See You in Forever
Alan Zurückgeben was swinging in a hoop of a yellow hoop tree, watching his cousins Ottimo and Tuborg play. A content smile was curving his lips.It had been two months since he left the Neverhood to live at Ottoborg’s. Alan often thought that the decision to leave was rash and reckless and he hadn’t given it enough thought. The truth was that no amount of rationality would change how he felt about Ottimo and Tuborg. Alan was doomed the moment he saw them. He knew on the spot that he could never leave them. He was born to be with them, and to serve them.
Leaving the Neverhood had, of course, been very hard. Everyone, including Hoborg and Nehmen, had been against it. They told him that it was dangerous to go out there, that they would miss him, that Alan was a Neverhoodian and Neverhoodians were supposed to live on the Neverhood. Alan’s head knew that they were right. But his heart told him to follow the twins and Alan followed his heart.
Alan recalled how authoritative Hoborg sounded when he forbid Alan from leaving, and how surprised he was when Alan refused to obey. The Neverhood king was called Big Heart, but at that moment Alan thought that he was furious at him.
Well. Alan was here now. He lived in the land where Ottoborg was the king and Caline was the queen, and Ottimo and Tuborg were heirs to the throne. He was but a humble Neverhoodian who lived in their generous household and he was happy with that.
Ottimo raised his head and pointed to the sky. “Look,” he said, “a bird!”
Alan looked up. A brown bird was sailing above their heads, nearly lost in the sea of black. As it became larger and larger, Alan realised that it was coming down. Soon the bird thudded on the ground next to them.
With awe, Alan realised that it came from the Neverhood. There was a letter tied to its foot - a letter that bore a seal with the letters NH. Alan jumped down from the hoop tree. “Don’t touch it,” he told the twins and squatted down. “It brings news from the Neverhood.”
“The Neverhood,” Ottimo and Tuborg repeated to each other, remembering the small and colourful island where many beings lived. Alan carefully untied the letter and stroked the bird’s back.
“Thank you,” he told the bird.
“Squawk,” the bird replied, flapped its wings and flew upon the hoop tree. There it perched and rested.
Alan examined the letter. Ottimo peeked over his left shoulder and Tuborg over his right shoulder. “What’s it say?” Tuborg asked.
“It says the letter’s addressed to Ottoborg,” Alan said, putting the letter into his chest compartment. “Come on, let’s go find him.”
“Let’s go find him!” the twins echoed merrily. They grabbed Alan’s hands and they cavorted to Ottoborg’s house.
Ottoborg was having a bath. He’d been playing with robot parts and he’d come in the house sticky and grimy, so Caline had insisted that she would wash him clean. Ottimo and Tuborg stormed into the bathroom, chirping that a letter arrived. Alan poked his head inside and asked politely if he could come in.
“Oh do come in, Alan,” Caline told him. “The water is so filthy that you can’t see anything anyway.”
Alan obliged. When he saw Ottoborg lying in the warm bathtub full of bubbles, a plastic cap on his head, he blushed a little bit. This was a king after all.
“Don’t mind me, lad,” Ottoborg said upon seeing Alan’s reaction. “Sweetheart,” he turned to Caline, “could you read that letter for me please? My hands are all wet.”
“My hands are also wet,” Caline fussed, “from having to clean your dirty back. Alan, could you pass me a towel, please? Thank you. Well then...” Caline opened the letter and spread it out. “It’s from Hoborg,” she announced, sounding pleased. “Dear brother,” she read, “I send my best regards to you and your family. Are Caline, Ottimo, Tuborg and Alan alright? I am afraid that I have very bad news. A great misfortune has come to the Neverhood. This morning, my son Krevel was found... what?” Caline blinked a few times and she paled. “That can’t be right... Alan, what’s this word? Can you read it?”
Alan peeked over her shoulder, searching for the word that Caline was pointing at. “Dead. This morning, my son Krevel was found dead.”
Silence fell over the bathroom.
