Aphrodite's Acolyte by J.E. Spatafore Page B

lining the district. The rows and rows of houses seemed endless as he trotted up and down the aisles. Finally, a house with a window lined in candles came into view. Nestled between two other houses and in fine shape, candles flickered from the window on the bottom level. Fidel's heart skipped a beat and butterflies filled his stomach as he made his way toward the two-story home. He sat on his horse, outside the house for several minutes before mustering the courage to knock on the door.
    He knocked lightly on the door and nearly forgot to breathe as he heard footsteps make their way from within. The door opened slightly, a piece of rope visibly preventing the door from opening fully. The elven woman asked what business he had there. Fidel stared into the green eyes of the black-haired woman, his mind forgetting about the question just asked of him. The woman repeated the question a little more curiously. Fidel could not find the words to speak to this female version of himself. He reached into his pack and pulled out his parent's scroll, offering it to the elven woman.
    She took the scroll and closed the door for a moment. Fidel heard the woman scream. “Grelin! The time has come! Our son has returned!” The door flew open, taking the rope from its resting place, along with a piece of the door jamb with it. Asante, the black-haired woman, tackled Fidel with a tight hug, knocking the wind from his chest and taking him back a few steps.
    Grelin, a brown-eyed and black-haired elven man, darted from the back of the house and stopped at the front door, gleaming down at Fidel from the doorway. Asante's tears flowed freely as she kept her son in her arms for a long moment, Fidel returning the embrace with tears of his own. Grelin watched the scene with the happiest smile on his face, trails of tears flowing from his eyes to his chin.
    Finally, Asante let go of Fidel and invited him in. When Fidel reached the doorway, Grelin reached out to shake Fidel's hand. Fidel grabbed his father's hand and pulled him in for a hug of his own. Grelin and Fidel gave a couple of sobs and then regained their composure.
    The three retreated inside the house to catch up on just over seventy-five years of missing each other. Fidel and his parents spent hours talking about Fidel's life among the humans. Each story reinforced to Grelin and Asante that their decision to send Fidel among the humans was a good choice. The mugs stayed full late into the night. The moon was on the wane when the family finally decided it was time to turn in.
    Asante showed Fidel to his room. The small room was at the front of the house, containing the candles in the window. A bed sat in the corner, the same bed that was there when Fidel departed Puldechra. In fact, the room appeared untouched for the past seventy-five years. Some wooden swords and shields, a training bow, and numerous other toys a seven-year old boy would enjoy remained. A single dresser with a small painting of a green-eyed elven boy stood atop it.
    Grelin shortly joined Asante and Fidel and announced there was only one more item to address. Grelin handed Fidel a lantern, and pointed to the window sill. Fidel took the cue and drew a deep breath.  He blew out the candles in the window. They all shared a smile with each other and turned in for the evening.
    Fidel retrieved the small portrait from the dresser and sat on the bed. He stared into his own eyes, walking his fingers along the intricate curves of the child staring back with a smile. He investigated the room more closely, opening drawers to expose a young boy's clothing. The clothes of his youth triggered memories of running up and down the streets of Puldechra, tossing stones and tormenting merchants.
    Memories returned of using a slingshot to break a neighbor's window, then having to apologize for doing so. Memories of never doing these things alone as he was always in the company of a yellow-haired, blue-eyed boy nicknamed “Cap”. He put the