Alexander Collas's Blog - Posts Tagged "into-the-wild"
Into the Wild - Chapter 1
“They're still chasing us! Why won't those damn things give up?” Matt heard from behind him.
“Are kobolds supposed to be such dicks? I thought they hated the sun,” he yelled back as a bright flash whizzed past just missing his head.
Turning, he saw his friend, his travel companion, firing bolts from his fingers as fast as he could. They’d been through so much. Their adventures to dungeons, like this last one, sometimes brought them jewels and gold, while other times they found themselves running like cowards from a band of angry kobolds trying to save their asses. Watching the power in his friend magic reminded Matt just how far they’d come together.
They continued to run until they were both exhausted. Finally, dripping with sweat and blurry eyed, they stopped. Looking back over his shoulder he took a quick count. Only ten or so left. They had managed to reduce the number by almost half, a more manageable fight. Pulling his daggers, he took a deep breath and turned to see if his friend is ready as well.
Matt froze. His companion’s face… it was a blur; he couldn’t make out any of its features. With the attackers still growing closer, he searched his memory. Why couldn’t he remember his friend’s face? Who was this? Where were they? And more importantly, if he couldn’t remember the face, did even know who this was? What made him think it was a friend?
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“Are kobolds supposed to be such dicks? I thought they hated the sun,” he yelled back as a bright flash whizzed past just missing his head.
Turning, he saw his friend, his travel companion, firing bolts from his fingers as fast as he could. They’d been through so much. Their adventures to dungeons, like this last one, sometimes brought them jewels and gold, while other times they found themselves running like cowards from a band of angry kobolds trying to save their asses. Watching the power in his friend magic reminded Matt just how far they’d come together.
They continued to run until they were both exhausted. Finally, dripping with sweat and blurry eyed, they stopped. Looking back over his shoulder he took a quick count. Only ten or so left. They had managed to reduce the number by almost half, a more manageable fight. Pulling his daggers, he took a deep breath and turned to see if his friend is ready as well.
Matt froze. His companion’s face… it was a blur; he couldn’t make out any of its features. With the attackers still growing closer, he searched his memory. Why couldn’t he remember his friend’s face? Who was this? Where were they? And more importantly, if he couldn’t remember the face, did even know who this was? What made him think it was a friend?
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Into the Wild - Chapter 3
Into the Wild – Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Matt found a pair of boxers on the floor and pulled them on as he crawled back in bed, his pillow shield still in place. The two sat quietly, Matt studying the strangely dressed old man, trying to decide how best to deal with an intruder. Not only was he in his house, but in his bedroom. How’d he get in?
The odd-looking old man was wearing a dark green pair of tights -- yes, tights -- with a lighter green tunic secured by a belt from which hung a dozen leather bags. His hair was cropped short almost like a drill sergeant and matched his mustache and beard which were equally as short and snow white.
“So, are you ready to listen? We don’t make offers like this often, and I don’t plan on sitting around here all night while you decide not to piss yourself,” said the guy in a soft voice.
“Listen, you broke into my house,” answered Matt, deciding to play along. Maybe this whole thing was just a continuation of the dream. He had heard of dreams within dreams. “What’s this about me not answering my dreams?”
“What have you been dreaming of lately? You know the recurring one?”
“You mean the one about the little lizard guys…”
He interrupted, “Kobolds.”
“Right, that’s what I called them in my dream. We explored a dungeon to do some treasure hunting, me and a friend. Well, I think he was a friend. I’ve never been able to see his face.” Shaking his head, Matt continued, “Anyway, we ended up getting chased through a field by those… kobolds. I always wake up about then; I have no idea how it ends.”
“I know. That’s all we’re giving you. And the reason you cannot see your friend’s face is that you haven’t chosen him yet.”
“What do you mean ‘given me’? I haven’t chosen my friend yet? What? Who are you? It’s time you stop all this mystery shit and get on with whatever it is you feel is worth breaking and entering over.”
“Fine, typically the person gets what we are doing by now and tends to be somewhat more receptive even if they don’t fully believe. You’re going to be one of those harder cases.”
Matt made circling motions with his hand. “You know, if I’m awake, I’ve got things to do tomorrow. Can we get on with this?”