“That’s impossible,” Ottoborg said. “Neverhoodians are made of best klay. They can’t die.”
Alan, who was thinking exactly the same thing, turned to Caline for an explanation. The queen’s eyes were darting over the letter and her face was becoming more and more horror-stricken. Her lips were quivering. They were forming “no” over and over again, but no sound came out.
“D-daddy,” Ottimo whined, “what’s going on?”
“I’m scared,” Tuborg added.
Ottoborg patted their heads with his wet hands and said to his wife: “Caline, darling, read what’s in the letter.”
Caline’s eyes flicked to him and the letter fell out of her hands. Alan caught it before it fell into the water, searching for where Caline left off. His heart was thumping and he felt like he couldn’t breathe, but he collected himself and began reading.
“We found his body in his room in the Weasel Arena. It was scattered to thousands of pieces, as if it had been blown up. There are no signs of explosives in the room and we cannot be sure if the scraps of red and white klay are, in fact, remnants of Krevel’s body. But we can’t find him anywhere and we know that very few Hoodians had access to his room. This is why Krevel is thought to be dead.”
Caline slowly curled into a ball and Ottoborg rose from the bath to hug her with his soaked arms. Alan read on.
“We are still investigating the cause of Krevel’s death. It seems to be connected to the sudden disappearance of -” Alan’s breathing hitched and he was unable to go on. He took a deep breath. “...of Nehmen Aber Zurückgeben. Nehmen was experiencing a difficult time in his life. He had been highly unstable for two months and Krevel was his only close friend who currently lived on the Neverhood. We think that Krevel’s sudden death drove Nehmen over the edge.”
The letters blurred before Alan’s eyes. He leaned on the wall and slid down. He pressed his palm against his face and moaned: “Dad... no...”
A realisation was coming over him. He left the Neverhood two months ago. Since then, Nehmen had been “highly unstable”. When Krevel suddenly and inexplicably passed away, Nehmen snapped. It had been so bad that he decided to run away from the Neverhood. And Alan could have prevented it, simply by staying at his father’s side.
The Ottoborg family, embraced in Otto’s arms, was completely silent. Alan felt tears push into his eyes. He was in shock, he told himself. Nehmen would be alright. Best klay wasn’t easy to destroy. But then the mental image of Krevel’s room covered with pieces of Krevel’s body flashed before his eyes. And other images, of Victoids and Skullmonkeys and the Tickberger, followed. Before Alan knew it, he was crying like a baby, paralysed with fear.
“Kids,” Ottoborg said softly, “go get Alan.”
Ottimo and Tuborg rose to their feet and went to Alan’s side. “Come on, Alan,” Tuborg said. “Don’t cry,” Ottimo added. “Nehmen will be okay,” Tuborg continued. “We just need to look for him,” Ottimo decided. “Yes, we’ll find your dad!” Tuborg nodded enthusiastically.
Alan could not help but smile. “Okay,” he whispered, wiping his tears away.
“Good kids,” Ottoborg praised his boys. “Come on, let’s go sweetheart,” he told Caline, who was completely unresponsive. Ottoborg collected her in his arms and got to his feet. “I’ll put her in bed,” he said to Alan. “She liked Krevel and Nehmen very much, so it’s a big shock for her. Can you look after Ottimo and Tuborg, please?”
“We want to be with mommy!” Ottimo and Tuborg said immediately, scurrying to their mother’s side. Caline smiled faintly. Ottoborg nodded his head. “Alright. But you must be quiet.”
Ottimo and Tuborg nodded dutifully. “We’ll play a silent game,” Ottimo assured him.
Ottoborg looked at Alan with questioning eyes. With the news of his dad’s closest friend’s death and his dad’s disappearance, where did Alan wish to be?
Alan gulped and said: “I’ll be in the garden. I need some air.” He thought of the hoop tree and suddenly, its round hoops reminded him of nooses.
It wasn’t until the following day that Ottimo and Tuborg found Alan in the garden and told him to come to the house on Ottoborg’s request. Alan obliged.
