The Slakrverse Tales - Ep. 1 - OVERSEER: First Memories

Three-year-old orphan Evihn must make a choice: sacrifice the thing she values most, or get revenge on her mortal enemy. Along the way, she learns a valuable lesson about life, family, and what is most important to her.

Transcript

What’s up everyone? Welcome to the Slakrverse Tales! Each episode, we feature an original Fantasy or Science Fiction story from the Slakrverse! 

I’m your host, Mark Jefferson.

Today, we’re looking at a short story I wrote as part of my first novel, OVERSEER: Servants.

We follow a young child who learns what it means to sacrifice her own happiness for another’s.

The story is called First Memories, and explores how a child deals with an abusive situation. Evihn is 3 and learns a valuable lesson from an unpleasant experience.

The story explores Evihn’s inner motivations and why she grows into such a good arbitrator in the OVERSEER books.

The story takes place about 19 years before OVERSEER: Servants. It’s an enlightening study of how, once you understand someone’s inner motivations, you can help to make life a little better for that person.

I don’t remember how long it took to write the story — I wrote it several years ago. I tried to fit it into the book, but I just couldn’t find anywhere to insert it, and it has remained unpublished. You’re hearing it here first.

I produced everything you hear in this podcast at the Slakr studios. The only thing I didn’t create was the music and sound effects. Special shout-out to pixabay.com and all the wonderful contributors on that site.

Pixabay offers royalty-free photos, illustrations, vectors, videos, GIFs, audio and sound effects. I use their website and think they offer an excellent product. Check them out at Pixabay.com.

OK, on to the story. May I present: OVERSEER: First Memories by Mark Jefferson,

"Mine!"

Evihn snatched her stuffed doll from Orihn, scowling. Evihn seemed tiny compared to the older boy. He outweighed her by a least a stone, and he used his size to intimidate anyone smaller than him. Orihn derived pleasure from tormenting the other children, but teasing Evihn was always dangerous. For a young child, she put up quite a fight!

Orihn tried to snatch the doll back, but Evihn pulled it further out of reach. Evihn, almost three, was a full head shorter that Orihn. With light brown hair and piercing blue eyes, she seemed angelic. Until she wasn't.

Orihn shoved her, and she hit the ground. He hovered over her, grabbing the doll and grinning at his friends. If Orihn had been older, he would have realized they were not his friends, just children who were glad he picked on someone else. Today was Evihn's turn.

Evihn's eyes narrowed and she gritted her teeth in pain. "Mine!"

Orihn glared at her, his lips forming a wicked smile. "Is little baby going to cry?"

Evihn's eyes narrowed, and she grabbed Orihn's foot and pulled it to her mouth before he could react, biting down for all she was worth. The little boy toppled backward, slamming his head on the foam-stone floor with a dull thud. He loosed an enormous shriek, trying to back away from the demonic Evihn on heals and elbows. Evihn readjusted her grip and bit down harder, Blood oozed from her lips as her teeth sank into his leg!

A caretaker appeared from nowhere. "Stop this at once!" The woman, Lodor, grabbed Evihn's arm, attempting to yank her off. Evihn wouldn't let go, biting even harder than before and clutching his leg with both arms. Orihn screamed bloody murder, still trying to scrabble away from her. The woman smacked Evihn on her head, then grabbed her hair, but Evihn hung on, making Orihn pay for trying to steal her doll.

A stern voice echoed across the room. "Evihn, let him go! Now!"

Evihn released Orihn, grabbing her doll. She glared at Orihn, clutching her doll to her narrow chest. She pointed one finger at him. "No! Mine!"

"Evihn, come here!"

Evihn marched across the room, stopping in front of the older woman. She stared up at Ninihn, the headmistress of the orphanage, her eyes still narrowed in anger. Evihn presented her doll, as if that explained everything. "Mine." Evihn glanced back at Orihn, pointing. "No!"

Ninihn sighed in resignation. Shaking her head, she grabbed Evihn's hand and led her away for the crowd forming around her. A small curtained-off section separated her office from the rest of the enormous hall. Ninihn directed Evihn to a large, over-stuffed pillow and sat on the one beside it. She patted the pillow, motioning to Evihn. The little girl sat, crossing her legs and turning to Ninihn.

