Restless

I flipped my knife in and out of the switchblade. It was an ornate older one, with swirls that entrance children. Not that I'd ever let a child hold a weapon.

It is larger than most, and this one was old in its design. It was made to be used and it has been kept in useable condition. It's blade was still sharp, even after its years of misuse by its last owner.

I held the blade up in the light.

The light reflected in patterns, mirroring the design. It's cool grip was welcome in the balmy weather. I closed the blade and put it back in my pocket. Sitting back in the grass, I watch the clouds go by.

I felt myself drift as a cloud, emptying my mind of thought. It was all very calm. I came here for the tranquil atmosphere, absent of the normal bustle of a city. I do not miss my old life there, I saw the pain of others and the drain of enthusiasm from those who could not keep up. It as if they all amble along like a herd. The city dwellers go about their business without exuberance. It was almost as if they gave up on their dreams completely. They did not strive to succeed.

The monotony of life brought them back down to earth, after they had soar so high. Many peers from school or odd jobs kept their dreams alive for a short time. I for one, did not want to become another sheep in a herd. Since I didn't have a dream, I decided to wander until I found it. I suppose my dream is to settle down. So I wandered to these plains.

Life as a nomad kept it interesting. As of late, I've mulled over how to go about settling down. It was calming, but even here industry and progress has invaded the land. I've learned most of what I'd need and some skills besides.

One I pride myself in, is fighting. I learned by watching and combined what I saw of martial arts with some street fighting tactics. Once, when I was still in college, I was goaded by a classmate taunting me to speak, until he finally manned up and threw a punch. I have a stubborn streak and would not speak. But, I did defend myself. I easily side stepped his slow movements and I knocked him right in the face. He fell to the ground with a broken nose. The consequences were worth the benefit of no one bothering me anymore.

Apparently, I was a tough cookie. Since then, I've mellowed, but have not forgotten. I still practice what I had practiced then and a few more tricks I've picked up.

I digress into memories of the past.

I think again of the town I'm in. It isn't large, but it still isn't what I've been searching for, to settle down. I contemplate the sanctity of the preserves and the interference of humans with the environment. The land was easily split into wildlife and industry. The smoke spiraling out of the stacks gives the sky a dark and ominous look. The clouds were not as white as they once were. The blackened skies over cities sweeps as far as these lands, augmenting the dark clouds. I suppose that one day greed will take over just about every aspect of our world, and nature will be made to do man's bidding. The relentless expansion of society has changed our spinning globe called earth. I haven't decided if it is for the better. In the end, it is not the stronger, nor the smarter, or the largest that will ultimately prevail. It is the ones with the strongest will to survive. It will be as it always had been. Survival of the fittest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Randy picked up his coffee mug, the hot porcelain just bearable in his hand, and walked over to the couch. He placed the hot mug down on the table and flopped onto the couch.

"You see this?" his brother Thomas gestures toward the tv screen. Displayed on it was, yet again, another disaster unfolding on the five o'clock news. "These things are popping up everywhere." Thomas said a little morbidly.

Randy picked up the mug and took a small sip of the coffee. "What is going on exactly?" Randy inquires.

"Well you know all those new reactors they were creating near the coast? Apparently they tested some of the byproducts to see if they could be useful in some way," Thomas begins to explain.

"Go on," Randy says before taking another sip.

"Ι'm getting to that. There was apparently a truck that crashed with the byproducts. The wreck let loose some of the chemicals into the water. They had to evacuate the town," Thomas continued.

Randy raised an eyebrow. "You said this happened before?" Randy questioned.

Thomas explains, "Well, not exactly the same way. There was a leak at one of the plants before and there was a plant that had neared meltdown. But, you want to know the weirdest thing? There is no actual footage of what happened. No explanation for the deaths that occurred. Some photos were apparently released by some bystanders. They were grainy and not clear. There is a good chance they were a hoax. The photos did not make sense since they were bloodied and mangled. Nuclear waste can't do that can it?

Randy sits back a moment and thinks a moment. "Waste can't do that. Must be a hoax," Randy says skeptically.

Thomas slumps in his chair and continues to watch the news. "Yeah, must be."

The phone then rings, vibrating the table between them. Randy see the name and smirks. "Its for you," he says flicking the phone over to Thomas. Thomas fumbles it and drops it to the floor. Randy chuckles, and said, "Nice catch." "It was a bad throw!" Thomas retorts.

Before the last ring Thomas answers the phone.

"Hello?" Thomas asks. "Hey, is this Thomas?" a familiar voice said happily.

"Hey, is this Ashley?" Thomas asked with a small smile. "What are you up to?" Ashley asks, a bit bubbly. "Well nothing really, I just fin-"

"Okay!" Ashley says cutting in, "Wanna go to the movies with me and my friends? We are gonna go watch the new zombie one. Lindsey and Miranda are already getting tickets. Then we'll go out to eat at the new restaurant."

"Wait, you already planned this?" says Thomas.

"Yeah, oh, and bring your brother too," Ashley added.

"I didn't even say I'd go yet!" Thomas said with his small smile widening.

"Well, you are aren't you?" Ashley said slyly.

"Yeah, you already know I'm gonna come," Thomas said.

"Alright it's settled then! You better get here quick, it's gonna be on in half an hour," Ashley said with a bit of mischievous cheer.

"Hey, what if I wasn't ready yet?" Thomas said a bit perplexed. "I already knew you would be. See you there. I gotta go, bye," Ashley said.

"Bye," Thomas replied.

Randy chuckled and got his shoes on.

"Hey, did you plan this?" Thomas asked.

"Maybe. You only got one life so carpe diem," said Randy.

"What's that, a sneeze?" said Thomas.

"It means seize the day, little brother. What do they teach you in your Latin class?" Randy asks.

"Not how to live your life," Thomas replies with a goofy grin.

Randy pulls his ball cap on and ruffles Thomas' hair. "Let's go, we don't want to be late," Randy says.

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Hello reader, I'm glad you found my story and decided to read it. Did you enjoy it? I'd be extremely glad to hear it in the comments or PM. Any feedback is appreciated. Since I had gotten no responses whatsoever for the character contest, it has been terminated for the meantime. I may open it up if I get a response asking, but until then, I'll continue my story as is.