Droplets For The Soul

By Steve Foley

When the Ichthyophagi showed wonder at the number of the years, he led them to a fountain, wherein when they had washed, they found their flesh all glossy and sleek, as if they had bathed in oil- and a scent came from the spring like that of violets. The water was so weak, they said, that nothing would float in it, neither wood, nor any lighter substance, but all went to the bottom. If the account of this fountain be true, it would be their constant use of the water from it which makes them so long-lived.

--Herodotus (425-484 BC)

All religions, all ideologies, and all the schools of thought that have been introduced to us at one point or another came from them. They were ploys to distract us from the issue that would ensure our survival. We were fed lies about places like heaven and hell to keep us wishing for that afterlife. We stopped seeing the earth for what it really was: an experimental proving ground. We are their guinea pigs. We were fed so much indoctrination that we completely lost sight of what was, yet their mistake was mixing some of the truth with their lies. The Bible has records of people who lived long lives. You see, some people have actually come close to discovering this, the ultimate lie. But they fell short just before they could let others know what was happening.

Adabelle, a young teenage girl living under abusive parents, discovers this truth. Together, with a group of her fellow teenagers and help from an unlikely source, they must battle their creators for the right to live up to their true potential. If they fail, humanity falls.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 28, 2024
• ISBN: 9798891573659

Steve Foley

Steve Foley is Ipswich's technical skills coach, has worked with dozens of top managers including Jim Smith and the late Alan Ball, and has been involved in the development of young players such as Craig Bellamy and Robert Green, who are now full internationals.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Adabelle looked at the children playing in the stream and got dissatisfied all over again. She was tired of everything. She was sitting down in her long, white gown and did not care if it got stained. It was annoying living in this town and being cut off from civilization. She was tired of the humdrum existence Keel Mount gave her. More often than not, she would be found staring into space at nothing in particular, dreaming of some future that did not have any chance of happening. She was seventeen, and she felt it was time to get out of this dusty old town. She could not wait for next year when she would be applying for a college in one of the finer cities. Her mom was not looking forward to that, but Adabelle did not particularly care. She had been turned into an errand girl who had to endure the abuses of a deadbeat father and the complicit silence of a resigned mother. She wanted everything she could do to get the hell out of there.

Adabelle, come and join us, Phillip cried. He was fifteen and the closest person to Adabelle despite being two grades lower than the girl.

Adabelle flung her red hair back and shook her head. I cannot stand the cold.

Come on, Phillip called.

No.

She is afraid that we will see she has no boobs, Luke sneered. Luke was Adabelle’s age and had been after her since they got into high school. They were neighbors, but she never let him come over. She only had time for Phillip, and it ate into Luke.

Fuck you, Luke, she said and moved away from the stream. She would not spend time here listening to Luke insult her. She was going to find somewhere peaceful and rest. Why was Phillip always following that fool, Luke? she thought. She would ask him the next time he came to her room.

As she walked through the woods, shrubs reached out to touch her. Plants leaned toward her as if they had lives of their own. The place she found herself going through was old, and the paths seemed to have missed the human feet for a long time. There was a sound coming from somewhere, like the sound of running water. She stopped and listened. She had never come this far and had no idea that there was a water source here.

The sound kept retreating the more she tried to find it like it was hidden. The place where she found herself was thick with plants and shrubs, but she forced her way through. When she pushed open the greenery, it was like she had opened the door to another reality. There was a green lawn, smooth and even, and beyond it was a stream that seemed to run into nothing. The water was falling from a formation of rocks above and looked purer than any water that she had ever seen. The place was picturesque, like a drawing. She paused in wonder to take in the breathtaking scenery.

Phillip! she began to call. Then she stopped. Let her enjoy the place first before inviting anyone to this place.

She walked through the lawn. On all sides, there were high-rise rocks that hid the water from sight. She had gone over the map of Keel Mount a thousand times, and this stream had never been mentioned. She walked toward it, her heart light. Before she knew what was happening, she was running toward, her feet stamping down on the lush lawn. They were so soft that they sank where she stepped on them.