Ninihn put her arm around Evihn, studying her for a moment. In a low voice, she said, "I worry about you, Evihn. I don't expect you to understand, but this orphanage is the only family you have. Your parents died in the Great Calamity. All these children are your brothers and sisters. We are the only family you have."

Evihn glanced at her doll, still clutched under her arm, then turned in Orihn's direction even though she couldn’t see him through the wall hangings. She heard the boy wailing as if mortally wounded. "He took Dolly. Mommy give me."

"Evihn, Orihn is not like you. His parents didn’t die. His parents left him here because they didn't want him anymore. He acts like that… because he doesn't know how else to act. He knows his parents gave him up. He remembers them. He knows they didn’t love him." Ninihn loosed a long breath. "Why am I telling you this? You don't understand."

"But he took Dolly!"

Ninihn shook her head, loosing a heavy sigh as if giving up. "You realize I must punish you. You drew blood this time. I hate doing this, but you can't hurt the other children."

Evihn tilted her head, then rose to her feet and dropped her pants, bending over and exposing her rear to Ninihn. Ninihn had punished Evihn many times, and she raised an eyebrow in surprise. Evihn wasn't the easiest child, and Ninihn choked down a hidden smile at the strange situation. She thought for a moment, then said, "I won't spank you this time, Evihn. But I want you to think about how you hurt Orihn. He is your family, and we don’t hurt family here."

"No spanking?" Evihn's brows knitted together in confusion, her young mind trying to process this change of tactics. Every time she got in trouble, they spanked her. That was how it worked. She didn't even cry anymore. She pulled her pants up and turned back to the headmistress.

Ninihn shook her head. "No. Spankings don't work on you anymore. I think we need to try something different from now on." She studied Evihn for a moment, her gaze flickering to Dolly. She held her hand out. "Give me Dolly."

Evihn's eyes grew wide and her lip quivered. "But… mommy give me Dolly. Mine!"

Ninihn kept her hand held out, waiting for Evihn, and the little girl studied her. After a moment, she surrendered the doll.

"I'll give this back to you tomorrow.” Evihn, on the verge of tears, looked lost. “Now, let’s go tell Orihn you're sorry." She took Evihn's hand and led her to the curtained opening. The children surrounding Orihn parted at their approach, growing silent. When Orihn saw Evihn, his eyes widened in terror and he screamed even louder.

Evihn glanced up at Ninihn, then turned back to Orihn. "Sorry." She let Ninihn’s hand drop.

A man kneeled beside Orihn, stroking Orihn's wound. Tiny sparks danced over the wounds, as the man spoke words Evihn couldn't understand. The wound healed before Evihn's eyes, the flesh knitting together until nothing remained but a dark bruise.

"Thank you, healer. I'm sorry we had to call you on such short notice. This one," she gestured toward Evihn, "doesn't take kindly to bullies."

The man sat back, watching Evihn. "I can't believe something so tiny could cause such a large wound." He shook his head in wonder. Evihn’s eyes narrowed and she glared at the healer.

Ninihn escorted the healer out, heading towards a far door at the opposite end of the hall. The children dispersed, leaving Evihn and Orihn alone. Orihn cowered away from her and Evihn turned on her heel, retreating to a far corner to sulk. She studied Orihn, thinking about what Ninihn had told her. As young as she was, she understood far more than people gave her credit.

Ninihn led Evihn to her sleeping mat early as part of her punishment, just as the caregivers served dinner. Evihn's stomach grumbled, but she did not react otherwise. She was used to this treatment as well, having done many things worthy of discipline in her short life. In the back of her mind, Evihn continued to process Ninihn's lecture, not yet reconciling her and Orihn's different situations.

Ninihn studied Evihn as she tucked her in, glancing behind her and making sure no one watched her. She pulled a slice of bread with jam smeared across its face from a loose sleeve and passed it Evihn. "You can't hurt other children, Evihn. Even if they deserve it." 

Later that evening, the other children unrolled their sleeping mats, and the care givers tucked them in. Evihn watched the children prepare for bed, wondering if each child was like her or Orihn. Many people had died after the Great Calamity but Evihn had never considered some parents wouldn't want their children.

...

Evihn woke from a fitful sleep. She was a light sleeper, and she often woke during the darkest part of the night. She heard whimpering from a bedroll several rows away, something she had never noticed before.

