Shink
Shink
Shink
**
"I want to go back."
…
"You're an idiot, Simon."
Why?
Why won't these tears stop?
"Look… the place you want to go back to?"
"It's gone."
I punched myself in the face, fist pressing against my cheek—palm bleeding through its wrapping.
"That won't stop the truth Simon."
"We have nowhere to go back to… If you wanna go back so badly."
"Stop using your creativity and die."
**
Shink
Shink
Shink
**
"Sy… I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what."
"I'm sorry for killing that man."
I dropped to my knees, slightly bending over.
"I… I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry."
"I—"
"Simon."
I looked up, eyes red.
"You better stop apologizing… or I'll kick your ass."
Snickering, I wiped my face, words shaky.
"How is that even possible?"
Sy smirked. "I'll find a way."
"If that's what it takes for you to stop crying, I'll beat the heck outta ya."
I tried to hold my laugh. "Wouldn't that just make me cry more?"
Sy chuckled before kneeling beside me. "Come on Simon, get up."
"We gotta find you a new shirt."
**
Shink
"Ughh my arms are tired, just one break please!"
"Nope."
Sy crossed his arms. "This is punishment for making me worry about you."
Shink
"I'm good now, thank you, Sy."
**
It's been hours… but we did it!
I raised my fist in the air, laying in the grass.
My breathing was heavy, chest pulsing up and down.
"We skinned every beast here!"
Sy stood over me. "Now we need to stitch this fur together."
I turned my head. "Impossible."
He sat down. "Maybe, but we can definitely tie the ends of the fur together, along with trimming whatever we need to."
"Better get those fingers ready."
I raised my right hand, exposing the stumps of my index and middle fingers.
"That was low Sy, even for you."
**
It's been three days.
My fingers ache.
My back hurts.
But it's finally finished.
I raised it into the air.
"Cape: acquired!"
brushed layers of fur tied together with material from the sack.
I also used the sacks ends for the neck and shoulders.
"We're so cool, Sy!"
"Who's we, idiot."
"Huh? We! As in, me and you!"
I could almost see the smoke pouring from his ears.
His forehead popped. "Simon… THERE'S NO FUR LEFT FOR A SHIRT!"
Staring blank-faced I tilted my head. "But a cape is so much cooler."
Sy stuck his hands in the air in anger. "I— YOU—Uggh."
He relaxed his shoulders. "You must've lost some brain cells stranded in this forest, like seriously, we're you always this stupid?"
I crossed my arms, mumbling beneath my breath. "Yeah, says the guy without a cape."
"I DON'T EVEN HAVE A BODY."
Laughing I laid on my back, gazing into the night sky.
"You know Sy, ever since you got here, things haven't been so bad."
"I'm actually having fun."
"There were a few times I thought I was done for."
"That feeling of losing yourself to your surroundings…"
"But that's okay. I don't need to be anyone else but who I am now, even if it is different than before."
I closed my eyes. "There's a lot of things I can say now that I don't think old me could've said."
Sy grinned with pride. "Yeah I know how great I am."
"Now, let's head out."
I sat up. "Yeah!"
"To Empryeon!"
. . .
"Wait a minute Simon…"
"WE HAVE NO IDEA WHERE WE'RE GOING!"
My face sunk into my chest, slowly inflating back into the grass. "And I killed the only guy who knew."
Sy pat my head, digging in his ear with his pinky. "Ah don't worry."
"He probably didn't know how to get there either, if so why not go back?"
He paused. "Wait, but he did mention that Empryeon abandoned him didn't he?"
I sat up again. "I'm not surprised, that guy was crazy afterall."
Sy snickered. "You're calling someone crazy? You talk to yourself all day."
Standing straight I threw my cape over my shoulders, continuing into the forest.
"Yeah, I guess I do."
**
3 Months Later
"Behind you!"
I planted my left foot, spinning into a right kick.
Sweat dripped from my heel.
Breathing's heavy, but stable.
Perfect balance.
Sy clapped his hands. "Good work today."
I dropped my leg, kneeling with a quick breath.
Sy jumped onto my back. "We've been getting stronger!"
Standing straight I wiped my chin with the back of my hand.
"All thanks to you."
pacing around me Sy poked at my sweaty body.
"I mean look at you! You even have abs!"
I couldn't hide my grin. "Well we have been training for the last three months."
Even my mental has improved.
"Alright Simon, throw your clothes on. I have a surprise for you!"
I grabbed my cape."You do?"
"Yup! Just follow me!"
**
"Is that?"
Sy smirked. "Go on, tell me how great I am."
I dropped my cape. "How did you know this was here?"
He placed his hands on his hip. "Something I noticed is that I'm much more in tune with raw creativity than you are."
"Probably because I'm a raw soul, but I tend to pick up on things even you miss."
Stepping closer I could feel the heat on my shins.
"You really are something Sy…"
A real life hot spring!
I dipped my toes in, slowly dropping myself into the water as I groaned with pleasure.
"And I thought the lake was heavenly…"
A tear rolled down my face.
"This must be God's arms cradling me like a baby."
Sy smirked as he sat opposite of the spring, opening a single eye.
"You remember what today is?"
I looked at him with confusion. "Huh? No way, l lost track after a few months."
Sy grinned. "Well lucky for you I never did."
He erupted from the water. "It's the 23rd of June!"
My eyes widened.
"A.k.a, your birthday!"
I sunk deeper into the springs. "Yeah, I guess it is."
I'm 16 now… I feel so much older.
I wonder if I grew any…
I wonder… what they're doing.
"Sheow."
My eyes darted to the left.
Rising from the water I reached for my waist, forgetting my paintbrush was with my clothes.
I stood perfectly still, ears wide, eyes sharp.
"She—"
I swung my leg through the water, toe pointed forward.
