Elvey’s Adventures: At the Lake

Elvey walked along the quiet, deserted path, going at a steady pace. There was a frown on his face.

The sun was only just coming up, and it looked like a pleasant day. The peculiar chill was still present.

The path led between a line of old trees, towering overhead. When Elvey came to a parting, he turned onto the less used path, that wound through tall grass, cattails, and tangled bushes.

After a 10-minute walk, Elvey came upon a large lake.

He stared out across the water. His face grew calmer.

Elvey sat down, taking his shoes off with his one free hand, and dipping his feet in the water. He leaned back, closing his eyes.

He remained in that position several minutes.

A sound attracted his attention. He looked and saw someone approaching the lake at an unsteady run. It was Liam.

They were about 5 yards apart, and Liam hadn’t noticed him.

The boy ran up to the lake, throwing his backpack into the water as soon as he was near enough. The ground was uneven, however, and he fell in after it with a loud yell.

Elvey stifled a laugh but didn’t move.

Presently, a strange form emerged – floating – from the water. It was a small human form, but a pulsating red, liquid appearance. The form, hovering, went toward Elvey.

When it stood next to Elvey, and lowered to the ground, a part of the red form separated, and Liam fell out. The red thing folded, and again looked like the object in Liam’s backpack, draping itself in his hands.

Liam, sitting down next to Elvey with a heavy sigh, said, “I thought I could get rid of it.”

“Well, you succeeded in getting rid of the backpack,” the other said, with a smile.

Liam looked at the water with another sigh, and said, “Mom will kill me.”

They were both silent for a minute, and Liam looked at him.

“You’re going to get my dad back, right?” He asked.

Elvey nodded.

“Yes, I promise I will.”

Another silence.

“Why were you trying to get rid of it?” Elvey asked in a low voice.

“I thought – maybe, that would make things stop,” Liam answered. He cocked an eye at him and continued, “I keep seeing things, and… I don’t think they’re real.”

Elvey bowed his head.

“I am really sorry to hear that, Liam,” he said, “What kind of things?”

Liam shifted, shuddering. He looked around, and then nodded toward the water.

“There’s… there’s a body floating in the water,” he said in a low voice, “Do you see it?”

“No.”

Liam sighed, asking, “Why do I see it, Mr. Elvey?”

“Call me Terrance,” he said, and nodded to the thing in Liam’s hands, “It is… giving you the ability to see those things.”

“But what is it? What am I seeing?” Liam asked.

“You’re seeing a battle,” Elvey answered, “Or something equally dangerous.”

Liam looked at him, and Elvey sat up, saying, “First of all, does your mom know where you are?”

Liam looked down, answering, “I left a note on the table.”

Elvey sighed and put on his shoes.

“Come on,” he said, “I’ll explain while we walk.”

They slowly walked back the way Elvey had come, at first in silence. When they reached the main path, Elvey spoke again.

“What you have is called a Kairos Snare,” he said, speaking slowly, “It’s a machine that works in two halves; a time half, which is what you have,” he sighed, “And the other half is a lock… which is what’s missing.”

He stopped walking and turned to Liam.

“Do you understand so far?” He asked.

“I guess… it makes sense,” the boy answered.

“Good answer,” Elvey said with a smile. He started walking again, continuing, “What a Kairos Snare does is capture the people in a certain location in a time loop or causes them to enact an event in history. More specifically, a battle, or something equally deadly. Since we haven’t been repeating ourselves, it’s obviously not a time loop.”

They walked in silence for a couple minutes. Elvey glanced at Liam.

“Understand?”

Liam shrugged his shoulders.

“Since the time aspect of the machine has bonded with you, you can see portions of whatever event we’re trapped in,” he went on.

“We’re trapped… because of the lock part?” Liam said slowly.

“Yes!”

“But… why?”

Elvey grimaced slightly,

“I will happily try to explain time manipulations to you, Liam, but I can’t begin to explain why someone would invent a machine like the Kairos Snare,” Elvey said in a solemn tone, “Why someone would use it is a different question.”

“Why, then?” Liam asked.

“Because it’s a very effective way of getting rid of something,” he answered, “Say Joe wants to marry Jane, but she has 10 other guys chasing after her. If Joe activates a Kairos Snare, and has it set on an event where a bunch of guys get into an argument, the Kairos Snare will cause Jane’s 10 boyfriends to get stuck in that event, and they’ll repeat what happened. Then… Jane’s free to fall in love with Joe.”

Elvey continued, “A bonus is that, a Kairos Snare is an event captured in history that already took place, which means whatever happens didn’t happen, since it already happened…” he grimaced slightly, and continued, “At least where I come from. That’s why it doesn’t make sense that a Kairos Snare is here. It’s the sort of weapon that’s used back home.”

“Where do you come from?” Liam asked slowly.

Elvey smiled, “One thing at a time, Liam.”

“Then, what do we do next?”

“Look for the lock,” he answered, “That’s the best I can do right now.”

“What about my dad?” Liam asked.

“Right now, he’s safer than we are, as long as he’s out of reach of the snare.”

Liam sighed, his head low.

“I wish…” his voice faded.

Elvey, putting a hand on his shoulder, said, “My hands are tied, kid. Well, one hand, anyway.”