At the edge of the water, she paused and stared into it. It was so clear that it showed her what was all the way down the stream. She felt the hair on her nape rise. It did not look like any ordinary water. In fact, as she stood there, she felt the urge to bend down and scoop some of the water into her mouth. Still she stood and watched it.

As far as she could see, the water was running into nothing. It seemed to just stop abruptly at a point and turn back into itself. It was strange, but strange was exciting when one had been trapped in this town for eighteen years.

Drink it.

She heard the voice inside her head. It did not seem like it was coming from her, yet there was no other explanation. The songs of the birds in the forest retreated to the back of her mind. The water was neat and so clear that it beckoned on her thirst through. Her throat was parched. Slowly, she bent toward the water. It was clear, sparkling clear. Some of it rose at her approach before flowing back into itself. She wondered if the water was a living thing. It certainly behaved that way. Perhaps if she were some other teenager, she would turn around and run away from there. But she was not an ordinary teenager. She had been looking for an adventure all her boring life and could not wait to see what would happen if she drank the water.

She reached out and scooped up some of the water. The water was soft with a silken texture, very much lighter than the water she had known all her life. When she tasted it, her taste was immediately quenched, and her stomach filled up fast. She had to pour back the rest into the water and actually saw the water glowing like there was light coming up from somewhere in the water.

Her eyes widened as she watched. What was that? The more the water glowed, the more she became tired. She felt herself getting weak.

No, she murmured as the weakness took over her body. She tried to get up and move away from the water but found herself tumbling, her legs turning into jelly. When she fell to the ground, she saw the river still glowing. There was no strength left in her body to move a muscle. No, she muttered weakly.

She found herself being drawn toward the glow coming from the river. The water took her.

Chapter 2

They were like humans, or they were humans. There was no way to tell except that they had two legs and two hands and walked upright. There were four groups in all, standing beside the table, and there was one human lying on it. The four groups were divided by slightly differing characteristics. There were those with wings who glowed and were as pale as the moon. They could fly, but their wings were folded behind their backs when they stood. There was another group. Red in complexion, tails behind them and between their legs. They had horns, too, and looked like they were the ugliest. Still there was another group. They were green in complexion and looked like plants. The last group was bigger than the rest. They were reptilian, also green in complexion, and measured ten feet with wings and scales on their back.

On the table around which these four groups were gathered, there were four of them looking over the human, one representative from the four groups. The green one, whose legs were longer than the others, was the one at the head of the table telling the others what to do. They were doing it, and all around, the atmosphere was thick with expectations.

They mumbled in a strange language, but Adabelle could understand them. In her head, she translated it into English. Her consciousness was floating around. She was there, yet she was not there.

It is time to make man in our own likeness, the pale one said, taking over from the green creature.

Gather around, brothers. Malungu can create life. We will show you today.

The four leaders in front held their hands together and formed a circle around the human lying on the table. The man was not breathing, and he looked like the crude early man. The one Adabelle had learned about in history books. He looked like he was lifeless. Somehow, Adabelle saw herself as one of the creatures surrounding the human. Somehow, she knew that they had just made this human the same way she knew that her name was Adabelle. Somehow, she knew that this human was being made just for the enjoyment of themselves. The creatures, she thought, were trying to correct herself. She did not know why she felt this oneness with strange creatures that she had never seen before.

As the creatures held hands, the pale one with wings, who looked like an angel, blew air toward the human. A cackle of electricity ran through their body like they were some electric conductors, and they were not affected. Instead, this current, which she knew was life, was transferred to the human. The current poured into him relentlessly, filling him to the brim, then they stopped. There was a collective gasp from the crowd. They were still expectant.

Camouflage, the pale one said.

Everyone hid in plain sight. Adabelle felt herself hiding too. When the human opened his eyes, he did not see anyone around.

He looked around, dazed. The pale one quickly appeared before him.

You shall be called Adam, he said.

From the unseen, voices could be heard.

Let us make a pair. Let us make another.

