Epilogue

Where to begin…

Life was good – so good. It was more than we could've asked for. What began as heartbreak and feelings of abandoning my daughter had blossomed into an eternal friendship. We had grown – all of us – in some way or another.

When I looked at my reflection in the mirror or at the water's edge, I didn't see the timid woman as I did before, beaten and simply looking the survive and make a better life for her daughter. Instead, there was a daring woman who took a chance on someone when no one else would. Never in my life did I think such a thing was possible.

I no longer worked odd jobs moving from town to town with my daughter. I was the Orion's Factotum. I was a translator and a teacher, mother and friend, and an eternally grateful companion of Steele.

Steele had also grown. His stature was stronger and he no longer sat wasting away in the darkness of the cavern and his prison. He slept under the stars in the summer days and a home he created when the weather turned chilled.

Steele, true to his word, had helped reconstruct Creewood. Despite his size, the four seemed absolutely astounded at his attention to detail and how delicate he was able to work. He mended and created walls and fences for families young and old. His knowledge of the land surprised me as dug watering holes for the animals of the field and the people.

As he worked, I found myself occupying my days helping the families speak to him in his language. It was surprising, especially for me, that so many were interested in learning about Steele and how we spoke together in his language. They were nervous initially, but the months rolled by like the stars in the sky on the horizon and soon they too began to see the person I found so long ago imprisoned in that cavern.

Many days we would find ourselves by the water's edge just north of Creewood which led to the ocean. Sometimes, he would wade into the water staring at the horizon that held his world beyond while the world he made into a home was at his back.

Other days I found myself reading books with him or practicing my own lettering as he told me all his stories from his youth and days gone by. My daughter, Terrilyn, took to him so quickly as we had our lessons and listened to his stories. Her writing was far more elegant than my own and, thankfully, she learned the Orion's language much faster than I ever could have.

When either of us needed assistance, Steele's priorities shifted to accommodate our needs; and we did the same for him. On cold winter nights, we would shelter together and watch the snow. In the summer heat, he would carry us into the waters with him so we could glimpse the depth far below.

When Terrilyn decided to take interest in a friend who was a boy, Steele naturally insisted on meeting him. Needless to say, he didn't last long; to which Steele simply said if the man she chose was not brave enough to speak to him, then he was not a man he was a boy and not worthy of such a girl.

He stepped in where there was once a void and somehow, in our own special way, we had become a family. This friendship turned family saved so many lives and enhanced those around it.

It is this story now between Steele and Terrilyn and myself that I write to you. These are the events that transpired between us and that inspired the story you have now completed. This is the story of me – The Orion's Factotum.