Herbert the Erflin

My name is Archimedes, and I'm here to tell you an unbelievable story. Centuries ago, there lived creatures on Earth named Erflins. Before man, and before dinosaurs. Erflins lived and thrived. They were small, about the size of a tennis ball. There were both male and female Erflins, and they had soft green skin. Their hair was usually blonde or dark black. Erflins lived full lives and used the earth's resources to build wonderous things. They created wells and built fashionable homes. They invented the wheel and used that to spin water to generate power. They mastered fire and discovered silver and gold. They turned the materials from the earth into jewelry and clothing. Erflins are not built the way humans are. The only way to tell whether one is male or female is their eyes. Female Erflins all had long eyelashes and blue eyes. While the male Erflins had dark brown eyes and no eyelashes. They wear clothing for art, and neither extreme cold nor extreme heat has an effect on them. They referred to Earth as the land of Gwin. They are magical beings. They cast spells, and are the first magicians to ever rule the earth.

Over time, Erflins captured their powers into tiny pebbles from the water. These pebbles, once activated could change life on this earth as we know it. They felt that someday, these powers would be necessary. It was not safe to have these out in the open. As time passed, they realized that the world around them was evolving.

One day, an Erflin discovered the ability to disappear using the pebbles. He muddied one of the words to a spell and became invisible to everything around him. He did not realize he was invisible until he attempted to speak to another Erflin. The invisible Erflin made a slight change to the spell and it reversed the invisibility. Over time, the Erflins realized that being invisible kept them from danger. They also needed to protect the pebbles, so that no one would ever be able to use the power they contained. In time, Erflins grew and thrived. They hid the pebbles, so they would be difficult to find.

One day humans appeared and not one Erflin could explain it. What was even more miraculous was the ability the Erflins had to connect with them. Somehow, each Erflin had one human they connected with. When they realized how much the humans were struggling, they began to create dreams for them. Because they realized men were incapable of surviving without help. No man would be able to understand or know what Erflins were. They were simple creatures with incredible abilities to grow and evolve. Over time each Erflin that was born connected to a human at birth, and they helped them to learn, and to find food. The Erflins used instinctual knowledge to teach them. They also learned when a human died, so did the Erflin that had connected to the human.

So it began, Erflins created dreams for humans. They grew, developed, and evolved. 200,000 years passed before Erflins would ever need physical contact with humans. When they did, only one Erflin was the cause, this is his story.

There is an Erflin named Hebert. What is special about Herbert is that he is the first Erflin to be born without a connection to a human in centuries. He is also larger than the other Erflins, about the size of a cantaloupe. He was double the size of the other Erflin children, and his hair was orange. Unlike other Erflins, he did not have intelligence when he was born. It was as if he was a human himself. This frightened the other Erflins. What was his purpose? Many feared and wanted to end his life. They would say "He must be a bad omen, and he will bring destruction to all Erflins!" they cried. It would be many years before they would ever uncover the purpose for why Herbert was born.

Erflins explored the world, it was how they created dreams. One day, Herbert crossed paths with a human named Ryan. Ryan danced to the beat of his own drum. He was silly and awkward. A lot like Herbert. So, Herbert followed him and watched his every move. With Ryan. He was special because he was exactly like Herbert. Ryan never went to clubs, and rarely went to parties. He wasn't shy, he was very confident. He watched people and observed their behaviors. He was doing exactly what Herbert was doing. This was fascinating because Ryan also stood up for his friends. Herbert watched him so often, that he knew that he needed Ryan to see him. Because there was one other thing that Herbert saw. Ryan is the only human that did not have an Erflin assigned to him. The trick was figuring out how to get Ryan to see him. How would he explain everything? He did always wonder why he wasn't connected to a human. Humans and Erflins had never interacted before, at least not to Herbert's knowledge. There had to be a way for him to connect to him, but how? One thing Herbert had managed to do was figure out that animals could see him. That wasn't helpful at all. His only option at this point was to seek guidance from the Captain. The Captain was a role designated to only a handful of Erflins. They were Erflins that were born with the ability to multi-task large groups of Erflins. They were to take care of the other Erflins as they were creating dreams for their humans.

Erflins have a unique way to signal other Erflins. They emit a sound from their mouth that only other Erflins can hear. Each Erflin has a unique sound they use. If another Erflin emits their sound the Erflin who belongs to that sound appears. The Captain appeared immediately before Herbert.