The pale one swirled around angrily as if to hush the others but changed his mind. Adabelle saw him smiling.

That should work, he finally said. There was cunning in his face, and Adabelle decided that was a voice befitting of the devil. He turned toward the man they had made, touched him, and watched him collapse onto the ground.

They could sleep, Adabelle’s mind told her, but we could not.

Adabelle knew now that there was something else moving her subconscious. She felt herself being transported back in time to a place she did not know. She found herself spinning through the air, tumbling, and losing grasp of her sanity. She did not know what she was again. A human or one from one of the four tribes of the Malungu.

We hide in plain sight, away from human eyes. We dine with them sometimes. Other times, we disguise ourselves as them or other animals to watch our creation. They watch us like we are animals in their cage, but they do not know. They do not know they are the ones in the cages and that we control whatever they do. We gave them religion, science, and philosophy. All these lead to a dead end. An end of dying and getting born again. We are afraid that humans may stage an uprising if they really know they are robots.

Adabelle shook her head as if to banish the voice that was talking in her head, but nothing happened. She still heard it. They were accompanied by motion pictures now. It was like she was sifting through the memories of people she did not know. There were centuries of history, philosophy upon philosophy stacked sky high.

We send ours in disguise to keep the humans busy: discuss literature, build a bird that flies, and do any other things apart from discovering what you truly are. In our making play toys for ourselves, we created something that resembled us too closely for comfort. They could live for eternity just the way we could. We resorted to poisoning their waters. These poisons make them age and finally die while still providing us with the entertainment we seek. But there was one river that could not be poisoned. The River Hagad. Even we were under nature in some way. The earth revolted against our poisoning of every body of water upon the planet. Only one was spared. We made sure to hide its location well in a far-off village where the people were more concerned about surviving than seeking knowledge. We were safe from our creations, but if they ever found this out, then we would have a huge rebellion on our hands. There were those of us who argued that the human race be wiped completely from the face of the earth, but others prevailed. They wanted to enjoy the show a little longer. What was the use of all the powers we had if we could not use them and lord it over some people who did not know better instead of fighting among ourselves? The experiment was carried on, but some people still wanted it to be destroyed. From the humans we have created, we would find a way to create others who would be loyal to us, who would die when we told them to, and who would not have the same immortal life as us. And all of that was going to happen in the human year of 2130.

Adabelle sprang up from where she lay. She stood up quickly and looked around like one who had just seen a ghost. She felt her hand, her skin. They felt different.

River Hagad, she mumbled. She felt different in a way she could not explain, fitter, stronger. She felt like she had been weak all her life and was just getting strength. It did not seem like time had passed since she went under. In fact, the birds that were singing before she went under were still singing in the same breath. The rays of the sun were still coming from the very same position, yet Adabelle oddly felt like she had seen through centuries. She had been transported back to time, to before man, and she could not begin to make sense or tail of what she had seen.

The water was calm now. If it had glowed in the past, there was no sign of it. It was just there, as pure as ever. Even though it beckoned on her again, she did not feel thirsty. She felt like she was not going to feel thirsty for a long time after this.

She got up and waded through the forest till she came to the stream where the boys were playing.

Phillip? she called.

Luke rose out from the water. He was the only one there. The other kids had long gone.

There is no Phillip here, he said.

Where did he go? she asked.

He took his time getting out of the water. He was naked except for the tight swimming pants that he wore. Luke was six feet at least and standing close to Adabelle, dripping water with mischief glinting in his eyes, the latter would have become frightened, but she had seen a lot and felt different from what she used to feel. She did not see him as a threat and did not fear getting raped by him.

Come here, he said and reached for her hand.

She moved fast, dancing out of the way. For her, it seemed like her senses had always been clogged like she had been on drugs that dulled her senses, slowed her movement, and kept her under. For the first time since she was born, she felt…alive.

Don’t do that, she said calmly. Now where is…

Aww, feisty. Luke grinned. I like that.

He reached for her again. This time, she let him hold her hand, then instead of being drawn to him, she drew her to herself, twisted his hand, and had him on his knees.

