Take me Back

Welcome home?

'Felix' .....'Felix'......'Felix'

'Huh' Felix gasped, what sounded like his brother was actually...was actually, well he didn't who was in front of him.

A man stood there with glistening eyes. They were hazel eyes like his; he didn't seem old. His turban was blue, a rich , royal blue which contrasted to the red turbans of the men beside him. His costume was intricately embroidered, every inch had its own beauty and his neck was full of diamonds and jewels. His wrists were clanking with bangles of gold. At his waist lay a matching blue belt tied tightly.

'Hello' the word came out slowly, 'Maharaj?'
'Can you hear me?' He asked.

Felix' expression was blank. 'What happened?' He said ,because the more he dwelled on how he came to be in this bed the more baffled it became like a restricted memory.

'Don't stress it Maharaj, the memory will come back soon. We knew you would not speak our tongue so we had our medicinal chief administer you an injection which will allow us to communicate freely. Whatever I say will translate in your mind and whatever you need to say will translate to us.'

'Medicinal cheif?' Felix inquired. The memory that seemed shackled and locked moments ago slowly freed up and loosened. The kid! The little boy who had come up to him in the dance, he was the only one close enough to have had the chance to sedate him. How could he have been a medicinal cheif? And more importantly who calls it a medicinal cheif?

'All will be answered, Maharaj,all will be answered. '

Felix stared at the man as he strolled out, then he sat up and put his feet carefully on the ground. His feet were bare and the floor seemed gritty with sand. Around him were bottles piled up on shelves and beds in a row all beside him. The sheets were an off white color and the actual frame seemed like  woven straw. He stood up and continued to scan his surroundings and proceeded to walk to what seemed to be the exit. It was not a door but two flaps like the entrance of a tent.

He grabbed it and lifted it over his head as he placed his foot on the sandy road in front of him. There, in front of him, was a sun shining majestically, almost blinding him and he felt the warmth hit his face and provide comfort, he felt the rays shining past the thin eyelids and he could feel the warm floor heat up his bare soles.

It seemed to be rising, or setting he couldn't be sure but one thing he knew was this must have been a miracle. The more he tried to make sense of it the more confused he got, like that man said, the memory hasn't fully been released yet. It felt strange and discomforting like something so bizzare and unpleasant and....

He opened his eyes and placed his hand on his brow line as shade. For the first time, he looked all around him, there were people, strolling up and down the sandy pavements. Dragging carts, chasing children and carrying big pots on their head. The clothes were grand and colours were bright, they bore the same joy as the people he saw in the dance.

One woman nodded at Felix and gave him a smile, she then continued to walk with a rather huge container resting on her head. Another elderly man came by, he nodded at the lady as he walked by then did the same to him.

'Good day, Maharaj?'

Felix nodded, offered a grin and stayed silent.

Maharaj.  That title meant king. He was just a 15 year old boy. As much as it was strange perhaps it was normal. When you look st thr expression on their faces they provide a sensation of comfort as if they have known him all his life. That of a parent looking at their child after a long time of being separated. It was the same sensation as the people he met at the dance.

The silhouettes of palm trees layed out in front of him, stretching from house to house, covering the whole road. He set foot on the road and immediately drew his leg back. It was burning and his feet were scorched.

Quite conveniently, he looked beside the tent and there were sandals placed at the entrance. They were leather and smooth, had no marks or imperfections and had a gemstone in the intersection between the straps. It glistened under the sunlight.

Felix inserted his feet gently into the pair of sandals and decided to explore his surroundings.

Extraordinary..... the first sight, the most noticeable building was a colossal construction that seemed like a palace or a... a castle towering over the buildings near him like a guardian. It was extravagant and its stones were so clean and immaculate. It had flags, stationed equidistantly along the perimeter. Oh the flags were magnificent.  They were different to any he had seen before. Unique and spectacular, in the centre of it a symbol that was of a tiger, roaring in all its mighty almost as if it could be heard from the depiction. The castle stretched out all along the perimeter of the village and its designs were bewitching and intricate. The more he anlysed the building the more astounded he was.

'That castle is yours, Maharaj, Do you recognise it?' A woman said gleefully. She chuckled to herself and walked on the shadow of her figure and of the pan she was carrying on her head following her as she left.

'Mine?' How could it be?