D is for Danyell and Dayell

Picture two boys, small, slight. It’s hard to tell their ages, for there’s an almost elfin agelessness to both of them. Both have wavy, almost curly golden hair, which brushes the shoulders of their faded brownish gray tunics. Both of them have heart-shaped faces, out of which peep a pair of violet blue eyes, almost too big from them. One of them smiles shyly, hesitantly at the reader, as he steps forward. The second hangs back, studying you warily, as if he were reading your thoughts, or had seen something you weren’t even aware of.

Smiling Boy: Um, hello, I’m Danyell. This is my twin, Dayell. (whispers to the second boy) Don’t look at the readers like that. 

Dayell: (tiny silver triangles appear within his irises, as he stares at you) Secrets lurk within them, behind their eyelids. They’re waiting to jump out at us. Don’t talk to them, Danyell. 

Danyell: I have to talk to them! They could become new readers! (in an aside to the audience) Don’t mind Dayell. I never do.

Dayell: The more fool you. (stares the audience) Your secrets are ready to pop out of your eyes, all bloody. You should put them back in. Hide them behind your eyelids.

Danyell: Yes, because doing that works so well for our older brother, doesn’t it? Only Leiwell hides his secrets under his eyelashes.

Dayell: (shaking his head) You shouldn’t reveal too much about Leiwell to strangers.

Danyell: Yes, but these readers may not remain strangers, if they read our stories. We want them to read our stories, don’t we? Of how we journey through the Shadow Forest, meet Christopher and Damian (see inspirationcauldron.wordpress.com) and uncover some of what Leiwell has been hiding from us?

Dayell: No.

Danyell: You’re a lot grumpier than you used to be in other universes, when our author first created you, aren’t you?

Dayell: I’ve always been grumpy. You just didn’t notice. 

Danyell: Not this grumpy. I hope you don’t scare readers away.

Dayell: I hope I do. I don’t like letting strangers know all our secrets. 

Danyell: (to audience) Please don’t let Dayell scare you off. Look for our adventures in ‘Stealing Himself From Shadows’.

Dayell: As opposed to ‘Stealing Myself From Shadows’, which is Christopher’s story. (scowls some more) Personally, I think it’s confusing to have two different book with such similar titles. 

Danyell: Yes, but as you said, ‘Stealing Myself From Shadows’ is Christopher’s story, written in first person from Christopher’s perspective.

Dayell: Except when he’s someone else, which makes it even more confusing. 

Danyell: You would know, wouldn’t you? 

Dayell: Ugh. (his scowl turns into a grimace)

Danyell: (turning back to the audience) ‘Stealing Himself From Shadows’ is, on the other hand (Danyell’s hand exudes a strange warmth, which you can feel, pulsing in the air) is from our perspectives, Dayell’s and mine. Except for when Dayell is someone else.

Dayell: (cheeks coloring) Don’t talk about him.

Danyell: Oh? (teasingly) I thought you liked him.

Dayell: (grimacing a bit more for good measure) I don’t like anybody, especially strangers who try to steal me. (Tiny, silver triangles appear in his violet blue irises, giving his eyes a menacing gleam) Or you. (The air gets a bit colder. The temperature wavers, between the warmth exuded by Danyell’s hand, and the chill, which seems to be coming from Dayell’s eyes)

Danyell: (trying not to shiver) Back to our story as opposed to Christopher’s. Dayell and I are tricked, or trapped in the Shadow Forest, while Christopher walked through a Door, a portal leading to the dreamland surrounding all worlds. This dreamland is what we call the Shadow Forest.

Dayell: Not that you understand it. Christopher pretends to, but he lies. A lot. Especially to you. You’re just too naive to realize it. 

Danyell: I don’t think he’s lying. Not about everything.

Dayell: He lies enough. 

Danyell: In our story, we’re trying to find paths leading us to our older brother, each other, and a way out of the Shadow Forest. We’re also trying to help other people, whom we love, who are trapped there.

Dayell: You are. I’m not. 

Danyell: Yes, you are. You’re trying to help me and Leiwell, aren’t you?

Dayell: (looking down at his feet) You, yes. Lewiell, no. Leiwell has chosen to embrace the darkness, letting it wrap around him lovingly. We cannot deny him its embrace.

Danyell: (staring at his brother) I know you don’t mean to just leave Leiwell to his fate, no matter what you might say. 

Dayell: Denying the truth won’t change it. (he’s still looking at his feet, though)

Danyell: (looking away) I guess our stories aren’t that different than Christopher’s, in a way. We’re all in the Shadow Forest, looking for a path, which will lead us to those we wish to find. Sometimes, our paths cross. Some of the scenes in ‘Stealing Himself From Shadows’ and ‘Stealing Myself From Shadows’ are even the same. Just written from different perspectives. 

Dayell: It’s still confusing, having two titles, which are so much alike. 

Danyell: Just like our names? They’re so alike, some people find them confusing. 

Dayell: (his scowl returning full force) I like our names!

(A word from the author. Due to the confusing similarity of the two titles, Danyell and Dayell's story was changed to 'The Hand and the Eye of the Tower'. Christopher's remains 'Stealing Myself From Shadows'.)