Free Dreams and Shadows (The Aylosian Chronicles Book 1) by Jeffrey Collyer Page A

he should be wary of them, and now she talked about Waylets and Stays as if they were things Michael should know. And so he just stood there in confused silence, eventually just shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders, “Sorry, I don’t know what a Waylet or a Stay is.”
    Carefully she again examined his face before responding. “I am called Aneh,” she said, “and I think you should come with me.”
    Michael was relieved, fearing to be abandoned in this strange place, as she continued, “I do not know what to make of what you have related, and it would seem that you do not understand what I have told you. I must take you to my mother.”
    Michael nodded before simply saying, “Okay.”
    Aneh motioned him to come with her as she said, “Please walk at my side”.
    He suspected that his being at her side was for safety reasons, so that he couldn’t surprise her from behind, but he felt more comfortable speaking if they were side by side anyway, so gladly hurried to walk at her right, trying to make casual conversation as he did so. “When I woke up on the grass, there was a small creature with big eyes looking at me. Do you know what it was?”
    “I did not see it,” she replied, “but it was probably a Tils.” After a pause she asked, “Do you know what a Tils is?”
    “No, sorry.”
    “They are oversized rodents, but with long ears and, as you say, large eyes. It was probably trying to determine whether you lived. They feast on dead animals.”
    Her response had been very matter-of-fact, but a chill ran down Michael’s spine as he realised that while he had been enjoying the luxury of the sun’s warmth on his back, the small creature had been sizing him up for a meal.
    Crossing the meadow, they turned past the bushes from which Aneh had appeared, and shortly after she spoke again, “You said you are Michael, but I am not sure what that means.”  
    Her statement left Michael bewildered, and he wondered whether his confusion would continue to increase every time she spoke, but she continued, “Is Michael the name of the people you are from? Or is it your name? Or is it what you are called? I have not heard the word before.”
    They were amongst the trees of the forest now, but Michael found that they were easily able to maintain their positions side by side as they wove their way through the woods, and the ground was still largely covered in grass and a few soft autumnal leaves making the walk mostly comfortable on his bare feet. He noticed a variety of shrubs dotted throughout the wooded area, some with the same bright blue berries he had seen on the plants adjacent to the meadow, and others with small red fruits.
    “Michael is my name,” he explained, “and it’s what people call me.” He looked over at Aneh as they walked, “Where I come from, it’s sometimes the same thing, but not always. So, some people who are named Michael – like me – like to be called Mike, or Micky, or something like that. But I prefer my full name, Michael.”
    He saw no reaction in Aneh’s face to what he was saying, but she said, “That seems a strange custom to me. I do not understand. But I think there are many things that I have said that you also do not understand.”
    Michael nodded. “Yeah, loads.” Then laughing, he added, “Practically everything actually.”
    He could just start to see some colour through the trees ahead and thought they must soon reach their destination, as Aneh continued, “Who are your people?”
    “I’m British,” he said, “or English.” Then, remembering her confusion when he had before simply said he was Michael, he tried to clarify, “My people are the British, or English. The English are one part of the British. There are others who are British too.” He didn’t think he was probably explaining it very well, “I don’t know if that makes any sense?”
    “No,” she replied, “I have never heard of your people, and your naming customs are confusing. My