Chapter 1: Ambivalence

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     The rain pitter-pattered on the sidewalk below grey skies that cover the small town of Nearny like an umbrella. Some might say it was a dreary, rainy day, but others may interpret it as a cleansing, healing day that will follow with sun. The eyes and mind determine perception.

     Today, Donny walks through the rainy streets headed home. Keep your eyes on him, okay?

     "I'll go home later, she can wait. Who cares if she might worry." The sounds of his socks squishing inside his black, worn boots accompanied Donny on another one of his walks. He would talk out loud to no one, telling himself that it will come naturally, the way he intended, no matter how slow. "I still want to walk around. To think. I'll figure it out this time. I am sure of it," he says aloud as he raises his eyes from the puddles, to the fence, to the library's clock tower.

     Donny remained hopeful but slightly insecure as comparisons between others and himself were common. He often questioned why the answer came to others easily but, to him, one dreary rainy day of self-doubt turned to weeks, months, and now years.

     Donny drops his eyes down to the puddles coating the sidewalks and notices a book a few steps ahead. The book pulls Donny out of his thoughts. He treads through the puddles to pick it up. He looks up at the clock tower as he bends down to pick it up out of the puddle. 7:00pm.

     He wipes the raindrops and dirt off the cover to read the title. "Tenebris Soul."

     Donny opens the book to find the library return date. It's overdue. He heads to the front door of the library housed on the first floor of the clocktower. His hand freezes as he reaches up for the handle. Donny thinks to himself, I'll just put it back in its section and leave. I don't want to be here any longer than I have to. The door opens, he enters anyway.

     He looks at the library times posted at the front desk. The times say it is supposed to be closed on weekends right now. The loud ticks from the main clock outside can be heard inside the building even more. "Okay, time to focus and find where this belongs," he looks at the binding of the book.

     "There, right where you belong," he pauses. " I wonder if that book is here. It probably got found and tossed in the garbage." He begins to climb a bookcase to the top. He gets to the top and sees all the rows of bookcases with dusty tops. It has been a while since we all wrote in it he thought. The book probably isn't even there anymore. But then he finds the book on top of the bookshelf. He just stares at it. He reaches to take it but pulls away. But his curiosity gets the better of him. He takes it and makes his way back down the bookcase then puts it on the table and opens it.


      "Their old stories and drawings

اوووه! هذه الصورة لا تتبع إرشادات المحتوى الخاصة بنا. لمتابعة النشر، يرجى إزالتها أو تحميل صورة أخرى.

      "Their old stories and drawings. Tucker, Karen, and Gale, they are all in here," his eyes carefully glancing over everything. Every page is filled with writing and drawings of unfinished and imaginative lands. "But you all didn't help, didn't know, just didn't wait for me. Just leave me alone already!" he tosses the book and a couple of ripped pages seem to fall out of the book. Donny begins to pick up the pages. He puts them in order slowly and glances over the title and some text. He stops and immediately runs over to a table with the pages in his hand.

     "These are all the worlds and themes we all would make. Of course, I was the one who only wrote them, they never knew how to write well. I haven't written in a while," he says to himself.

     The text reads at the top of the first page, "Pour all your thoughts onto the pages with written words. You looked the happiest doing so." He stares at the line for a little while. The following text reads. The old village of Pholit and the Hollow Shadow begins to break the seal we once made for it. Second is Myisus's underwater kingdom but a new problem has arisen since we saved the kingdom and a new ruler as well. Last the vibrant city of Dahn-sin where Tarragon the new champion of dance has set some restricting rules on the people.

     He looks at a smaller clock on the wall of the library matching the style of the one outside. It reads, 8 o'clock.

     "Okay, I see maybe I will just stay here for a little to write, but not too long. Maybe even I will figure some things out. Writing always did help with that. Well then here goes," he begins to glide his pen across the page.

As You See Itحيث تعيش القصص. اكتشف الآن