Author's Note: My 1st attempt at a web novel. Please don't hesitate to give your honest opinion (however harsh it may, and probably will, be.) as well as any advice, ideas, or other comments you may have. I plan to try to get a new chapter out every month or so, and I hope that me setting this deadline for myself will help me actually write more. (College classes and two jobs are occupying a majority of my time at the moment, so I figured created a public deadline may help motivate me. Let's pray it doesn't backfire. Haha.) Also, I hate history, so if any of you history nerds out there find that I screwed up on some historical details in the story, please don't hesitate to let me know. If you're reading this right now, I hope you enjoy! : )
“The man who passes away in the midst of the greatest blessings after the finest achievements, that man has the happiest death; and you will find that in ancient times too, those whom the gods loved had a short span of life.”
28th Discourse of Dio Chrysostom.
May 26th, 2015
I sat in my new room, playing Super Smash Brothers on the Nintendo 64. I love antiques, and often go through my grandfather’s old things whenever the chance arises. At the beginning of Summer break, I had a chance to do just that.
I had gotten to visit my grandpa for the 1st week of summer as my parents had moved us into yet another new house. My dad's job causes us to move relatively often. As a result, I've had trouble making friends.
I hope this summer isn’t as boring as usual. I’m starting high school next year, yet as soon-to-be 9th grader I'm still unable to drive anywhere.
The last few summers I’ve had were spent playing with old stuff I find around my grandpa’s house, as well as pestering my mother to take me to whatever library is nearest us so I can enjoy some nice and quiet reading.
I’ve been told that few kids nowadays read as often as I do, especially with paper books. In my opinion, the online books everyone else uses (when they do have to read something) just don't have the same great feeling as turning a page.
Perhaps my odd hobbies are another reason I have trouble making friends.
I was about to win the game I was in when the doorbell to my house rang, causing me to stop what I was doing right away and bolt to the door. You see, there was one event I looked forward to above all else when it became summertime - The annual visit from Uncle Tony!
My parents were out of town and told me that Uncle Tony would be by to visit around 3:00. It was now 3:05 and I’d been prepared to bolt to the door for 5 whole minutes now, the anticipation has been killing me. Normally I’m not allowed to open the door when I’m home alone, but since the time had matched up I swung it open with no hesitation, only to find noone there.
That’s odd.
“RAAAAAWWWWWRRRRRR”, said my Uncle Tony as he jumped out from the side of my porch.
My body reacted in a rather scared fashion, and I hate to admit it, but I jumped. A lot.
He still looks the same as always. Jet black hair combed over neatly. Clean shaved. Emerald-like green eyes that make him appear as innocent as a little kid.
“Well how’s my lil nephew?!”
Uncle Tony tried to hide the amusement on his ornery face.
“I’ve been doing good, I guess.”
Just embarrassed that you made me jump so much..
“You guess?!”
He started to walk in, already making himself at home and removing his coat. He sat his suitcase down on the coffee table.
After my embarrassment subsided I ran over to give him one of our signature bear hugs that we’d always do.
We sat in the living room and talked, although he basically just asked all of the cliche “adult questions” that relatives always feel obligated to ask.
“How’s school been going? You studying hard? You’ve gotten taller, haven’t you?”. You know, that sorta thing.
The entire time I eagerly sat there, trying to contain my excitement and avoid bouncing up and down like some little middle school kid. I’m almost 15, but that doesn’t mean I’m looking forward to what was about to come any less than I did last year or the year before.
Uncle Tony is an archaeologist, and as an archaeologist he always managed to bring me some cool old stuff he found on his travels to different excavation sites around the world before they are officially turned in.
I’m pretty sure they’re normally not allowed to keep anything that they find, but for some reason he always manages to get permission to keep a couple of the common misc. objects deemed to have little value or no rarity. I believe the conditions are that they must stay in the plastic bags they’re in and he only gets them for the day or two in which he visits us.
“Bet you’re dying to see what I brought you this year”, he said with a knowing grin.
Finally, the moment I’ve been waiting for!!!
“Yea!” I yelled, immediately feeling embarrassed at my childishly impatient response.
If I keep this up, Uncle Tony is gonna see me as a little kid forever, even though I’m already about to be a high schooler.
