Strings of Harmonic Time

Introduction

         Toby grew up between the dangerous city slums and the outskirts of a peaceful small town. His parents did the best they could to raise him, they both worked full time jobs and were too exhausted to really do much with him. When he was a young child his grandparents would watch him while his parents worked. Once he was twelve years old he was able to take care of himself. He took care of his dirty clothes, made sure his room was clean, then picked up around the house. His parents loved animals and when he found strays they would let him take care of them. There was birds, wolves, lynxes, foxes, rabbits, bobcats, domestic cats, and reptiles of all sorts. Most animals had secluded themselves to the massive expanse of forest which made up most of xxxx, where Toby lived.
   His world was run by a council of very wise people, the requirements for being on the council was that you must go through a series of tests and prove you are kind, cautious, responsible, compassionate, loyal, smart, and that you have a pure heart.
    The nature enveloping their nation is filled with a kind of life that makes them much different than any kind of plant you have seen on Earth. These plants can sense truth and lies, kindness, how much hurt one has felt emotionally, ones true intentions, and if one is balanced with the right morals and values. Then the ones which passed must all be come friends which, despite their differing opinions, they still are friends. Then they decide what problems the people of their nation have and ways to solve or address them. Once they do that they gain support from the people and work together with everyone to build what they need or to put rules in place. Maintaining a large group of people and a large area of land is difficult, this is why there is a group of people instead of just one person, to prevent the burden of knowledge from corrupting them.
  Each person in the council is responsible for different aspects of the medium sized country that they maintain. Their responsibilities range from education to general laws, roads and paths, nature/environment, first aid/ healthcare services, and much more. Despite their best efforts there were still places where people were struggling. The council's job is to balance the good and bad, life and death, murderers are punished with unpleasant tasks but after they are successfully rehabilitated. The truly evil people are put to sleep, the ones which show no signs of ever being able to recover, it would be cruel to make them suffer their lives locked away while they are trapped in their broken minds.
  To keep the people informed on the council's actions and things that happen in the few towns of their country, the one functioning radio station brocasts daily reports. Toby often tried to listen to it, but found it dull. He admitted to himself that it is nice to hear the good things, it's the bad things that is what he dislikes. He cares for people and is good at understanding, this is why he has such a hard time listening to the bad things. The bad things always seem so much heavier on his lean shoulders than the good. Some days he lies broken on his makeshift sleeping area, a nest of blankets, pillows, and sheets. He had learned how to sew from his grandmother when he was young. Toby had had many clothes which were too small for him, so he used the fabric to make himself a couple blankets. He even had sewn a few small blankets for some of his animals. While he lays there feeling broken, swallowed up by a monsterous despairity, his animals would lay next to him until he was done feeling sad.
   The council had established schools a long time ago, so far back that only one's relatives which had died long before one was born could remember the time before. Toby regularly attended the school he was walking distance to, which happened to be named xxxx school of xxx town. It was at school where Toby met the new transfer student from a far away town. Toby had no idea how much his life was going to change because of this one boy.