my ignorant response. "The elixir of life. The fluid which cures all illness' and prolongs mortal life. I have spent many years searching for the answer, and I finally found the ingredient that would allow me to create the mixture."
A sense of revelation came over me. "What is this ingredient, may I ask?"
The man took a few steps and was soon standing by the table, I watched, unmoving, as he began to throw aside bits of clay in a frantic search for something. I saw a hint of desperation in his eyes. He was panicked that he wouldn't find this thing. It didn't matter to me. I already had a pretty good idea of what it was he would show me.
Finally, he bent down, and giving a relieved sigh, picked a very familiar object from the floor. He held it up to me.
"You see?"
I stared in bitter understanding at the gleaming red stone in his hand.
"I see," I said icily.
The young man didn't seem aware of my bitterness, but continued to look at the stone like it was some holy relic.
"The Philosopher's Stone," he breathed the name like a prayer. "For years my brothers in the field of alchemy have searched for it. All the stories say that it creates the elixir of life, or that it can transform any metal into gold." The man glanced at me. "So your appearance here is somewhat disconcerting."
I smiled briefly, glad in some small way that I had upset a great discovery. But I was now beginning to understand my situation. I knew of alchemy, and smiled at the irony of the legend of the Philosopher's Stone. I imagined that there would be a number of unintentional summonings like this, if all my future 'master's' were really looking for this elixir of life. Alchemy was a new practice among humans and that, along with the man's appearance, told me where I was.
"Egypt," I muttered to myself. "Full of interfering humans with too much time on their hands."
The man obviously heard me, and was insulted by my words. "Alchemy is a great science," he said.
"It is a great irritation," I replied. Sighing, I slid off the tabletop and walked around the room, taking a forced, rather patronising interest in the man's books and various chemicals.
"But you speak of humans as a separate race, and you certainly do not look human. What are you?" I let him consider his own question for a moment, and had to chuckle at the conclusion he came to. "Are you a servant of the Gods?"
Smiling, I turned back to him. "And if I was, do you really think I would come here and walk among mortals?"
"I suppose not. But what are you then?"
"It is no concern of yours. All that need trouble you is your wish."
"My wish?"
I was starting to get rather annoyed with this human. "You summoned me. Therefore I am forced to grant you any request. So you would oblige me greatly by getting on with it."
My abrupt, callous attitude was probably not too helpful in those circumstances, and I could see the doubt in the Egyptian's dark eyes.
"You are a djinn then?"
I raised my eyebrows, barely masking my surprise in discovering that he knew of my kind. "You know of things like me then?"
"The world walks in fear of creatures such as you," he said, and my smile broadened all the more. "You are mischievous demons that can do good or bad. Most believe that you are sent either as punishments or gifts from the Gods."
I gave a contemptuous sniff. "Well I was not sent by anyone, but since I'm here you may as well consider me a piece of good fortune."
"The elders claim that you know all the secrets of the world, and understand magic beyond all human comprehension."
"Flattering," I said. "And mostly true."
"But they also say that you steal souls."
I shrugged. "And what is the problem with that?"
The man looked horrified. "My soul belongs to the Gods! When I die it shall follow the footsteps of the god Anubis. You cannot have my soul. I will never let you take it."
"Oh spare me the religious lecture," I snapped. "You summoned me, and you signed your spirit over to me by doing so."
"I never intended to call you forth!"
"Do you honestly think that matters to me?"
"How can you defy the god's plan for my soul?"
"Who knows, perhaps this is what was meant to happen to your soul. Besides, I don't believe in any of that religious nonsense. I'm not human, I don't have a soul, and I'll never die. So naturally, none of what you've just said means anything to me."
I was surprised that this particular, irritated outburst seemed to have a reverse effect on the Egyptian. He looked very thoughtful all of a sudden, and I frowned, wondering what he could possibly be thinking.
"What kind of wishes do you grant then?" he asked suddenly.
"Any kind," I replied, feeling rather frustrated now, and anxious to be on my way.
