Elia and the Gem of Tomorrow
A Tale from the Ethereal Kingdom
Elia woke to the sound of someone screaming.
“ELIA! WE’RE OUT OF CEREAL!”
She opened one eye to see her brother, Chase, standing in the doorway, holding an empty cereal box as though a great tragedy had occurred. “There’s no reason to scream,” Elia groaned, pulling the blanket over her head.
“There is when there are only crumbs left!”, said Chase.
Her brother was a cereal killer, not the bad kind. He simply loved cereal so much that entire boxes mysteriously disappeared whenever he was around.
Chocolate puffs? Gone.
Frosted flakes? Gone.
Marshmallow stars? Devoured. And if there was a new flavor in the pantry? It never stood a chance.
“You're going to turn into cereal someday,” Elia smirked. Her brother smiled. “I hope so.”
Before Elia could answer, something suddenly flew through her bedroom window.
THUMP!
A small monkey landed directly in her lap, slapping a tattoo on her arm, then bounced to the foot of her bed. The monkey had plans, she just didn't know it yet, nor him.
He wore a tiny blue vest, a crooked golden button, and a purple feather tucked behind one ear. He held a banana in one hand and carried a smirk on his face, anticipating her reaction.
The monkey looked at Elia. Elia looked at the monkey. Her brother looked at the monkey as he took a bite of his banana.
“Good morning.”
Elia screamed. One, there is a talking monkey in her room and, two, he slapped a tattoo on her arm. It doesn't hurt, but it's new & unexpected. Her brother shrugged. The only thing important to him is, well… food.
“Do we have any more cereal?”
The monkey rolled his eyes at him and began explaining things to Elia. He started by introducing himself. "My name is Milo. I have traveled from The Ethereal Kingdom.” A place Elia had never heard of. “It exists between places,” Milo explained finishing his banana.
“Between places?” asked Elia.
“Between dreams and waking. Between yesterday and tomorrow. Between what you know and what you haven't discovered yet.” said Milo.
Elia looked around. Her room began to change. The walls turned into trees shimmering with silver leaves. Mist curled around their roots, glowing faintly with lavender and blue light. Tiny floating flowers drifted through the air without stems. And every once in a while, Elia thought she saw a figure made entirely of light watching them from between the trees.
“Are those people?” she whispered.
“Ethereals,” Milo said.
“They're beautiful.”
“They're watching you.”
Elia stopped walking.
“Why?”
Milo's expression became serious.
“Because you were chosen.”
“For what?”
Milo pointed ahead.
The trees parted.
Beyond them a clear glass tube hovered, beckoning them into its opening, as if excited to share what’s beyond what's ahead. The exterior was very shiny as the moon gleamed off its surface. The panes of glass connected with aged copper strips and large round rivets. Bridges of clouds stretched between enormous gaps of space, keeping you intrigued as to where they lead. Silver birds flew through the air, leaving trails of sparkling dust behind them.
Upon entering the opening of the space tube, a little giggle was heard by Elia. She smiled and felt hopeful and excited. She’s never been out of the state, much less, the town. She stepped in and,
WHOOSH!!
Off she was lifted from her feet, into a sparkly and star studded experience, as if she walked into Van Gogh’s Starry Night painting. Elia could barely breathe. She had never seen anything so beautiful in her life. Milo just watched as his new companion was seeing it all for the first time.
As they reached their destination, an arched building appeared. It was swaying as if singing to itself. The structure is also made of copper but was much older than the tube, as it had patinated over time. Elia was very intrigued to see inside, but found herself looking at the new world that she landed in. The sky was dark blues and purples, filled with tiny creatures floating all around. You could hear their conversations as they passed your ears.
“Timmy has been nominated for best flutist and we are so proud”, said a pink creature to the yellow one as they passed by Elia’s ears. She held back her automatic reaction to swat the creatures, realizing they had families and lives. Experiencing that really opened her mind to this truly different world.
At her feet, the ground was flowing like water, but was dry to the touch. It was almost as though she was walking on glass.
“Elia, it’s time.” said a voice.
“What was that?”
