The zombie queen had fallen asleep when I returned to the chamber later on. I crept onto the bed and dozed off.

Early the next morning I got some evilese into my system. Maintaining my neutrality was a top priority for me.

The prime minister Bosh was punctual as usual. I was in the queen’s chamber when he put his head inside.

“I hope I can come in?” Bosh said in a honeyed voice.

The zombie queen gave him a deadpan face. Bosh smiled awkwardly as she was not responding.

“Your Highness, can I come in?”

The zombie queen glanced at me with determined eyes.

“There is not much to do,” she said to Bosh. “We can check the farm report tomorrow. Perhaps you should take a break, eh, Bosh? You work way too hard. Take a day off.”

Bosh looked like he had been spat at.

“Are you sure, your majesty?”

“I am.”

“Um, all right then, I will come tomorrow,” Bosh said and he left with slumped shoulders, abashed and defeated.

“I want you to look after the boys today,” I said to Dieana.

“Well, we will look after the boys today,” Dieana said. She was pleased with herself for sending Bosh away.

“Um, no… you will,” I said.

“I don’t get you.”

“I was thinking of going out of the village,” I said.

“What for?” Dieana said, scowling.

“I want to go to the town,” I said. “Like I was saying yesterday.”

Dieana’s face fell. One day she had taken off from her busy schedule for family time and I was refusing to be with her even that day. No wonder she was unhappy.

“If you want to, you can,” she said. “I won’t stop you. Return by nightfall. You can take some of the zombies with you. And don’t tell the kids where you are going. I don’t want them following you into the forest where they can get lost… I don’t understand why you run from me every instance I try to give you time.”

She was on the verge of tears. Perhaps a good husband would have hugged his wife at this point and consoled her. But I was not a good husband. I did not consider myself her husband in the first place. I still felt bad for her.

“Don’t worry,” I said to her, “I will be back by nightfall… I promise. Play with the kids, the day will be gone before you know it.”

I did not take any of the zombies with me. I was confident I could navigate on my own. I made slow progress through the forest, which only vaguely resembled what it was prior to the time bomb explosion. I kept verifying my direction with the help of the sun all the time. Along the way, I couldn’t resist the urge to check out my old palace. The call of old memories was too strong.

Little of the courtyard remained anymore, most of it was overgrown. There were trees blocking even the main door. Creepers were all over the walls, and moss and fungi rejoiced.

The day when the Skhites and Hornies had gifted me the palace was still fresh in my mind. It is true that change is the only constant.

As I snuck into the palace I observed that the giant door was a feasting ground for woodboring beetles. The moment I stepped inside, a frog hopped by my leg. Trying to avoid it, I jerked my left leg and injured myself on the wall.

Now limping slightly from the pain I entered the main hall of the palace. If not for the dust the inside of the palace seemed relatively well protected from the forces of nature. My throne was still looking grand. I wiped it and sat down.

For a while I just sat there, thinking about the past. I had a history in the game world, much like I had a history in the real one.

I retrieved the pouch from my pants. Yes, Kiara would be furious with me for not contacting her before. I would have to pacify her. I sprinkled the gold dust into the air, my thoughts focused on Kiara’s room.

The portal formed and I could see into the room. Kiara was not there. Was she at work? I was not even sure what day of the week it was.

Just as the portal was beginning to shrink, Kiara entered the room, dressed in a towel, water dripping from her hair.

She gasped on seeing the portal.

“Wait!” she said with a stern finger, as if doing so would delay the portal’s closing. She quickly grabbed some clothes from her wardrobe. I turned my head away to allow her privacy as she dressed. The portal had contacted by a great degree when Kiara squeezed through it into Dharti.

The first thing that Kiara did after coming to the game world was slap me.

“Hey! What was that for?” I protested, massaging my cheek.

“Do you have any idea how worried I have been for three days?” Kiara said to me. “Oh, wait.” She had just realized she was not in the big castle in the town of the monsters. “Is this your old palace? It looks… so ancient. But you assigned your monsters to take care of it. They didn’t obey you?”

Kiara crooked an eyebrow.

I offered her the side of my face that she had not slapped.

“You might want me to slap me a second time,” I said to her. Kiara didn’t move her hand. “Go on,” I added. “Trust me you would want to slap me after what I tell you next.” But Kiara remained still. She stared at me like I was an amateur clown and she wasn't quite getting my funny act. “Fine,” I said to her. “Hear my words carefully. I am married now. And I even have children. Can you believe it?” I stressed the two words so she would hear them clearly.

Kiara’s second slap was ten times harder than her first. Blood leaked from the side of my lips and I had to wipe it with my finger.

“If that is a joke, then I do not like it,” Kiara said, offended. Her eyes were on my red finger though and she seemed sorry for hitting me so hard.

“I wish it was a joke,” I said. “Why don’t you sit down? I have got a lot to tell you. The only assurance that I can give you is that I am not really faulty for all that has happened, though I guess I could have been more careful.”

If only I had not hurried to touch the metal ball the circumstances would have been quite different today.