212 Going Back In (1/2)

”I don't know what to say... I mean, you know more about this than I do...”

”I know, young man, I know. I just... It's been many years since I took up this position in the community and except for the time they asked me to come find you, they have shown almost no interest in our world. After Kamama told me about it, I tried reaching them, but they're silent. It's never been like this before. They normally go about doing what they do, whatever that is and I am able to hear bits and pieces of thoughts. It's not much, not even words. It's more like feeling feelings that don't belong to you. And yet now, there is nothing.”

”Uh... I...” Laz was still at a loss as to what the old man wanted from him.

”I'm old. Too old. This isn't my time anymore. These changes and this world no longer have a place for me. So...” The old man got off of the stump and got down on his knees, facing Laz.

”I beg of you, please keep an eye on her. I feel... something else will happen soon.”

Seeing the old man being so serious, Laz felt a prick in his heart. From the days he had spent with the old man, Laz got the feeling that the man was a lot like his own grandpa. Even with the illness, his grandpa cared deeply about him. For a time, his grandpa was the only one who cared about him. Now, seeing this grandpa beg him to watch out for his granddaughter, Laz couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.

Laz never planned to stay, at least not long term. He had been working on ways to dispel the grey fog faster and had some small successes. He knew that it was only a matter of time until he was back at one hundred percent. And because of this, Laz was already thinking about what he should do next. But now, the old man was begging him to look after his grand daughter. At least for a while.

”You don't have to beg me like this Onacona. You've shared your home and your food with me for a while now and I would be happy to help you out in this. I can stay for a while. At least as long as it takes to find a solution.” Laz said, helping the old man up.

”Thank you, young friend. Thank you.”

”Not a problem. Where is Sarah now?”

”She's getting ready for bed. Or she's already in bed. One of the two. I've been keeping an eye on her and once I say that she was finishing her day, I came out to speak to you alone.”

”Alright. Well, then I will chat with her about it first thing in the morning. Alright?”

”Perfect. How about that drink?”

”You're more than welcome to it,” Laz said, pouring the old man a cup and passing it over.

...

Waking up the next morning, Laz stretched in the warm, misty morning air. He had a cot at the house that had been made up for him and most of the time he would go use it. But sometimes, he just liked sleeping outside, underneath the stars. Besides, with Tyr around, nothing ever came to bother them. Anything large enough to ignore Tyr's presence would also alert Laz.

Noticing that the old man had disappeared at some point the night before, Laz started thinking about making his way over for an outdoor shower. He like the shower stall, mostly because it was wide open and he didn't have to wait for the crowd of people who normally used the bathroom in the morning to share it. Having a bunch of little kids around made having only one bathroom a hassle.

Just as Laz was going to get moving though, he noticed movement in the distance. A black shadow had just appeared and disappeared at almost the same moment, having jumped from the fields into the trees. Had Laz not been awake, he never would have noticed as the fluctuations it left were so tiny as to almost being invisible.

”Now what the hell was that?” Laz asked out loud, looking over. Tyr, who had been sleeping on his back like he was dead, suddenly popped up, jumped and landed on his legs. He then took a moment to shake loose all of the bits of grass and sticks that had stuck to him over night. Looking at Tyr in his larger form, Laz couldn't help but shake his head. Although Tyr tried to hide it, it was easy for Laz to notice that the big guy was a little shaky on his feet. From what Laz could tell, Tyr had a hangover.

As Laz looked at Tyr start doing wobbly circles to try to reach a twig that was still stuck poking into his back, Onacona suddenly appeared and rushed over.

”Laz. LAZ. Sarah's gone... what is he doing? Is he ok?” Onacona noticed Tyr who was not only doing circles at this point but was also trying to reach his legs over to hit the stick free. It kind of looks like a spider on roller skates at this point.

”He's fine. You said Sarah is gone?”