Ahhhh! he screamed, taken by surprise and unable to hold the scream back in. The pain bit into his joints and wrists. How could a girl be this strong? He kept thinking, struggling to release himself. Adabelle’s grip did not slacken. Instead, she tightened it and twisted his hand some more.

Fuck! Let go of me, you bitch!

Not until you learn respect, she replied, still twisting.

Please! Please! Dammit! You will break my hand!

Then it will serve as a reminder.

I’m sorry! I’m sorry!

What are you sorry for?

Fuck you! Just let me go!

Poor choice of words.

She twisted his arm and added a slap to the side of his face. He was dazed. When she left him, he crumpled to the ground in pain.

Have they gone home? she asked Luke where he lay on the ground.

Fuck you! the boy shouted.

She made it as if to approach Luke. The older boy stood up and scrambled away, muttering, Weirdo.

Adabelle shook her head and headed back home. Bullies usually called people who stood up to them weirdos.

The sun had begun to make its descent from the sky when Adabelle headed toward home. As she moved down the valley, she could see the mountains surrounding the town where she lived. It was from one of them that she descended, pushing through thrushes and plants. She had made it out to the lawn and was about to find her way to the one major road in the town when she noticed a presence on one of the hills. No. She did not look, neither did she hear. She just felt it and knew that someone was there. It was as if all her senses had been heightened. There was another sense. This one seemed to be a combination of all her senses. The perception. From the moment she began her climb down the valley, she felt the creature’s eyes on her. She sensed it was not human. When she turned to look at the top of the hill, there was no one there.

Chapter 3

Adabelle arrived home still feeling like a different person. It was hard to forget what she had seen, yet it felt like a dream. The more she thought about them, the farther removed they seemed from reality. The way she felt, however, was proof that she had seen something.

She walked into the house, ignored her mother lying asleep on the couch, and walked into her room. She sat there, gazing morosely at the wall, letting her mind roam. It was then that her eyes went to the mirror.

What…the fuck, she exclaimed. She could not believe it, but this was not her. Her face was smooth and perfect, and she appeared as if she was a young person in her old self. It was hard to explain. She was not younger because even that younger version would be full of blemishes: the scar she got over her right eyebrow when she had tried to pry her dad off her mom and was roughly shoved into the table, the dark circles under her eyes from being unable to sleep, the other scar from talking back at her father. All of them were gone. In its place was this perfect face that she could not believe was hers. Her body felt different too.

She locked the door and came back to stand in front of the mirror. It was difficult to explain what was happening to her, but she wanted to see it all, know the extent of all of these. The strength she felt, her heightened senses, her flawless skin. She pulled off her gown and stood naked before the mirror. She could not believe that this was her body. It was perfect. Her tummy was flat and had two deepening lines by the side. Was that abs that she saw? Who was this? Her waist was tiny, tinier than she remembered.

Who is this? she muttered. Who is this?

It certainly was not her.

Adabelle!

It was her mom’s voice, but she was not in the mood to be used as a servant today. She ignored her and kept studying her body.

Adabelle! her mom screamed again. Your dad is back. Go prepare his lunch.

Adabelle certainly was not going to do that. She sat down on the bed and wondered what everything meant. She could perceive the stench of liquor all the way from the front door. It nauseated her.

Adabelle! Are you deaf? Get down here, you stupid girl.

It was her father this time. She was not going down. In fact, she would leave this house. She felt like she could do anything. All her fears of the unknown had sailed away. She could take care of herself. She was like a ship whose sail had just been opened to the wild wind.

She heard footsteps before her door, and the man began to knock on the door. If she opened that door, she was sure she would hurt her dad. She had learned a lot during the time she spent at the strange river, and her dad appeared to her like a little boy throwing tantrums.

Open this door before I break it down! the man barked from outside.

There was no way he was going to break it down. The door was strong. Adabelle could perceive just by looking at the door that it was made of strong oak wood, a two-inch door that would disgrace her father’s brute force. The man slammed