“So how can I help you?” The girl clasped her hands together as if in prayer.
“Umm, what?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I misunderstood. Don’t feel the need to rush anything. Just come and talk at your own pace.”
I sat down next to her. It felt like the right thing to do. The others around me looked a bit annoyed, but none made any comments. Perhaps, they wanted to look their best around the maiden of the well.
“I guess I should start with introductions. My name is Icarus. I don’t know my last name because I don’t know my parents. I’m an orphan. I was raised by the Legalon Church so I have many brothers and sisters.”
The girl nodded along. She gave me the utmost attention, something no one else had ever done before. I felt compelled to continue even though I didn’t know what I wanted to say next.
“I guess you’re wondering about my metal legs, right? Well, I had this accident a while back and I had to get them removed. My flesh legs, I mean. It was the most painful experience in my life.”
“That does sound incredibly painful. I’m proud that you could make it through the surgery.”
“That’s what I thought too.”
“And the legs, themselves. They look amazing.”
“I know. Dr Wu made them for me. In the world of machinery, he has no equal.”
“I can tell.” She gave a little chuckle, which managed to make me smile. Why did everything she did seem so inviting?
“Do you want to talk about how you’re feeling right now?”
“I’m feeling great right now. I just had a honey apple so my tastebuds are through the roof.
“Those are really yummy.” She licked her lips.
“No telling. Honestly, I would lose my arms for a life supply of those.” Again, she laughed. Now it was my mission to keep her happy.
“And to think I wasn’t going to get any because my caretaker Brother Micheal was so fixated on his dress shoes. The guy has like seven pairs of the same red shoes he wears to every sermon. The guy needs a life.”
“I can see how that many shoes can be excessive.”
“Right! And yet he always blames me for getting too much of this or any thing he considered frivolous. The nerve.”
“”I can tell that you really love him.” The word caught me off guard. The ways her eyes were looking at me. I wondered how far her vision went.
“You’re right. I do love my family even though they can get on my nerves. There are the ones I know who are there for me, even if I make them mad or disobey their orders and prank them pissed. I know others like me, those without family, who live out here in the wild and starve. I’m thankful for my life. I truly am. But…”
“But what?” she asked.
“Nevermind. I don’t want to sound ungrateful.”
‘It’s okay.” She flashed me a thumbs up. “Just say what’s on your mind. Let your emotions come out.”
“Well, I–I just hate it all, okay.”
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“What do you hate, exactly?” I took a deep breath. Thoughts that I had since I was just a young child started spilling in. They needed to be let out.
“I hate waking up to a constant dark sky. Seeing the debris of the upper-world covering up everything from the crops farmers grow and the playgrounds kids play in. I hate the mediocrity of it all. Living only a fraction of what those above do. I hate it.”
“I understand that feeling. At times, it can feel rather dark and desolate here. But you have a lot of things you like about it too, right?”
“I suppose, but I…I can’t really do this for the rest of my life. My wish, no, my destiny, is up there.” I pointed up there at the sky. Not at the dark clouds that filled the atmosphere, but higher into the land loved by the sun. Where the food there always tasted like honey apples. Where people were free to live a life of luxury. In short, where dreams come true. I’ll make it up there even if I have to die to do it.” The crowd around me gasped. The girl took a more measured approach.
“And what do you plan to do once you make it there? You must know that the risks are tremendous, right?”
“You’re right. It doesn’t stop there. Once I make it to the upper-world, I’ll keep on growing. I’ll grow and grow, get richer and richer, until I am the richest man in the whole world.”
“You can’t be serious?” one of the people in the back said.
“The richest man in the world. Check out the ego of this kid, right?”
“Seriously, kid. Aren’t you too old for these fairy tales?” I stamped my foot into the ground.
“I’m being serious. I will become the richest man in the world. And before I die, I want to be buried neck deep in gold so that my body never has to touch the filth and decay of this place ever again.”
The crowd broke out into laughter. Everyone there was having a grand old chuckle. Everyone except one.
. The lady didn’t say anything for a while. She only stared, transfixed at the boy in front of her. For the first time in the conversation, her expression wasn’t inviting. Instead, it was one of intrigue or perhaps confusion.
“I’m glad you have such high aspirations. It’s good to dream big. But you know, sometimes you have to cut back down. Rise too high and you might fall right back down to where you are. And the higher you are, the harder the fall.”
“It’s better to be a bird and rise only to fall than to be like a worm and never rise at all, kissing and eating the dirt.” The words sounded foreingn to my mouth. Literature was one of my least favorite courses at Legalon, likely because it was taught by Brother Micheal.
“You're a really interesting person.” The girl laughed. She pulled herself closer to me. The ends of her hair grazed the sides of neck as she kissed my forehead.
I pulled back away in shock. “What–what was that for?”
“My blessing.” She pulled back. “For good luck in whatever you do. You’re quite impressive, you know.” The girl raised her hand, and without thinking about it, I stood.
“Pleasure to talk to you. May the forces of life always pull in your favor!” She bowed, her hands clasped.
“Wait!” I yelled. My feet had already started walking as I was speaking. The lack of control I had over my own body was frightening, but still I had one last thing to say.”
“Your name. What is your name?”
“My name? The girl looked up. “I’ve never…”
A loud roar punctuated the area. I turned to face it, only to be run through by one of the guys in the crowd. All around me, people were scattering, running frantically about like rats. I pulled myself to my feet. There, just a couple yards in front of me, was something that didn’t belong: a shining metallic hound with razors that spun in its metal mouth. Red splotches etched the corners of its jaw. The roar it made was a mix between a wolf's howl and the sound of lighting striking the ground.
My heartbeat went into overdrive. The creature was almost three times bigger than I was. The light from its red eyes nearly blinded me as it closed in. Easy prey.
“Get away from me,” said a voice from behind. It was the girl, still there in a knelling position.
“What are you saying?” I asked. “You need to get out of here, now!”
“I can handle myself.” Her voice lacked the confidence of her words. “But I can’t handle that thing with you here.”
“I’m not going.” I stood my ground in front of the creature, my legs shaking.
“But what about your dream, Icarus? I thought you said you wanted to get out of here? You can’t go out here.”
“That’s the thing,” I said, pulling out my metal rod. “The only way I’m getting out of here is if I take down something like this. Those parts are valuable to the one person whose help I need the most. Then, I will have the power needed to escape here, to survive the outside.” The door was now just a couple of feet away from. For a machine without any emotions it certainly enjoyed toying with its food.
“Get away from here now!” The girl was now on her feet, her fingers pointing at me. This time though, her spell had no effect.
Killing this robotic dog now is my top priority. In a world of machinery, one can only win through being a machine itself. My legs were the first step.”
I held my weapon in front of the dog, waiting for just the right moment.
It’s do or die, and I won’t drop until I become one. Until I become the richest man in the world.