He was lead into Ottoborg and Caline’s bedroom. Caline was lying in the bed, holding a big mug of cocoa in one hand and Ottoborg’s hand in the other. She smiled when she saw Alan and greeted him. “Hello, Alan.”
“I wish you a good day, queen Caline,” Alan replied, wondering why he was brought in the most private room that existed in this house.
“Cut the queen,” Caline told him, “you’re my brother.”
Alan shrugged. “As you wish.”
“Is everyone here?” Caline asked, looking around her. Ottoborg was sitting by her side, Ottimo and Tuborg were nestled in the blanket at her feet and Alan was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. “Well then.” Caline cleared her throat and took a sip of her cocoa. “I’ve called you all here because I want to tell you something. It’s about a dream I had three nights ago. Only now do I see that it was important.”
Caline took a deep breath. Ottoborg squeezed her hand and Caline smiled at him gratefully.
“I dreamt that I was on the Neverhood, sitting under the Mulberry Bush. I was eating mulberries. Then Krevel came to sit at my side. He pointed at the mulberry I was eating and he said: ‘They are poisoned.’ I threw it away. Krevel took my hand and looked me in the eyes. He said: ‘It’s not his fault. Whatever they say, you of all people must believe that it isn’t his fault.’ Then he started to swell up, he became larger and larger and then poof!”
Caline paused. She looked at the half empty mug in her hand. “I woke up then. I thought nothing of the dream. I almost forgot about it. But then... that letter...” Caline bit her lip. “I think that Krevel came into my dream to beg forgiveness for his killer.”
The whole room stared at Caline. Alan must have looked sceptical, because Ottoborg gave him an emphatic look and supported his wife:
“It’s not a long shot. Stranger things have happened. Like these two,” he gazed lovingly at Ottimo and Tuborg.
“We need to look for Nehmen,” Ottimo decided. Tuborg nodded and said: “He knows more.” “We should go now!” Ottimo insisted.
“Slow down, boys,” Caline said. “We can’t just go off unprepared. We need a plan. Where should we search for Nehmen?” She turned to Alan.
“Where would he go?” Alan rubbed his chin. “Somewhere he feels safe. Somewhere he knows people will treat him good.” He fished for information in his brain. Come on, he was Nehmen’s image, his best friend!
Then it dawned on him.
“He would come here.”
As if on cue, someone banged on the front door. Alan jumped up and darted down the stairs. He ran through the hall and flung the front door open. In front of him, Nehmen Aber Zurückgeben was standing. He looked exhausted.
“Hallo, Alan. Ich sehe dich gern,” he said and keeled over.
Ottimo and Tuborg came running to the two Neverhoodians. “Who is it?” “It’s Nehmen!” “We found him!” “Yeah, we found him!”
Alan, for once, paid no attention to the twins. He was busy checking his father’s condition. Nehmen’s clothes were torn on a couple places, by what seemed like sharp teeth. The flesh underneath was untouched and healthy, probably because the bite marks had already healed. Other than that, Nehmen seemed fine. He was sleeping soundly. Alan hoisted his dad up and dragged him inside.
Ottoborg was just coming down the stairs, dried and dressed up. “Oh my,” he exclaimed when he spotted his son. “Let me help you with that, lad.” He picked up Nehmen’s legs and helped Alan carry him on the couch in the kitchen.
“Wow, he seems pretty out of it,” Ottoborg commented, setting about making coffee. Alan sat down next to Nehmen, stroking his hand gently. He was happy that his dad was alright.
“Is he okay?” Ottimo asked, peeking onto Nehmen’s face.
“He’s sleeping, can’t you see?” Tuborg told him.
“Sleeping like a baby,” Ottimo agreed. And they both watched Nehmen’s face until Ottoborg finished making coffee.
