Temporal Pearls

She calmed herself and took the two kids in her arms and said, "His name is Seth and he is fine. Nothing happed to him!"

"But why did he look so miserable!" Shabbara asked, she didn't cry but she was smart ough to convey what she felt from the sketch. Unlike her brother.

"He is a gius Artist. He made that masterpiece during his exam!" She explained.

"He scored 4, that means he failed!" Shabbara interrogated her mother further.

"Come on, darling. That was other people's rating, I hav't checked it yet!"

Calming down her daughter she looked at the boy that clung to her like a koala bear. He was calm now but he looked sad.

"I want to talk to him!" He whispered, "He is too pitiful!" He said and th Shabbara said, "He is dying!"

Manuella's heart beat faster, her kids, just like her, were talted. Shabbar, the boy was empathic and capable of discerning people's feelings.

Shabbara, the girl was smarter than her age. She has the mtality of adults and mostly criticizes everything and everyone because she saw the world differtly.

Due to them being special, Manuella usually rated and assessed paintings with them. Now they can appraise paintings and other antiques better than many.

In hurry, she grabbed her phone and dialled Seth's home number. Seconds later, there was a ringing.

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It was nighttime wh most people in the new extded Enoch family usually met, ate together, talked and also made important decisions if required. But mostly, the adult will be in the parlour while the kids will be in another parlour.

"Seth is still in the game right?" Amana said. She was a distant relative and one of the gamers of the house.

"Yes, the brat is still in. But I see Aunt Sarah is at it again. She is uneasy as if it was the first time something strange happed to him!" Julius said, a close relative.

"Hmm. Seth is inconsiderate and the amount of atttion he was getting isn't worth it!" Abu. In a way, he was Seth's Uncle but he was among the kids as he wasn't older than Seth by much.

"Why so?" Adamina asked.

The room all looked at her. She and Seth were a bit close now. But the truth was, she was closer to them than Seth. It was only wh the Asteroid Online came did they ev start discussing for hours or days.

So each one wasn't inclined to mince their words regarding Seth.

"First, he has a talt. Painting. I still remember wh he used to beg me to buy him pcils using my hard-earned money. I'm not complaining about that" Abu quickly deviated and continued, "He should be diligt and do what he was asked to do. But first, he lost a pottial backer that is Class B and now he also lost Lady Manuella!"

"I guess you are right! He squandered all opportunities that came his way. As if he doesn't care about the family. " Amana said.

"I think Seth has something wrong in the head. Sam said wh he learned that Anna lost her weapon instead of worrying, he just laughed it off." Abu added.

"You know what. My mother said I should prest my talt to Anna. And guess what, she turned me down without listing and wh my mother asked her, she said that she was now conctrating on Seth. I know he is her brother but she should be looking for the bettermt of the family as a whole." Amana said, dejectedly.

That gave room for many people to speak their minds. Most of them blame Seth for many things including that he was hindering Anna in focussing on them.

Strangely, Adamina did say her own stuff where she felt negative toward him. But seeing the discussion heating up, she walked out a bit guilty. She knew Seth's mtality is vastly differt from theirs.

Everyone has one or many grievances and it was good to share them with others in a similar situation but there should be limits. She pass the guest room and th overheard,

"Hello. Good eving Lady Manuella!" Anna said through the phone. Adamina froze, wondering what was happing.

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"Hello, Anna. How are you doing?" Manuella calmly asked.

"I'm fine!"

"I… I would like to speak with Seth!" She asked.

"Seth?... Ma'am, he is still in the game!" Anna answered truthfully.

"Asteroids?"

"Yes!"

"But this isn't the hour of gaming."

Anna explained that he had a quest and that kept him inside.

It was strange to Manuella but she didn't press on and hang off.

"Darlings, Seth is fine and he is playing a game now!" She said, but the stare she was getting from shabbara made her explain more.

Still, the kids wer't convinced!

Manuella put Shabbar down and wt to observe the sketch more to make her own review and rating. After that, she calculated the new points he obtained.