Evihn didn't know the time, but she knew it was late. Evihn  often woke to this sound without realizing what it was, and tonight she decided to investigate it. She rose, following the sound, and found it led to Orihn's bedroll. Knowing what she had learned from Ninihn, it did not surprise her. She watched Orihn for a long time, making no sound, listening as he moaned in his sleep. He wasn't awake, but Evihn felt sadness pour from him like waves of heat.

Evihn heard someone stop behind her. She looked over her shoulder, recognizing Ninihn. The older woman pursed her lips, then said, "Go to bed, Evihn. It's too late for you to be up."

Evihn pointed to Orihn. "Why he cry?"

Ninihn’s eyes flickered to Orihn. "You know why. He feels like no one loves him."

Ninihn took Evihn’s hand, leading her back to her sleeping mat, and tucked her in.

Evihn thought back to her conversation earlier that day. She had no family, although she wanted one more than anything. As Ninihn had pointed out, this was all she had. Evihn thought most of the care givers were callous, but Ninihn was different. She cared. She was the only one that treated Evihn with kindness. Did that make Ninihn her mommy? Was Orihn her brother?

Evihn pondered that thought for a long time, then drifted into a troubled sleep.

...

Evihn woke with a start, blinking sleep from bleary eyes. The other children stirred, and soon Ninihn entered the room.

"Alright, children! We need to clean up so we can have breakfast!" She clapped her hands twice, and Evihn kneeled next to her bed as she was trained, folding her blanket and rolling her mat. Each child had a duty, even the young ones like Evihn.

Evihn moved to the kitchen and retrieved a small basket of linen napkins while older children helped set up a long table. She took her basket of napkins and another child, older than Evihn, placed it on the table; Evihn was far too short to reach the top. She returned to the kitchen several more times, each time delivering another basket to the long table.

After breakfast, Evihn shadowed Ninihn, following her wherever she went. She said nothing, but always made sure she was within Ninihn's eyesight. Ninihn busied herself herding children and clearing away the breakfast table.

Evihn, growing impatient, tugged on her robe. Ninihn glanced down, noticing Evihn for the first time. "What is it, Evihn?"

"Dolly!"

"Oh! Sorry, I forgot about Dolly. Give me a few minutes." Ninihn bustled about, taking care of many things. Evihn trailed Ninihn, a tiny shadow always at her feet. The headmistress finished her tasks and retreated to her make-shift office. Evihn followed her in.

Ninihn took Dolly from atop a tall shelf, handing it back to Evihn. "I hope you behave better today. Don't make me take Dolly again."

“Thank You.” Evihn hugged Dolly, then turned on her heel and exited the room. She found a quiet corner and sat, hugging Dolly again.

Evihn studied Orihn wherever he went, and when he tried to pick on another child, Evihn stalked up to him. "NO! Bad Orihn!" Orihn, still limping from his encounter with Evihn the previous day, tried to avoid her. She stalked him the entire day, making him so uncomfortable he complained to a care giver.

Sun-dimming came, along with the evening meal, and Evihn continued studying Orihn, her little mind attempting to reconcile his behavior with information Ninihn had passed her.

Evihn helped stow away the dinner mess, then unrolled her sleeping mat with the other children. Sleep did not come for her. She lay awake, thinking about Orihn. Late into the night, she heard sniffling and faint whimpers. She rose and approached Orihn's mat. He lay curled in a ball, hugging himself and whimpering.

Evihn heard a rustle behind her and glanced over her shoulder. Ninihn waited behind her, turning a stern scowl towards Evihn. "What are you doing, Evihn? It's sleep time. Go back to bed!"

Evihn clutched Dolly, looking up at Ninihn. "You Mommy."

Ninihn sighed. She pursed her lips, and her eyes turned sad. "I'm not your mommy, Evihn. Your mommy is with the Creator."

Evihn shook her head in frustration. "I know you not my Mommy. But you Mommy." She turned back to Orihn, nodding towards him. "He my brother."

Orihn, only half-awake, did not register the conversation. He continued to whimper into his blanket. Evihn turned to Ninihn. "He need Dolly."

"Evihn, go back to bed."

"No! He got no Mommy. He need Dolly."

Ninihn's eyes knitted together in confusion. "What do you mean, Evihn?"

"He need Dolly. Dolly his family now." Evihn kneeled beside Orihn and gently lifted his arm. She placed Dolly beneath it, then lowered it over the doll. Orihn drew the doll close and stopped crying.

