Elegido

“Honey, please put your shoes on. We’re going to be late.” I yell as I poke my head through the hallway.

My stubborn five year old Dani comes storming in the kitchen wearing a purple skirt filled with sparkles and stains paired with a green striped shirt. Which, of course, also has stains from what I hope is just chocolate milk. It just so happens to be two articles of clothing which I didn’t pick out for her.

“I don’t want to.” she cries, pulling at her shirt. “My unicorn shoes aren’t over here.”

There’s not much use in fighting it now. I guess she will just go to school looking like a drunken tooth fairy, and hopefully I won't get a note sent home.

“Lo que sea,” I say trying to get the lunches together, “You can wear your light up sneakers. How about that?”

She gives me a pout, but slowly obliges, so a win I guess. Though, now that I get a better look at her, she’s going to need the help of a hairbrush, and fast.

“Ma? Have you seen my report?” Jeremy yells walking into the kitchen. 

“It should be where you left it,” I say, zipping up the last sandwich bag.

“I left it in my bag and it’s not there,” he whines.

I walk over to him, his bag in his hand and give it a look. A moment later I’m pulling out his red folder which contains his report.

“How do you do that?” he asks dumbfounded.

“It’s a mothers gift,” I smirk. “Can you help your sister with her shoes?” 

Jeremy turns to see his sister putting the shoes on the wrong foot and smirks, “Yeah,” he turns to Dani, “Come on, let me help.”

She pouts and stands up as Jeremy crouches down to meet her. Dani’s little hand holds onto his shoulder and he places the shoes on each foot.

A smile appears on my face as I close both the lunches, finally done with one thing and of course, like usual, onto the next. I put the lunch boxes on the edge of the counter and walk over to grab some granola bars for their breakfast. A chocolate chip and peanut butter for Jeremy and a fruity pebbles for Dani. They never diverge from their staple.

“I got ‘em on Mom,” Jeremy says. He stands and throws his backpack over his shoulder while Dani walks over to me with her arms outstretched.

I lift her up and hold her, “What do we say?” 

“Thank you Jere,” she mutters.

“You’re welcome,” Jeremy smiles.

I turn and grab the granola bars, handing it to each of them alongside their lunchboxes. Jeremy grabs Dani’s backpack and heads for the door knob when the doorbell rings.

“Dios mio. Who could that be?” I ask.

Jeremy turns to me and shrugs. I nod, letting him know it’s okay to open the door. When he does, there stands a man and a woman in gold tuxedos with black hair and red glasses each holding clipboards. I peer off through the door to see a red sports car parked outside in our driveway. Probably the nicest car my driveway has seen in years.

“Is this the residence of the Alcantara family?” the man asks.

“Uh, yeah,” Jeremy responds.

I move forward, pushing Jeremy back behind me while passing Dani over to him.

“What did you need?” I ask.

I watch them look at their clipboard, and then back at Jeremy. My hand goes over him protectively. They stand there for a moment, examining us almost. And I’ve had enough of a morning without having to deal with these weirdos.

“Listen, I have to get my kids to school, so if you wouldn’t mind leaving-”

“May we come in? We have some urgent news to share with you.”

“Look here,” I say, cracking the door a smidge, “I don’t know who you two are, and you’re looking kind of suspicious in your gold suits and sports car pulling up to my house. So, if I’m being honest, you don’t seem like the type I should invite into my house for cookies, but the kind I need to call the police about. Make sense?”

The woman eyes me for a moment, her brows furrow and she smiles softly, pushing the glasses to the top of her head.

 “Listen, you don’t know us, but we know you. We are a part of the G.A.U department here in San Diego and we believe your son has been chosen,” she says.

“G.A.U? I’ve never heard of them,” I state.

“Gods among us,” the man states. “You don’t know us until we need you.”

“Gods? As in the Greek gods?” I ask dumbfounded.

“Not just the greek,” the woman states. “The Japanese gods, the Philippine god’s, and so many other small tribal or cultural gods to any sort of people. Any god dreamed up lives among us and works for the betterment of the people on the earth.”

“I don’t understand.”

“That’s okay,” she starts. “You don’t have to, but can we come in and tell you why we need your son’s help.”