“I also see why you’re a contender. OK, believe it or not, those dreams you’ve been having are not dreams, but programmed scenarios to see if you’re interested in taking a leap of faith that would change your life.”
Sitting up, leaning forward and resting his hands on the pillow, Matt asked, “What are you talking about? What leap of faith?”
“Well, to put it bluntly, would you be interested in living a life like the one you saw in your dreams? A life where you no longer live in this world but another? Where magic, strange animals, and the mysteries you have so enjoyed in all those books you read on that little device, are real?”[PE1]
Half laughing to himself, Matt said, “Clearly I’m still dreaming. Let me see if I’m getting this right. You’re offering to take me to a place that’s like all those fantasy books I read?”
“Exactly, you got it in one. I was starting to think you weren’t near as smart as I’d heard you were.”
“Fuck you, buddy.”
“Maybe later. OK…” The strange man stood. “Let me do this right. First, I should introduce myself; I am Eluard. I’m a recruiter. I’m sent out, on occasion, to find individual souls that don’t fit in their current time, and I work to relocate them into more useful lives.”
“Oh, do you?[PE2] Let's just say for a moment that I believe you, which I don’t. That this isn’t the most fucked up, crock of shit dream I’ve ever had, which it is. How exactly would this relocation happen?”
“That’s a good sign. At least, you’ve not started screaming and running around like a crazy person, questioning your sanity,” the old man said making an approving face.
“I’m saving that for later after you leave.”
“Very kind of you. From the looks of it, you could probably hit a pretty high whining pitch, and that’s always hard on the ears.”
“Again, fuck you. So, what now? You can’t think I believe what you’re telling me. I’m still going over what I had for dinner last night that would’ve caused such screwed-up dreams.”
“Well, now for the hard part of my visit, proving to you that this is, in fact, not a dream or a delusion, but real. Because once you decide, there’s no turning back.”
Matt leaned against the headboard, putting his hands behind his head. “Well, at least this should be entertaining. Go ahead, convince me.”
Looking out the window, deep in thought, the old man said[PE3] , “It’s later than I expected, and I have a feeling nothing I say here is going to sway you. Let’s do this.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold coin. Walking over he placed it on the top of the mirror above Matt’s dresser “There. Now you’ll have to have to make a conscious decision to pick that up. Do so when you’re ready and address it.”
“Address it? What like ’Hello, Coin!’,” laughed Matt.
“That’ll do. Then you’ll be brought to me. Well, you’ll be brought to the Waypost, not actually to me. Then we can continue this conversation.” Turning to face Matt, the old man bowed slightly and said, “Good night!” then vanished.
Matt sat staring at the place where the stranger had stood then rolled his eyes. Finally, scooting back down under his blankets, satisfied with the quality of this dream he fell back to sleep.
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Chapter 3
Matt found a pair of boxers on the floor and pulled them on as he crawled back in bed, his pillow shield still in place. The two sat quietly, Matt studying the strangely dressed old man, trying to decide how best to deal with an intruder. Not only was he in his house, but in his bedroom. How’d he get in?
The odd-looking old man was wearing a dark green pair of tights -- yes, tights -- with a lighter green tunic secured by a belt from which hung a dozen leather bags. His hair was cropped short almost like a drill sergeant and matched his mustache and beard which were equally as short and snow white.
“So, are you ready to listen? We don’t make offers like this often, and I don’t plan on sitting around here all night while you decide not to piss yourself,” said the guy in a soft voice.
“Listen, you broke into my house,” answered Matt, deciding to play along. Maybe this whole thing was just a continuation of the dream. He had heard of dreams within dreams. “What’s this about me not answering my dreams?”
“What have you been dreaming of lately? You know the recurring one?”
“You mean the one about the little lizard guys…”
He interrupted, “Kobolds.”
“Right, that’s what I called them in my dream. We explored a dungeon to do some treasure hunting, me and a friend. Well, I think he was a friend. I’ve never been able to see his face.” Shaking his head, Matt continued, “Anyway, we ended up getting chased through a field by those… kobolds. I always wake up about then; I have no idea how it ends.”