With a satisfied glance at Ninihn, she returned to her bed. She pulled the covers up, then fell asleep as soon as her head touched the mat.

…

Ninihn, stunned, felt a tear trickle down her face and drip off her chin. She brushed her face, wiping the wet streak away.

How could Evihn give up the only thing she owned to comfort another child she didn't even like?

Ninihn wasn't sure if Evihn understood the price she had just paid, but somehow, she thought Evihn might.

She kneeled beside Evihn and laid a hand on her slumbering brow. "Goodnight, my darling. I will be your Mommy" She rose and retreated to her office, reclining on her bedroll. She stared into the darkness, contemplating Evihn’s kindness. Perhaps there was hope for her yet.

I hope you enjoyed OVERSEER: First Memories. I wrote it while writing my first book, OVERSEER: Servants. It ends on a heartwarming and hopeful note, which was something I wanted to portray. It showcases Evihn’s character: her toughness, her fearlessness, and how kind-hearted she is even from an early age. Evihn is by no means perfect — she had quite a temper — but she always does the right thing in the end.

Evihn becomes a powerful sorceresses, but at a cost. Using magic in the OVERSEER universe has real-world costs, something like radiation poisoning. In later years, her heavy magic use makes her barren. She has permanent hair loss over her entire body. She has frequent bouts of weakness and nausea. Still, her self-sacrifice and willingness to serve others are what saves the world.

Two other characters in this story appear in OVERSEER: Silence. Ninihn rose to the highest administrator position in the City of Ihn. Orihn, the bully, turns his life around and becomes a groundskeeper at the Arbitrator Temple. He is the person who transports Silence and her entourage’s luggage to the train station. Evihn grows up and joins the Arbitrator Sisterhood, but she never forgets her roots and visits the orphanage as often as she can. She helps find jobs for many orphans during her tenure as an arbitrator. Evihn helped Orihn get his job after he left the orphanage.

The arbitrator’s life is hard, full of sacrifice and service. Their selection process is extreme and they select only a few students each year. Arbitrator candidates must prioritize others, show great loyalty, and love people. Arbitrators act as the de facto police force, judges, juries, social workers, and mediators for the city. Most arbitrators never marry because of the demanding lifestyle, and once in the sisterhood, leaving is not an option. They are too powerful.

The magic system in the OVERSEER universe is unique. Everyone can use magic. Magic is neither good nor evil. It is a natural force. All individuals, regardless of ability, can cast spells starting at a young age. They collect their magic power, known as Mana, and store it in crystal rings they wear every day. They use this Mana to cast spells, and for money as well.

I spent many months crafting the OVERSEER world, and I hope it shows in the finished product. I’ve had several comments from readers that magic seems like a natural extension of the OVERSEER world. That wasn’t by accident. I have about 70 pages of notes I created before I started writing the first book. It was tedious work, but I’m glad I did it now. I refer to these notes often when writing an OVERSEER story, and they have saved my bacon several times. There is nothing worse than inconsistencies in your world-building. I assure you, readers notice.

Writing has always been my passion, and I’ve written several books — you can find me on amazon.com. Just look up Mark Jefferson Overseer. Select a book, then click on my name in the Author section.

You can view all my published books on that page. If you like this story, try reading my novels. I think you’ll enjoy them!

I’ve written many short stories that take place in this — and other — settings, and I may feature some of them in upcoming podcasts. Several of these short stories are in my published books as prologs or epilogues, while others are unpublished. Either way, I hope you’ll enjoy them all!

Some stories I’ve written use different and novel magic systems. In the Overseer universe, magic permeates everything and all people use it. In other stories, magic is science-based and only those trained can use it. One story I’m working on has magic in the water, and users store its power in silver and gold rings. The world is a mountain that floats on a sea of clouds, and metal is rare. It’s just a sample of what’s coming.

Our next podcast will follow another character in the OVERSEER universe, set during the epic Battle for the City of On. That story chronicle Dango’s tragic history, and appears in OVERSEER: Silence. Dango is in the second book as well, but I never mention his name. If you have read the OVERSEER books, I think you will know when he appears.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and tell your friends about it. Thanks for listening to the Slakrverse Tales.

This is your host, Mark Jefferson, signing off.

Cheers everyone!