“Um,” I say looking at Jeremy holding Dani. Is this real? It can’t be. There must be some psychos coming to make up all these lies just to come in, tie me and my kids up, and then steal everything we have. Well jokes on them, we don’t have much to begin with.

But for some reason, I don’t know what. It’s definitely not their bluntness nor is it the whole god’s among us bit, but I trust them.

“Yeah, yeah, come in,” I say.

“¡Estás loca!” Jeremy yells. “We don’t know who these creeps are? I definitely don’t want to go along with whatever crazy plan they have.”

“The least we can do is hear them out,” I say.

Dani smiles and jumps out of Jeremy’s arms to take off her shoes and runs to the living room. The man and woman walk and I direct my hand to the living room for them to take a seat.

“Ma, you can't be serious. These people are practically asking you to sell me or something,” Jeremy says.

“Calm down mijo,” I say. “I’m not going to sell you, even if I could use some extra cash,” I say laughing.

Jeremy slightly giggles.

“I’ve got your back. We will hear what they have to say and work from there,” I say, pressing my forehead to his.

We both walk into the living room to see Dani showing the man and woman her drawings from last night. I pull her up and sit her on my lap on the couch where Jeremy sits next to me.

The man and the woman sit in chairs across from me. The man keeps his glasses on while the woman has now chosen to put her glasses in her front suit pocket. They both sit up straight, their hands holding their clipboards and their pens in hand.

But what I notice now, is something sparkling coming outside of the woman's suit pocket, though before I can ask, the woman speaks.

“Hello, Mrs. Alcantara,” the woman states.

“Call me Aline,” I respond stroking Dani’s hair.

“Nice to meet you Aline. I am Sancus, the god of trust,” she responds.

Well, that makes sense why I let them into my house.

“I’m Kuebiko, the god of wisdom,” the man adds.

That doesn’t explain their outfit choices.

“Wait, you’re gods?” Jeremy asks.

“Yes, we are a part of the G.A.U after all,” Kuebiko states.

I turn to see Jeremy’s eyes wide and jaw dropped. Dani is getting antsy in my lap so I let her go and draw at her little table. I can’t help but scratch my eyes in disbelief. This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder.

“We have come here today because we have lost sight of where a god is,” Sancus explains.

“This is the first time in a century we have not been able to locate or know the direct coordinates of a god,” Kuebiko states.

“Why is that? “ I ask.

“Because of Anagolay, the god of lost things, is our main correspondent for this,” Sancus says.

“Then, just have her find them,” Jeremey states. “Leave me out of it.”

“You see,” Sancus starts, “Anagolay is the one who is lost.”

“You mean to tell me,” I laugh, “the god of lost things became lost herself? And you need my son to help?” I say laughing at the irony.

“We were simply told the chosen one was from the Alcantara family,” Kuebiko explains. 

“But to make sure, we have Anagolay’s magnifying glass,” Sancus shares.

She pulls out the sparkling thing that once was in her suit. The magnifying glass is golden with red jewels aligned on the sides. Engravings of leaves and florals dance around the circle as a red and orange arora floats off from it. Yet, the magnifying glass doesn’t just contain glass, it seems to contain an entire galaxy.

“Who told you it would be our family?” Jeremy asks, “And why specifically me?”

“Ah,” Kuebiko states, stroking his chin, “Well, I am the god of wisdom.”

“We gathered intel of the last family Anagolay read on before her disappearance,” Sancus replies deadpan, pointing the magnifying glass accusingly. 

“And who was the one to imply that reasoning?” Kuebiko responds. “That would be me. Because I remembered the prophecy of Anagolay.”

“Oh sure, that's all you're doing. Don’t you understand we all know the prophecy? It’s not like it was hidden,” Sancus yells, now raising the magnifying glass to Kuebiko’s face.

“Doesn’t matter, I was the one who reminded us. Because nobody thought that prophecy was of any meaning because they thought the god of lost things could never get lost. So when they heard a prophecy given five hundred years ago about how a young lost one would find the lost, nobody paid any mind,” Kuebiko states, firmly not raising his voice but clearly making his point. Much like some lawyers I remember.