“I know. That’s all we’re giving you. And the reason you cannot see your friend’s face is that you haven’t chosen him yet.”
“What do you mean ‘given me’? I haven’t chosen my friend yet? What? Who are you? It’s time you stop all this mystery shit and get on with whatever it is you feel is worth breaking and entering over.”
“Fine, typically the person gets what we are doing by now and tends to be somewhat more receptive even if they don’t fully believe. You’re going to be one of those harder cases.”
Matt made circling motions with his hand. “You know, if I’m awake, I’ve got things to do tomorrow. Can we get on with this?”
“I also see why you’re a contender. OK, believe it or not, those dreams you’ve been having are not dreams, but programmed scenarios to see if you’re interested in taking a leap of faith that would change your life.”
Sitting up, leaning forward and resting his hands on the pillow, Matt asked, “What are you talking about? What leap of faith?”
“Well, to put it bluntly, would you be interested in living a life like the one you saw in your dreams? A life where you no longer live in this world but another? Where magic, strange animals, and the mysteries you have so enjoyed in all those books you read on that little device, are real?”[PE1]
Half laughing to himself, Matt said, “Clearly I’m still dreaming. Let me see if I’m getting this right. You’re offering to take me to a place that’s like all those fantasy books I read?”
“Exactly, you got it in one. I was starting to think you weren’t near as smart as I’d heard you were.”
“Fuck you, buddy.”
“Maybe later. OK…” The strange man stood. “Let me do this right. First, I should introduce myself; I am Eluard. I’m a recruiter. I’m sent out, on occasion, to find individual souls that don’t fit in their current time, and I work to relocate them into more useful lives.”
“Oh, do you?[PE2] Let's just say for a moment that I believe you, which I don’t. That this isn’t the most fucked up, crock of shit dream I’ve ever had, which it is. How exactly would this relocation happen?”
“That’s a good sign. At least, you’ve not started screaming and running around like a crazy person, questioning your sanity,” the old man said making an approving face.
“I’m saving that for later after you leave.”
“Very kind of you. From the looks of it, you could probably hit a pretty high whining pitch, and that’s always hard on the ears.”
“Again, fuck you. So, what now? You can’t think I believe what you’re telling me. I’m still going over what I had for dinner last night that would’ve caused such screwed-up dreams.”
“Well, now for the hard part of my visit, proving to you that this is, in fact, not a dream or a delusion, but real. Because once you decide, there’s no turning back.”
Matt leaned against the headboard, putting his hands behind his head. “Well, at least this should be entertaining. Go ahead, convince me.”
Looking out the window, deep in thought, the old man said[PE3] , “It’s later than I expected, and I have a feeling nothing I say here is going to sway you. Let’s do this.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold coin. Walking over he placed it on the top of the mirror above Matt’s dresser “There. Now you’ll have to have to make a conscious decision to pick that up. Do so when you’re ready and address it.”
“Address it? What like ’Hello, Coin!’,” laughed Matt.
“That’ll do. Then you’ll be brought to me. Well, you’ll be brought to the Waypost, not actually to me. Then we can continue this conversation.” Turning to face Matt, the old man bowed slightly and said, “Good night!” then vanished.
Matt sat staring at the place where the stranger had stood then rolled his eyes. Finally, scooting back down under his blankets, satisfied with the quality of this dream he fell back to sleep.
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Into the Wild - Chapter 5
Matt wasn’t sure what he expected. His bedroom started to dim as if the sun was going down but continued until finally, he was standing in absolute blackness. For the first few seconds he remained calm but as time ticked on his resolve began to fail. What had he gotten himself into? Then, just as he was about to panic, off in the distance, he saw a dim light.
The sunlight started to grow just as it had faded, but this time it was different somehow. It kept getting brighter, so bright in fact; he had to shield his eyes. Once more he felt like this was a test. The time ticked on endlessly again pushing him towards his breaking point. Then, through the cracks of his fingers, he noticed the intensity begin to dim. He removed his hand and blinked several times.
He was standing in a field; the grass was knee deep and bright green scattered with wildflowers. Across the plains, he could see mountains. As he looked around, he noticed they surrounded the field, isolating it from wherever lay outside.
