Seven Planets. Massimo Longo E Maria Grazia Gullo

magic..."

      "Come on! Don't take the piss."

      "Okay. Actually, right on this stop the combination between a low gravitational pull and the updraft created by the gigantic flowers is what allows us to fly. Come on. Take off your shoes and follow me."

      "Are you insane?" he exclaimed, but he knew that he would not resist.

      "Just stay away from the crystals." "You're not scared, are you?" Zàira teased him.

      Xam sat down on the edge, took off his boots and tied them with together with Zàira's. Straight after that he realised that they were floating in the air and without them he was feeling even lighter. He could barely keep his feet on the ground.

      "Keep this in the pocket." said the Orian while she was pulling out of her backpack two supplies. "The first time we'll dive in together."

      They walked to the edge hand in hand and they dived into the void without hesitations, like only teens could.

      They flew together for a while until Xam became more comfortable. Then Zàira releaved another surprise.

      She dragged Xam by one of the flowers, which sucked them in. They fell onto a soft carpet of scented stamina. The flowers, which were deep blue on the outside, on the inside were either yellow or light pink with huge, orange stamina. Xam did not even have the time to get amazed that the both of them were delicately thrown out of the flower. The two friends began laughing non-stop.

      Zàira tried to explain, among laughters, that the insides of the flowers would release a laughing liquid.

      At that point, Xam was ready to fly on his own and he let go of Zàira, who up to the moment before was holding him tightly.

      The fun had peaked and Xam kept going in and out of the flowers.

      Zàira tried getting closer: she had forgotten not to overdose as the laughing liquid would end up making him lose touch with reality.

      It was not long before that was going to happen. Xam had lost his mind and was getting dangerously close to the prohibited area.

      Zàira thought she had to intervene before it was too late: the sharp crystal would kill him. Xam, however, was moving at the same speed as her. Hence, it would have been impossible to reach him. She pulled out from her pockets her air supplies and employed them to go faster. She reached her friend, who was laughing and had not realised about the imminent danger and dragged him away a second before he could hit the wall.

      She carried him away from the flowers and did not let go of him until they were on the ground. As soon as they had reached the right updraft, she made him return the air supplies. She kept him tightly in her arms as she was taking him in shelter on the canyon edge.

      They knew that they had almost risked their own life, but they could not stop laughing. They lied down on the ground, shoulder next to shoulder side by side, and happily waited for the effect of the laughter fluid to wear off before going back home.

       Third Chapter

      The creases on its skin were revealing the creature's eyes and mouth

      Now it was Zàira who was in danger and the distance between them and the top of the hill seemed infinite. A white dome stood out against the landscape. It looked like a beehive covered in hexagonal mirrors that would reflect the blinding sunlight.

      The closer they were getting to the monastery, the more peaceful they were feeling deep in their hearts.

      Xam, who was utterly worn out by the weight of his friend, kept walking until they found themselves in front of an arch that led inside the temple.

      As soon as they got inside, Zàira's body began floating away from Xam's arms, who did not oppose that force as he knew there was no danger.

      She was being carried towards a long corridor until she disappeared.

      Hundreds of thin columns were sustaining an immense transparent vault that was overlooking the entire Universe, as if the monastery were floating in the space. Ulica and Xam noticed a weird-shaped creature at the back of the aisle.

      The cylindrical, grey-purple body was composed of a head and four other sections, each with two legs. What looked like a nose was shaped like a trumpet and took at least half of the face. It almost looked as if something and someone had pushed it outward. Finally, the creases on its skin were revealing the eyes and the mouth of the creature. The body was not taller than a bag full of flour.

      "I can feel a positive energy. I apologise for dragging you in here, but what your companion did surprised me."

      "What our companion did not surprise us. We are conscious of her generosity. We should have not involved those harmless creatures. We have wasted too much time wandering in the jungle, which allowed Mastigo to realise where we were headed. So, he led his guards to that mild and peaceful place. Such an unforgivable mistake of us." explained Ulica.

      "It would have been impossible for the Tetramirs to get this far without dragging those poor creatures in a battle."

      "How do you know who we are?"

      Ulica Tried asking, but Xam stopped her abruptly as he instinctively reached for her forearm:

      "Where is Zàira?" he asked to the monk, although he could feel that nothing bad was happening to his friend in that place.

      "Do not worry. She's safe. She's recovering. She'll be reunited with us very soon."

      That reply was vague, but he could still feel that feeling of peacefulness and well-being.

      "How do you know who we are?" Ulica asked again, who wanted to understand who they were dealing with.

      "My name is Rimei." uttered the creature, without even addressing the girl's question. "I'm here on a meditative retreat. Your souls and actions, even the beauty of the Eumenide whose name I don't recall." it looked as if it was chuckling being satisfied with its mischief. "have all have caught my attention, even after 300 years."

      "Ulica." her sweet and delicate face was unimpressed with that compliment.

      She was thin and tiny and was conscious of her looks and she did not hide it. The ethnicity to which she belonged was not inclined to courting, but they would not hide their opinions and emotions. They would reproduce like butterflies in a cocoon that carried the colour of the unborn child. Eumenides were in different colour, all in pastel shades.

      Ulica belonged to one of the latest generations: they all been created genetically. On the planet an odd occurrence during that last big war had caused a change in the axis of the planet which resulted in environmental and magnetic imbalances, causing the extinction of the male population. Even the most expert geologist in the world could not find the reason behind this occurrence.

      In order to avoid the extinction of the whole species, the Eumenides resorted to the multiplication in vitro of the male genes to be used for artificial fertilisation.

      They would genetically create only the female embryos in order to prevent other males to born and therefore die. They were not willing to accept a defeat. They were searching in their DNA for the same gene that allowed them to survive and implant it in the male DNA. In this way it would be invulnerable to the new environmental traits.

       "You have not told me yet how come you know who we are." insisted Ulica.

      "Because I see many things. I have been waiting for your questions for a long time."

      "What questions?" asked Xam, who looked confused as he was caressing his thick, black, curly beard.

      "Your questions on the Kirvir." Ulica anticipated him. "What were you talking about before?" she asked to the monk. "What can you see?"

      "I can see all that is happening on the planets, but unfortunately sometimes the information stays in me for a short amount of time.

      "Define short."

      "It depends. Sometimes they linger forever, some others fade away after a day or a couple