Sancus scoffs, “Don’t give me this ‘oh I’m so smart act.’ You know you’re just the god of wisdom because you’ve made so many dumb choices you know to tell others not to?”

“Oh really,” Kuebiko snarls, lifting his glasses to his forehead. “Don’t even talk to me like that, miss god of trust. Like you do anything trustworthy with the trust put into your hands.”

They both eye each other, and then look at us, realizing they bickered as if they were alone. They instantly reposition themselves, Kuebiko returns his glasses to his face and Sancus holds the magnifying glass out again.

“I apologize, sometimes we forget ourselves,” Sancus explains.

I nod and smile politely.

“Any way,” Sancus starts. “The chosen one will hold this and it will imprint on their hand their worthiness to see what cannot be seen.”

“What’s that?” Jeremy says, entranced in the magnifying glass.

“The lost and forgotten things. They are most beautiful and sacred,” Kuebiko states.

“And why do you think it’s Jeremy?” I ask.

“The chosen one is always a child, is it not?” Kuebiko smiles.

I nod, as if that piece of information makes sense. As if any of this is really happening. But at this point, there’s no point in turning back. If they were killers or kidnappers they would have already done their business and been out of here. So, I play into their charade, hoping they are just crazy people needing someone to play along to their little game for peace of mind. It does make my morning more interesting that most, so the best I can do is watch the show.

Sancus carefully holds the magnifying glass out for Jeremy to grab. Jeremey gulps and looks at me. In a glance, I see he’s asking “can you get me out of this?” But yet, he obliges and reaches his hand over slowly to the glowing magnifying glass. Though, once he goes to make contact, it’s as if there is a force field preventing him from laying a finger on it.

“That’s strange,” Kuebiko explains with confusion written on his face.

The two share a side glance, perhaps a whole conversation in that because next thing I know they are walking over to Dani as she colors. Before she has the chance to grab it, I’m on my feet, blocking her, allowing my hand to be the one to grab it. Yet instead of a force field, it's as if my hand is pulled to it magnetically. I hold it for just a moment before I immediately drop it in pain. 

“Ay!” I yell, grabbing my hand. It feels as though I’ve left it on the stove. It burns so bad I glance down at my palm but instead of a boiling blister, I see something burned into my flesh.  

forget to find, find to forget. No serás olvidado.

“Wait, it’s you?” Kuebiko states. “The prophecy said that Anagolay would be found by a child from the Alcantara family. The young lost would find the lost…. but, you. You’re so…”

“Old?” I ask with an eyebrow raised.

“No, no. Just…” he fumbles, “not what we pictured.”

“You both are from the Alcantara family, are you not?” Sancus asks Jeremy and Dani in a panic, picking up the magnifying glass.

“Well, I am. My kids had their fathers last name until recently,” I respond, holding my hand as it trembles from the burn.

“What?” they both ask.

“They were Dani and Jeremy Darnell,” I say. “but I changed their names to my maiden name after their father left a year ago.”

I notice Jeremy scratching his head and Dani in the corner with her head tilted at the mention of her father.

It was a year ago, I shouldn’t still be hung up on it all. After all, it was my children that took it the hardest. Sure, I lost a husband, but they lost their father. You can’t really get another one of those so easily.

It was so sudden. He just up and told me he was done. Wanted a new life and was sick of the one he had. I tried to reason with him that the kids weren’t just some shirt he didn’t like anymore and could drop off at the goodwill down the road. But he wouldn’t listen. He just packed his bags and we haven’t heard from him since.

The kids were devastated. Dani was just four and Jeremey was only fourteen. Dani started making trouble with her classmates and teachers while Jeremy began to get bad grades in school. I did everything I could. I took them to therapy, brought them to tutoring, organized hang outs with their friends, and was there for them when they needed to cry. All because that jerk didn’t think his family was worth anything to stay. Well jokes on him, we’re better off without him. I'm better off without him.

The two begin muttering among themselves saying things like “but how can she find…you know?”,“what if.., and “how could it not be the children?”all adding up to them giving me a headache.

“Are you going to explain?” I ask. “First you want my son, then he can’t hold your magic wand thingy, and now I’m the one you want?”

“Well, it appears we did our calculations wrong. We must have left you out of the equation, thinking it must be someone young…”

I eye him.