“It’s my special recipe,” Otto told Alan. “If this doesn’t wake him up, nothing will.” He waved the coffee pot next to Nehmen’s head. The Hoodian sniffed, snorted and fell still again. “It’s working,” Ottoborg said positively. “Help me open his mouth Alan.” He took aim and poured some of the coffee into Nehmen’s throat.
Nehmen’s eyes flew open. He grabbed his throat and fell off the couch. “Heiss heiss heiss heiss!” he shrieked, thrashing on the floor. Finally the coffee finished burning through his gut and Nehmen noticed where he was. “Alan!” he yelled happily and pounced on Alan, hugging the lights out of him. “Ich hab dich gefunden! Mein Sohn! Mein geliebter Neverhooder!” he babbled.
„Dad, dad, I’m really happy that you’re alright, but please let me go,” Alan tried to tell him. But Nehmen didn’t listen to him. He didn’t even notice that Ottimo and Tuborg had joined the hug and they were squeezing their knees.
“Hello, Nehmen,” came Caline’s voice. Nehmen reacted immediately. He let go of Alan and turned to face his sister. Caline was leaning on Ottoborg’s arm, still dressed in her pyjamas. “It’s nice to see you,” she smiled and spread her arms.
With one giant leap, Nehmen covered the distance between them and hugged her tightly. Ottoborg’s stare was slightly disapproving. Then he said: “Watch out, she’s fragile.”
“Oh. Yeah.” Nehmen released Caline from his embrace, wearing a sheepish expression.
“Won’t you hug your good old dad?” Ottoborg prompted him. Nehmen hesitated and then did so, although not as enthusiastically as with Alan and Caline.
“Hey, kleine,” he greeted Ottimo and Tuborg.
“Hello, Nehmen,” they replied in unison. “We were just looking for you.”
“Warum? Uh, why?” Nehmen finally switched to English.
“We’ve received a letter that you disappeared from the Neverhood,” Caline said.
As soon as Nehmen heard the word “Neverhood”, his expression darkened into utter sadness. Alan had never seen such a change, not even in his father.
Nehmen muttered something like “Did you,” and his slumped shoulders began quaking. He placed one hand over his eyes and the other gripped his chest.
“Dad, sit down,” Alan crooned. He led Nehmen to the couch and sat down next to him. Nehmen’s whole body was shaking at that point and he was mumbling nonsense.
“He needs more coffee,” Ottoborg decided. He poured a mug full of the black liquid and pressed it into Nehmen’s hand. The Neverhoodian took a sip and shuddered.
“What do you put in this thing?” he asked, sticking his tongue out in disgust. Ottoborg looked pleased. His coffee worked miracles.
Caline sat to Nehmen’s other side. “Nehmen,” she said insistently and put her hand on his. “Please tell us what happened on the Neverhood.”
Nehmen’s eyes began watering, but he nodded. He couldn’t disobey his beautiful sister. “I-it began...” Nehmen’s voice broke. He drank more coffee, as if the strong taste distracted him from his welling emotions. “It began two months ago. After that fuss with Alan... You’re a real guttersnipe, you know that?” he turned to his son. “You were supposed to stay with me forever.”
Alan hid his head between his shoulders. Fortunately Caline noticed his embarrassment and told Nehmen: “What happened after Alan left the Neverhood with us?”
“I got really really bad,” Nehmen admitted. “Everyone started avoiding me. Only Krevel... only he stayed with me. We spent a lot of time together. A lot lot. We didn’t come apart at all. He even let me sleep in his bed.” Nehmen smiled at that memory. “He kind of made me... really happy... like you did, Caline,” he looked at his sister. Caline nodded and squeezed his hand, urging him on.
“And then... four days ago...” Nehmen gulped. “Krevel told me... in his room... that he... he...” His eyes darted around. “...he loved me. A-as in... he wanted to be with me forever... and he’d do anything for me... that I was his... his reason to stay on the Neverhood... And... I...” At that point, Nehmen couldn’t hold his tears back anymore. He began bawling like a little child. Alan and Caline hugged and comforted him from both sides. Ottoborg and his kids stared at them.
