Short Stories (without happy end)

Callum (part. 1)

It was a beautiful but chilly October morning. I closed the gate behind me and put my hat back on. A light breeze brought me the woody smells of the forest bordering the orphanage. It was an old, light stone mansion surrounded by a huge garden where a large cherry tree drew all the attention.

The pale light of dawn passed between the branches of the brown, brick, garnet, and gold trees. I was the only human standing, only the animals remained, only appearing during dawn or dusk.

I took one last look at the woods behind me and put my headphones in my ears. I decided to choose some music that would accompany my sweet melancholy. I chose Marilyn Manson's version of the song Sweet Dreams.

The tune carried me through the whole walk. At the end of the song, one sentence remained in my head. It echoed in every corner of my mind and I waited for the echo of these words to fade away before I stopped walking.

Everybody's looking for something.

What was the thing I was looking for? I knew I was missing something essential, like the flame that would make me feel alive, the spark that would make me unique, but I didn't know what it was yet. I had the will to discover this thing but I couldn't do anything else but let it come to me.

With these thoughts, I wandered aimlessly. I had not defined a precise destination because I was only supposed to be in class in two hours. A jay flew away, taking me out of my meditation for a few seconds. It flew over a shrub and disappeared in the golden-brown density of the foliage of an apple tree. At the last moment, I decided to turn off towards the trees rather than approach the city.

A light mist was floating low to the ground. I couldn't see my feet, but luckily the ground was not too irregular. About ten minutes later, I arrived at a pond in the middle of a clearing. A hundred-year-old oak tree stood next to it, taking advantage of the humidity of the place. A lot of moss had grown around it and it gave the place a strange atmosphere. Here, the light was different. Emerald rays were shining through the crowns of leaves of the plants, making this moment special.
I decided to turn back, but when I turned to leave, I found myself face to face with a fox. It had its eyes fixed on mine and a curious look on its face - at least that's how I interpreted it. I felt I had seen him before, probably on one of my many solitary walks. He tilted his head to the side and ran off into the polychrome thickness of the woods, passing me by.

*         *         *

''Are you coming? We're going to eat'' Anna asked me. ''I'm coming,'' I answered with a yawn. ''Are you still reading that old book? You know it by heart, try to leave it alone, you'll see that it will be in a better state'' she laughed.
So I put my copy of The Lord Of The Rings away and followed my 'sister' to an isolated table.
''I don't know what to say... I think this hair color suits you, but when you told me your choice, I was doubtful. I think you look like Hatsune Miku'' I laughed. It's very funny. ''Meanwhile, I don't have coal black hair like you. Seriously, you neglect your appearance and yet it looks perfectly normal. You know you've done well in the great lottery that is life'' ''You too, I remind you that you live with me, it's a chance that not everyone has'' ''Everyone would indeed dream of hearing you play the guitar at two o'clock in the morning'' she answered in the same tone. ''You only have to ask to exchange rooms with someone, with Swann for example, it's impossible to wake him up when he's asleep''.

*     *     *

The rest of the day passed without a hitch. It was an ordinary day, like all the other days of my life. Anna, Jake, and I picked up Swann, Rose, and Rachel from school before getting on the bus. By the time we got there, the sky had darkened and it started to rain before we got off the bus.
When we arrived at the orphanage, I went upstairs to take a shower and then help in the kitchen.
We were eight children and three adults. We each had a room except for June and April, two sisters aged 14 and 16.
''Callum, can you go help Jake with his homework? Thanks for cooking, I'll take care of that now,'' said Judy, one of the women looking after us.
I put back a lock of hair escaping from Judy's silver bun before leaving the room.
''So you need me?" I asked Jake with a mischievous smile. ''I asked John, but even he couldn't help me. Show me this''. ''Time does not bring relief; you all have lied / Who told me time would ease me of my pain!'' ''Mmm... It's a sonnet. Let me read it all and I'll help you.''

*     *    *

Anna came up to me in her teddy bear pajamas and told me that Rose wanted a story from me. As for her, she was going to see Rachel in her room. I arrived at Rose's bedroom door, which was ajar. Her little blonde head was sticking out of her comforter. Rose was only five years old, but she was more mature than most people my age. A book was in her hands. I recognized Mr. Bliss by Tolkien, which she must have taken from my room. I stayed with her for twenty minutes before doing my homework and going to bed.