Behind him, a few yards back, sat a small gazebo outfitted with two chairs and a table. He rolled his eyes; clearly, this was the “meeting” place the old man had mentioned.
He strolled through the wildflowers, the pleasant smells filling his nose and pissing off his unsettled mind. Flowers weren’t what he needed right now. The gazebo was wooden and covered with a canopy of more flowers, vining pink ones this time. He walked up the two steps onto the deck and found sitting on the table a dusty bottle and two glasses. He sat down, pulled the cork and poured himself a generous portion of the dark red liquid.
Just as he lifted it to his lips, “Well that’s rude. You can pour me one as well,” said the old man as he too walked up, taking the seat across from Matt.
“Hey this is my delusion, and until just now you weren’t here,” Matt replied.
“Well, clearly I am now, so please do me the honor,” Eluard smiled. “I see you decided to pick up the coin.”
“No shit,” answered Matt as he filled the goblet and handed it across to the old man. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
“Are we past the ‘I don’t believe you’ phase? Can we get on with the proposition?”
“Yes, please. And just give me the highlights, then I’ll ask questions.”
“I’d prefer it that way. Do you want the ‘why this is happening’ speech or just the details of what we’re offering?”
“A short version of why is fine, but does it matter if I accept the offer? I think not.”
The old man nodded. “We find people who are uniquely out of their time and offer them relocation. Now before you ask, yes, a lot of people feel they’re not in the right time and many are correct. That doesn’t mean we offer them all relocation. For a person is eligible, there must be a real disconnect from the time and place where they currently reside. They must suit their future home better than they do their current one. They must have befriended someone in their present time that is also suited to the new time. And finally, they must have something unique to offer their new world.”
“And I fit these criteria?”
“Very much so. At least, we think so. The reason for the interview is to ensure there is the desire before we move forward.”
“The desire on my part I take it. Out of curiosity, how many people turn you down?”
“Yes, both you and your travel partner must want to relocate. As for how many turn us down, roughly half.”
Matt took a long drink while he ingested what the old man had just said. The wine was good. Sitting back in his wicker chair, he questioned, “Half, huh? That's interesting.” Chewing his inner lip and staring up at the canopy of flowers, he added, “I guess my first question would be, you said I’d need to have something to offer the other world. What do I have?”
“Why would I tell you that? It’s a discovery you must make for yourself. We’re not sending you there on a mission. Yes, we might be hoping you can help that world or someone on it, but the overriding reason is still we feel it will be good for you. To ensure you don’t get an ego, you won the coin toss.” Smiling, he added, “Yes, that’s often how we decide between multiple candidates.”
“Great. It’s good to know you put a lot of thought into this.” He paused, then realized something. “Wait, you said I had to have a friend that met the same criteria and was willing to go. Who is it in my case?”
“You tell me. If you could pick anyone you know to go with you on this journey, who would it be?” Asked Eluard.
Matt chewed the inside of his cheek and thought… Who indeed? It wasn’t a great mystery; he’d take Devon. They were the best of friends. They both loved the same kind of stories, and they were already like brothers. “Devon.”
The old man’s eyes twinkled with delight. “See? You got it in one.”
“What if I hadn’t picked the right person?”
“It wouldn’t matter; you know your friends better than we do. You and Devon just happened to both show up on our radar, so to speak, which helped in the choosing. If you hadn’t picked him, we would research whomever you might’ve suggested to accompany you on the trip.”
“What if that person didn’t match? You did say they had to match, right?”
“Yes, we would tell you and suggest a better-suited candidate. The familiarity isn’t always a deal breaker; sometimes there are two of the same world who are unacquainted. This is more often due to geographical location than incompatibility. Most become the friends we exact them to become shortly after meeting. I’m sure the added challenge of a new world and the common bond with the old one also helps bring them together.”
Matt shrugged. “Makes sense. OK, so we have the why and the who. What I need to know now is the how.”
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The sunlight started to grow just as it had faded, but this time it was different somehow. It kept getting brighter, so bright in fact; he had to shield his eyes. Once more he felt like this was a test. The time ticked on endlessly again pushing him towards his breaking point. Then, through the cracks of his fingers, he noticed the intensity begin to dim. He removed his hand and blinked several times.
