The Elephant Gate

Kevin woke up from a wonderful dream. There was a pink palace with a king and queen, and really good food and cool trees. When he opened his eyes, though, the ceiling looked strange. It was light blue with white curlicues and birds. There wasn't a red plane ceiling fan like his own room, but it wasn't the boring white of his hospital room, either. Where was he?

He heard a noise, and immediately sat up. There was an lady standing by his bed, as old as his mom. She smiled when their eyes met. "I'm Sutasinee, and I'm to get you ready for breakfast. You can call me Khun Nee." Uh oh, the dream wasn't really a dream. A sinking sensation started to flutter in Kevin's stomach, he was really far away from everything he knew. He was really really here. He looked down; he still had his Green Lantern pajamas on, but they were all wrinkly.

"Khun Nee lady, I hafta go to the bathroom. And I don't have a toothbrush or anything. Can you help me?" The older lady laughed merrily, warming his heart and soothing some of his fear.

"Everything is already set, Noy Kevin." She led him to big bathroom; it was all white and blue. The bathtub was like his friend Bobby's hot tub. They weren't allowed to play near it, because is was over their heads, but sometimes they would sneak over and sit on the side with their feet dangling in the hot water. He wondered how deep this one was.

"Is it over my head? 'Cuze I can swim really good, but I'm not supposed to go near a hot tub." The tub was already full of bubbly water, but Kevin had a more urgent need. "Um, I really need to go."

The woman looked puzzled for a moment, then smiled. She led him over to a tall door; inside was a dark blue toilet. She flipped on the light and shut the door to give him some privacy. After he finished, he washed his hands and brushed his teeth. The toothbrush was wooden, and the toothpaste was in a dish instead of a tube, but it left his mouth feeling clean anyway.

Once he was done, it was time for a bath. Kevin delighted in playing with the thick bubbles floating on the surface of the warm water. The tub wasn't too deep, in fact it was perfect. There weren't any water toys, but that was okay. Khun Nee helped him just like his mom does; she made sure he scrubbed everywhere before wrapping him in a large fluffy towel. While she rubbed his hair dry, he wondered what he would wear.

"Um, Khun Nee lady, is there any clothes I can wear? Because my pajamas are dirty." She stopped messing with his hair and gave his shoulders a squeeze. "We have some clothes that should fit you."

She started brushing his damp hair and it felt good. She stopped when the brush touched his scar. "What is that?" Kevin shrugged. "It's the scar from where the doctor took the bad stuff out. Sur'kya said it looks like a flower. I think it looks like a fist! A fist is cool. I don't want to have any stupid flower on my head." She parted her hair until the scar was exposed, and gave a gasp. Kevin glanced up at the older woman curiously, not really understanding her reaction but wondering why she seemed so excited.

"It's a lotus!" At his lack of reaction, the woman excused herself to fetch something for him to wear.

The clothes turned out to be a pair of loose-fitting pants in red. They had a drawstring, so Kevin could pull it tight. He had trouble with the knot, but the housekeeper helped. The yellow shirt didn't have any buttons or anything, it just slipped over his head. The only u.n.d.e.r.w.e.a.r were baggy shorts like his dad's. He liked the feel of the baggy clothing, so different than what his Mom would dress him in back home. They were like outside pajamas. Kevin giggled a little at that.

Once he was cleaned and dressed, he felt a lot better, but hungry again. Khun Nee took his hand. He trustingly allowed her to lead him through several hallways to a large staircase. He looked up in awe.

The ceiling was a big dome with colorful windows all the way around. When he looked down, the sunlight streaming through the stained glass made a pattern of flowers and fruit on the marble floor below. "Ooh, that's pretty."

Khun Nee squeezed his hand as they walked down the steps to the ground floor. Once he was there, he looked up at the cupola and the windows. In the very center of the cupola ceiling was a large gold sunburst. Kevin watched the colors and shapes happily, lost in the view for a few moments.

A tug from the lady brought his attention back, and together they walked to a pair of wooden doors. He stepped into a large room with a long table. There were a few familiar faces at the far end.

"K'vin!" Surikitiya squealed before she jumped off her chair and ran to the door. "Come eat with us." She grabbed his hand and he went along, already used to her demanding behavior.

Captain Thadchai was standing behind the king. He walked around the table towards the doors where Khun Nee was gesturing, stopping to nod at Kevin as he was towed past him.

Once Kevin was in front of the queen, he bowed to her, trying to emulate the captain's bow. She took his hands and smiled.

"How are you today, Noy Kevin?" she asked. "I'm fine, queen lady, but really hungry." She laughed, a sunny sound, and gestured to the chair next to her. When he climbed up, a young manservant placed a cloth napkin in his l.a.p. The queen loaded his plate with rice, eggs, and ham. A steaming bowl of porridge was placed near his plate. It was more food than he had ever eaten for breakfast. He happily dug in, though, and barely paid attention to the whispering conversation at the far end of the room.

By the time the edge of his hunger disappeared, the captain had leaned down and was quietly talking to the king. Kevin slowed down; he forgot to say thank you for his food. He bit his lip uncertainly and put his fork down. Now noticing the strange tensions in the room, he glanced nervously to King and then quickly to Surikitiyia who was oblivious to it all.

The king took this as a sign. He leaned towards Kevin. "I think we should talk. First, let me introduce everyone. My name is King Phuna. My wife is Queen Rachini. You have already met my daughter, Surikitiyia. Captain Thadchai told me what you said yesterday. We have never heard of the country where you came from. Can you remember anything else?"

Kevin thought and thought, but he couldn't remember anything about how he came here. He shook his head. The king thought for a moment. "Can I see the scar on your head?"

"Sure. It looks like a fist!" Kevin thought it was cool that everyone liked his scar. He lowered his head so the king could see it. The queen, too, stood up and walked around the chair until she was next to her husband. Together, they leaned over him.

"Does not, it looks like a flower!" Surikitiyia called from her seat. When the two monarchs moved his hair and saw the mark, they glanced at each other. Kevin didn't see it though.

"You can straighten up, Noy Kevin, thank you." King Phuna said. Kevin walked back and sat down on his chair, ready for seconds.

When he finally felt full, he pushed his plate away. "Thank you for the food." The king smiled and gestured to the captain, who immediately bowed and walked forward.

"I want you and Suri to go with Captain Thadchai back to the place where you first were here. After that, you two can play, but make sure to stay near the palace." The little girl whooped, hopped off her chair, and dashed towards the door, ready for adventure. Kevin was slower; after all, he was a boy and boys didn't act silly like girls. He gave another bow, already comfortable with the gesture, and left the room at a much slower pace. The king exchanged a few words with the captain before he, too, bowed and followed his charges out.

Once they were out of the dining room, Queen Rachini turned to her spouse. "Do you think he might be the one? He came from somewhere else, and bears the mark of the lotus flower. But he is so young." King Phuna placed a comforting hand on her arm. "We will have to see. For now, Thadchai will keep an eye on him. I trust him to determine how and why this little boy ended up here, and whether he is a threat." Her husband's words comforted her, though she glanced towards the doorway through which the children had exited.

Thadchai took his responsibility as captain of the royal guards very seriously. The sudden appearance of a strange little boy on the palace grounds was very suspicious, yet he could find no fault with the child. He appeared healthy and well-mannered, despite his strange green clothes and his speech pattern. Noy Suri had taken an instant shining to him, but there were very few children of her age that were suitable as playmates. He also trusted the king's instincts when it came to sizing up people; if the monarch believed the boy to be harmless, no matter his arrival, Thadchai would support that decision unless something changed.