HUMAN SPIRIT

HUMAN SPIRIT; Ch. 13

/Author's Note: Please appreciate the effort I put into this chapter. Because alas, I have met swampy middle ground. I'm trying to stay faithful, though! No worries yet!/

A silence overtook them as they looked at each other. Julius, silently baffled. Leonard, maintaining a stare to express the seriousness in his words. Everyone around them seemed to blur for a moment, even Julius having forgotten his phobia of strangers.

“… W-what?” Julius managed after so long. Leonard sighed and shut his eyes, raising his thumb and index finger to his forehead. Apparently, he bore a headache.

“You haven’t read the fourth chapter, have you?” he asked plainly.

“No,” Julius said in honest innocence. 

“I really need you to finish that book,” Leonard said, distressed. Chapter Four was the last section in HUMAN SPIRIT, and because it wasn’t that long, Leonard decidedly explained it to Julius, using wild hand gestures to do so. Along the sidewalk, no one bothered to hear Leonard’s explanation, so the pact of secrecy was maintained. Everyone was okay.

Except for Julius.

He just sort of stood there, mouth agape. He managed to close his jaw after a second, but still stared at Leonard, registering it all.

“Julius?” Leonard asked, and waved his hand in front of Julius’ face. Julius, after a moment, grabbed it and put it down, then stepped forward.

“Leonard, if you have anything else to tell me that might change my life, say it now,” he said in a quick, hushed whisper. Leonard looked up, as if consulting the open air, then turned back to Julius.

“No, I don’t think there’s much else to say. Except the Abstract world is pretty crazy,” he admitted with a smile. Julius didn’t realize how close he had gotten to Leonard after he grabbed his hand, but now, he noticed they were only inches apart. 

“Take me there,” Julius said quietly.

There were countless ways for people to travel to the Abstract world. It was all a matter of preference, of comfort. Regular objects could be “tricked” into becoming portals. Certain doors could open up to the second world. Warped light could even do the trick, but that was harder to accomplish. Even some regular humans knew how to get to the Abstract world, and they were sworn to secrecy when they did so. It was a massive conspiracy proven true, and half of the world was in on it. The others? They were opted out, tied down with strange nothings that blinded them to the other side.

You might be in on the secret, you might not. But the only way you can legally travel to the Abstract world is with a passport.

Certain pubs or restaurants offered their own means of transportation, as long as you paid them – and that’s what Leonard had to do. Heading down the sidewalk, Julius clung to Leonard’s side and eyed the random people walking past. Leonard paid no mind; he was used to Julius’ reclusive ways. Soon, they pulled into a bar, where darkness took over the place and light ceased to exist. Cigarette smoke met Julius’ nose, and the sound of bottles clinking, subtle rock music, and drunk laughing could be heard. Julius didn’t like the place, but he didn’t object about walking in. Leonard knew what he was doing. In fact, Leonard looked like he belonged in there, which made Julius curious.

They walked up to the bar. A thin, young woman turned to face Leonard, her incredibly long and dark hair being the first attribute that Julius noticed. She looked over Leonard with a slightly surprised grin, then spoke.

“Good to see you back here, L,” she said.

“You, too,” Leonard responded. Julius was distracted for a moment, and turned around to see the various drunkards sitting around. Some were mildly sober, and other seemed to be passed out, but they all carried this ominous feeling that surrounded them, just like the darkness. Some, they’d look up to Julius, the whites of their eyes creating a bright contrast against the bleak setting. He’d share a brief glare, then turn away, unable to hold it. He thereafter faced Leonard, who'd been talking to the bartender the whole time.