21ST Century

A woman entered in the precinct with a release order in her hand. The officer on duty took Philip to the commissioner's office.

"Thanks to the efficiency of your attorney, now you are a free man. You will wait for your trial out of custody. I can see that you're a good-natured person, so I hope that you don't break into any other museum from now on. Hopefully, I won't see you here again."

"Thank you, sir," the young man said, relieved and happy at the same time. Now he could see the sunlight once again.

The commissioner noticed Alexia's beautiful eyes and said, "Well, done, madam! You have done your job with incredible swiftness. I'm impressed."

"Thanks, commissioner! I've done nothing but my job as a defender."

Philip watched Alexia as she spoke with nobleness. He also admired the young lady, who was a perfect copy of Verena, the woman that he had loved in the past.

"Get your belongings, boy. And take care of yourself..." The commissioner said good-bye to Philip, who replied politely.

"Shall we go now? If you want, I can give you a lift. I've brought some spare clothes for you; they are my grandfather's. You should not walk around with those medieval things on you. You could change right now, before we leave."

"Thank you, Verena! I mean, Alexia... I'm sorry. You really look like someone that I knew in the past."

Philip accepted them and the lift, but he didn't know where he should go to change his clothes.

Finally, he went to the precinct's toilet and put the clothes on. They fit him well. After he showed up on his new apparel, Alexia looked at him from head to toe trying to recall if she had ever met him from somewhere other than her nightmares. However, it proved to be useless, since he lived only in her dreams, and not on her conscious mind.

She drove her car with white leather seats. She put an app to play calm songs, and then asked him, "Where to, Philip? May I call you Philip?"

"Of course, you can, madam. To be honest, I don't know where I should go now. I said I would explain everything to you... The truth is that I don't belong to this place or this time..."

"Oh, not again! Look, I've done my job. Now I have to leave you in some place."

"I read in one of those magazines that you gave me that there are some good places where one can lodge. Could you please take me to one of those places, madam?"

"Please, you don't have to call me 'madam' all the time. Just call me Alexia. You make me feel like an old lady every time you call me 'madam'."

"Ms. Alexia, then."

"Better yet, just Alexia."

"Alright! If that suits you..."

"I can leave you in a place nearby. Do you have any money? No offense, but since you keep on saying that you don't belong here, I thought that may be not financially savvy."

"None taken. During the time in jail, I read a lot about your culture and behavior. I always bring with me a sack of gold coins. I believe gold is good at any time, right?"

The prince showed the coins that he had retrieved from Houdini's pocket with his magical powers. While she was driving, she gave them a transverse look, with curiosity.

"Let's have some coffee and have a chat, ok?"

They stopped by a square. Alexia parked the car, and then they entered a cafe.

"Do you like coffee? Can I order two? The cookies here are awesome."

"Yes, please," Philip said, unaware of what she was talking about. "I'm hungry... That thing that they served in prison was disgusting!" He spoke.

They laughed.

Philip decided to have a taste of that drink. He had heard of it before. He knew that coffee usually energized people.

"Now you can explain to me the origin of the clothes you were wearing earlier. Also, the gold coins. They all seemed to belong to the middle age. My grandpa's clothes fitted you well and they are definitely more appropriate to this era."

"Back in my time, the coins used to be called 'florin', and they were the currency used to pay for things. As to the clothes, that was the fashion back then. But I must confess that I felt a bit awkward when I noticed the way people dress now."

"Take a look around..."

"I already feel much better. I'd rather go unnoticed."

"You can buy your own clothes later. There are many shops on the streets."

"Wait a minute," Philip decided to solve the clothing problem at once.

The young lady looked at him with curiosity as he stood up. He had spotted the toilet and was walking toward there.

As soon as he was inside the toilet, he positioned himself in front of a mirror. Then, he concentrated on the clothes he saw people wearing on the streets, and then pronounced some words in German, his native tongue, to produce a spell that gave him new clothes.

"Ich brauche neue Kleider!"

Suddenly, right before the mirror he saw himself wearing simple but elegant clothes: jeans, a shirt, and a leather jacket. The shoes matched the belt.

While Philip was in the toilet, a young man on the street passed by a window shop and stopped to see a mannequin wearing the same set of clothes. He entered the shop and asked the salesman to try them on. Since those were the last pieces, the salesman went to the window to get the clothes from the mannequin. However, he returned with empty hands.

"I guess those clothes have just been sold... The mannequin has nothing on. Let me see if there's something similar to the ones you saw," said the salesman.

"How could it be possible? I've just seen them on the window!"

"I'm afraid I don't have an answer, sir. Would you like to try on something similar?"

"Well, if there's no other way..." The young man said, puzzled.

Back in the cafe, the young wizard returned to the table where Alexia was waiting for him. He blushed when she said, "Phil, you look much better now!" She was amazed.

"From now on I shall dress like this. Here's you grandpa's clothes. Thank you."

"You're welcome! How did you get new clothes so quickly? You didn't leave the cafe at all! Did you get them from a clothesline or something?"

"What do you mean by 'clothesline'? I won't lie to you. I am a wizard. Which means that I'm able to produce magic," he answered at once.

"Oh. So besides coming from the Middle Ages, you are also a wizard. I see... So, is there a dragon flying in the sky, just like in Game of Thrones, that I'm not aware of? Are you going to ride on it?" She joked, not believing a word he said.

Or maybe someone had forgotten those clothes in the toilet... Anyway, in her opinion Philip was a real liar.

"I have so much more to say, but I'm afraid you wouldn't believe me."

"How about giving it a try? I'm an open-minded type of person. If you provide a solid argument, I might judge you favorably."

The lawyer was challenging Philip, and, at the same time, starting to flirt with him by teasing him. It was fun.

