The Gate Traveler

Chapter 50: Back to School

I lay in my tent, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. Lis’s offer was tempting, but the thought of going back to Earth made my stomach churn. I’d done a lot of healing, mentally and emotionally, and I was terrified that returning might undo all my progress.

Finally, I fell asleep, and my dreams were a jumbled mess of my past. In my dreams, I saw the officer who came to my kindergarten to pick me up after my mom was killed and the shock and sorrow of her death. I saw my tormentor from the first foster home I lived in. He was twelve and pushed me down the stairs twice. Once, I had a concussion and broke my arm. When it happened for the second time, I ended up breaking the same arm, both legs, and having two cracked ribs. The father in the third home who smacked us around for made-up infractions and called us “trash that nobody wants.” The social worker who called me a “criminal in the making,” and the house manager in the home after I was thirteen who used to

I nodded; he had a way to make me reconsider things. “Thank you. I feel you’re my sensei.”

Lis raised an eyebrow, puzzled. “What is Sensei?”

“It’s a term that comes from the cultures of the Far East, and it refers to a wise teacher who guides a student.”

With a smile, Lis replied, “Yes, right now, I am your sensei. But one day, you will be someone else’s sensei. So, remember this experience and learn from it.”

“I will. Thanks for the explanation; I’m going back to study.”

“Have fun.”

Lis came up with Stretch after an hour to talk to me. “One more thing I almost forgot to tell you. Your name, John, is not so unusual and has many variations in many places: Jon, Johin, Joh, Johein, and others. So, even if it sounds different, it still sounds like it can originate from the world you are visiting. The name Stretch is much more unusual, and I am sure that in many places, the people will have trouble pronouncing the name.”

“Yeah ... here, most of the people call him Sresh.”

“I suggest you change the name and do it before the ritual. Once the ritual is complete, his name will be set in stone. I talked about it with Stretch, and I have an idea he likes. Your family name is Rue. It is a short and simple name that can sound like a dog’s name almost anywhere. By giving him your family name, you will be making him part of your family, so Stretch likes that. What do you think?”

I thought about it briefly and asked Stretch, “You won’t have a problem getting used to a new name?”

He shook his head no.

“You want to be called Rue?”

He nodded yes, wagged his tail, and flooded me with approval. I understood he answered with nods and head shakes for Lis’s benefit.

Smart dog.

“Okay, buddy, you’re Rue now.”

He licked my face and wagged his tail even harder.

Lis told him, “Let’s go back downstairs; John needs to study.”

They left, and I got back to my book.

Lis left a few hours later. Stretch Rue and I escorted him out. He took out a glider, strapped it to his arms, chest, and legs, and took a few running steps. I felt a large burst of mana with an air or wind flavor, and it lifted him into the sky. I looked at it in amazement.

Wow, I want one too.

I returned inside and continued studying.