MCSM Stories

Trek (5)

Jesse did not expect for the child to be there to check on him the next day.

He had brought with him some bandages, water, a comforter, and an entire bag of food. He had shaken Jesse awake, which startled him into thinking that another person or mob had found him, but mentally scolded himself when he nearly kicked the child square in the stomach. Jesse was extremely grateful for the kid's kindness, but he didn't know why he was doing this. What had he done for him? Why would he help some monster he found dying in the snow? But, Jesse put his thoughts aside to inhale the bread that the kid had shown him. It had been the first time he had eaten something homemade in what felt like forever. Not moldy apples from a leafless tree or frozen carrots he was lucky to find in the snow. Something warm, something an actual person would eat.

After his leg had been bandaged and before the child had left, he started to talk to Jesse- it was more like him rambling. It wasn't like Jesse could interfere, so he only listened. The kid talked about at home with his mother, but he never mentioned a father. He mentioned once about his mother being about to hit him, which made Jesse jolt up immediately. The child tried to reassure him by telling him that his mother didn't hit him all the time, which only made Jesse worry more. Sure, he didn't know this kid, but his mother doing that to him? Jesse shuddered. It reminded him of his own parents.

After the kid left, Jesse was alone again. It didn't feel good, but now he had made contact with a person who wasn't afraid of him. It wasn't Petra or Jess, but it felt good to be around another person again. Jesse fell asleep that night on cloth instead of the hard stone floor.

The kid came back the next day. And the next day. And the next. With every day, the kid would come back to tend to Jesse's healing wound, along with giving him food. It was baffling to Jesse, strangely. He appreciated the company, because otherwise he would be left alone injured in a cave, but he just didn't understand why this kid just kept coming back. But it was nice to hear the kid talk... Even if it wasn't about good things. Jesse learned that the kid's name, or at least nickname, was Radar. One day, Radar had walked into the cave with a bruise on his face, a bad one. It looked painful, a sickly yellow and purple that made Radar whimper whenever it brushed against the collar of his coat or when he touched it. He confessed that his mother had hit him for leaving the house for the fifth time this week. It made Jesse feel immediately bad. This kid caring for him was causing him to get hurt.

"I-it's okay. It's just a bruise." Radar gave Jesse a small smile when he saw his ears go down. "I'm... really glad I-I have you to talk to. None of the other sixth graders really care..."

There was an awkward pause.

"U-uh- thanks for listening." the kid reached a hand out, patting Jesse on the head.

Jesse flinched for a split second, but relaxed himself. He told himself that to Radar, he was a silent creature that as far as the kid knew, could be like a large wolf. And he didn't want to scare him. The kid gave Jesse a smile before standing up.

"I-I gotta get home, don't wanna make mom mad. I-I'll see you tomorrow!"

With that, Radar was gone.

Jesse was kept awake that night by his thoughts. This kid was being hit by his own parent. He didn't know what happened between them before, but his mother hitting him? That was bad. He just hoped Radar would be okay.

Over the next few days, Radar's visits were shorter and less frequent, with less food. Jesse didn't complain about it, as his leg was steadily healing, and no longer needed bandages, though for now he could only walk in a limp. But Radar's absence gave Jesse time to think. Where he could actually try to go- Because the terrain was not familiar at all. In Beacontown, he knew almost every city that was on the map, and he knew the terrain well. But the land he had been traveling over the past weeks were not familiar at all. He didn't even see a single temple or structure once. He was completely lost.