My Great Elder [Craig of the creek] Mark X David

My Great Elder

(Before this starts, for those of you who read the previous version of this story  with this same name and cover, yes it is different now. I've been rewriting the story and here's the rewrite of it. I was debating on just re-publishing it on a new book but I just decided to do it here, sorry if that upsets you but I swear it's better than it was before.)

Everyday I think back to when we were younger. Back to when we didn't care about what anyone thought of us, at least not completely. We were happy free spirits roaming the earth, smiling, laughing, and playing. Why does it have to end? Why does everything good in the world get corrupted? Why do I have to care about what everyone thinks of me?

"Hey David! Wanna play with us?"

" R-really...You mean it?"

"Of course! It'll be fun!"

'HUH'

"David, I was asking if you were able to come with us."

Oh jeez, I forgot what Elder Mark was saying, I got so lost in my thoughts I must've toned him out.

"Oh, uh, sorry Elder Mark...I wasn't listening. Can you...repeat it?"

His eyelids slid down halfway across his eye before he held onto the bridge of his nose and sighed loudly. I felt a crushing weight fall on me when that gust of wind left his throat. I didn't like when Elder Mark did that, like he was annoyed with me or something. And honestly I don't blame him.

"Barry, you explain."

"Ayai, captain."

I put my head into my arms and sighed.

"Mark wanted to know if you wanted to start another campaign, he was hoping that maybe you'd be the next dungeon master.

"Really?! Elder Mark is that true?!"

He rolled his eyes and sighed before pressing a button on his little pink wand.

"Yes. If you can pay attention that is."

"Y-yeah! Yeah, yeah! Elder Mark, I can do it!"

"Good."

"Oh shit look at the time, 9:46. Time to go home, don't want the bugs getting into this ol rock."

Elder Barry got up from his seat struggling to move his legs that were propped up on the stone table and grab his bag. He walked by our only entrance slash exit and made a peace sign.

"Peace y'all, I'm out."

Elder Barry being gone in a hurry I looked towards Elder Mark, he was my ride home. He quietly gathered our play things and neatly placed them in a bin. He closed everything up and carried them to his car as I followed. This continued our routine we started since High School, everyday we'd go to Elder Rock and play until our hearts contended then go home.

"Well, let's go David."

He smiled at me as we walked to his car and loaded the trunk full of the boxes just as usual. I hopped into the front seat and put on the seat belt. I giggled at a distant memory i had of Mark and his car.

"What's so funny?"

"N-nothing...i was just laughing at the time you didn't start the car for ten minutes.."

"Yeah, we weren't going to leave without Barry putting on a seat belt first."

"Ha, ha! You could've at least told him to 'buckle up'.

I laughed at him and he just sighed, but it didn't take him long to break character and crack a laugh as well. Elder Mark was always the type to make sure everything was at its most fine shape and form.

"David."

"Y-yeah..Elder Mark."

"Heh, that's it."

"What is?"

"I was just going to ask you why you still call Barry and I by our elder names. We haven't done that in years."

I froze. I couldn't just tell him that I felt like I had to because I'm on a lower pedestal, I couldn't tell him how highly i thought of them both.

Tap

Blip

Splash

It started to rain, at first it was light. But as seconds went by it turned into a heavy rain storm. Elder Mark glanced at me and sighed.

"I really don't feel like getting wet right now-"

"We can just stay here I don't...mind."

Elder Mark paused from my obscene shouting in such a small space, my face was red and my heart was beating at the own sound of my voice. 'SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!' I gripped the side of my sweatpants and looked off to the side out of the window. Away from Elder Mark's sight.

"Ha ha ha, sure...I don't mind."

I still didn't want to face him, it was just too much. I always embarrass myself like this.

"Hu- Elder-Ma.."

Confused I felt my helmet coming off of my head, Elder Mark held it in his hand and laughed.

"Did you just take it off to see my messy helmet hair?"

"Heh, maybe...Also I didn't want the points to scratch my car."

He came closer to me, I froze and closed my eyes from the fear of the unknown. He was fixing my hair.

"David you have such nice, and soft hair. You should try styling it."

"L-like yours?"

"Well I wouldn't say that. I don't think it would really suit you. But I think a brow flow would be nice. Especially for your hair, it's a nice medium size. I think it'd be cute but that's just a suggestion."

His long fingers swam through my hair, it felt so calming, I didn't want him to stop. The sound of the rain and Elder Marks fingers made me want to drift off into an endless sleep. The lights were low, and the car was warm. I felt my head lightly float down to the car seat and I closed my eyes. As he brushed his hand past my ear to fix my hair in a style he previously spoke about, I noticed his thumb slide across the edge of my forehead and a little by my neck and cheek. I couldn't tell if I was imagining it or not but it felt like he was trying to make me feel relaxed. Still, I didn't open my eyes. I wanted this to continue forever.

"David, we're here."

'Huh? Oh...I must have imagined it.'

We were at my house and I practically wined, the rain had stopped and the lights in the car were on.

"I'll see ya David."

"Sure thing."

He smiled as I got out of the car, I walked up to the door using the stone path and Elder Mark waited until my abuela answered the door for me.

"Aye, you're so late!"

"Ah- lo siento abuela, the rain stopped me."

She raised a hand to my cheek and smiled.

"Ohh, it's ok. At Least you're not wet. Now, vamos! Your food is getting cold."

After eating my food I rushed inside of my room and fell onto the bed, my feet ached and I was ready to sleep. 'I still can't believe I slept in Elder Mark's car though...was I really imagining him massaging my hair? Whatever that doesn't matter.' Erasing my thoughts I snuggled in my covers and drifted to bed.

"Goodnight."