--donation bonus (day #4, post 1/5)--
‘My dad takes medication,’ said Hector. ‘Sometimes, he has... bad days... and... I mean, even normally, he’s not very... um... talkative. But... he likes to be alone on his bad days...’
‘Hmm. What kind of medication?’
‘Eh... honestly, I’m not sure...’
‘What?’
‘My parents have always kinda... hid it from me... I think Dad’s embarrassed by it. And Mom just... I don’t know...’
‘How could you tell he was having a bad day, then?’
‘He was home when he should have been at work, for one thing. And... I could see the tremors... in his hands. They were weak, but...’
‘Ah.’ Garovel paused. ‘Y’know, I could follow him around and probably figure it out, if you want.’
Hector’s eyes widened, and he shook his head. ‘N-no, that’s... please don’t do that...’
‘Why not? You’d rather not know?’
‘I just... That’s, um... My parents are very private people. My dad even more so than my mom. I don’t... wanna... do that to him... I mean, he doesn’t want me to know, so...’
The reaper shrugged. ‘If you say so. Personally, I think it’d be better to know, but it’s your family.’
On the bus, Hector took the seat behind the driver and stared out the window. Garovel floated right outside.
‘So do you, um... do you really not know what Geoffrey is? Bohwanox thought you might have some idea.’
‘I wish I did,’ he said. ‘But that creature... I’ve never seen anything like it. It was just so...’
‘So, what?’
‘Wrong.’
‘How do you mean...? Like, his aura was really fucked up or something?’
‘Essentially, yeah. But it didn’t seem like a human soul that had become corrupted somehow. It seemed completely inhuman to begin with.’
‘Hmm...’
A dark serial novel. Set in a modern fantasy world called Eleg. Mature language. Updates every day at noon PST by ~400 words.
Monday, July 1, 2013
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Page 111
By appearance alone, Samuel Goffe was certainly Hector’s father. They shared their slender builds, their thin noses, their prominent brows, and their slightly darker skin tones. About the only things Hector took from his mother were her eyes and hair, but as he kept his head shaved, that left only the prior.
“Morning, son.”
“Morning...”
Hector made himself a bowl of cereal. And a bowl of oatmeal. He grabbed a chocolate muffin as well. Then a banana. A glass of milk, too. Some strawberry yogurt. Peanut butter on toast. And a couple waffles for good measure. He sat down across from his father.
As he ate, he kept expecting his father to bring up the subject of his school attendance, but the man seemed content for them to sit in silence. Hector could see the coffee mug shaking as his father sipped from it.
Garovel floated around the table. ‘Maybe you should ask him something.’
‘Like what?’
‘I don’t know. How his day is going? Say anything.’
‘No...’
‘Why not?’
‘Just... no...’
The reaper made a face but didn’t press further.
His father finished his coffee and moved to the living room to watch the morning news. Hector devoured the rest of his breakfast, climbed back upstairs, brushed his teeth, grabbed his bag, and shambled off to the bus stop.
Garovel was not prepared to let the topic of Hector’s father go, however. ‘I know you don’t have the warmest relationship with your parents, but even still. You could have at least attempted a conversation with him.’
‘There was no point,’ he said. ‘Dad’s having a bad day...’
The skeleton raised an eyebrow. ‘What do you mean?’
“Morning, son.”
“Morning...”
Hector made himself a bowl of cereal. And a bowl of oatmeal. He grabbed a chocolate muffin as well. Then a banana. A glass of milk, too. Some strawberry yogurt. Peanut butter on toast. And a couple waffles for good measure. He sat down across from his father.
As he ate, he kept expecting his father to bring up the subject of his school attendance, but the man seemed content for them to sit in silence. Hector could see the coffee mug shaking as his father sipped from it.
Garovel floated around the table. ‘Maybe you should ask him something.’
‘Like what?’
‘I don’t know. How his day is going? Say anything.’
‘No...’
‘Why not?’
‘Just... no...’
The reaper made a face but didn’t press further.
His father finished his coffee and moved to the living room to watch the morning news. Hector devoured the rest of his breakfast, climbed back upstairs, brushed his teeth, grabbed his bag, and shambled off to the bus stop.
Garovel was not prepared to let the topic of Hector’s father go, however. ‘I know you don’t have the warmest relationship with your parents, but even still. You could have at least attempted a conversation with him.’
‘There was no point,’ he said. ‘Dad’s having a bad day...’
The skeleton raised an eyebrow. ‘What do you mean?’
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Page 110 -- XII.
Chapter Twelve: ‘O, vigilant heart, take heed...’
Click to display entire chapter at once -- (mobile link)
Hector had been relieved to have Bohwanox help him find his way home again. The reaper knew exactly where Cedar Street was and had no trouble guiding him toward more familiar surroundings before flying off. He’d worried that Bohwanox would have trouble finding Colt again, but the reaper did not seem to share his concern.
Lying in bed, Hector awoke to Garovel floating over him.
‘Best wake now,’ the reaper said. ‘People will start to wonder where you are if you miss more school again.’
He rolled over. His body felt like a sack of bricks. “It’s the weekend...”
‘Not anymore. You’ve been sleeping for four days.’
“Ugh... of course I have...”
‘I only slept for two. You’re a wuss.’
He eyed the reaper incredulously and shook his head. “So you’re all recovered, I take it?”
‘For the most part. C’mon, get up.’
He groaned and sat over the side of his bed. “I feel fucking terrible...” As usual, everything hurt, his chest most of all. It had a kind of burning ache to it that made him regret each breath he took. “Agh, Garovel... why...?” He gave a laughing whimper. “This sucks so bad...”
‘I know. I managed to mitigate some of it while you slept, but the next few days’ll be pretty rough.’
“I regret everything...”
‘No one likes a whiner.’
“I especially regret saving you...”
‘Right back at you, Hector. Right back at you.’
His laugh broke off into a grimacing smile. “Please...! Don’t make me laugh...!”
‘Sorry.’
He slowly dressed himself and half-stepped his way down stairs with wooden legs. He found his father in the dining room, overseeing a coffee and newspaper.
Click to display entire chapter at once -- (mobile link)
Hector had been relieved to have Bohwanox help him find his way home again. The reaper knew exactly where Cedar Street was and had no trouble guiding him toward more familiar surroundings before flying off. He’d worried that Bohwanox would have trouble finding Colt again, but the reaper did not seem to share his concern.
Lying in bed, Hector awoke to Garovel floating over him.
‘Best wake now,’ the reaper said. ‘People will start to wonder where you are if you miss more school again.’
He rolled over. His body felt like a sack of bricks. “It’s the weekend...”
‘Not anymore. You’ve been sleeping for four days.’
“Ugh... of course I have...”
‘I only slept for two. You’re a wuss.’
He eyed the reaper incredulously and shook his head. “So you’re all recovered, I take it?”
‘For the most part. C’mon, get up.’
He groaned and sat over the side of his bed. “I feel fucking terrible...” As usual, everything hurt, his chest most of all. It had a kind of burning ache to it that made him regret each breath he took. “Agh, Garovel... why...?” He gave a laughing whimper. “This sucks so bad...”
‘I know. I managed to mitigate some of it while you slept, but the next few days’ll be pretty rough.’
“I regret everything...”
‘No one likes a whiner.’
“I especially regret saving you...”
‘Right back at you, Hector. Right back at you.’
His laugh broke off into a grimacing smile. “Please...! Don’t make me laugh...!”
‘Sorry.’
He slowly dressed himself and half-stepped his way down stairs with wooden legs. He found his father in the dining room, overseeing a coffee and newspaper.
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