10 The children we leave behind (1/2)
Part 1
”Hey kid!”
Marcus was very confused. He was standing in the middle of a white space with nothing around him. He looked up and he saw no ceiling, only more white, he looked at where his bare feet where standing and again, just white. The only things in the middle of all that white space were himself and this weird man standing in front of him, a very tired-looking man wearing ragged clothes trying with all his might to show a fragile smile in order to disguise his otherwise completely defeated expression.
”Looks like this will be it for me...”
”...”
Marcus had no idea of what was going on, who this old man was or even who he himself was supposed to be.
”Where... Where am i...? ”
”Oh... You sound just like me when i was your age! So you really are me after all!”
”What... ?”
”Ha ha don't worry, it's just grown up stuff... ”
”Who are you? And... Who am i...?”
”Well... How am i going to explain this... ? I'm the guy that came before you... And you are the guy who will come next!”
”... ?”
”Oh man... Just looking at you is making me feel so weird... Sorry kid, it' my first time doing something like this as well... It's just that... I can feel that i won't be here for much longer... And i wanted to have a chance to talk to you at least once before leaving...”
”You are leaving... Where are you going?”
”That's the fun part kid! I have no idea. Ha ha!”
”... ”
”But the thing is... Even if i have to leave there is a lot of baggage that i ended up leaving behind... And i fear that a lot of that will end up falling on you...”
”Baggage...?”
”Yeah... Stuff that i was dealing with during my work days and for some reason or another ended up producing a lot of consequences... A lot of bad choices and wrong turns...”
”Do you... Regret it... ?”
”... ... ... ”
”... ”
”I don't know... Maybe? There were a few things that i wish i had done differently... But at the end of the day i made choices based on who i was and not on who i was supposed to be... So i guess in the end... Even if i did paid a heavy price... I guess i don't regret it living the life i did... ”
”I don't get it... ”
”Yeah me neither! Ha ha!”
”... Pff... Ha ha ha! You're funny mister!”
”Wow thanks kid! You are the first one to say that! Most people just call me annoying!”
”What's your name?”
”Marceus!”
”... Huh... mister... Do you know what my name is... ?”
”Huh... I think it was decide that it would be Marcus.”
”Marcus... That's my name...? Are we related?”
”Maybe...? Let me ask you, do you prefer strawberry ice cream or chocolate ice cream?”
”Strawberry!”
”Same here! We must be related then! Ha ha!”
”Ha ha!”
”...”
”Mister... Do you really have to go... ? I want to talk more... ”
”I can't Marcus... I told you... My turn is over... It's your turn next!”
”I see... ”
”Hey don't worry! You will have a ton of fun! You will meet great people, eat a lot of delicious food, go to amazing places and... and...”
”... ?”
Marceus went to the kid that was half his size bent his legs and started to hug him while crying.
”I'm so sorry Marcus! I'm so so sorry!! Please forgive me!!”
”Mister what's wrong!?”
”I want to rest Marcus!! I'm so... So tired... I just want to rest now... But i needed someone else to take my place... And it's going to be you... I'm so sorry Marcus!!”
”Mister it's ok... Please stop crying...”
”Sorry... I'm sorry...”
”Don't worry! You picked me right? Then I'm sure i can handle it!”
”I... I don't know if you can handle it! That's the thing!! What if you get hurt, or sad, or worse!! All because i was a coward!!”
”Mister... It's ok! I'll handle it!”
”I'm so sorry Marcus...”
”You are really tired aren't you? Then it's ok to rest when you're tired!”
”I'm so sorry Marcus... I'm so sorry...”
Marceus kept apologizing to the small child until his body started to fade away. Marcus then stood alone in the white space not knowing what he was supposed to do next. Then his body started to glow with a strong light. Before he noticed he was standing in the middle of a cabin with a mysterious lady wearing a beautiful dress floating slightly above the ground looking at him.
Part 2
”I'm glad i changed your appearance a little bit... Didn't want to make it too easy for them to find you after all...”
”... ”
The lady started to talk to Marcus for a little bit but most of her words would just come inside one ear and leave in another. Sometimes Marcus would nod to her to pretend he was listening but for some reason her presence made him extremely uncomfortable. Marcus wanted to run away. For whatever reason that beautiful lady really scared him.
”Huh...”
Marcus finally managed to muster the courage to talk to her and tried to ask a question.
”What... Should i do... ?”
”Do...?”
”I feel like there is something that i was supposed to do...”
”My, my! You are such a smart kid! That's right, that's right! You have a job to do young man!”
”...”
”You seem nervous, is everything ok?”
”... Yes... Huh... Do you know a man named Marceus?”
”Marceus...? Of course i know him! I'm his boss, silly! ”
”His boss...?”
”Yes, yes, his boss! But now Marceus is no longer here... And now you have to take his place, that means I'm also your boss!”
Marcus's body became stiffer than before. The mister he was talking to before moments ago was working with such an intimidating lady? Could it be that she was a good person after all since he trusted her? Wait, did he trust her? He looked like he was desperate to leave his job. Was he just desperate to get away from her? Did he run away from her and left Marcus behind? No, he looked like someone who had to endure a lot of hard work. No matter how hard Marcus tried he couldn't hate the mister from before, but for some reason he could easily hate the woman in front of him.
”Listen Marcus! From now on you will be my new sword! You will fight the evils of this world and bring a new era of peace and prosperity!”
”... Ok?”
”You will need a partner for that. Me and your ”father” have set out a plan to decide who your next partner will be, so it's your job to find that partner and use him to complete your job, understood?”
”... My father...?”
”Marceus! The man you were talking about!”
”Marceus is my father?”
”Well... You were born because of him and you share many of his traits as well as sharing most of his DNA, so i guess it makes sense to say he is your father!”
”... Marceus was my father... ”
”How did you know about him by the way...?”
”I saw him not too long ago... He said i had a job to do that he couldn't do anymore...”
”... Did he say anything else?”
”He kept saying ”I'm sorry” over and over... ”
”I see... He was probably feeling guilty for leaving a job unfinished... Such a hard-working man! I'm going to miss him... ”
”... ”