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“Yes, some of those sound familiar.”

“Great. Well, all these different gods come together once every ten years and compete in different activities like animal making, strongest hurricane, or creating and curing a new disease on the spot. Asherah is the only god that doesn’t participate because she’s the judge. That’s another Earth goddess, do you recognize her as well?”

“No, I’ve never heard of Asherah.”

“Oh, well perhaps you’ll get to meet her,” Donella says with a smile.

I only nod at that, barely able to chew my mouthful as I contemplate that. I could meet a goddess tomorrow, one of many.

“Since the games are in his realm, Jarren makes a big deal about being the best host possible. He won’t take any visitors until the games are over tomorrow night, especially ones that will require a court hearing. We can go to the games instead tomorrow if you’re up for it, and then meet with him first thing the day after next.”

My mouth full, I nod and let Donella continue to explain the history of the Parvian Games, who might be in town to see them and the liveliness it brings to their small city. I do my best to soak in the information, it’s truly interesting to me, but my eyes get heavier by the minute. I guess almost dying and realm jumping will do that to you.

Donella’s chuckle shakes me out of my haze momentarily. “But these are all things I can tell you more about tomorrow when I show you around. I can tell you are tired Lellies, let’s call it a night.”

They stand and grab both our bowls and walk them to the sink while I follow with the cups. I’m still following Donella when they stop at their couch.

“I thought you said we were going to bed?”

“Yes, of course. The bed is yours, have a good night's rest.” They give me the softest kiss on my forehead before gently pressing my back to move me forward. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Oh,” I blink, wondering if I gave her the wrong impression over dinner. I’m not scared of her anymore. “Thank you for the kind gesture but I don’t want to make you sleep on the couch. I told you, I could’ve gone to a hotel if it was going to be too much trouble for you.”

“And I told you you’ll stay with me. You are no trouble to me Lellies, I want you here.”

“Well then,youare no trouble tome. I know you want to be a good host but I want you there,” I point to their bed on the other side of the room. I cross my arms and give them my serious face. “Either we both sleep on the couch or we both sleep in the bed.”

“You drive a hard bargain human,” there's that dimple again, “the bed it is.”I win.

Donella lets me pick which side of the bed I want so I climb across the bed to be closer to the wall. I barely feel the mattress move as they get in beside me.

“Sometimes I move in my sleep.” I say it fast like all the words are strung together. A hushed “that’s alright” comes from Donella as they tap a button on the wall, turning the lights off in the home.

I turn towards the wall, lying on my side, and try to focus on my breathing to fall asleep but scenes of the last few hours keep rolling through my mind on an endless loop. I might have to get a journalanda therapist when I get out of here.

I flip over onto my back and then to my side again. I wonder if my friends made it home alright, what year it will be when I get back home, and how I’m ever going to keep this secret to myself for the rest of my life. I contemplate becoming an author so I can tell my truth in story form and no one will ever suspect a thing. I count about a hundred sheep and thirty cows for good measure. I squint to count the leaves on the tree outside the window, backlit by two blueish-silvery shades of moonlight.

“Donella?” I make a quick promise that I’ll only call their name three times before giving up and letting them sleep, “Donella?”

“Hmm?”

“How do you feel about cuddling?”

A strong arm quickly wraps around my belly and pulls me backward. I feel the soft rise and fall of her chest behind me, her breath brushing over the baby hairs on my forehead. I can finally shut my eyes.

four

. . .

The visual landscapeof the Parvian Games is something right out of a movie set—that is,ifyou ignore the folks flying around without a harness and magic happening right before your eyes with no green screen or CGI. My gym shoes make a steady beat against the dirt paths as Donella walks me around, pointing out their favorite booths and also some they think I might be interested in; like the seamstress booth where a lizard person was selling dancing yarn. They spoke in another language so Donella whispered translations to me to explain that the lizard person could charm any yarn so that the purchaser could make any clothes they want with it and they would fit perfectly. She tried to help me ask what kind of patterns could be charmed into the yarn but they didn’t understand our question. We ended up getting a small bundle of green just to see how it works.

I’m holding it underneath my arm now as we make our way toward the stadium. I can tell that we’ve already missed the fluffy creature competition because I can see folks carrying their new pets as they exit the walkways. Donella was telling me this morning that Cernunnos and Aja have an unspoken rivalry and have been known to throw trick after trick at each other, oftenfinding every loophole in the book to outsmart one another. But they’re the only ones to compete to make the fluffiest, most loveable creature each decade so it makes for a good show and a few lucky spectators get to walk away with a lifelong pet so no one says anything. Now we’re just going to see whatever match is next and play the rest of the day by ear.

Walking under the arches of the entrance, I imagine this must be what attending a gladiator fight in Rome would have been like in the early days. You can hear the crowd cheering before your eyes even have the chance to adjust from the dark walkway to the bright, open air of the coliseum to see them. Rows and rows of folks sit squished together below us and more fan out in the rows going farther back behind us.

“Oo! Donella, who do we have here?”

A boisterous voice draws our attention to the stands to the right, above us. Being able to use magic to make sure people can hear you in a loud or crowded area would come in handy so much back home. Donella waves and grabs my hand to lead me up the stairs. “This is my friend, Christine. Christine, meet Lellies. She’s visiting from Earth.”