Chapter 3: Trauma (1)
After recovering from my near-death experience and washing up, I decide to take a walk around town. I walk downstairs where I find the kid's parents sitting in the parlor.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Carroll asks with concern in her eyes.
"Relax, he's just going for a walk. What's the worst that could happen?" Vincent responds without looking up from the book he's reading.
I briefly reconsider leaving the house after his father places such an auspicious flag, but I quickly shake off my doubts and reassure his mother.
"I'll be fine. I just need to stretch my legs after lying in bed for so long."
"Okay, if you say so." Worry colors her expression. I smile and quickly step outside before any other concerns are raised.
The sun pours down on me; or should I say suns. I glance up and see two identical glowing orbs in the sky.
There's two suns?
[Is that weird?]
The kid's thoughts bubble up through my mind.
Kind of; it's much less stable than a single-star system. The competing gravities should make it more difficult for planets to form and have stable orbits.
I don't know much about astrophysics but I'm sure I read somewhere that two-star systems are exceedingly rare. Various facts about space float around my mind as I walk down the cobblestone street. The houses are made with uncarved stones held together with mortar and most of them have mildew or algae growing on them from lack of maintenance. It stinks. Honestly, I should have been expecting an overwhelming smell of excrement but that was noticeably missing. Only a handful of people are walking near me and several of them have animal ears.
Wow, I'm really in another world, huh.
I'm not really paying attention to where I'm going but I eventually end up at the entrance to the town. A large gate breaks up a towering wooden palisade. Several guards are stationed around the area. No one even bats an eye as I step outside the town.
A vast field stretches out before me. In the distance, I notice a strange-looking forest; it almost seems to be an optical illusion. The trees are clearly far away but they still appear to tower over me. It's almost as if-
"Oh my God, those trees are huge," I say in pure shock. No wonder the forest looks strange; I don't have a proper frame of reference for something like this. Considering the trees stand somewhere between fifty and sixty stories tall, it makes more sense to think of them as skyscrapers. Even Sequoia's would look small in comparison.
It takes a few minutes to recover from the awe of the massive forest in the distance but I eventually pull myself back together. I take a look back at the town and quickly stretch my legs.
Okay kid, you're up
[What?]
Run laps around the town until you throw up.
This was a common tactic my brother used to torture me when I was growing up. He was a US Marine and would always say, 'If you ain't barfing, you ain't training.'
While his methods were no doubt draconian, they were certainly effective. I was generally successful at all the sports I played and tended to be more resilient than my peers. I wasn't stronger or faster than my opponents but I always tried harder than them. It's honestly the only thing I really learned from my family; All that matters is how hard you try.
The kid hesitates at my words so I push him a little harder.
Nothing worth having comes easy. If you want to change yourself, the first step is to find your limit. Don't worry, I'll be here to help.
I fade back and leave the kid standing in front of the gate.
A smile climbs up my face as I see him stalling. He's now staring down the face of so much trauma. All the voices of people that told him he was weak or that he can't do anything, all the times he's failed or let others down, all the negative thoughts that hold him in place and prevent him from changing. Today we take a stand against years of learned helplessness, but he has to take the first step, he has to be the one to decide to change. I can only help him on his journey but it's still his path to walk.
He looks at the wall and then the gate and then back at the wall again. A weight bares down on him, holding him in place.
You can do this; you just have to try.
After one last push from me, Nick takes his first step toward his new self. I silently cheer him on as he starts jogging around the edge of the town. It's hard not to root for the underdog.
Almost immediately his breathing becomes ragged and he starts slowing down, but I don't say anything. While he's busy running, I take a moment to think through my position.
I guess I have some semblance of a goal now that we can focus on our physical fitness but it's still bothering me that I don't have a clear objective. Who brought me here and why? What's my purpose? I could ask people around town if they know anything but I don't want to bring too much attention to myself. Additionally, if there were some great threat looming then there's no way the kid wouldn't have heard anything about it. I guess for now I'll just have to focus on bettering our position. Afterall, luck is just the combination of preparation and opportunity.
Nick manages to pass two more gates before he stops. I know we can push ourselves further so I move him aside and take control. Even while I waited in the background, I could feel everything that was happening to our body. Our lungs feel like they're filling with daggers and every muscle in our body is screaming to stop. It's nice to feel this pain again. I've been slacking on my physical fitness after I moved out of my Dad's house and I now realize that I missed the sensation.
I stand up straight and take off. The wind roars in my ears and tears fill my vision. I can't help but laugh at the absurd situation. So many possibilities now open up in front of me, I feel the lightness of freedom that I haven't felt for so many years. My pace quickens. The more my body tells me to stop, the faster I run.
The starting gate appears from around the palisade just as bile rises up my throat.
Bleugh.
The tea and pastries that I ate earlier make a sudden reappearance. Its just like old times. I fall to the ground and roll with laughter. The intense rush of endorphins are beyond euphoric.
[Why are you laughing?]
Isn't it great to feel things? Even pain makes you feel alive sometimes, don't you think?
[I guess?]
It takes a minute for me to calm down again and I notice the guards staring in my direction. I hop up lightly and confront them.
"Beautiful day, isn't it?"
"I suppose it is." A blond haired guard responds with an odd smile.
"I'm too quick to forget all the joy of life when faced with nothing but worries; it feels good to let loose." I say as I pat him on the arm. Given my short stature, I can't reach his shoulder which would be the more appropriate move.
"Ha, quite true. That's very wise of you, boy."
"No, if I were wise I'd do that more often. And please, call me Nick."
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