It was a rest that Niam had never experienced before. There were going to be a lot of new things in this place.

  He felt very refreshed and alive, the feeling of positivity almost burst out of his chest. He did not know if it was the people he had been with or the air on this world. He got up and ran to the window. Stretched out beneath him was a town. Beyond that a long valley with a river and then further on a long high white wall with arches, and then a wide, yet high mountain. Something strange about the detail caught his eye. Rivers were usually curving and meandering through the landscape. This one was a straight line into the distance to his left. Along its banks were enormous trees, covered in fruits of all colours.

  The long wall ended with two white towers at each end, each with arches for about seven stories. and the wall continued at a straight angle away from him, disappearing off into a morning haze.

  The mountain did not have a rocky peak like he expected. Rather it was square and had a white structure on it. It rather resembled a dormant magma hill, back at home.

  “Good morning,” said a voice behind him.

  Niam turned around.

  “Celeste!” he almost shouted with delight. He stopped, surprised at himself. It sounded foreign to him, and he reddened at the sound of his voice bursting from him uncontrollably.

  Celeste laughed to hear him. “It is good to hear you awake, cheery and well rested.” She reached out pulling him toward her in a friendly embrace.

  The awkward feeling quickly went away, and all the way along the path they took toward the centre of town, he chatted about his family and his friend Dray Goen and all the good things he remembered. The bad things that often plagued his thoughts had gone away.

  Celeste listened with interest, looking at him in the eyes and enjoying his youthful spirit.

  They arrived at the centre of town and entered a house. Inside there were again no rooms but a long table at its centre covered in bowls full of a very large array of the most delicious looking fruits in all the colours of the spectrum. Large and perfect looking fruit, free of damage and rot.

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  Niam looked at it all in wonder.

  “Help yourself and break your fast” she said gesturing at the table.

  Niam walked along the table, admiring the variation of colour and shapes. His stomach rumbling with anticipation.

  There were small berries, like his home world. He picked up a red one and bit into it. It was sweet and tangy to taste.

  Next, he picked up a long yellow coloured one and tried to bite it. He spat it out.

  Celeste laughed. “You will need to peel that one first.”

  Niam peeled back the skin exposing a soft and very sweet flesh. The flavours he tasted that day made him want to try them all.

  When he had eaten his fill, they left the house.

  The walk to their next destination took a long time. Many people were walking around. Not rushing, just stopping to talk and watching him walk past. Sometimes they stopped and talked to people and Niam introduced himself to them. They asked him many questions about his family. The worries and fears he had while living there, seemed so far off he did not have any reoccurring anxious thoughts about his life.

  Niam looked around watching them walking and talking. It struck him that there were no children.

  “Where are the children?” he asked Celeste.

  “We have no children.” Celeste began, “You and your people are our children, the people of your world. We all have work there. We have been there for the entire history of Riangbra. We come and go through the portals, and we sent Emain to your world where you were eventually born. It has been tens of thousands of what you call cycles of this world. I will reveal more to you as you learn our purpose and you will meet Riangbra one day too, we are one with him, and we do his work. Your world is not the only world we work with, there are many thousands of worlds. Some of us are from those worlds and many live there like this and some are at different stages of enlightenment like your world. But enough of that, we are here, the place where you will learn all you need to know.”

  They arrived at a large building built from white sandstone.

  “Go on in,” said Celeste, motioning him toward a doorway. “I will see you at the setting of the sun.”

  He walked into a quiet and hushed atmosphere. Sitting at a table was a man, he was writing in a book.

  Niam walked over to him, but he did not respond or look up, he kept writing. He tried to read but the words were unintelligible to him.

  He coughed politely but the man still did not respond. A few minutes went on and Niam grew restless. He would have rather been outside, exploring. He leaned against the desk, his hands fidgeting with the edge of the table.

  The man suddenly looked up and glared at him.

  “Stand still, Niam,” he commanded.

  Niam stood straight and put his hands by his sides.

  “You will arrive each morning and stand still till I am finished. You will meditate on what you learn each day and then be ready to summarize your lessons to me when I am ready, is that clear?”

  Niam nodded and began to think about the previous day. Trying hard to stay completely still.