14 Hide and Seek (a memory) Part-1

A deep sigh of regret passed Aster's lips. He got everyone into trouble. The doctor, Amelia and even Hogman. But.... Why did Hogman help them? Aster did not know. But one thing was clear from his past. Hogman was not someone who would help anyone without having any gains from doing so. Aster saw Amelia's sweat soken face. Amelia looked even more beautiful when it was evening. The golden rays of the sun gave her face a beautiful golden tann. Her smooth blonde hair was soaked in sweat too. Her face showed anxiety. She was deeply lost in thought. Aster looked at the doctor who was sulking too. Hogman had slept in the car.

Aster had to think about the next move. But, he wasn't sure that he had the authority to do so. Recently, others had been deciding what he should do each day. He felt that he had lost control over his own life. The doctor shuffled in his seat. They had been resting for about ten minutes now. They had to move. But, where to? Their minds failed to give them an appropriate answer. The four of them had driven in silence all this way and had remained silent. The doctor felt the need to break this dangerous silence that existed between them. He stretched his arms and turned his neck to see Aster and Amelia lost in thought. Hogman was sleeping as if he was in a 5-star hotel's suite. The doctor broke the silence basking them where to go from there. Amelia and Aster had zero answers to that question. Hogman heard the sudden disturbance and woke up yawning. He asked the doctor to repeat the question. The doctor did and he too had zero answers.

They had to decide fast as the officials would be searching for them and it would be unsafe for them to travel in a stolen car. Hogman had properties around the world. But none of them were safe as he was really popular. So were his properties. The doctor lived in a flat near the hospital and did all his works from there. He never had to hide from anyone until now. Chances of him knowing a hideout was impossible. Amelia had stayed in hiding three years ago. But, those days she was accompanied by her classmates and one or two of the teachers. So.... In case they chose the same hideout, there were chances that the school authorities report about the previous hideout they had picked.

Aster had neither properties nor a hiding experience in hand. But he tried hard to think. His thoughts fluttered away to Eren and Sienna who were now in the hospital. He wanted to see them once again. Atleast know whether they were well or not. That was all he wanted. His thoughts drifted again to their childhood. The games they used to play. The search for a hideout reminded him of the hide and seek games he, Sienna and Eren used to play in the mountains of Benzua.

He suddenly remembered one such game in which he was looking for a hideout and could not find it. They were about 8 years old back then. Sienna was counting. He had sixty seconds to hide. Eren had already hid on top of a huge oak which had spread out branches so that anyone could climb on it easily. Eren asked Aster to hide in a different place because if they hid in the same place, it would be easy for Sienna to find them. Aster went in search of another place to hide. He couldn't find one.

"Thirty" he heard Sienna count.

He moved through the forest in search of a good spot to hide. There were innumerable places to hide, but, none of them pleased him. He went deeper into the forest.

"Forty five " Sienna's voice again. But this time it was more distant.

"I have to be quick." Aster mumbled under his breathe.

He walked deeper into the forest. Sienna's voice was almost inaudible now. Aster was determined to find a secret hideout that belonged only to him. Aster's legs gad started to ache with the continuous walking. He had to push aside bushes and vines and thorns that came in his way. It was more than what a boy of eight could do. He forgot about the game completely and his mind was fixed on finding the hideout. Where it was. He didn't know. All he knew was that he would find one.

He walked and walked until it started getting dark. The thorny bushes and small trees gave way to the dense forest. Aster could hear the distant howling of dogs and the hooting of owls. The forests that seemed friendly to Aster until then, began to seem spooky. The sun was setting slowly. Aster decided to go back. But, he was just eight. He forgot from which direction he entered the forest. He tried going where his back was facing then. But, no luck. He just came to the same place over and over, again and again.

He walked again. Feeling that he would find a way. Finally he reached a unique spot. It was well hidden from the rest of the world. It was in the heart of the jungle. A perfect hiding spot. It was the first thing that crossed Aster's mind. The place was entirely covered in a snowy mist. It almost suddenly calmed Aster's heart. He walked deeper into the mist. He found that the mist was hiding the entrance of a cave. A huge cave. It didn't have a door of the sort. It was just like any other cave. But something drew Aster closer to the cave. Aster walked closer to the cave. He walked as if someone was pulling him close to it. Aster went inside the cave. It was pitch dark inside. But somehow he could see clearly. Had he been an adult, he might have been afraid of being able to see in the dark. But Aster was just a child then. His mind was rather more curious. He wanted to see what was inside the cave.

He walked in further. The cave had several passages besides the main passage Aster was following. The walls of the cave were made of hard rock. Most of it were boulders. Aster kept on moving forward through the main passage. Then at last, the passage led into two passages. Aster followed his intuition and went to the right. He moved along the passage. Small chirruping of birds could be heard. Aster's innocent heart was enthralled at the sound of these birds. He wanted to play with those birds.

Aster walked a lot more deeper into the cave. The voice of the birds died down. Aster understood that he had missed the nest. He kept on moving forward and reached a chamber. It was a huge chamber. Aster could see a huge bowl if water on a table. He also saw some food on the table. The table was placed in the middle of the cave chamber and it was made of gold. All the dishes and cutlery were gold too. Aster felt hungry at the sight of food. He remembered that he was literally starving and had not eaten since noon. The water made him thirsty too. He ran over to the food and water and had as much as he liked. But one thing he observed was that the food and water refilled each time he took a gulp.

Having his belly filled, he decided to have a closer look of the room. He saw many drawings on the walls. None of which he understood or remembered now. Then came the part which he did not remember so well. All he remember is that he was standing near the walls. Something caught his attention. He turned towards it. Maybe touched it. He did not know.

He was transferred to a completely different world.

He was in the middle of a huge crowd. There were lots of people calling out things. Aster understood that he was in a bazaar and that the merchants and the hawkers were calling out the names of their products to attract buyers. Many people were engaged in buying too. Just then a lot of armoured people entered the bazaar. They were accompanied by a girl of about his same age. She had smooth black hair and red lips. The girl was being protected by those armoured people. They were taking her orders. The girl saw a boy staring at her and looked at him in a strangely.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Aster" He had said.

A strange familiarity. Aster felt it now. That girl.... Aster felt that he had met that girl somewhere. Heard her voice somewhere.....

"Tania..." Aster's lips spoke unknowingly. The doctor, Amelia and Hogman heard this.