"Young man you are sweating?" The woman inquired, her eyes on the beads of sweat trickling down his brow.

  "Ehm—ehm, no, yes yes." Masa Ed almost stuttered. Then he smiled "Maybe its because I am not used to hot places, I am from the north by the way. Hehehe.."

  He also giggled. Going by his line of thought, since he suspects the incredibly stunning woman to have an ulterior motive for restraining him, he decides to not let her in on the fact that he has already unraveled her near perfect deceptive act. So as not to let her guard up, he had to lie to her his sweating was not from anxiousness and worry but from the condition of the air in the room that is not really hot. And also, in his words, saying he is from the north, which is not true, he tried to gauge her reaction to know where her allegiance is, and although he gains nothing from it, if her allegiance is not to the north fortunately, he expects it will serve as a threat that will make her think twice before she go on with her evil plans she has for him, on the account that only crazy lunatics among crazy lunatics will dare harm someone from the north unless he is certain he wouldn't be found out.

  "Then let's open the window."

  The woman suggested. Then, Masa Ed watched her go towards the wall of the room at his other side, going round the bed at his foot end. Then reaching it, he watched her gently pushed open a round window of wooden frame and glass panel that tilted upward in response, which then reveal the view beyond it: a glorious view of the evening sky—a view of a large mountain piercing rose colored clouds in the distance—a sight so beautiful it transfixed Masa Ed for a moment. And that was all, he lowered his gaze a little, and the sight of town buildings of an architecture featuring flat top plastered stone roofs and round or square plastered stone walls amidst grand obelisk was revealed to him, proving he is really in Ethiopia, one of the great and ancient land of his hometown continent.

  "Tomorrow is the last day of our new moon festival... we have a lot of tourists like you around, so situation where some of them get lost is not uncommon."

  The woman while speaking softly returned to Skylar other side gracefully as ever, retaking her sit at his bedside.

  "That mountain?... Its that mountain right?"

  Questioning the woman, Masa Ed gaze on hers shifted to the view of the mountain beyond the window after turning his head to the other side. And in response the woman followed his gaze.

  "Yes." She answered. "Except its base, we do not advice tourist to explore it. The forest surrounding it is also very dangerous. Some of the tourist that enters it don't return or they return grievously injured, some even die not long after they return. Its the park next to it, tourists are encouraged not to exceed."

  Masa Ed paused at the woman's words. He mused 'She might not have evil intentions but I still can't drop my guard, who knows if she said that to trick me. Even if its a routine of locals helping dumb tourists, why didn't she take me to a hospital when she found me. But if she is as kind hearted as she displays, I will be grateful she didn't take me to the hospital, wait... are they not having their festival thing? Maybe the hospital is affected somehow. I don't know.'

  "Young man, can you raise your back?"

  The woman asked Masa Ed just as he let go of his thoughts. Masa Ed responded with action; he slowly raise his upper body and rest his back against the headboard of the bed. Meanwhile he noticed he didn't actually feel any pain or discomfort, so at the back of his mind, he concluded as far his health and fitness is concerned, he has nothing to worry about, only the woman of mysterious origin is standing in his way.

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  "Young man here."

  Masa Ed heeded the woman's call; he looked her way and he saw her hold a round piece of food like a cupcake above the plate containing many of it close to his mouth.

  "Its soft cake, one of our new moon treats."

  The woman gazed intently at him. Then doing as she expected, Masa Ed moved his mouth closer after opening it and bit into it.

  He chewed and smiled, looking enraptured.

  'Its not bad; its soft and creamy.'

  From her hand to his mouth, Masa Ed already having suspended his suspicion unknowingly, cleared the plate of soft cakes in few minutes without knowing; he ate everything to the last.

  'Where are the rest?' He looked puzzled. He couldn't see more on the empty plate.

  "I had no idea you were going to eat this much." The woman said, smiling. Then she retracted the plate from close to his face and returned it to the table, leaving on his face a wistful and sad look that reflected his low mood he has no idea of until few seconds later, when he suddenly remembered he has to watch out for poison.

  'Fuck!' He made a face like he ate shit. But the soft cakes were really heavenly that any one will die for, so, why should he be blamed for getting carried away and dropping his guards.

  "Here, Young man."

  The woman brought him back to reality. Who knows if she saw his conflicted expressions that changed with his thoughts. Anyways, Masa Ed saw her hold a teacup of mildly hot liquid in front of his mouth.

  "Its hot tea."

  The woman enlightened. But Masa Ed who has suspended his reason for a second time did not even wait for it; he plugged his lips to the edge of the clay teacup and sip tea noisily like an idiot with the help of the woman holding the cup, slowly tilting it. He probably has forgotten there might be sleeping pills in it, so, like he did with the soft cake, he emptied the cup in no time, and looking at its bottom, he expects more.

  "There is more young man." The woman smiled at him. Right away, she returned the teacup to the tray on the table. Then she picked up the kettle from the ground beside her and she gently poured its content in the teacup.

  "Here." She raised the teacup closer to his mouth a second time, and once again, he emptied it like an idiot with her help.

  He smacked his lips. It felt great once again; it was unlike any drink he has ever had.

  'I won't be surprised if she is a witch and she is feeding me a special concoction.'

  He blinked; he suddenly felt like sleeping. Sleep from where? He doesn't want it, so he fought back, but he didn't last the first bout before the woman help his sleeping body back to a lying position on the bed—like an idiot, he slept off, unaware of the woman looking at his face at very close proximity with a peculiar look in her unusual eyes.

  "He is just like her eminence described." The woman whispered, but Masa Ed would have wished he heard her.

  ***

  Like the closed curtains open, Masa Ed who has been sinking for a while rose to the surface, but it wasn't him who emerged, it was his awareness like in a dream that saw White Flame shot out from the surface of the clear immemorial body of water of the place he emerged into existence—the ancient land—before he paused—standing midair.

  "Oh!" The golden rings of his eyes expressed surprise; they widened. Already in his giant form, he flew up towards the top of the transparent giant sphere sitting at the center of the clear immemorial body of water that is like a small lake to him in his giant form. The sphere about a thousand time bigger than him.

  Then, like a baby returning to a play ground, he sat cross legged on its very top after reaching it. Then with interest expressed by the rotating ring of his eyes, he peered down through the sphere's transparent surface that is like a glass. And instantly as the sight of the planar world sitting three quarters below it came into his view proper, the golden ring of his eyes begin to rotate so fast, they look like they might overheat—he looked both super excited and intrigued on an exalted level.

  "Wow!" He exclaimed. What he saw was not just the clear transparent waters stretched above it like a thin film and the numerous glowing balls suspended in it, he saw its earth and its faint features: the plains; the mountains; the valleys; the trees like grass carpets; and most fascinating of all, the countless tiny living creatures moving around like particles of sand—chaotic and without destinations.

  And that was not all.