"Give me your hand, please..." Philip said, looking her in the eye.

"What are you going to do? Read my palm?"

"No! I'll take you to somewhere else in Tuscany."

She smiled not believing in a word he said, and then stretched her hand to him.

Philip took her hand, and, for a split second, she felt a strange kind of energy flowing through her body. A nice goosebump made her want to maintain the contact. Philip also felt something good... In his mind, he recalled the passionate moments he and Verena had shared, full of love and truth.

"What an odd feeling! It's like I have missed him for a long time!" She thought, with teary eyes.

"What's up? Where is the proof?" She asked.

"I'm sorry... I was taken by some memories... Good ones, though."

"Can you tell me about them?"

"Maybe some other time. Now, hold tight."

Suddenly, they disappeared from the cafe. Some customers in the table next to theirs looked at their empty spaces.

"Did you see that?" A kid asked their mother when they saw Philip and Alexia disappear just in from of them.

"It's really odd. That couple has simply disappeared right before our eyes, honey," said the wife to the husband, while their daughter was mouth opened.

"They must have put a new ingredient in the sandwich or in the soda that caused this collective hallucination. We should change our food."

They looked at each other clueless.

Meanwhile, in a faraway place, Alexia was looking at the horizon at the top of the highest tower in Tuscany.

"How did you do it?" Her eyes were wide open, and her mind totally blown.

"I told you I can do things like this."

"It's amazing!"

She began to believe in his powers.

"The sight here is dazzling!" He spoke.

"Awesome!"

"Can I ask you something?" Philip asked, a tad shy.

"Of course."

"Where did you get that scar on your face?"

"I don't know. My mother always said that I was born with it."

"Said?"

"My parents are dead. They died in a car crash when I was just a child. It saddens me to think about that. My grandpa raised me. That's why I call him dad. His name is Jonathan, my dear Jonathan."

"I'm sorry; I didn't want to make you recall sad memories. I like you grandpa's name, I mean, your dad's."

"It's ok. It's not your fault. I love my dad more than anything."

"I once met someone who had the same scar that you have... I couldn't help to notice the resemblance. She was someone very special to me."

"Was she your betrothed? Like in the movies?"

"No, more than that. She was my love."

"Where is she now? Is there any chance that you can meet her again?"

"Unfortunately, no. I saw her dying right in front of me."

Alexia saw sadness in his eyes, so she quit asking questions about that tragic matter. However, she couldn't help her curiosity as much as she couldn't deny the growing attraction, she was feeling for Philip either. The young man grabbed her hand and they stared at each other for some seconds, until their lips began to slowly get closer. Abruptly, Alexia broke the connection. They had met just a while ago, and she didn't want to mix business with pleasure. At the same time, she couldn't deny that that mix of curiosity and mystery made the encounter even more interesting.

The wind was blowing on the lawyer's hair. Philip held them with his right hand, and then caressed her face. He really missed Verena. He tried to kiss her again, but she dodged him...

The young woman put her right hand on his lips after she had managed to get out of his embrace. Then she said seriously, as they both returned to reality, "How we'll get back to the place we came from?"

He smiled and moved his hand in the air. He pulled her to him, and then they took a step ahead. In an eye blink, they were again in the cafe.

"Dad, I guess we should change again our food..." The little girl told her father as soon as she noticed that the couple had just returned.

"No, let's just pay the check and go somewhere else. Kid, please don't tell anyone what we saw, otherwise they'll thing we're loonies," her mother said, avoiding to explain the unexplainable.

"Got it, mom."

The family passed by Philip and Alexia looking directly at them. They didn't understand why those strangers were behaving like that. Anyway, they carried on their conversation.

"Now, I believe you, Philip! Was that attraction a sort of magic, as well?"

"Yes, it was, but a different kind of magic, though. I mean, that was the type of magic that every human being can produce. It's called love! There's something about you that attracts me. I'd like to meet you again, if you don't mind."

"I'd like to meet you, too. But we should not forget that I'm your defender. Which means that, one way or another, we would wind up meeting again. On the other hand, I must consider this situation carefully. It's my obligation as a professional to avoid any kind of intimate relationship with my clients."

She looked at the bracelet with a talisman that he was wearing.

"Is this bracelet some sort of magical object? Does it mean anything?"

"It's a gift my mother gave me. This is a jewel that belonged to the royal family of Germania. I am a prince and an heir to the throne. Had I lived in the past; I would have assumed the throne after my father's death. Here's the family crest that the heirs to the throne wear in order to be recognized in their realms," he said as he pointed his finger the figure.

"I won't doubt you this time. You've really proven that you are a wizard. Otherwise, you might prove me again who you are and take me to the top of mount Everest and leave there to freeze. All right... You win..." She said, smiling.

"I would never do such a thing to you," Philip said, also smiling.

"I'm joking. So, I've just been in a date with a prince, just like I've always dreamed when I was a teenager."

"I've lost everyone I loved in my life, and they were much more valuable than any title of nobility or wealth, which don't have any value in the place we go when our lives end."

"I agree. You sound like my father, Jonathan. He always says the same thing. I hope you meet him some day."

"It'll be my pleasure."

After so many revelations and a thrilling evening, they called it a night. They couldn't help that strong feeling they were sharing.

"All I want is that we spend a long time together. I want you to know my whole story."

"The longer it takes for you to start telling me your story, the longer I'll be with you. So, feel free to take your time."

"My hope is that it will be the beginning of a story with no ending."

"So is mine. For now, let me pay the check. I'm afraid your money has no value here."

The both smiled sealing the beginning of a friendship that could easily turn into true love, the one that fate had bonded again. In Philip's mind, there was a recurring question. "Would Alexia be Verena, reborn in someone else?"

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Read #ThePhantomMan 1 by #ChaieneSantos