He went to fetch his suitcase, and when he opened it up he began describing all the excavation sights and history acquainted with each piece he pulled out. He seemed like an excited child as he informed me of more history knowledge then I knew what to do with.
Maybe that’s why I’ve always gotten along so well with Uncle? He’s always so passionate about what he does, and he doesn’t judge my (seldom) childish behavior, but rather makes me feel comfortable by exuding his own childish persona despite how mature he can be.
He described numerous objects, most of which had been found near some Greek place I think.
I thought he was done when he pulled out a final object from his suitcase, a plastic bag containing a pair of tattered hard leather straps.
“These are called ‘himantes’, and were used in ancient times as a boxing glove of sorts.”
He began to chuckle, then went on to talk about how this artifact was his favorite find of the year, seeing as how he was a big boxing fan.
Honestly, I’ve never seen what was so great about a couple of grown men punching each other repeatedly. How could such a savage sport, that uncle says was even a battle to the death more often than not (in ancient times of course), still be around in the modern era? The sport has started to die out in recent decades, but I guess a few people like my uncle still enjoy it for some odd reason.
Anyways, my uncle and I talked for a couple of hours until my parents got home, bringing dinner with them. We all got to eat and visit as a family, and time just flew by.
My parents like me to be in bed by 10:00 sharp, but since it was summer and Uncle Tony was visiting, I got to stay up until 11:30! It made me excited obviously, but in my opinion it’s stupid that someone my age is restricted by the confines of a bed time.
With thoughts of the historical artifacts Uncle Tony had brought clouding my mind, I drifted off to sleep.
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I awoke in the middle of the night with only one thing on my mind.
“Gotta Piss…”
I drowsily stood up and began to walk down the hall to go release the ocean trying to escape my bladder.
After exiting the bathroom feeling fully refreshed, I started to go back to my room when I noticed a bright light coming from the direction of the living room.
I figured maybe Uncle Tony was up and I’d be able to get him back for frightening me earlier if I went to investigate. That would indeed be the ideal scenario, I can picture the frightened look on his face now.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
When I walked into the living room there was a glowing suitcase, illuminating a light upon a man sitting on the couch. It was Uncle Tony’s suitcase, but it wasn’t Uncle Tony. I was shocked and fear stricken, what was I supposed to do? My Uncle Tony and parents were asleep, and the man turned directly towards me.
He was tall, at least 6’3”. His face was gentle. His stare was expressionlessly bored, and his hair was black and fair.
If he starred in a movie, he’d without a doubt be the pretty boy all the girls in my grade went crazy over.
It wasn’t until I looked down that things truly became freaky though.
THIS RANDOM MAN STARING ME DOWN WAS BUTT ASS NAKED IN MY LIVING ROOM!
“MOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!! DAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!! Come here, quick!” I screamed louder than I’d ever screamed before.
The man seemed startled by my sudden outburst, but still remained seated naked on the couch.
What the heck is up with this freak?
Moments later lights throughout the house were on as my Uncle Tony and my parents ran into the living room looking about as startled as I felt.
“What the hell is going on in here?” asked my father as he looked at me, gun in hand. All I could manage to do in response was point at the couch. I looked over and there sat the naked man, still staring at me without saying a word.
“Is something the matter dear?”
My mother was looking at the couch as if there was nothing out of the ordinary.
My uncle began to laugh.
“It’s alright kid, we all have bad dreams sometimes, but you honestly look as if you’ve just seen a ghost.”
He tried to hold back his laughter, and patted my head in an attempt to comfort me as he did so.
A ghost?
I looked back at the couch. The man was still there, looking surprised and curious.
“You can see me?”, he asked.
I was again stricken by fear as I went to hug my uncle and cried.
“There there, no need to be embarrassed, getting spooked in the dark happens to the best of us.”
I honestly couldn’t tell if Uncle Tony had been trying to tease me or comfort me, but he calmed my angry parents as they went back to their room.
“I know the dark can play tricks on you, and it can be scary and embarrassing, but you should try to get some sleep too.”
He then walked back to the guest bedroom in order to go to sleep.
I looked back to the naked man, and he seemed intrigued by something.
