Once he had calmed down a bit, Elion rose to his feet with some effort and went to the window in his room.
Only one mint moon was visible from this window.
Its pale light illuminated the fragile figure of the boy, whose eyes were red from crying.
He raised his hands in front of him, looked at them, and then looked at the moon.
Hand to the light... How should I understand that...? Elion thought.
Maybe the light is not quite right. What does that mean, then? Remembering the woman who had shouted so desperately at him, Elion did not dare reproach her for her vague wording.
Is this some kind of metaphor, like, 'Don't give up despite the difficulties'?
What kind of difficulties would it take to feel something like... that? Elion didn't dare pinpoint the source of that pain.
Even the faint echoes of it were all-consuming, and he was afraid.
He considered many options but still couldn't find a definitive answer about what to do.
What if we don't overthink it and just take the words at face value...?
Without thinking twice, Elion stretched out his right hand, leaned it against the window, and pointed it toward the mint-colored moon.
Nothing, as expected... Apparently, the light is not the same after all.
Elion loved riddles, but he couldn't figure this one out. He decided to put it off for now.
Better tell me what that was all about. Who was she? What did she want from me? And why...?
Why did I feel like I knew her...? Or maybe it wasn't me...? I don't understand... Elion thought, recalling the vague sensations from his dream.
He didn't need to answer the first question because he remembered everything fairly clearly. There was no point in giving a name to this mystical event.
The answer to the second question is simple. It's a girl or a woman, but it's not clear. But this answer raises a question related to the next two: How is she connected to me?
The answer is no connection, because I've never seen hair like that before. If I had, I would definitely remember them, Elion thought, recalling the hair that stood out so brightly against the snowy emptiness.
If the answer is no, then the question is, what the hell?
This leads to the penultimate question: What did she want?
The answer is simple; she said so herself. But the question is, why did she want it?
So...she wanted to tell me so desperately... wanted me to hear... Did she want to help me? Me? Or herself? Or someone else? But why did she tell me? I can hardly help anyone with just my hand and light...
To me?
That brings us to the last question.
All questions lead to this, and I can't even formulate it clearly...
Relying on vague feelings from his dream, Elion muttered the only suitable answer,
"A strange bond... Between you and me?" Elion replied questioningly.
Although we don't know each other and have never met, there's a connection between us...
Of course, it would be easier if he could say for sure that only she knows him, but he also felt this strange bond...
Having come to a general conclusion, Elion voiced it in his head.
The girl with bright red hair has a strange bond with me. She desperately wanted me to hear her, and through this mystical dream, she achieved it.
All this had been clear from the beginning, but it was important for Elion to know the exact details in order to work with them.
Relying on vague feelings is not my style. Damn, maybe it was just a dream? Elion smiled grimly, of course not believing it.
The main snag, though, is in her words. I don't yet understand their true meaning.
Please, ****** hand to the light... The boy repeated these words in his mind.
'Please' clearly refers to her emotions, showing how desperately she wants this to be done. The second part was impossible to make out clearly. 'Hand' can be interpreted literally, as your will, or as yourself. So, we are left with 'yourself to the light.'
The last question is, What kind of light is it?
Light could be a metaphor, or it could be taken literally. The action needed to find the exact answer is...
"To seek the light?" He said aloud.
After thinking for a moment, Elion muttered,
"It sounds strange, but what can you do?"
"I wonder if it will work if I put my hand on my sis..." Elion said, finally smiling.
"Well, strange stranger, I will try to fulfill your request," Elion muttered, looking at the mint moon.
...
It was still dark outside. After resting a little, Elion decided to freshen up and walk around the house. After taking a glass of water from the kitchen and successfully emptying it, he decided to check on his father, knowing he was probably still in his study. As he approached the farthest room in the house, he first thought of knocking. However, deciding not to distract his father from his work, he carefully opened the door instead.
He was very surprised to find a strange picture.
The room was littered with pieces of paper. They were everywhere—on the walls, on the floor, and even on the ceiling, stuck to who knows what. In the center of the room stood a wide wooden table. On top of it was a man's head, covered with papers.
He couldn't bring himself to call this strange workspace an office.
After looking at it and hearing his father's quiet snoring, the boy left and returned with the first blanket he could find. Tiptoeing over the papers, he wrapped his father in the blanket, stroked his head, and said quietly,
"Good job, Dad..."
Elion was about to return to his room when he saw a heavily scribbled sheet of paper on the table. As he absorbed what was written, the boy froze in shock.
The paper read:
The Seas of Gelion:
The glaciation process continues unabated.
More than 55 percent of the sea's surface is covered by ice.
Estimated time of complete coverage and ice reaching land:
*Crossed out*
Maximum possible time:
12 years
Minimum possible time:
4 years
Speed of spread:
Unstable
Spread factors:
Unknown.
Estimated measures for purging the "Mystery Domain":
*Crossed out* *Crossed out* *Crossed out* *Crossed out*
*Crossed out* *Crossed out* *Crossed out* *Crossed out*
*Crossed out* *Crossed out* *Crossed out* *Crossed out*
*Crossed out* *Crossed out* *Crossed out* *Crossed out*
*Crossed out*
*Crossed out*
*Crossed out*
*Crossed out*
*Crossed out* *Crossed out* *Crossed out* *Crossed out*
*Crossed out* *Crossed out* *Crossed out* *Crossed out*
*Crossed out* *Crossed out* *Crossed out* *Crossed out*
Elion silently turned the page.
The proposed measures cannot be determined.
Measures to achieve the "Epicenter of Mystery":
*Crossed out* *Crossed out* *Crossed out* *Crossed out*
*Crossed out* *Crossed out* *Crossed out* *Crossed out*
*Crossed out* *Crossed out* *Crossed out* *Crossed out*
*Crossed out* *Crossed out* *Crossed out*
Impossible to determine; experiments are needed.
Methods are possible for natural opposition to the "Mystery Domain":
Hammering ice???
After reading the note, Elion silently returned it to its original spot. He went to his room with an impenetrable expression on his face.
Although his face showed no emotion, his mind was in turmoil. As he remembered his dream and those eternally white lands, he couldn't help but think about the coincidence.
It can't be! If I really want to find the answer to the riddle, I have to go... There?! Flashed through the mind of the boy, who was experiencing his first difficulties in life.
Damn it, that's impossible. It's impossible! How can I, an ordinary nine-year-old boy, possibly go... There?
But Elion had forgotten a very important point.
He's no longer an ordinary nine-year-old boy anymore.
Now, he's an ordinary ten-year-old boy.
...
Finally, tired of thinking and realizing that he couldn't solve this puzzle at the moment, Elion decided to focus on the previous puzzle: finding the right light. He would devote all his energy to it.
Exhausted from the sea of tears he had shed, he fell into a dream.
This time, it was a completely ordinary dream