"I can have anything I want?"
I rolled my eyes. "For the last time... yes!" There was a pause. An irritatingly long one and finally I snapped. "Would you please just ask for something? I don't-"
"I want you to tell me everything you know."
I was shocked by this sudden request, and more horrified by what it would entail. If I were to tell him everything I knew, then I would be obliged to remain in the mortal world with him. I cringed inwardly at the thought of being treated like a servant again, and immediately wished that he desired something other than knowledge. Most humans were selfish and wanted riches or immortality. Why did this one have to be different?
So I immediately I tried to talk him out of it. "Wouldn't you rather have something else? Eternal youth? Riches?" These suggestions were received with a shake of the head. "What about power?" I asked, barely hiding my desperation.
I was unprepared for the smile that spread across his face.
"Knowledge /is/ power."
I stared blankly at him, unable to believe that I was really back to being the servant once again. But then again, was I really a servant? If I worked this out in a certain way, I would end up being the master and him my pupil. It couldn't do that much harm, could it? To tell a human some of the things I knew. I would never, in one lifetime, hope to relate all the knowledge I had acquired. But a little perhaps, might be possible. How could it hurt?
"But what exactly is it you wish to know?" I asked suddenly.
He shrugged. "Things that no one else in the world knows. About magic, and demons and creatures like you." I narrowed my eyes at him. "The mysteries of the world, really."
"I could never tell you everything."
"Why not?"
"You wouldn't live long enough."
He laughed. "I suppose that's true. But I want to learn as much as possible. So... you don't have much choice really, do you?"
I didn't answer, but I did growl under my breath. I /hated/ being reminded that I was still, for all my powers and knowledge, a servant to whoever called me.
"My name is Kamose," he said. I was surprised by this unexpected formality. I had expected to have to call this man 'master'. But he had given me his name, and I smiled inwardly at the thought that I might win his complete confidence and, somehow, use that to gain my freedom again as quickly as possible.
"Homunculus," I said abruptly. He nodded thoughtfully.
"A peculiar name. Who named you?"
"It does not concern you."
"I did say you were to tell me everything."
I clenched my fists as tightly as I dared. "I was not considering having to reveal personal details about myself."
Kamose seemed to recognise my anger, but rather than being afraid, he simply shrugged. "Well, I suppose I can make some exceptions. Who knows, you may feel able to tell me one of these days."
"I wouldn't stake your life on it," I snarled, though inside I was even more confused than before, since I had been expecting him to force the whole story of my creation out of me.
He shrugged again. "I've already given up my life, so I don't think it would make much difference, would it?"
I stared at this strange human, who suddenly seemed so utterly different from all the others I had watched over the years. Intelligent, but he did not use this maliciously. It occurred to me that I could quite easily have used magic to escape, since Kamose had no amulets that would have defended him, like my creator had always carried around with him. But I felt suddenly intrigued by this human, and so I decided I would stay, and perhaps learn a few things about the human race first hand, rather than witnessing them through my window.
I though about what he had just said and, unexpectedly, I began to laugh.
*******
Unfortunately, Kamose did not live alone. He had a wife, and two young children, who I watched grow into adulthood and whom, against my will, I became quite fond of. They were obedient to their father, and treated me with respect, never asking prying questions, or demanding that I play with them. They didn't always leave me alone, occasionally asking me to perform some magic for them, and I would oblige them, like a tired uncle. They didn't seem frightened of me at all after a few days, which I found strange, and oddly pleasant.
This is more than could be said for Kamose's wife, who was a somewhat nervous woman in her late thirties. She avoided me like the plague, and I often heard her argue with her husband about having me in the house.
He constructed a reasonable lie, which portrayed me as an angel sent from heaven to teach secrets to mankind. I laughed at the absurdity of this tale but, as I learned, his wife was not only nervous but she was superstitious, as most Egyptians were, and she believed the story completely. She feared me as a result. She feared what other people might think.