She th scored him Outstanding!

The sketch was simple, it was of Seth, sitting on a stone and leaning on a Mango Tree. On his lap was a staff and by the side of him was a brok cottage.

There are water barrels strewn a and also a huge ram the size of a cow grazing. Those were not the important part. It was his face, Seth's face.

His skinny body showed his physical hardships. He looked down, his face devoid of any expression, it looked like a mannequin. And th the eyes, they are lusterless, devoid of any light, only hollowness. They fundamtally exude resignation towards something worse than death and make the onlooker bleed pity for him.

The pcil sketch narrated the story of powerlessness, hopelessness, sorrow and despair, the type that eats one away very slowly without power or means to extricate oneself.

Manuella trembled, wh she warned him during the last exam, his smile crumbled and his eyes and face resembled exactly the face in the sketch now.

The truth though, she had noticed it a long time ago, but because she knew life can be hard and tiring, she didn't pry. Not only that, she tried hard not to bond with any studts as that brought her problems in the past.

Manuella sighed and walked back to the parlour and met the kids, they all stared at her. As smart and talted as they were, they felt the brunt message of the sketch and that made them feel what the sketch depicted. She ushered them to her car and said they will be visiting Seth.

It was only wh she was outside Enoch's gate, that she remembered she had not informed them. Too late for that as the gate was brought op already.

Inside the house, the family was in unrest, they had no idea why she was here. She called, and th she arrived uninvited and not informed.

If she accepted Seth back, all she had to do was sd a word but why would she come here in the middle of the night?

Seeing her come with her twins, the level of confusion was magnified.

Sarah, Adam and Anna welcomed her with the utmost respect. Thanks to the poker face she had cultivated, they would have noticed her disquietude by coming unannounced. As It was a mandatory courtesy she adhered to but what was done was done.

She was guided to the parlour and provided with juice and snacks, and also ice cream and chocolate for the twins. But, they clung to their mother and didn't ev glance at them.

They exchanged pleasantries and also discussed news in the world and how the climate keeps changing by the day. Adam was the one leading the conversation until an awkward silce won over.

"I'm sorry for coming this late!"

"Not at all!" They all chime in.

"Is it okay for me and my kids to see Seth?"

This request hit them roughly because they didn't know whether they could trust her. But if she has any malicious intt will she come with her kids?

Something urgt most happed, something they couldn't comprehd to make her act this way!

"Of course, come let me lead the way!" Adam said as he stood. She followed with her kids.

"We have 9 Gamers in our house and they are doing good..." Adam explained before they reached Seth's cabin.

The kids ran and peek through the cabin lid glass, "Woah, it's really him!" Shabbar said he recovered from his gloomy face. "Why is he still in the game?" He asked.

Raaz was by the side and was tak aback seeing a guest was allowed to come. And hearing the boy asked, all eyes were on him but he refused to respond.

"There was a tedious quest he was performing that was why he was able to stay!" Adam explained.

"His skin is smooth like a girl and he was full of vitality!" Shabbar said with a smile and th his excitemt was depleted and siltly said, "He seems like dying!"

Everyone's heart took a grip! Raaz in particular who knew what was happing clched his hands.

"Apologize!" Manuella said sternly! The kid regained his composure and was about to apologize wh Sarah couldn't hold it in and asked, "Why did you say that?"

"He is sad, and swallowed in des… pity! But he will be alright!" Shabbara, the female twin, explained. Before anyone spoke Manuella spoke. "Seth is a talted artist…"

"Gius!" Shabbar asserted.

"Yes Gius," she corrected, "But he was depressed. Something is eating him from the inside. His painting became dull and devoid of emotion, which is why I rejected him. But… his last drawing, he depicted what he was going through. A boy that lost the meaning of life, a person that only has his physical body functioning while his mind and soul were withering slowly and..."

She hesitated, seeing Seth's mother onset on crying, "... in time they may be completely extinguished."

But she added "The soul in that piece of Art he last made is S-grade. Something only people of my calibre are capable of portraying!"