The sun was setting and on a hill with a lone oak tree was a boy hiding in its branches. The sound of childish shouting alerted the boy and he, wearing ragged clothing, climbed higher into the tree.
“Oh, Charles! Where are you?” This was chanted by the group of children in rags while the boy named Charles was smiling proudly under the cover of the leaves.
Oh, Charles! Where are you? Are you over here? Are you over there? Are you by the lonely tree?
When the tree was mentioned, the heart of the boy, named Charles, skipped a beat. They were closing in. He just hoped that they wouldn’t look up, otherwise they’d find him, but he knew how unlikely that would be.
They were under the tree now. The kids, scratching their heads, wondered where he could have gone. A boy of white hair and black eyes thought of something and, just like Charles had expected, found the boy named Charles crouching on a branch.
“Found you!” said the one who looked up, and with those words an embarrassed smile crept onto the face of the boy called Charles. He quickly climbed down and soon touched the solid ground. With a sigh, he said, “You found me.”
The children were all delighted at finding him and decided to play another game, a different one from the game they played earlier. Tag. They played tag. Laughter was abound and the children were running around, having fun. Though it seemed like a nice scene with all the kids running around, bystanders that looked at it from afar could not help but feel pity or, if they were truly scum, disgust. Children wearing rags, playing with their malnourished bodies, yet without thinking about the others who may see them, they continued to play.
Tag! You’re it!
Words like these were thrown around and soon the sky turned dark. The kids decided to stop for the day and went back to their ‘homes’. Charles, the last to be found in the game of Hide-and-Seek, brushed past the wooden houses of the village and, after an hour of walking on the grassy plains, reached a small wooden house.
He entered through a creaking door and on to the living room, finding out that no one was inside. His eyes turned sharp and he tried to walk silently, evidently failing as the floors were creaky. Gulping, he walked towards the kitchen and found a woman cooking. The woman wore a casual dress and an apron. She was looked as if she was in her late twenties, with black eyes and hair. Seeing her, Charles sighed in relief and said, “I’m back.”
“I know.” She started humming a tune. “Quite a lot of noise made, I must say.”
Charles laughed and went to his room. He was quite tired and wanted to take a little nap to rejuvenate himself.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
*** *** ***
“Well then, as we have finished our business, good day to you, sir.” With those words the man tipped his hat and went his way. With a sigh, his business partner trudged down a local tavern, and as expected, it was quite crowded. Fortunately, he found an open table, though the smell of liquor was apparent as was the case for the rest of the tables. He stayed there and ordered for a drink, zoning out afterwards while occasionally, and frequently, sipping his drink.
A tap on his shoulder shook him from his absentmindedness. He looked up and saw his friend.
“How are you doing?” said he. “It took you a while to get here.”
The man in question gave a subdued laugh and scratched his head. “Sorry about that. The bar test drained me.”
“Becoming a lawyer, eh?” said the man who asked. “Income there is nice. Though I heard that it’s hard.”
“Seems like you’re a bit tipsy,” said the soon-to-be lawyer. He took his seat and ordered for something light. “Ease off a bit, will you?”
“Drunk? Maybe I am. Though inspiration for my books come from here.” The drunk author tipped his drink, almost spilling it. “Lots of ideas come when you let loose.”
They partook in a friendly chat and laughed together as old friends do. Out of their conversation though, one particular part stood out. It started when the soon-to-be lawyer mentioned a familiar yet unfamiliar name.
Did you hear about Monty? Who? The guy in our class before. The one that got challenged into a sword fight? No, that’s Geoff. Then who? The philistine. Oh, him. Yes, him! So, what happened? He joined it. He joined what?
Then, in a low whisper, he said, “The Council of the Doctrine.”
*** *** ***
Charles woke up sweaty. He had dreamt about his previous life again. Though unwanted, it just barged in his dreams. He thought the dreams stopped already but it seemed he was just given some sort of grace period. With a sigh, he decided to think about it. He decided to think about its importance in his life. Moments later, he had thought of the best explanation.
It marked the end of his life.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ---- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ---- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ---- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ---- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Author's Note: Due to RL, it would seem that I can only post once every two days. Goodbye daily updates :(