“You can see me, as well as hear me?”
I managed to nod my head.
“I guess I'm still here after all!” he said with a big childish laugh and an amused grin.
“Sorry to scare you little one.”
Well he seems nice enough, and his easily amused behavior reminded me of my uncles, which was slightly comforting. Now that I took the time to look at him, his body was well built, but his face wasn’t scary in the slightest. There was only one small problem concerning this mysterious man.
“Why are you naked?...” I timidly squeaked.
“Why are you wearing those strange garments?”
This guy is seriously getting on my nerves…
“Don’t answer my question with a question.”
He began to laugh again, definitely easily amused..
“Why restrict myself to the confines of clothing when no one can see me?”
“I can see you…”
“By the heavens, you’re right!”
How many times can that shock this guy, we’ve already been over that, right? To me it seems weirder that my family couldn’t see him.
“You’re a strange kid, you know that?”
As he spoke, a chiton(1) and himation(2) seemed to appear out of nowhere to cover him.
“How am I the weird one, you were the naked one!”
“Well it’s weird you care that I was nude, and you dress yourself in those bizarre garments.”
I looked down at my blue pajama pants and my white T-Shirt I was wearing. They seemed perfectly normal to me. This guy was making no sense.
“Where am I?”, the man asked. “Now that I take a look around, this place seems incredibly advanced, did I land in the middle of the heavens by any chance?”
“No, this is my house.”
“Who are you?”
“That’s what I wanna ask you.”
“I’m Melankomas, of Caria(3).”
“Oh, well uh, I’m Tyson. Tyson Nash. Nice to meet you.”
Amidst the small talk, an idea hit me, I made a dash for my uncle's suitcase. I opened it up, and saw that the himantes were faintly glowing.
“Hey, those are mine!” He declared happily, as if he’d found something that’d long been lost.
“They look a lot older then I remember though.”
“That’s because they’re ancient… Are you sure they’re yours?”
“Not really, but maybe. They certainly look like mine. What do you mean by ancient?”
“Equipment like this hasn’t been used in several hundred years.”
I felt as if everything was coming together.
“Oh yea, I died pretty suddenly, huh? Guess that means I’m in the heavens.”
How can he bring up his death so casually?...
This guy is the definition of casual..
What a strange ghost… Is it strange I’ve already readily accepted the fact that he’s a ghost?
He isn’t nearly as scary with the toga-like thing on as he was in the nude. Sure, he seems like an oblivious airhead that thinks he’s in heaven, but he doesn’t seem like a bad guy so far.
“No, this is my house.”
“Tyson’s house, huh?”
“You died, therefore you’re a ghost, and you’re way in the future compared to the time that you came from.”
“Oh. Why?”
“How should I know?!”
I guess I had just acted like I had it all figured out, but answering his questions when I had so many of my own was bugging me.
My mother walked back into the living room, but this time to dish out her wrath rather than check on me.
“Are you still in here making noise?! Go to sleep already!”
“Yes ma’am.” I replied.
I hated getting into trouble. This time it wasn’t even my fault. It was
Spoiler: Spoiler
Melanko-.... Melako-.... Koma’s fault!
I began to walk back to my room to get some shut eye, silently wishing to myself that this was all a dream. I got to my door and as I turned around to close it, I saw that Koma had followed me.
“Go away or go to sleep.” I told him.
“But I’m not tired.”
“Too bad, I am.”
I layed down, rolled over, and pretended I didn’t feel Koma’s eyes watching my back for a little while. I then turned to him and angrily asked, “Why are you staring at me you creep?”
“I was just waiting on you to wake up.”
“Why?”
“I don’t have anyone else to talk to.”
“Well then find someone else!”
As he sat there looking like a scolded child, I rolled over, attempted to get some sleep, and silently prayed that it had all been a dream.
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1 ~ A long woolen tunic worn in ancient Greece
2 ~ An outer garment worn by the ancient Greeks over the left shoulder and under the right.
3 ~ Caria was a region of western Anatolia extending along the coast from mid-Ionia (Mycale) south to Lycia and east to Phrygia. The Ionian and Dorian Greeks colonized the west of it and
joined the Carian population in forming Greek-dominated states there.