Milo whispered:
“You are being called.”
He guided her into the arched building where the walls were transparent, and to the center where rainbows continued to arch in full bloom. Every step you took produced more of the floating creatures, crying out as they took their first breath. Up ahead, she approached a magical object.
“What is that?”
“The Gem of Tomorrow.” said Milo.
The Gem of Tomorrow floated above a pedestal. It wasn't simply a jewel. It seemed alive. Colors moved inside it—violet, silver, pale blue and gold. When Elia stepped closer, she could hear whispers coming from within. The tattoo that Milo had placed on her arm began to glow and vibrate and the closer she got to the gem, the stronger the tattoo’s vibration as if they were connecting.
Tomorrow...
Tomorrow...
Tomorrow...
“What does it do?” she asked.
“It shows you what might happen,” Milo said. “Not what will happen?.” “No future is certain.”
Elia reached toward the gem. “Then how do you know which future is real?”
“You don't.”
Her fingers touched the crystal. And the world disappeared. Elia stood in a field of white flowers. There was no sky. No ground. Only endless mist. A woman stood in the distance. She looked familiar, very familiar. The woman walked toward her. Elia's heart stopped. It was herself…but older, much older. She wore a silver dress that seemed to dissolve into mist, and her hair floated around her as though she were underwater.
“Who are you?” Elia asked.
The older Elia smiled sadly.
“I am one of the futures you could become.” Elia looked around.
“Where am I?”
“The place between dreams.” Suddenly, the flowers around them began glowing. Thousands of tiny ethereal creatures emerged from the mist—fairies with translucent wings, floating foxes made of starlight, and tiny winged horses that galloped through the air. It was breathtaking.
Then everything changed. The beautiful creatures disappeared. The sky turned black. A crack appeared across the Gem of Tomorrow. Older Elia grabbed her hand.
“Listen carefully.”
“Yes?”
“Someone will try to use the gem to control the future.”
“Who?”
Older Elia looked frightened.
“You must never let them—”
A loud CRUNCH echoed through the ethereal meadow.
Elia blinked. “What was that?”
Older Elia closed her eyes. “Oh, no.” Another crunch. Then a familiar voice said:
“Do you think these magical flowers are edible?” Elia turned. Her brother stood in the middle of the ethereal kingdom, holding a bunch of the flowers.
“YOU?!”
He shrugged. “I was hungry.”
Milo flew toward him. “How did you get here?!”
“I followed you.”
“You followed us through an interdimensional portal?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
He held up his spoon. “I thought there might be snacks.”
Elia covered her face. “This cannot be happening.”
Then the entire Ethereal Kingdom began shaking. The Gem of Tomorrow flashed. The crystal cracked. A brilliant light exploded across the kingdom. Elia felt herself falling.
Down through clouds.
Through stars.
Through memories.
Through dreams.
And then—
BOOM!
“ELIA!”
She opened her eyes. Her bedroom ceiling was above her. Morning sunlight streamed through the curtains. Her brother stood beside her bed.
“We're out of cereal.” Elia stared at him. She looked at the window. Nothing. No monkey. No floating arched building. No glowing flowers. No Gem of Tomorrow. She slowly sat up. “It was a dream.”
Her brother frowned. “What was?”
“The Ethereal Kingdom.”
He shrugged. “I don't know what you're talking about.”
Elia smiled. She was beginning to feel silly. Of course it had been a dream. She reached toward her nightstand. And froze. Something was sitting beside her lamp. A tiny purple feather. She picked it up. It shimmered. Just for a moment. Then it vanished. Elia stared at her empty hand. From outside the window came a familiar voice.
“ELIA!”
She slowly turned. Milo was sitting on the windowsill. He waved.
“You forgot something!”
“What?”
Milo held up a glowing purple-and-gold gem. “The future.”
Elia's mouth fell open.
Behind him, the sky shimmered. For just a moment, she could see the Ethereal Kingdom floating among the clouds. Milo grinned.
“And your brother wants to know if they have cereal.” Elia laughed.
Then the gem began to glow. And somewhere far beyond tomorrow... something woke up.
The End.