“..er..younger,” he finishes.

He looks over to Sancus and she gives him a confused shrug.

“Great assessment,” I mutter. 

“So, what does my mom have to do?” Jeremey asks.

Sancus and Kuebiko exchange looks and stand. Jeremy and I follow, while Dani, as per usual, is in her own little world.

“You must enter the Place of Lost,” Sancus states.

“Because Anagolay can not truly disappear without us not knowing where she is, the only possibility is for her to be in the inbetween of lost and found. Where all things go when they’ve become lost, waiting for their owner to find them.” Kuebiko states.

Sancus holds up the magnifying glass, “You must enter through here,” she says.

“There, you must find Anagolay and convince her to come back from the Place of Lost and into our world,” Kuebiko adds.

“What’s in it for me?” I ask.

The two of them look at me dumbfounded.

“Pardon me?” Sancus asks.

“I hear what you want me to do, and I’m asking why should I worry about a god I didn’t know existed until five minutes ago. What good does it do to me? I have two kids that are now missing school because of your little charade and now you're asking me to go to some mythical place that doesn’t even make any sense,” I explain.

They don’t really need to explain. No answer they could give would help. I don’t know why but a part of me feels I need to go through with this, but that doesn’t mean I won’t go without some sort of resistance. 

“Well,” Kuebiko states. “Because without your help we won’t find Anagolay, and without her, all lost things will remain lost.”

A chummy answer, as I predicted. Some things are meant to stay lost. Like the memories of court going on for way longer than it should have. For days I barely had enough food to put on the table. For the nights my kids would cry in my arms and ask where their father is. And sometimes, losing your diamond earring in the ocean builds character for a rich girl. 

Do I think Anagolay is necessary? No. I believe people are quite capable of finding lost things themselves. But if these two really believe it’s that important, I’ll comply. For their sake.

“If I do this, I need to make sure my kids are safe,” I state.

“Of course,” Sancus says. “You can trust us.”

I eye her for a moment before turning to Jeremy.

“If the event all goes to hell, you grab your sister and you run. And I give you permission to hit these two idiots if needed be. But you make sure you get out. You hear me,” I say, making sure I’m loud enough for the two gods to hear.

“I will,” Jeremy says. “You, you be careful, okay?”

I bring Jeremy in for a hug, “Always.”

He breaks from the hug and I ruffle his hair. Dani sees this as a moment to come and ask to be picked up. I pick her up for a moment, holding her close to my cheek before passing her to Jeremy.

“So how do I enter this magical lost and found?” I ask.

“The Place of Lost,” Kuebiko restates for me.

“Yeah, that place,” I smirk.

“Through the magnifying glass,” Sancus states.

She holds it out for me to grab again. I hold my hand, knowing last time it hurt like a ******. But, I hold my hand out to grab it nonetheless. This time instead of burning me, a golden light shines from it as the red jewels start to spark red beams on the ceiling. The orange aura now flowing all around me as the galaxy inside the glass starts to become brighter. Next thing I know, the world is spinning around me, I hear Jeremy call my name as orange clouds my field of vision.

***

An orange fog flows all along the walls and floor as a galaxy of stars dances above. My feet begin to trudge through the fog as it finds countless change, earrings, shoes, and what appears to be library books. All along the hallways lay countless items like socks and keys and toys that kids are probably screaming about right now. Yet on the walls lay an assortment of words and pictures hung up in golden picture frames. There are countless names all in their own picture frame as well as images of memories or tasks to do later. 

I look up to the galaxy to notice something different, something more intangible. I can’t simply see it as if everywhere else, but I can sense it.

 Love. Compassion. Joy. Hope. Peace. 

I can also sense something more heart wrenching.

Loneliness. Abandonment. Pain. Shame. Heartbreak. 

Things one would rather not forget, and some that people wish they could. All formed in the Place of Lost on a galaxy of stars.

I begin to trudge my way through the endless hallway as names and objects seem to disappear, possibly as they are found. And through the distance, I hear a quiet murmur. Someone crying perhaps.

“Mommy,” a girl cries.

There, at the end by a tower of lip balm stands a girl in a winter jacket crying.

“Ay,” I say, running to meet her. “How did you get here?”

