One Night: A Short Series — Part 5: Enough Prologue
By: Malik Morangello
Tags: Short Story, Fantasy, Series, Fiction

Jason felt like his heart was running a mile a minute. Could it be true? How? He wasn’t sure he could trust Li’i, but Jason didn’t think his grandfather would come all this way just to lie. What his father said earlier was right. What could Li’i do, that all those specialists and treatments could not?

Jason and his parents did not need false hope and promises. They’ve had enough of that.

But, just maybe.

“How?” Jon asked, his voice low.

“Patience,” Li’i said, “I’m getting to it.”

“P-patience!” Jon shouted, standing up and glaring at his wife’s father.

“Jon!” Kana called, shocked.

Li’i remained silent, and Jason stared wide-eyed. He can’t remember seeing his dad ever this angry.

“No!” Jon shook off Kana and Evelyn as they reached out to calm him. “You come into our home! Scare us half to death. You’re lucky I didn’t shoot-”

Jon suddenly collapsed, his outburst cut off. His voice is suddenly gone. He put a hand to his ear and his chest. He couldn’t hear or speak, and he was having trouble breathing. He started panicking, taking short breaths as he leaned over the island top, shooting an accusatory glare at Li’i from the floor.

“Jon!” Kana yelled. Kana held Jon, checking him quickly before looking beseechingly at her father.

“Damn it! Dad!” Evelyn yelled.

“What’s-!” Jason jumped up in confusion and panic, looking back and forth at his dad and grandfather.

Li’i looked surprised for a moment but remained silent. He watched Jon coldly for a few agonizing seconds, before making a small gesture with his hand.

“Blackblood,” Li’i called firmly.

“Hah!” Jon spat, before taking in a big breath of air. He winched as the sound came rushing back, Kana’s voice the loudest.

“Forgive me,” the quiet man, Blackblood, said as he bowed. First to Li’i, then again toward Jason, Jon, Kana, and Evelyn.

The Bluebirds’ and Evelyn’s heads snapped toward Blackblood. Jon and Jason forgot Blackblood was here; he was so quiet.

“You can shoot him if you’d like.” Li’i joked.

“Dad,” Evelyn said with a threatening tone.

Li’i sighed, then, he said something that Jason couldn’t understand. Whatever it was, Blackblood replied in the same language, dropping to one knee. Then the space around him distorted, and Blackblood vanished.

Both Jason and Jon stared stunned at what happened.

“Kana, Lyn, Jon, Jason, my sincere apologies. That child is a bit temperamental.”

Li’i looked at each of them in turn as he said their names and apologized.

“Again, I’m sorry, but let’s move this night along before anything else happens. We don’t want bullets to start flying.” He quipped again.

“Really?” Evelyn shot back.

“What? I’m trying to lighten the mood. It’s cumbersome.”

“Whose fault is that?”

An awkward silence.

“It’s instances like these, why I hesitated … waited so long to call you. I thought maybe I could do it myself, but — I just couldn’t. So please …” Kana pleaded.

Li’i looked at Kana sadly. Evelyn placed a warm hand on her older sister’s back.

Li’i closed his eyes and sighed before tapping a finger on the kitchen island.

A clear, distinctive sound rang throughout the room. Washing away the stress and calming Jason’s heart. The emotions are still there, but he could think more clearly.

Jason saw that the same phenomenon seemed to happen to his parents and aunt.

“Once again, I’m sorry for the distress I have caused. I think it’s best if I quickly do what I came to do and leave.”

“…”

Kana tried to say something, but Li’i stopped her.

“It’s short, but I believe I’ve overstayed my welcome.” He smiled sadly. “So, to continue, or rather to begin, sit, drink more tea, and I’ll begin with answering most, if not all, your questions.”

The Bluebirds, still reeling from the event, sat back down in front of the kitchen island. Evelyn remained standing with her arms crossed and watched Li’i sharply. Her grey eyes looked almost like storm clouds.

“Now …” he began. “Enough prologue.”