He was standing in a field; the grass was knee deep and bright green scattered with wildflowers. Across the plains, he could see mountains. As he looked around, he noticed they surrounded the field, isolating it from wherever lay outside.
Behind him, a few yards back, sat a small gazebo outfitted with two chairs and a table. He rolled his eyes; clearly, this was the “meeting” place the old man had mentioned.
He strolled through the wildflowers, the pleasant smells filling his nose and pissing off his unsettled mind. Flowers weren’t what he needed right now. The gazebo was wooden and covered with a canopy of more flowers, vining pink ones this time. He walked up the two steps onto the deck and found sitting on the table a dusty bottle and two glasses. He sat down, pulled the cork and poured himself a generous portion of the dark red liquid.
Just as he lifted it to his lips, “Well that’s rude. You can pour me one as well,” said the old man as he too walked up, taking the seat across from Matt.
“Hey this is my delusion, and until just now you weren’t here,” Matt replied.
“Well, clearly I am now, so please do me the honor,” Eluard smiled. “I see you decided to pick up the coin.”
“No shit,” answered Matt as he filled the goblet and handed it across to the old man. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
“Are we past the ‘I don’t believe you’ phase? Can we get on with the proposition?”
“Yes, please. And just give me the highlights, then I’ll ask questions.”
“I’d prefer it that way. Do you want the ‘why this is happening’ speech or just the details of what we’re offering?”
“A short version of why is fine, but does it matter if I accept the offer? I think not.”
The old man nodded. “We find people who are uniquely out of their time and offer them relocation. Now before you ask, yes, a lot of people feel they’re not in the right time and many are correct. That doesn’t mean we offer them all relocation. For a person is eligible, there must be a real disconnect from the time and place where they currently reside. They must suit their future home better than they do their current one. They must have befriended someone in their present time that is also suited to the new time. And finally, they must have something unique to offer their new world.”
“And I fit these criteria?”
“Very much so. At least, we think so. The reason for the interview is to ensure there is the desire before we move forward.”
“The desire on my part I take it. Out of curiosity, how many people turn you down?”
“Yes, both you and your travel partner must want to relocate. As for how many turn us down, roughly half.”
Matt took a long drink while he ingested what the old man had just said. The wine was good. Sitting back in his wicker chair, he questioned, “Half, huh? That's interesting.” Chewing his inner lip and staring up at the canopy of flowers, he added, “I guess my first question would be, you said I’d need to have something to offer the other world. What do I have?”
“Why would I tell you that? It’s a discovery you must make for yourself. We’re not sending you there on a mission. Yes, we might be hoping you can help that world or someone on it, but the overriding reason is still we feel it will be good for you. To ensure you don’t get an ego, you won the coin toss.” Smiling, he added, “Yes, that’s often how we decide between multiple candidates.”
“Great. It’s good to know you put a lot of thought into this.” He paused, then realized something. “Wait, you said I had to have a friend that met the same criteria and was willing to go. Who is it in my case?”
“You tell me. If you could pick anyone you know to go with you on this journey, who would it be?” Asked Eluard.
Matt chewed the inside of his cheek and thought… Who indeed? It wasn’t a great mystery; he’d take Devon. They were the best of friends. They both loved the same kind of stories, and they were already like brothers. “Devon.”
The old man’s eyes twinkled with delight. “See? You got it in one.”
“What if I hadn’t picked the right person?”
“It wouldn’t matter; you know your friends better than we do. You and Devon just happened to both show up on our radar, so to speak, which helped in the choosing. If you hadn’t picked him, we would research whomever you might’ve suggested to accompany you on the trip.”
“What if that person didn’t match? You did say they had to match, right?”
“Yes, we would tell you and suggest a better-suited candidate. The familiarity isn’t always a deal breaker; sometimes there are two of the same world who are unacquainted. This is more often due to geographical location than incompatibility. Most become the friends we exact them to become shortly after meeting. I’m sure the added challenge of a new world and the common bond with the old one also helps bring them together.”
Matt shrugged. “Makes sense. OK, so we have the why and the who. What I need to know now is the how.”