Before I know it, the little girl turns as if someone is near and she too disappears like the objects.

Must have been a lost child. I hope she finds her way home.

It’s then when I see it, a door. It’s golden with red jewels just like the magnifying glass. The doorknob twists on its own and it opens up just an inch. I walk towards it and peek inside and it’s then when I see her. Anagolay. Her skin is a glistening brown draped in a golden gown cinched at her waist. Her sleeves roll down to the ground with a lacing of red roses. A key is embroidered to the middle of her gown in blood red. I look up to see her eyes are tired, her hair flowing over her shoulders, and a golden pointed crown above her head.

“Anagolay,” I start. “Is that you?”

She smiles faintly.

“The lost has come to find the lost,” She says.

Without anything else, she turns around and begins walking away. I run to catch up to her as she sits on an old childrens chair. Her elegant attire looks funny when sitting on a small chair.

She points to a box reading Mom’s CD’s. I take a seat and sink down since the box isn’t fully filled. Her hand raises to pull her hair behind her ear as I sit there feeling awkward and under dressed. I mean, a t-shirt and jeans is the best I can do in the mornings.

“Your name is Aline, correct?” she asks.

“Yes.” I respond.

I don’t know how to describe it, but she has a way about her. The gracefulness in how she moves and speaks. A way that speaks of beauty and elegance, but also a feeling of bittersweet? Like there is some underlying emptiness to her.

“Aline means noble woman you know,” she says.

“Oh,” I say. “I was always told it meant alone.”

“A name’s meaning is chosen,” she smiles.

Is she going to talk in riddles this entire time? I didn’t do very well in English in high school so I might need her to dumb some things down.

“Cool,” is all I can say.

“Aline, I’m quite lost in here,” she frowns.

“I see that,” I respond.

“Aren’t you going to ask why?” she looks up.

“Oh,” I say sitting up, “I’m sorry I-”

She laughs, a small and faint laugh. “I only jest.” she takes a moment, looking around the room of lost items while she holds her knees. “I am lost though. I’m not sure how I ended up this way.”

“Can you not find your way out?” I ask, panicking because I also don’t know my way out. She’s kind of my ride home.

“No. I can leave. Though, a part of me feels like I’ll leave something valuable here.”

She looks to the ground, her eyebrows furrowing. There seems to be some weight she needs lifted from her shoulders.

“What’s that?” I ask.

She takes a moment to think. Her eyes move to meet mine and with a force of intensity she says, “I don’t know who I am.”

“Oh,” I respond.

“If I leave, I may be leaving the idea I thought I was behind forever. What if I can’t find it? What if I never knew in the first place?”

“Can we look for it?” I ask plainly.

“It isn’t so simple,” she frowns.

She stands and holds her hand out for me to grab. I lay my hand in hers as she begins to lead me further into the room of orange fog. Though, towards the end, it seems there is an area of darkness. Anagolay continues to lead me until we are at a line where the darkness and the orange meet, though instead of leading me inside, she points to a mirror on the wall.

“Do you know why you were chosen to come find me?” she asks.

“Not a clue,” I scoff.

Her hand pulls me to the mirror. When I glance at it, I expect to see my reflection, instead, it’s empty.

“You don’t know who you are either,” she says as she stands behind me while the mirror remains blank.

“Why is that?” I ask.

“That’s for you to know,” she starts. “I don’t know, but the prophet said the lost would find the lost. You must find the lost to find me.”

“I’m lost?” I ask, now questioning my existence.

“Something from your heart is,” she says.

These stupid riddles and fancy phrases are starting to piss me off. What does she mean I’m lost..or better yet, something in my heart is lost. Last I checked I had everything I need.

Then, in a moment, a flash. So fast I barely got a look, but it’s as if a star sparked in the mirror showing the silhouette of my ex-husband.

“Him?” I ask.

A tear falls from my cheek. All of a sudden the feelings of loneliness, abandonment, pain, shame and heartbreak flood my mind.

“Who did you see?” she asks, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me. “Who?”

“My…my ex-husband.”

“Why?” she asks empathetically.

“I don’t know I…”

My eyes shift to an image on the wall. A boy sits in someone's arms crying. He reminds me of Jeremy.

