When Tom returned home, his parents were waiting for him. He excitedly shared the news that he had been given the profession of miner in a ceremony conducted by the experts. "I see you listened to my advice," his father said proudly, puffing out his chest.
"Yes," Tom replied, "just like the rest of the family."
"Oh right, we are a family of dedicated miners, and we would never choose any other profession," his father declared passionately.
"There must be a reason," Tom countered. "You never tell me what it is. Maybe you can share it now. In any case, I have no intention of changing careers."
His father looked at him thoughtfully. "There are some things you need to discover on your own," he said. "If you search hard enough throughout your life, you might find the answers." He wore the expression of a wise old man guiding a young child on their first journey, though there seemed to be an air of false wisdom about him.
"Maybe you should stop confusing him and come eat already," Tom's mother interjected.
The Kay family then sat down to dinner, and Tom momentarily forgot all his worries. He loved his family deeply and hoped to live a quiet life like his parents.
"Tomorrow, come with me to the mine, and I will show you our work," Mr. Kay said. "It may be a bit early, but since our family has privileges, I can make it work."
"Tom," said his mother, "you should know that, unlike coal miners, our mining is not harmful to the body. There are even ancient beliefs that those who become experts in mining can achieve extraordinary longevity." Tom had heard these rumors before, but he didn't really care. For the sake of politeness, however, he pretended to be interested and asked, "Where did you hear that story?"
His mother smiled and placed a tray of food on the table. "I heard that from your father many years ago."
"Ahaha," his father laughed proudly. "It was when Mr. Lee still lived in our village. Your mother and I were just children then. One day, my grandfather took me to meet Mr. Lee, and he told me this story along with a few others. Speaking of which, it reminds me of a very beautiful story I heard from him."
This was the first time Tom had heard about Mr. Lee. "Who is this?" he asked.
"Mr. Lee was a young man who lived on the edge of the village when I was a little boy," his father replied, pouring wine into his glass. "He was the village's chief hunter at that time. The village had a hard time getting by when he left."
"And he was so respected that you called him Mr.?" Tom asked.
Mr. Kay leaned back in his chair, took a big sip of wine, and smiled at Tom. "You see, my grandfather was the oldest man in the village, and he himself called Mr. Lee 'Mr. Lee.' He never gave us an explanation for why he did that, but since he was the village elder, everyone respected him."
Tom's father loved to talk about the past, though he wasn't always listened to. However, Mrs. Kay herself loved Mr. Lee's stories.
"And what story are you remembering now?" asked Mrs. Kay. Mr. Kay paused for a moment before responding, "I don't think I've ever shared it with anyone, and it's not entirely related to our conversation. We were just talking about Mr. Lee, and for some reason, this story came to mind."
"I haven't heard this story," Mrs. Kay replied. "I'd love to hear it now." Mr. Kay's eyes lit up. "Oh Rosa, I've always known you were a wonderful life partner, but no one ever listens to my stories." They embraced in a very cliché way, showering each other with compliments.
"Okay, enough fooling around," Ronald Kay said as he straightened up, ready to tell the story. This time, Tom decided he was willing to stay and listen, even though he usually didn't enjoy his father's stories.
"Listen to this story," Mr. Kay began. "I heard it from him on the last day he was in the village. I had many questions about it; it's a bizarre and clearly unusual tale. However, when I returned the next day to ask him about it, he was no longer in the village. In any case, I'll start telling you the story now."
***************
Millions of years ago, in a world far removed from our own—so distant that it lay beyond the edges of the known map—a great disaster unfolded. The earth was on the brink of collapse, threatening to annihilate all life within that realm. No one knew how to avert this catastrophic fate.
Amid this chaos, a group of wealthy and unscrupulous individuals decided to construct a special vessel that would allow them to escape and preserve their lives. This group comprised some of the richest people in the world, descendants of those who had historically used their wealth to dominate society. With their considerable power, they sought to evade the grim reality that loomed over them. Meanwhile, the rest of the population suffered in poverty and desperation, working tirelessly for these affluent elites.
The wealthy individuals showed no mercy toward the poor and ordinary people. They were indifferent to the impending doom they faced. Instead, they employed a group of talented scholars to construct the vessel of their dreams. In doing so, they depleted most of the resources of the struggling earth, leading to increased poverty and suffering for its people. The scholars, also impoverished, realized that once the vessel was completed, the rich would cast them aside, but they felt powerless to change their fate.
In a bid for revenge against the suffering inflicted by the wealthy, one of the desperate scholars devised a special poison and secretly smuggled it into the vessel intended for the rich. He planned to bring about a horrific demise for all aboard. Meanwhile, the construction of the vessel—a colossal ship capable of sailing to unknown realms—progressed, designed to provide an escape from the broken and crumbling world in which they lived.
And there was a day when the wealthy boarded the great ship, and it began to move. The ship ascended into the sky, reaching such a height that it entered a realm where eternal night reigned. The only way to navigate in this place was by following the endless twinkling lights. An ordinary person would surely have lost their mind from fear and uncertainty in such an environment, but not these individuals. They transcended the uncertainty, knowing precisely where they wanted to go: to another world where they could live freely.
