THESE HIDDEN WINGS

[13.1] LIBRARY

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"Criptus and Dilectus"

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MR. OGUSTUS WORDS still haunted my mind even as we left the classroom. Everything about how he explained the beginnings of the earth left me baffled. I was led to think about what he had said, the question ringing in my mind.

What if each religion only had a portion of the truth?

It was a theory worth researching. Mr. Ogustus was one heck of a great storyteller, that's for sure.

I stopped myself from overthinking things as Claire paced beside me. After all, we had Mr. Ogustus for the whole week, and something told me he had barely scratched the surface of the whole ordeal.

There were so many secrets he held in those twinkly brown orbs. Secrets which led me to ask, how on earth had he come to acquire this knowledge? He said that knowledge or history from a thousand years ago had been driven to myth and speculation, so how is it he knows secrets from above and beyond?

"I see Mr. Ogustus left not only me outrageously intrigued," Claire slightly chuckled, side-glancing my way. I nodded, pulling out my notebook and pen. It was the one tool I would always have to carry on me, and not in the comfort of my backpack, I figured. Jotting down what was on my mind, I handed it over to her.

"Do you believe him?"

Her eyes trailed over the words, handing the book over to me with an unsure look.

'Honestly, I don't know what to think. I'm Catholic; he certainly didn't seem to deny the existence of something close to what we call God," She shrugged. However, her eyes took on a different expression, as if she was also in deep thought, "he also acknowledged the existence of primary evil," she sighed, turning to face me as we stood in the hallway, now allowing the rest of her features to morph into the ongoing battle she seemed to be having inside her head.

I realized Claire and I were a lot alike at that moment. She liked to discover, to hunt, to understand things. She was handling this topic the way she was handling me, like a puzzle she couldn't wait to decipher. I honestly didn't mind it.

She was the first person my age to look at me differently.

'It is just like he said, he wasn't particularly denying any one of our religions. He may have focused a lot more on Greek mythology and Roman history and tapped into a little Christianity and all other religions that do not technically believe the universe was created by a big bang or other chaotic ways, however, I am led to believe he hasn't yet even crossed the threshold."

I nodded, actually following along.

I liked mysteries; they were my favorite type of novels to read when growing up, and I browsed through all of Sherlock Holmes and Nancy Drew and reread them for added benefit. Yes, it was one of my favorite genres, to explore, to discover, but don't get me wrong, I had never taken myself as an explorer.

I always thought I wouldn't survive a day in the jungle, an hour in the desert, or a second in Antarctica, and that is the reason why I read. It was a safe way to accomplish the task. I mean George RR Martin said it best himself. Reading was the best way to discover anything without endangering yourself or leaving the comfort of your room.

Fall in love a thousand times, see the end of time in a thousand ways. I had done it all, and I was still breathing, and most importantly, I was safe.

As much as I loved adventure, I loved it in the safety and comfort of my own home, allowing only the non-existent limitations of my mind to do the exploring. However, this particular mystery was much more real as it was right before me. It was not a dangerous mystery with dangerous outcomes and so, by default, it was much more appealing.