Chronicles of Myth Volume One: Twisted Daydreams

Scene Six

“Hey, Harvey”! A voiced called from the event room, it was a familiar voice; my friend had returned, this time she brought company; but she wouldn’t stay for long, I took the suitcases and prepared myself to say goodbye, already the tears started welling up in my eyes. I walked out the receptionist office and closed the doors behind me locking up for the night; my steps echoed of the walls of clear tile and I took the elevator into the event room, it was still beautiful and pristine as it always was; this place is an asylum, a home, a place to heal and forget your wounds, to have your sins forgiven, this is my home, as I speak my family rests peacefully and I am about to say goodbye to a member of the fold; with each step I took her voice grew louder, I felt my dread increased as I knew she would die a martyr for a cause she had no intention of being a part of, that man she was with; he wasn’t evil nor good, he’s just like me; a psychopath looking for a family and trying to make a difference in life, that is what scares the most, he sensed me to, my fear and insecurity; we’re on the same page, afraid of the uncertainties of the future; he had seen his share of loss, Elaine would be happy with him; I know it, but as a father I couldn’t bare the idea of losing my family, but against all reason and conventional wisdom: I’m letting her go, this is the last stage of her healing: I’ll trust this man, he’ll do great things eventually; he’s been through much in the past years, slowly become desensitized to the bloodshed and loss of his loved ones, yet he still remains compassionate to the few friends and family he has left; your sins are already forgiven, give yourself a second chance as you have forgiven those closest to you, you’re entitled to that much; his fear, his doubt all mirror my own when I was younger, he has found faith and belief in his life today; he sees Elaine as his last hope, he very well might be right; I saw my friend dressed in light red sweats and next to her I saw him, he was angel in his own right; he displayed himself as an impetuous mercenary full of bravado and charm; but inside he was still weak and fragile, his soul was knotted into a ball of pent up frustration and rage. I placed the bags on the ground and embraced Elaine after she slapped him in the face to make get a grip on things, “You sure know how to pick them”. “Shut up, Harvey; he’s cool, when he’s not being a spaz”. She said smiling coyly at him, “Tell me what’s your name, son”? He was dressed in a t-shirt and tattered jeans, “Ashton”; he replied, in his voice I sensed no paranoia, he knew what this was place and it would bring him no harm; “Tell me why we’re you so nervous a few minutes ago”. I felt the ground shake, “Nikolai, that’s why”: Ashton said grimly, “Harvey, Ashton who’s Nikolai”? A raging beast of a man stormed into the ball room, all I saw were the whites of his eyes; he cried out in guttural screams of rage mixed with agony; “I swear he’s such cry baby”, I walked forward and punched his abdomen and heard a snap, “Good at least I know you’re not off your rocker anymore”. He slammed his fist, I stepped aside and twisted his hand before throwing him aside like a ragdoll; he scrambled up and rushed me with his arms extended, he slammed his hands into the floor; I grabbed his head and smashed my knee into his face; rolling on his back like a demented turtle, I took out the cleaver stuck in his foot; his rocky hide tore apart at the wound as I removed the somewhat corroded blade, his granite skin covered the wound instantly as Nikolai settled down and stopped crying pain; “What the fuck just happened”. Ashton said with his mouth hanging in disbelief; “A fly will go down your throat if you keep your mouth open, as for what happened; this is just another Monday for me”. “Nikolai, are you alright”; Elaine asked, he stared at her dumbfounded, Ashton as looked at the expression on his face he simply nodded his in agreement, “Ouch; yeah I’ll be fine, I just stepped on a cleaver that’s all”. Elaine looked at the wound and repositioned the bones in his feet, “Well he’s your problem now”. Harvey said

“What the fuck do you mean he’s my problem”? Elaine and I said together, “Take him with you; he needs the fresh air”. He replied calmly, “He’s not a dog Harvey, he’s a person just like you and me”. I shot back at him, “Before I forget; Elaine say hi to Nikolai, and Nikolai say hi to Elaine”. They smiled awkwardly at each other, “See he likes you, toodle-oo”.  Harvey said sticking his tongue out, he vanished leaving us in ballroom with a little girl in a white lace dress; “why the fuck is the little is there a… you know what I’m trying to say”. “Hey I can hear you, I’m not a little girl; I’m thirteen god dammit”, She warped forward as a stream of water and punched me in the face, covering my head in a sphere of water, she took a few steps back with her hand still on my face, her arm turned to water allowing her to move freely as I slowly suffocated; she let go of her grip, I fell on all fours and coughed out water trapped in my windpipe; I checked the luggage to bring back home, “Six suitcases; interesting, alright who wants pancakes for breakfast, I’m cooking”. They raised their hands, Nikolai stared awkwardly at me: “Pancakes”? “Astoria what are pancakes”? I looked at her eyes, and couldn’t sense a thing within her, in fact I couldn’t sense anything inside Nikolai either; I saw their souls were wiped clean, all trauma gone without a trace… except their scars, old wounds that have cut deeper than any blade or bullet; they’ve forgotten their injuries, but never truly healed; I hope those wounds never open up again, for all our sakes. “Pancakes, are delicious round circles of flavored dough”; I heard their stomachs growl, from Astoria’s description I saw Nikolai salivate; maybe we can do some good after all, I smiled and opened a key port back home.