Dry Your Eyes Neojiisu, Life is Still Worth Living
May 29, 2007 18:30:27 GMT
Post by Deleted on May 29, 2007 18:30:27 GMT
Neojiisu slept so deeply that he didn't even dream. He woke up in a small room with a comfortable bed and warm sheets. He was wearing light colored shorts and a white t-shirt, and he ran his hand across his chest, feeling the soft material in unbelief. Where was he? How did he get here? And how did they get him changed? He sat up in bed and saw an elderly man sitting in the corner knitting. The man looked up for a second and then returned to his knitting while speaking, "You must be confused. But don't worry, I know the answer to all of the questions that you just asked yourself. First, off, no you're not dead and this is not heaven. You're in an Order of the Eye monastery in Trent. You were carried here by Tong Lieng, one of our warriors, who brought you here from the desert in Albandia. You've been asleep for three days straight. I noticed that you were starting to toss and turn, so I already brought food for you. And yes, I'm a telepath."
"Wow," Neo replied, "You're--"
"Yes, I know I'm good. And--hey... that's not a very nice thing to think."
"Well then stop reading my mind, jerk."
"Sorry."
There was a knock on the door, and the elderly man called out for the person to enter. A young boy walked in carrying a tray of food. The elderly man continued speaking, "It's not much, but considering that you've been starving yourself for the last long while, we didn't want to overload your body. Don't worry, we'll take care of you."
Neojiisu ate slowly. Real food tasted so good after having the Bubblegum Devils scavenging for him for so long. "In time," continued the man, "We'll have you back up to full health. You're welcome to stay with us for as long as you wish. Where's your home?"
"I don't have one."
"Are you a Juin? You don't look like one."
"I thought I told you to stop reading my mind."
"Sorry, it's just a habit now. I've trained to be a telepath for a long time."
"You're a good interogator. Considering the welcome I gave your men in the desert, I can understand why they made you my attendant. They want you to detect any treachery. Trust me, if I was feeling treacherous, I would kill you before your thoughts would do any good. Your last thought would be, 'Oh no, he's going to kill me!' and then-- boom-- you're dead."
"Would you like more food?"
"Sure."
The elderly man motioned for the boy to take the tray out and to bring more food. "You don't want to stay here, do you. Let's get up and take a walk. I'll give you a tour of the monastery." The elderly man pointed out the slippers next to the bed and helped Neojiisu to his feet. Neojiisu stretched and both of them heard some of his joints audibly pop. The man opened the door and let Neojiisu out first. Then they took a walk around the monastery. They introduced themselves to each other and made some small talk. The elderly man was a lot more ready to tell about his life than Neojiisu was to tell about his. The man also discovered just how good Neojiisu could be at hiding his thoughts, so he gave up.
It was a beautiful spring day. Flowers were in bloom, the grass was green, and the sky was vibrant blue. The trickle of fountains and the chirping of birds provided a calming soundtrack. Neojiisu noticed the young children playing games around the terraces stop as he walked past. "I might not be able to read minds," he told the elderly man, "but little children have very obvious faces. I'm the 'Desert Demon.' I'm less than they expected, but they're still a little scared and amazed to have me here with them."
"Do you have a family?"
"No, I'm alone."
"That's too bad."
"I left home a long time ago. Now I wish that I never left. I miss them."
"Yes, I understand. Family is important; mine has brought me a lot of happiness."
Neojiisu didn't respond. His face crumpled and he started crying. He felt his strength leaving him so he found a nearby bench and sat down. The elderly man put an arm around his shoulder and squeezed him a little, offering him a hankerchief. "It's alright, my boy. Just let the pain come out. We're here to help you."
The little children were all watching him weep, but he didn't care who saw. The pain was too immense to keep in.
"Wow," Neo replied, "You're--"
"Yes, I know I'm good. And--hey... that's not a very nice thing to think."
"Well then stop reading my mind, jerk."
"Sorry."
There was a knock on the door, and the elderly man called out for the person to enter. A young boy walked in carrying a tray of food. The elderly man continued speaking, "It's not much, but considering that you've been starving yourself for the last long while, we didn't want to overload your body. Don't worry, we'll take care of you."
Neojiisu ate slowly. Real food tasted so good after having the Bubblegum Devils scavenging for him for so long. "In time," continued the man, "We'll have you back up to full health. You're welcome to stay with us for as long as you wish. Where's your home?"
"I don't have one."
"Are you a Juin? You don't look like one."
"I thought I told you to stop reading my mind."
"Sorry, it's just a habit now. I've trained to be a telepath for a long time."
"You're a good interogator. Considering the welcome I gave your men in the desert, I can understand why they made you my attendant. They want you to detect any treachery. Trust me, if I was feeling treacherous, I would kill you before your thoughts would do any good. Your last thought would be, 'Oh no, he's going to kill me!' and then-- boom-- you're dead."
"Would you like more food?"
"Sure."
The elderly man motioned for the boy to take the tray out and to bring more food. "You don't want to stay here, do you. Let's get up and take a walk. I'll give you a tour of the monastery." The elderly man pointed out the slippers next to the bed and helped Neojiisu to his feet. Neojiisu stretched and both of them heard some of his joints audibly pop. The man opened the door and let Neojiisu out first. Then they took a walk around the monastery. They introduced themselves to each other and made some small talk. The elderly man was a lot more ready to tell about his life than Neojiisu was to tell about his. The man also discovered just how good Neojiisu could be at hiding his thoughts, so he gave up.
It was a beautiful spring day. Flowers were in bloom, the grass was green, and the sky was vibrant blue. The trickle of fountains and the chirping of birds provided a calming soundtrack. Neojiisu noticed the young children playing games around the terraces stop as he walked past. "I might not be able to read minds," he told the elderly man, "but little children have very obvious faces. I'm the 'Desert Demon.' I'm less than they expected, but they're still a little scared and amazed to have me here with them."
"Do you have a family?"
"No, I'm alone."
"That's too bad."
"I left home a long time ago. Now I wish that I never left. I miss them."
"Yes, I understand. Family is important; mine has brought me a lot of happiness."
Neojiisu didn't respond. His face crumpled and he started crying. He felt his strength leaving him so he found a nearby bench and sat down. The elderly man put an arm around his shoulder and squeezed him a little, offering him a hankerchief. "It's alright, my boy. Just let the pain come out. We're here to help you."
The little children were all watching him weep, but he didn't care who saw. The pain was too immense to keep in.