Chapter 5

“I came here to bring back Cedar’s money purse! She left it at the lunchroom this afternoon!” Niklas exclaims. He practically throws my purple purse on the kitchen table in exasperation.
“But how did you get inside?” Ri-yo retorts.
“The door was half open, so I came in calling her name. I thought there might be something wrong, so I came up here and then you two appeared out of nowhere!”
Ri-yo looks at me as if he’s expecting me to confirm whether Niklas’s story is believable or not.
“The front door doesn’t close properly, I’ve accidentally left it open a few times,” I nod.
“But how…I mean… where did you come from?” Niklas is almost beside himself.
“That’s a funny story,” I grin sheepishly.

After a few minutes I explained what had happened in the past couple of weeks and that I was just as surprised as he was when I found out about Ri-yo’s sort of magical abilities.
Niklas still looks a bit concerned, but his hands had stopped shaking. Ri-yo makes him a cup of chamomile tea, which the waiter gratefully accepts.
“So you can pretty much go wherever you please? Within seconds? For free?” he suddenly pipes up.
“Yes, I can.”
“Wow, I’d be out of here in no-time if I could teleport anywhere in the world.”
He dreamily takes a sip of tea.
“Where would you go?” I ask curiously.
“Paris!” he immediately replies. “I’ve always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower.”
“It’s really pretty. Especially when it’s dark and you can see the city lights. I was there a few years ago, but I’d love to go back,” I sigh.
I feel someone gently grab my hand and hear the delight in Ri-yo’s voice as he says: “hold on tight.”
I smile as I anticipate what’s coming next. I’ve experienced it twice now, but I worry about Niklas’s reaction.
Two seconds later we find ourselves high up in the Eiffel Tower, overlooking the French capital’s skyline. I quickly look over at Niklas. His eyes are wide as he slowly lets go of Ri-yo’s hand.
“This is incredible,” he gasps. He grabs hold of the railing and looks down in disbelief.
“Just a quick heads-up,” Ri-yo starts in a serious tone of voice. “I can only take people somewhere if it helps their purpose here on earth. So I’m not going to randomly take you guys on a worldwide vacation trip.”
“Yes, of course, sure,” Niklas mutters. He’s still in awe overlooking the city.
Ri-yo winks at me and I know what he means. He’s taken Niklas and me to Paris because it might help us connect romantically. After all, he has promised to help me with my love life.
“Alright, I’m going to let you two enjoy the scenery for a bit,” Ri-yo says and then disappears.

Niklas and I talk for a while and enjoy each other’s company. We have quite a lot in common and I feel at ease with him.
“Where is Ri-yo from?” he asks me.
“I don’t know. He doesn’t really talk a lot about himself. Barely answers my questions, actually. But he’s fun company. He can be a bit cheeky though.”
“And what’s with the pink and blue outfit?”
I hadn’t even noticed that our blonde friend had switched back to his usual clothes.
“I guess that’s…”
“Before you start ridiculing my outfit, I should warn you that there are many interesting places in the world where I could drop you,” Ri-yo suddenly informs us. He had appeared next to us. Or was probably there the whole time, but invisible.
“The middle of a desert… a crocodile infested river… just to name a few,” he casually remarks as he walks around with his hands clasped behind his back.
Niklas and I quickly exchange worried glances and jump up.
“No, no, we’re sorry, we weren’t going to make fun of your clothing style.”
“You sure?” Ri-yo nonchalantly inspects his finger nails.
“Yes, we’re sure!” I call out.
“So sure,” Niklas chimes in.
“Alright then, just letting you know,” he gives us a little smile and leans against the railing.
Niklas grins at me and briefly squeezes my hand.
“Thank you for this wonderful adventure,” he says heartily.
“It’s not me you should thank, it’s Ri-yo. I don’t think I’m doing all that much,” I chuckle and turn to the otherworldly guy behind us.
“I meant both of you,” Niklas says, looking at both of us. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Niklas. It’s a joy to be with the two of you.”
Ri-yo and I look each other in the eyes and I realize how happy I am that he chose to barge into my life. I’m sure many more wonderful adventures lie ahead…

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