THE MOMENT
Billy killed some time. He'd pulled into his driveway at home, turned off the car, then lingered. He could have just as easily gone inside his own home; but, something about the confined solitude of the car helped him process his thoughts. He'd had a good day at work and that was the trouble. After two years of hard work, he was offered a higher rung on the corporate ladder. The trouble was that he felt taking that step would lock his path.
"I don't know if I've got another 38 years of this in me...," Billy sighed. He knew he didn't need to stick with one single company; but, the job was pretty much the same across all of them. His tiny cubicle might get upgraded to larger offices; but, that only meant more responsibility and likely longer hours. He wasn't against the idea of hard work; he usually enjoyed putting effort toward something. Billy took issue with the lack of variety in his work. If it was boring already, it wasn't likely to improve as he worked his way to retirement.
"You've been home for several minutes already, are you coming inside?" Billy froze as the soft, feminine voice whispered in his mind. "Please finish arriving, we have business to discuss," she said.
"Are... you in my head...?" Billy whispered the question aloud.
"I'm in your living room, dolt," she replied.
Billy briefly considered driving away and maybe even calling the police. As far as he knew, he had a stranger invade his home. A stranger who could speak to him telepathically and probably wouldn't be bothered by the police.
"You're right, they won't help; I'm not here to hurt you," the voice spoke to Billy as he dismissed the idea of involving the cops. "But, I am impatient," she added. Billy decided quickly and with as little thought as possible. He left his briefcase in the car and made his way inside and into the living room.
A tan woman, maybe twice his 23 years, with short brown hair did not bother to stand from his recliner when he walked in. She looked up at him with a courteous, if not warm, smile. But, Billy was more distracted by her left eye. He guessed it was a glass eye because it was painted like a globe. The most astonishing detail was that the globe rotated slowly in her eye. It took a couple of seconds for him to notice the movement, then he had trouble looking away.
"Hello, Billy. Welcome home," she said. "My name is Gale Stone, or you may call me Gaia," she said.
"How do you know my name?" Billy asked. She was already in his home; but, the fact that she used his name still caught him off guard. The woman giggled.
"I am the spirit of the Earth, I can know anything," she said.
"So, what are you doing in my living room?" Billy asked as he sat down across from her. She did say she wasn't there to harm him and, he felt comfortable enough that she was being honest about that at least.
"I tried to time my arrival to coincide with yours; now you've thrown me off schedule...," she sighed. "Fortunately, I don't have the same rules as Ballisea," Gaia made a dismissive gesture at Billy and it was as if she threw a handful of dirt at him.
"Hey!" Billy brought his arms up to shield his face, and he felt a burning sensation on his arm. 'AAAGH!!" He flailed his arm wildly for a moment, then stopped to inspect the damage. His right sleeve now consisted of several holes in the fabric; everything below his elbow was ruined. But, he spotted something new. A #14 was now scarred on his skin in small numbers beneath one of the holes created by the dirt. He relaxed as soon as he saw it; the memories came flooding back. Within moments the knowledge he'd once had was there again.
"Did you have to ruin my suit?" He looked back at Gaia for his question.
"You're going to replace it anyway, aren't you?" Gaia smirked. "Grey isn't your color," she said. She made another tossing motion at him. This time, instead of a handful of dirt, a long orange tie came unraveled as it traveled through the air. Billy caught it and nodded at her.
"From Ballisea," Gaia said as she stood up. A green, shimmering, watery portal opened next to her. "By the way, she still wants to keep the flavor names; but, she updated them. Officially, I am 'Peppermint Gaia,' she giggled and took a step toward the portal. She made a gesture to encourage Billy to follow her.
"I suppose that means I'm to be Vanilla Billy?" He asked but immediately followed it with another question. "Where are we going?"
"To meet with the others and discuss what to do about Blueberry," she said. Billy shrugged and shed the ruined blazer before he joined her while adjusting his new tie.
"Blueberry? He didn't find a replacement last time...," Billy voiced his thought as he tried to process the vague, ancient memory. Gaia smiled, then walked into the portal and disappeared. Billy followed and heard her response before they were gone.
"What do you think we're going to discuss?"