"Would they not consider it a blasphemy?" she asked, throwing glances in my direction that first night. I sat on the stone table of their house, and pretended to ignore their conversation. One of the children, an eight-year- old boy at the time, whose name was Ra, stared at me with wide-eyed fascination. I stared back at him. He was slim, with the same tanned skin as his father, but most of his head was bald, with only a small patch of long hair hanging down one side. His sister, who looked about six, hid behind him, looking at me nervously over her brother's shoulder.
Children had never interested me really. I regarded them as humans with little care for their actions, or the consequences of them. They were reckless and usually extremely pathetic. I had never taken the opportunity to learn anything about them in great detail.
So I wasn't sure what to do when they both, very cautiously, walked up to me, while their parents were occupied in their discussion.
"Are you really an angel?" the boy asked.
I shrugged. "I suppose."
"Can you do magic?"
"Of course."
The boy smiled, becoming more confident with each passing moment. "Can you show me?"
"Yes please," the girl blurted out, before cowering behind her brother again. As she did so, I noticed she held a rather crude looking doll in her hands. It was little more than a few rags filled with straw, and a bit of string supposed to resemble hair. I smiled and held out my hand.
"Give me your doll, and I'll show you."
The girl shook her head suddenly. "No. It's my doll."
"Come on. He wants to show us magic. Give it to him."
"No!"
My smile widened and I beckoned her closer. She shook her head again, clasping the doll even more tightly. Searching her thoughts very briefly, I could see that she was scared, not of me, but of her doll getting destroyed. I saw her, in her own memory, having to sew bits of it back together, and how she had worked so hard to put the pieces together again after accidentally tearing off parts of it. It was the only toy she possessed. It was precious to her.
"If you give it to me," I said softly, "It'll be better than ever before. I'll make sure it never breaks again. Wouldn't you like that?"
I could see doubt in her eyes, but curiosity was overwhelming it gradually. Her grip on the doll loosened. Her brother saw this, and grabbed it from her.
"No!" she cried out as he handed the doll to me.
"It's alright," I said, in what I hoped was a reassuring voice.
I held the doll up and concentrated on it, on the fabric it was made from, and what it was meant to resemble. Slowly the doll began to change. The coarse fabric smoothed out, and the lumps in it evened out, so that it was more of a human shape. The thread strengthened, holding the stuffing in place. The string changed. It wasn't string anymore. It looked more like real hair, soft and ebony black, like the girl's. Finally, I passed my hand over the back, and two gorgeous gauze wings sprouted from the back, glittering in the light. It was a fairy doll now. Or an angel. Whatever she wanted it to be.
I held it out to her, and she took it like I was offering a holy relic. She ran her fingers over the wings in awe, and then turned bright eyes up to me. "It's lovely!" she said. "Thank you!"
I couldn't suppress the proud and satisfied smile that spread over my face. "Your welcome."
"Father," she shouted suddenly, ending the argument between her parents rather abruptly by running between them. "Look what the angel made for me, father!" She held the doll up for inspection.
Kamose looked over at me. I could only shrug. I didn't understand why I had done it either. He smiled unexpectedly. "It's very pretty, Isis. Why don't you go and play with it now."
"Alright!" she said, and throwing me another smile, she ran off into another room in their small house. Her brother ran after her.
"It seems you have made an impression on my children already," Kamose said.
I shrugged again. "They asked me to show them magic. So I did."
"And perhaps now you can begin showing me?"
"That is what I'm here for."
"It is indeed," he said, smiling. Next to him, is wife gave me a nervous glance, and then she followed after her children. I raised a questioning eyebrow. "Never mind her. She will tolerate your presence here. But try not to upset her."
"Oh, I would never want to do that," I said with mild sarcasm.
"She doesn't want you influencing the children. But since most of your time will be given to teaching me, that probably will not be a problem."
"No, I suppose not."
"Shall we begin?"
"I'm ready if you are."
And so it began and would go on for ten years...
***To Be Continued in part 2 ***