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“Do you love all of them?”
Polokus puffed a bubble from his hookah, not previously aware of the boy’s presence or when he’d shown up, but not unwelcome either. The ancient being didn’t open an eyelid, remaining in his state of meditation despite the new company.
Admittedly, when he’d requested that his Nymphs create a Guardian of Radiance, he hadn’t expected for the price to be fatherhood. Not that he didn’t see himself as the father to all of his creations, but more so that this creation entailed actually caring for it. With some guilt, the godly being prayed that the boy would take his prolonged silence as a sign to go play somewhere else, but alas, that wasn’t the case.
A sudden yank at his beard brought Polokus entirely out his trance, forcing him to spare one eye to the child at his side. “Rayman”, as he had been dubbed, gazed up at him with eyes shining like glass spheres. Despite the rude action, there wasn’t a single ounce of malicious intent in his expression. Curious children will be curious, he supposed.
The elder sucked in a long breath through his nostrils, blowing it out slowly, “Pardon me, can you say that again, boy? I was deep in a trance, you see.”
“You’re pardoned.” Rayman blankly stated, earning a chuckle from the old being before him, “I asked if you love them all?”
“Them all? As in… what exactly?”
“Your creations.”
Polokus hummed, using a long finger to hook the end of the pipe. He rolled it between his fingers slowly in thought, using the other hand to stroke his beard at the question. Rayman took this as an invitation to hop on the ancient amphibian’s belly and take a seat, patiently waiting for a response as he twiddled his thumbs.
“Hummm…” Polokus rumbled, “No easy warm up questions today I see.”
“Nope.”
The elder smiled fondly, hooking his pipe back onto his lip and using the now free hand to affectionately run his fingers through the boy’s hair.
“... Yes. I do love all of my creations, as any father should.”
“Even those flies that get stuck in your beard?”
“Yes, even those.”
“And the weeds that kill your garden?”
“And the weeds, yes.” The ancient being laughed.
“What about the Nightmares? Do you love those too?”
“Mmhm.”
Rayman turned to look up at him, his face slowly scrunching in confusion, “But why?”
“Well, you see–”
“They go and mess stuff up.”
“Yes, but–”
“And then you ask me to get rid of them.”
“Because–”
“Father,” Rayman’s eyes locked with his, Polokus feeling a strange weight to hearing the boy refer to him as such when that had never previously been the case, “If you love something, why destroy it? That’s what I don’t understand.”
Rayman had always had a face of simplicity. His thoughts were simple and kind, if not a tad mischievous at times, but never evil. Polokus saw the child as an entity so far below him in mental capacity, just a cute little soldier to go out and take care of the mistakes he made while dreaming. But it was here, eyes locked with eyes, that it was clear he’d been terribly, horribly, incorrect.
The whistle of the wind between the leaves of the trees played in the silence between the two. The ancient being having to suddenly truly consider what he said to the child now.
He cleared his throat, “Little Guardian, I do love everything that I create. I cherish every minute thing that passes through these bubbles, out from my dreams. That includes the Nightmares, yes.”
Feeling a long lecture coming, Rayman laid back into Polokus’ chest, warm and cozy.
“Just as there is light in this world, there must also be dark. Without one, we cannot have the other. Too much of one will cause the other to become a horrendous problem. You enjoy roaming under the rays of the sun, yes?”
“Yup.”
“Well, how would you like it if the rays were so bright it was blinding?”
Rayman closed his eyes, hands resting on his chest, “That would suck, ‘cause then I wouldn’t be able to see.”
“Exactly, which is why we need darkness. Just like light and dark, dreams and nightmares are much the same. Even if we don’t necessarily enjoy them, Nightmares have their place in our world.”
“Then why do you ask me to get rid of them?” For a being as old and wise as Polokus, he knew it shouldn’t have taken him this long to see how much this question weighed on the boy. A boy more complex than he’d initially thought, one that deserved more attention. Regrets were already weaving into the godly amphibian.
“I sense worry and doubt in your voice, my boy… hold none of those.” Polokus held the Limbless close in a firm hug with one long arm engulfing the child, “Just as how I explained before, with light and dark, this is much the same. Sometimes, there is an imbalance of Nightmares, an imbalance of darkness. That’s why I need you to be my ray of light that brings the balance back. You don’t simply get rid of the Nightmares, you restore the equality between the two forces in our Glade.”
It was a lot of intricate information for Rayman to take in, but it seemed to be no problem as he nodded up and down slowly. The elder asked him, “Does… that all make sense?”
“Yup.”
“Really? No follow up questions?”
“Mmm, nah.” Worry seemed to slowly seep out of the boy’s face, a look of contentment replacing it. He settled cozily onto the elder’s large belly, yawning a big yawn, “I’m done thinking now. Let’s take a nap.”
Just like that, simplicity returned. The amphibian let out a laugh and sighed, returning to his posture of meditation from before the child had interrupted him, “Yes, I couldn’t agree more. Sleep well, my little dreamer.”
He wasn’t sure if Rayman heard that last part, he was already snoring.
A trance began to set in, as Polokus cleared his mind. Though, the way Rayman had looked at him and spoke, it was all stuck there. Like a snapshot plastered in his mind’s eye. He was a fool to think so low of the child, a fool once, but he was determined not to be twice. It was time to take this parenting thing more seriously.