“I – I was so stupid,” Nehmen stammered through his crying. “I didn’t believe him. I wanted to test him. ‘Would you do anything?’ I asked. ‘Would you even... even eat a mulberry if I told you so?’”
Caline gasped loudly. Alan glanced at her. How was eating mulberries a challenge?
“And – and he said yes. So I gave him a mulberry... And he ate iiiit!” Nehmen wailed, breaking down completely.
Alan tried to hold him, but he was utterly confused. The only one who seemed to get what eating a mulberry meant for Krevel was Caline.
“Caline?” Alan asked softly. “What does he mean? What happened?”
Caline swallowed her own tears and said, over Nehmen’s sobbing: “Krevel was deadly allergic to mulberries.”
Oh. Now it made sense. Alan looked down at his dad, who killed his own best friend with his stupidity. He couldn’t decide whether he would hate him for it, or be sympathetic.
Suddenly Nehmen sprang up and grabbed Caline’s hands. He looked her in the eyes, and the glare was so intense that Caline nearly turned away. “Is... is it my fault?” Nehmen croaked. “Did I kill him?”
Alan jerked. He knew that just now, Nehmen’s sanity depended on Caline’s answer. But Alan couldn’t help thinking that, by all means, yes, it was Nehmen’s fault! He knew what would happen! He knew that Krevel would do it, because Krevel never said anything in vain. Nehmen had known all that and still... he still told Krevel to kill himself, just because he wasn’t able to realise someone else than Caline might love him!
Alan recalled Krevel’s words from Caline’s dream: ‘It’s not his fault. Whatever they say, you of all people must believe that it isn’t his fault.’ He looked at Caline. It was up to her to decide. Alan’s honest answer would send Nehmen spiralling down to insanity, pursued by his own conscience.
Come to think of it, Nehmen probably thought the same thing that Alan did. It was his fault.
“You have to repent,” Caline said slowly. “Only then will your sin be forgiven.”
Nehmen bowed his head. “Yeah.”
Alan gave Caline a look. It seemed like Nehmen had been expecting that kind of answer. He had even been prepared for it. Because now a faint smile was breaking through his expression.
“Thank you,” Nehmen whispered, wiping his tears away. He looked at Alan. “I’ll go now. Don’t look for me. I love you very much, Alan.” And he hugged his son.
A feeling of dread settled in Alan’s stomach. “You’re not going to do what I think you’re going to do, right?”
“What do you think I’m gonna do?” Nehmen asked lightly. Alan swallowed.
“That you’re going out there not to come back.” He noticed that Caline hung her head and nodded a little bit. “Dad, you can’t mean that. You can’t run away.”
Nehmen cocked his head. “I’m not running away. I’ve stayed behind. I need to catch up.”
Suddenly Alan understood. “You want to follow Krevel to the other side.”
“Yes,” Nehmen said simply.
Alan didn’t know what to do. “You don’t have to go.”
Nehmen got up and planted a kiss on Alan’s forehead. “I want to go. I think he wants me to go as well.”
“He does,” Caline said, her voice thick with tears.
“Don’t worry about me,” Nehmen told them. “We’ll meet again on the other side. Watch over this family for me, will you Alan?”
“Okay,” Alan nodded, his throat tight. “Dad...” But Nehmen pulled him into a hug.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he whispered to Alan. “It’s alright. Just stay here and don’t chase after me, okay? Your place is here.”
Nehmen Aber Zurückgeben took a few minutes to say goodbye to each member of the family. And then he left.
Alan never saw his father again. He stayed by Ottimo and Tuborg’s side and helped them to become great rulers. He saw Ottoborg wither away while Alan and Caline remained the same. He saw Ottimo and Tuborg pass the throne to their children, and those to their children. And through all that time, he kept repeating to himself the final words that Nehmen said to him.
“You’re gonna live forever. When the end comes for you, we’ll meet again. Well then. See you in forever.”