Their journey took a long time, and they traveled vast distances. Unbeknownst to them, the magic of the ship allowed them to remain oblivious to the passage of time outside. For every day that passed for them, a thousand years slipped by in their original world. However, one day a poison, left behind by an ordinary scholar, was released and spread a terrible curse throughout the ship. All the children on board succumbed to an unknown disease. While the older men experienced some illness, they managed to recover, but the women suffered the most. Their bodies swelled to alarming sizes, tearing their clothes, and they found it increasingly difficult to move. Their lives were in real danger as their breathing became problematic, their skin turned pale, and their hair grew white and thin.
With no options left, the ship had to halt in search of a place to find a cure. Fortunately, they landed near another world that bore a striking resemblance to their original home. As they disembarked, they began to search for a source of life, hoping it would lead to a remedy. Indeed, they discovered only one source of life: a small village inhabited by strange, humanoid creatures. As soon as the ship landed near the village, the frightened villagers emerged to defend themselves. The men of the village were about 3 meters tall with heads resembling a mix of a lion with horns.
They marched out with primitive weapons, determined to defend their home against the invaders. But the wealthy aggressors did not hesitate. Without a moment's delay, they unleashed a devastating weapon—an advanced, merciless device that slaughtered all the warriors within minutes. Not a single defender survived.
When the battle was over, the rich disembarked and entered the village. There, they discovered something extraordinary. The females of this alien race bore an uncanny resemblance to human women—only they were incomparably more beautiful.
Their skin was a smooth, luminous blue. Their eyes, a deep violet without pupils, seemed to shimmer with emotion. From the waist up, they looked like flawless human women, but with long, flowing light-blue hair that spread wide like a halo around them. This ethereal hair was encased in a thin, transparent membrane that preserved its elegant shape. Their lower bodies resembled that of mermaids—sleek and smooth, though without fins—and rather than walking, they floated gracefully above the ground.
The invaders were instantly captivated. A dark idea took hold.
To save their own aging, dying wives, they committed an unspeakable act. They slaughtered all the male children of the alien race. Then, using forbidden technology, they transferred the souls of their human women into the bodies of these alien females. The adult females' souls were cast out—trapped in agony, imprisoned within failing bodies, unable to move or scream.
Once the adult bodies were taken, the invaders repeated the process with the younger girls, implanting the remaining human souls into them. The native souls were left to wither in living prisons.
Needless to say, the fragile, elderly human bodies—now vacant—perished soon after. The invaders burned them without ceremony.
Thus, the rich remade their lives in this strange, magical world. With their new bodies, they thrived. Children were soon born—hybrids of unnatural origin, stronger, more beautiful, and more powerful than either parent. Over time, these offspring built a mighty kingdom, one that endured for generations.
***************
Mr. Kay finished the story and lit his pipe. Mrs. Kay had tears of excitement in her eyes. "That was the best story you've ever told me. I'm glad I got to hear it," she said. Tom, however, was deeply shocked by the disturbing tale and wondered if he ever wanted his father to tell him another story again. Although it intrigued him about Mr. Lee's identity and his twisted mind, the story also contained elements that seemed completely unnecessary and made no sense. He questioned what that night was and how one could transcend uncertainty.
"After hearing this story," Mr. Kay said, "I was appalled by the evil and cruelty of those people; I couldn't sleep that night. But when I returned the next day to ask Mr. Lee about the story, he had simply vanished." Taking a deep drag from his pipe, he exhaled a cloud of purple smoke.
"If it's just a story," asked Tom, "then what did you want him to answer you about? It never happened."
"You have to understand," his father replied, "My grandfather claimed that all the stories he shared with me were completely true. However, I had no way of verifying them. So, I tested his knowledge by asking him many questions about various topics. I checked all the facts he provided, and he was never wrong, including his assertion that our mines contain a power that empowers those who work in them."
Tom still remembered his great-grandfather, who had lived to the age of 170. He realized that the miners in the village tended to live much longer than people outside the village, who averaged only 70 years. He suspected that there was something significant behind this difference.
"When can I start working?" he asked eagerly.
"You still need to finish your studies first, but I'll talk to the person in charge of the mine. He'll probably grant you permission to start working in the next few days," his father replied, setting aside his empty pipe.
"But don't worry," his mother added, "you'll still be able to visit the mine. Like your father said, we have connections there."
Tom and his parents finished their meal, and Tom went up to the second floor and entered his room. After many years, this room finally belonged to him. As the youngest of five brothers, he had three older brothers who were already married and worked in the mines. His sister, who was just older than he was, had recently been staying at a friend's house for various reasons. As a result, their meals at home had become quite lonely over the past year.
He tried to fall asleep, but his thoughts kept him awake, dwelling on the story that occupied his mind. Suddenly, he heard a faint knock on his window. The knock was gentle but seemed intentional, so Tom decided to check who was outside. He opened the window and saw the most beautiful girl in the village—the only girl he was attracted to—sitting on the roof outside. It was Laura Moon, Liana's younger sister. She was a year younger than Liana, so she wasn't really Tom's friend. In any case, Tom noticed that she was crying.