"Sit down. Rest." the child looked up from the brown kitten in his lap to the long-haired young man. "It's a long story," The child smiled up at him and patted the grass beside him. The kitten played with the boy's shoelaces. "I'll tell you what I know of it, though. Try to explain." The young man knelt beside the boy, his knees bent, only the soles of his feet touching the grass.

"It's such a nice day." the boy stroked the kitten, scratched it behind its ears.

The young man was almost impatient, "How did it happen? Why?"

The child interrupted the man's softly spoken question, " The how does not matter, the why you can not know." The long-haired man wrinkled his forehand and frowned at the boy.

" None of us know Why He does anything, after all." The child's wide blue eyes shined at him.

"Is she like me?"

"Almost, but not at all like you really. You are Nephelium."

"Son of a Daughter of Man and son of a Son of God," he rattled it off quickly and easily.

"Yes," the child nodded, still smiling, still staring at the brown- haired man. "She was human once. She was born of a Daughter of Man."

The young man almost fell over, "How did... why?"

The child raised his hand, and the kitten made a lunge for it. "Patience. When you are to know all the why's and hows, you will know. As for the how... He is God. He does as He pleases. But yes, she was a Daughter of Man. There are no Daughters of God, no distinctly female angels. Not in their ethereal form, the form he created them in. Think back. Do you recall any? With all the things you've seen? All the Protectors, all the Watchers and Messengers? They are all by human standards male, just as your own father was."

"But female Nephelium?" asked the young man. "I have seen them."

"Yes," the child smiled and the kitten crawled out of his lap. "But they are barren creatures. They usually do not last long here. There are so few Nephelium in these times..." the child's words drifted off, but he returned to his subject. "Fewer still, of you are female. You are half- mortal creatures, after all. You are not soulless as your fathers are. She, the Daughter of man and only Daughter of God, she is immortal. And she has a soul. Just as your kind has a soul. She has lived since the beginning of mankind. She was the First Daughter of Man. She was the Daughter of Eve, the older sister of the ill-fated Cain and Abel.

Three children appeared on bicycles, then and the child's story ended.

"Joey! Come to Ryan's with us." said one.

"Yeah, his mom said we could all swim in his new pool, " another grinned.

"Yeah, Joey, let's go get your shorts. Your cousin can come too," the kid looked hopefully up at the young man.

The Nephelium smiled and pulled the child to his feet. He gave the boy a hug and whispered. "Thank you," in his ear.

"Wait- Marck, take the kitten, " Joey grinned at him.

Marck nodded and smiled at the blue-eyed child and then scooped the brown furball up.

"What's his name?" He asked.

"Neo. It's for her. Would you give it to her?"

"Sure. Bye kid. Have fun you guys," he waved at the other young boys and walked down the hill toward the car that he owned.

It was a small, dark green Honda that was getting on in years, but he didn't mind as long as it got him where he was going.

And it had gotten him this far.