Irony of Thieves and Kings

Chapter 2

For some stupid reason, his ear buds just wouldn't stay. After trying far too many times, he gave up, and just let one hang down. He didn't really bother with anything else. He was perfectly content at the moment.

On his way, he had stopped by a convenience store, and bought an apple juice, and a bag of chips. Sitting here, hidden from the world in an overgrown part of the park, he felt at peace for the first time in a long time. He had thrown his uniform blazer and button up in his bag again, and felt the rough bark easily through the thin cotton t-shirt. The grass was cool under his hands, but warm at the same time. He raked his fingers on his left hand through the soft grass, letting it tickle his hands, while his right held a book that was propped up against his knees.

It was times like this where he completely at peace with himself. He loved times where he could just relax. His head wasn't hurting anymore, and he still had some of the juice. He had his favorite book and was easily surrounded by nature. To top it off, he had turned his phone off so that no one would be able to interrupt him.

This, he thought taking a sip of his favorite cool drink, must be a Zen moment.

Sadly, every good thing must come to an end, and so did his peaceful moment. First it was just the sound of someone running through the bushes, breaking branches and snapping twigs underfoot. Then a dull thud.

He yanked out his headphones, and stuffed all of his stuff in his bag. A sound followed that made him more than slightly uncomfortable. Sobbing. Loud, breathless, choking on sobs.

Werner stood, and for a moment, debated just leaving. He let out a loud, annoyed breath, and left his bag in his lovely paradise, while he stepped into the real world again. The park was near the downtown area, but the trees were too thick to hear the heavy traffic that surrounded the north part. It was also difficult to hear anything that was farther than about twenty feet from you. As he had been coming here since he was eight, he knew exactly where to find the woman. Well, maybe not exactly where, but he knew the sound of the paper trees, as he called them, breaking, and that was the sound he had heard. They needed to be wrapped around something for the first few years. So, with that, and the fact that it came from south- east of his position, he went towards the gazebo.

Some people needed to be alone when they were upset, and he hoped that the woman wasn't someone like that. If she was, his presence would just make it worse.

Quietly, he moved through the thick brush, knowing when to step over roots, and duck from branches.

He felt a small tug on his pants, which almost made him trip, but there was nothing there. By the time he had gotten out of the abandoned area, he wasn't sure this was such a good idea after all.

He debated going back, but decided against it. By this point, the woman had most likely heard him coming, and if he stayed hidden, he would seem like a stalker.

Sure enough, there was a woman, in her late twenties most likely, dressed in a nice lilac dress, with long, curly auburn hair covering her face.

"Um, miss?" He asked. Suddenly, he tripped. Someone, most likely the woman or one of the animals knocked over one of the thin trash bins that used to be emptied daily.

Before he knew what happened, he was biting the dirt. Literally.

His cheeks lit up in embarrassment, and he looked up towards the gazebo with a horrified look.

But she wasn't there. Neither was the gazebo. It made no sense. His eyes should be working right, but just in case, he rubbed them.

He should be in the park, where he was safe, but he was in some sort of, dare he say it, valley. There were flowers, bigger than his hands, and brighter than he had ever seen all around him. What made it worse, was the fact that he landed in the one spot that seemed to be more mud than anything. No, he realized as he peered around the rocky, dirt filled area. He landed in a dried up creek.