CHAPTER 4: A god

"There is no need to hide it anymore then. I can see you clearly with my mind's eye, and I can hear you without trouble since this is my internal world. But you are right. I do have trouble with other senses and have to rely on memory from my physical life in order to reproduce them accurately for you. Make no mistake; I do not need all my senses to tell me that I am having so much fun. Right now I feel a million things just standing here with you. There is no one in the physical world who makes me feel this way. These feelings are from my heart. So, I have decided. Let's meet here every day and let's have fun creating our own world."

"I would love that very much."

"Really?"

"Of course. In fact, I look forward to it."

Spurred on by her enthusiasm, he took her hand and led her towards a patch of bare ground where trees had not gathered.

"I have a surprise for you," Ben said then he pointed up towards the sky then a giant eagle rushed by in a magnificent flight. The eagle was as big as a horse and the shadow on the ground from its wings frightened Nancy. She clung close to Ben for protection and buried herself behind him. Ben had not expected her to be this scared so he comforted her.

"It's friendly," Ben told her.

The eagle flew in circles above them and then it came to land paces before them. The eagle's wings were so huge that dust flew up into the air when she flapped them close to the ground. Still, Nancy would not let Ben go as she was still uneasy.

"Trust me. It will not hurt you. I will never let anything harm you."

"I do trust you. It's just I have never seen a bird this big before so I was taken by surprise," Nancy put in the effort to look at the bird and to stop trying to hide from it. Anyone would be afraid in this situation. The eagle did look threatening with its sharp beak and huge talons. The reason Ben was not afraid was that he had created it himself but this world was just like the physical world to Nancy, and if this creature was to show up in Ben's world then he would surely lose composure.

Ben led Nancy by the hand as they came before the eagle. He stretched out his hand and rested it on the eagle's head and the eagle was very civil and obedient. Ben took Nancy's shaking hand and he guided her palm towards the eagle's head. She wanted to protest but Ben was by her side so she gathered confidence and rested her hand on the eagle's head just as he wanted.

Then all fear left her when she saw that truly the bird meant her no harm. Ben left her with the eagle as he saw her smile grow in delight and amazement, and then he moved to mount the eagle the way one mounts a horse. He offered Nancy his hand and she took it and joined him on the eagle's back behind him.

"Hold on," he told her then she embraced him and held on tight as she deduced what was about to happen.

"Fly!" Ben commanded then the eagle immediately took off the ground and followed a predetermined circuitous path around the still extending garden. Nancy held on tighter still as the eagle banked left to go and fly above the river and past a stone bridge. The eagle flapped her wings to fly even higher under Ben's guidance who held on to the feathers on her back like the reigns on a horse.

He was mindful not to fly very fast because great speed meant the wind would knock into them that much harder. He did not want that. He wanted Nancy to enjoy the view from up here. She was enjoying herself without a doubt. She had grown comfortable with the height and she was screaming in ecstasy with every turn that the eagle made. This was really fun because Ben found himself smiling in gladness that he had decided to do this for her.

When they finally unmounted and the eagle had taken off, Nancy leaned in and gave Ben a kiss on the cheek. She quickly looked away to hide that she was blushing. Ben smiled and then cleared his throat as he caused an apple tree to grow from the ground before them. Because the growth was accelerated Nancy took a step back as she thought that maybe a dangerous creature was emerging from the ground because the ground shook as dirt was dug up and made such a noise, but after a while, she saw that it was just a tree. Ben caused apples to grow from the tree and to ripen in those short moments they had emerged.

Nancy was amazed. Ben could do anything he had purposed and there was nothing impossible for him to do here.

"Go ahead," Ben encouraged her to take one of the apples from the tree as he saw her dying to try one. She plucked one ripe apple from the tree and took a bite. Sweet juices flooded her mouth and a sweet aroma enveloped her adjacent sense. She jumped in excitement and then took another bite.

"Oh my God! This is so good."

Ben was proud of himself for eliciting all sorts of responses from Nancy. He knew her best after all. The truth was that he felt what she felt. Every emotion, every hint of doubt or hint of fear, he felt it all. He felt her joy and he felt her apprehensiveness.

She was his Other after all, with no break in their connection. She treated things like a child and he loved that she was so innocent. She came and offered him a bite. He accepted and she stood beside him smiling to herself that she could share something with him.

He did not know this but in this world, he was a god to her. His voice had kept her warm in the void. With him, he brought a light that shone brightly in the darkness. He had made a body for her and given her a name. Now he had created a world for her to dwell in and had given numerous gifts to make her comfortable. She wanted so much to repay him, or at least to show how much she appreciated all that he had done for her.

What could she probably do for Ben? What was it that he truly wanted? What was it that he needed or at least desired from her? What was it that only she could give?

"Nancy," he called her. Had he noticed?

"Yes."

"Don't think too much about it."

He had told her, "We are having fun are we not? 'We' are having fun. I came here just to be with you."

"Certainly," Nancy was relieved, "It is fun to be together."