"What can I help you with Herbert?" said the Captain. "I need to get back, Mrs. Antsly is going crazy again and she needs my direction."

"Captain, I need to know how to communicate with a human outside of dreams? There has to be a way to communicate with them. I have a human I need to interact with. He was to be my human I know it, and somehow that never happened, and I need to learn why. How is it possible that Ryan and I had our connection severed?"

"No Erflin has made this request before. Though, I do know the reason we don't talk to them. They wouldn't understand our purpose, or what it is we do. They would see us as a threat, and we have to protect ourselves from them."

"I promise you Captain if there was ever a good reason to communicate with a human on earth. Today is that day. I need to uncover what happened. There has to be a reason and a purpose to it. This man named Ryan, was my human when I was born and I need to know why he isn't now. Other Erflins have teased me since birth. I'm tired of it and want to know why I am so different. This is the first time I have ever encountered a human that did not have an Erflin."

"Well, there is one way, but there are a set of tasks you'll have to complete to do it. How sure are you that he is your human? Are you up for the challenge?"

"What have I got to lose?" Said Herbert "I know he's my human by the way he interacts with other humans, he is exactly like me. If I find out why we aren't connected, then I can learn what my purpose in this life is."

"Well, it's not an easy task, most Erflins would balk at this. Because you are unique, I will tell you what you need to find. There are three pebbles, three very unique and distinct pebbles. You must scour the Earth to find them but remember. Once you do, you must return them. No Erflin should ever have that much power on their own."

"How will I know where to look for them, Captain? Do you know how many pebbles there are on this Earth? It will take me eons to find them." Said Herbert in despair.

"You'll know, but I'll give you the first clue. You must go where the sky meets the ground at its highest peak. Chant the words, "Alecka" three times and the first pebble will reveal its location to you."

"How will I find the highest peak? This seems as if it would be so obvious, but I've never been good with clues." Said, Herbert

"Trust your instincts Herbert you know the answer to this already. You've traveled the world and explored everything there is to explore. Is there nothing you've come across that would lead you to find your answer?"

"While it's true I've been everywhere, I'm not sure about how to answer this. I'll have to think about it."

"Take some time to think about it, and once you uncover it you must hurry. Once you uncover the first clue, you have 6 days to find the others. If you take too long to find it, the pebbles will move and the new clues will be harder."

"Before I do this, how do I secure my human? So he doesn't leave?"

"Leave that to me Herbert I know exactly how to get him to stay."

The Captain vanished for a minute and then returned within seconds.

"Okay, I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I've made it so your human is to inherit $2,000,000, but he must stay in New York for one year to inherit it. There is a black book, it's filled with the accounts and a will that his grandfather left to him. I had it mailed to him from an attorney."

"What a genius idea!" exclaimed Herbert. "I can start my search, thank you again for your help Captain"

With that, the Captain left, and Herbert began his search. He racked his brain trying to think of what the highest peak was. How was he going to be able to find the answer? Humans had computers, but Herbert did not. Throughout his travels, he had crossed paths with many intelligent humans. Though he remembers a man named Phurba Tashi (FUR ba TA shi), he often climbed Mount Everest. "That must be it, that must be the highest peak", thought Herbert. He made his way to the peak, as fast as lightning. He chanted the words "Alecka, Alecka, Alecka" out loud. The pebble appeared, and Herbert grabbed it. Within a second Herbert appeared before an ancient Erflin.

"I see you have found the first stone!" roared the Erflins voice "My name is Candor, and I am of the first house of Gwin". Herbert didn't flinch, he stood in awe, this Erflin looked exactly like Herbert. The ancient Erflin continued.

"You are my ancestor, as only an Erflin ancestor is able to use the power of the pebbles. Your journey will be perilous, but I know you'll find your way. Hold tight to your path, and do not lose this pebble. Its power could destroy the world."

Herbert stood still, in shock. He held tight to the pebble. Who knew where his journey would lead, but one thing he did know. This was more important than anything he had ever done in his life. The power the pebble held seethed into his mind. The first gave him strength, the next pebble would give him invisibility. The final pebble gave him wisdom. Herbert's adventure had begun, he would find the answer to his question. He would uncover who he was, and why he was born. He would also discover the power he held within himself, but that is another story.