“Mom,” the boy cries. “When is dad coming back?”

“He’s not,” a woman’s voice whispers. “But I’m here.”

There on the floor, two unicorn shoes that I know for a fact belong to Dani.

A memory here, a sock there, everything in this room is something I’ve lost.

Then he stands there, my ex-husband, tall and charming as always.

“Dumakulem,” I cry, not remembering the last time I said his name. His real name.

He stands there as I walk to him. I reach my hand out but when I do, he turns to a mist. The mirror is blank. I turn to Anagolay to see tears falling from her eyes. 

I turn to reach towards her. Her cries turn into sobs as she too begins to turn into mist. Before she does, she looks up to me and says, “No serás olvidado.” Next thing I know is she's gone and  I’m looking down to see I’m wearing her same golden dress.

I look in the mirror and I remember. My children lost their father, but I also lost my husband. I spent all of my time trying to restore what they lost. Being there for them, helping them find new meaning in the world they now have to grow up in.

Though in the process, I lost myself. I was lost, but never found. I was forgotten.

I am Anagolay, and I lost sight of who I was because I forgot to find what I lost in the midst of restoring everyone else’s losses. 

My eyes glance up to the mirror to see myself staring back at me with red and puffy eyes from my sobs.

I remember.

Stars sparkle and the mist flows and next thing I know I’m leaving the Place of Lost with the very thing I came there to find.

***

It’s morning, I’m standing in front of lunch sandwiches that are waiting to be finished as I look down the hallway to see Dani fidgeting with the pile of shoes at the door. I look at her and then around me wondering what just happened.

“Ma? Have you seen my report?” Jeremy yells walking into the kitchen. 

I look at him dumbfounded. He looks at me confused, as if I didn’t hear him.

Then, time freezes.

Jeremy and Dani stand still, not making a sound or a movement as my front door opens to reveal Sancus and Kuekibo in their statement gold suits alongside another person, wearing a blue suit instead with a watch on a chain.

“Anagolay,” Sancus smiles. “Nice to see you’re back.”

“Yeah,” I respond, “About the weirdest out of body experience I’ve ever had.

This makes the three of them laugh.

“Kronos,” I say looking at the man in blue, “Is that you? I thought you would be caught up with your seven kids.” I state. “And I thought two was a handful,” I laugh looking at my two kids frozen in time.

“I was called on special duty. Turns out the god of time actually has to do his job from time to time,” he smirks.

“Ah I see,”I say glancing at Dani and Jeremy. “So, I’m guessing the prophecy was all a ruse to get me to enter the Place of Lost again?”

“Actually, no,” Kuebiko states. “There was a prophecy stating that the god of lost and found would one day need to be found, though we didn’t realize you were the one prophesied to find her until we saw that neither of your children were able to enter the Place of Lost.”

“Dios mio, I really was lost, wasn’t I?” I smirk. 

“Well a finder forgets to find themself when they are too worried about finding everyone else,” Kuebiko states.

“How poetic,” Sancus smirks.

“Whatever,” he says to Sancus. “What I’m trying to tell you,” he says as he faces me, “you do have to look after yourself every once in a while. You weren’t meant to do this all alone,” he reassures.

“Enough with the sappy life teaching moments,“ Kronos states, “I can only keep time paused for so long,” he says walking out the door.

“Oh please don’t be a stranger,” Sancus smiles,” And if you could, help me find my car keys, I can’t ride in that horrid sports car again,” she laughs walking out to join Kronos.

“Hey, my car isn’t horrid,” Kuebiko yells at the door. He turns towards me with a soft smile. “Take care.”

The three of them walk out without leaving so much of a physical trace. I turn to the counter to see the magnifying glass on the counter and quickly place it in my back pocket.

And in just a moment…

“Ma?”

I turn to Jeremy, “Oh yes. What’s wrong, mijo?”

“Have you seen my report anywhere? I left it in my bag but it’s not there,” he whines.

I walk over to him with a smug smile on my face and my hand placed on my magnifying glass in my pocket. I reach my hand in the bag and give it a look. A moment later I’m pulling out his red folder which contains his report.

“How do you do that?” he asks dumbfounded.

“It’s a mothers gift,” I smirk.

The End.