"Sheow!"
A cat!? Out here!?
A black cat with wide purple eyes stared at me, my foot inches away from its nose.
Lowering my leg I caressed the cat. "Hey little guy, how'd you get all the way out here."
"Simon."
I turned. "Hm?"
Sy flashed his stupid smirk. "I'm a jillion percent sure that we're close."
I smiled. "Yeah, this little guy had to have come from somewhere."
The cat leaped onto my head, clawing a bit in my hair before stretching and laying down.
I glanced at Sy as he held in his grin.
"What!?"
He burst into laughter. "It's just… you look more of an idiot than usual!"
Placing my hands on the springs edges I pushed myself out.
"I guess this shows how bad I need a haircut."
"Let's get dried up, we can probably track the cat back to Empryeon."
**
"How long have we been walking for?"
Sy walked beside me, hands locked behind his head.
"It's almost nighttime… we left pretty early in the morning."
I looked up, the cat still resting on my head.
"How did he get this far out?"
Before we knew it, we arrived.
I stared in awe at the tall wooden gates, jaw on the ground, eyes poking out.
"T-This place is freaking huge!"
Wooden towers with spiral staircases pierced through the treetops.
Bridges with finely woven rope connected from tree to tree—tower to tower.
The large branches and wind worked in cahoots, quietly brushing against each other, flashing the moon's subtle light.
Looking down to the gate massive wooden handles protruded from the middle.
…Is that?
**
"Come on Simon!"
I bent over, hands on my knees. "Slow down Runi!"
She laughed as she ran.
Her hair swayed in the wind.
"Come on Simon!"
**
"Yeah it is."
Children's laughter echoed out from beyond the gates.
I rubbed my nose. "It's been a while since I heard that."
Bells rung as voices called out from inside.
My eyes narrowed.
"Something's happening."
Stepping to the front gate I pulled at the handles, clicking my teeth before dropping my arms.
"They won't budge."
The cat leaped from my head, bolting along the side of the gate.
Sy pointed to the cat. "Don't let that thing outta your sight!"
I ran along the gates edges, noticing the wooden spikes at the tips.
The cat pivoted, turning as it dashed into the gate wall.
"The hell!?"
Running to the side of the gate I stared in confusion.
"Where did it go?"
I glanced down to see a small piece of the gate broken at its base.
"Ahh, smart kitty."
Taking my paintbrush I outlined a circle small enough for me to crawl through.
The circle split.
Using a finger I pushed in the broken wood.
"Even inside the gate it's more forest?"
Sneaking past trees and through bushes the woods quickly cleared.
"S-Sy… it's."
"Yeah, Simon…"
"It's another human."
A dark skinned boy stood in front of his door—a smaller house, more hut like than anything.
He had a buzzcut, eyes… I can't see from here.
"Could this be…"
The cat pranced out from the bushes, rubbing its body against the boy's leg.
An opening.
I moved slowly.
Careful.
Quiet.
I removed my paintbrush from my side.
"Move and you die."
The boy's body stiffened.
I stepped closer, paintbrush pointed at the boy's head.
His eyes…
I need to see his eyes.
Placing my paintbrush back on my waist I patted the boy's pockets.
He's clear.
Stepping back the cat ran to my leg.
The boy looked up.
His eyes…
Orange.
Not silver.
I sighed. "You're good. Can't be too careful, right?"
Kneeling I grabbed the cat, cradling it in my arms.
"Hello, I'm Simon, what's your name?"
The boy stuttered, arms trembling. "I-It's Lawrence."
"Lawrence Yaha."
**
Alex
"I'm here."
His hands tightened around the Nun portrait he held.
Turning it he scanned the writing on the back—the same writing he's read a hundred times.
"I'm sorry I couldn't love you like you loved me."
— Lauren.
He sighed, looking to the night sky.
"Ah, I forgot to record today's date."
Kneeling he opened his bag, pulling out a green notebook.
He flipped through pages, clicking his pen.
"23rd… of June."
He smiled. "23rd of June."
He jotted something in his notebook before stuffing it back into his bag.
Standing straight he unplucked his vusk from the ground, staring at the abandoned church looming in front of him.
"Happy birthday, Simon!"
**
Runi
"Dahlia…"
"There's nothing we can do, Runi." Dahlia's fist clinched. "If only he was here."
Runi turned in her sleeping bag.
"Marcel…"
She sighed, shifting to her back. "The night sky sure is pretty tonight."
Runi shot up.
"Oh, Cleo."
"Make sure to take today's date."
Cleo groaned as he stood, grabbing the notebook that sat on a tree stump.
He smirked.
"You wouldn't believe it."
Turning to Runi he smiled.
"It's the 23rd of June."
Runi's eyes widened before quickly watering.
She pulled the sleeping bag over her head, curling her legs into her chest.
"Simon…"
"Happy birthday!"
**
Marcel
"23rd of June…"
"I wonder sometimes."
"Are you still alive, Simon?"
Marcel stood atop of a waterfall.
Hands pocketed.
Hair flowing.
"Did you figure out how Zytra works?"
"To be honest Simon…"
"I hate you."
He laughed to himself.
"You could be dead… and they could still talk about you all day."
"Why…"
"Why couldn't I be like you?"
…
Luther called out from the forest. "Marcel! Come on!"
Marcel turned, making his way back to camp.
"Happy birthday, Simon."
**
Zef
Sitting upon a mountain of bodies Zef glanced at the sky. "Shaki, remind me of what today's date is."
She tapped at her chin. "After killing all of these rebels I guess your schedule did open up a bit."
She grinned, slightly leaning forward, locking her hands behind her back.
"It's Simon's birthday!"
Zef smirked. "Ahh, the 23rd of June."
"Happy birthday, Sy."