SCHORIANS

C.54 - Go On, Jump In The Boat

Song: The Untold, by Secessions Studios.

Chanoch tried not to bother with the man's disappointment. He knew that he was crushing Mr.Siegbrecht's wishes, but such thing was not as disastrous as it seemed, because the teacher did not convey such mastery and respect as before. All the vain and aerial thoughts were just a camouflage. The truth was simple: Mr.Siegbrecht was an obsessed man, imprisoned in his Parkinsoniac loko melodies. Chanoch did not accept to share a place and a purpose with a man that had disregarded his wife's health, saved a child to later let him die, and married another woman. That was the typical profile of a troubled person.

Yes, that's right.

And the world was in danger. The world needed solutions. The world needed competent people to put the criminals behind bars. Chanoch thought about talking to Mr.Siegbrecht and trying to convince him that his sudden idea was actually the best choice. He wanted to say that he was willing to do what was best for everyone: to keep people safe. To save people from the danger. But then he remembered that by doing that, he would totally contradict himself. He had said, vehemently, that people did not deserve protection, but had the obligation to deal with their own issues. And that was still true. Without a good argument, Chanoch didn't knock on the man's door, because now there was a new situation:

How am I going to get there? How do I get in the Army?

The answer was insanely immediate. Whether because he was affected by a giant struck of luck -- ridiculous -- or because someone might have listened to his thoughts -- also ridiculous -- the orphanage received a visit during the weekend. Had Mr.Siegbrecht mentioned anything to the director, about his sudden plan? And even if not, the principal, by this time, was probably wondering why the pupil and his master were taking so long to communicate him about the date of their departure.

The two men dressed in khaki uniform walked through the hall, staring around and chatting.

Chanoch instinctively hid behind a pillar, hit by terror. What the hell two soldiers were doing at the orphanage? That was such a bizarre timing. As he tried to slow down his heartbeat, he observed the two men. They were strong, carrying a brown briefcase, opening a clear area in the hall. Chanoch was not the only to watch them. But then he realized that his height did not allow him to hide behind a pillar and tilt his head without being noticed. The two men stared at him and chuckled. Chanoch swallowed dry and retreated from the embarrassing pillar.

Okay, okay. It's all under control. Focus on the task.

Which task?

Really...

It would be too weird to poke on their shoulder and say "Hey man, I'm Chanoch a.k.a. Caedmon or Caspian, I play piano most of the time, but I wanna be a recruit. Can I go with you guys? Oh, and I want this uniform, too. Makes me feel more important, which I'm definitely not. So, how many roskies have you killed, so far? No one? Man, wait a minute, I'm gonna show you how it's done: you grab them by the neck, like this, hey pay attention, and you twist it. Real quick. Then boom, roskie's dead. You know, you gotta kill them while it's still soft. Not that I'd ever want to eat them, unless I'm in the snow wild. Human meat is more nutritious than fish or fox--"

He turned on his heels and decided to totally give up on his precipitated plan. That would never work. Being in the Army would never work for him, especially when it came to grab a gun and aim at people. His sight was awful, his aim was not worth discussing, and yes, it was time to apologize Mr.Siegbrecht for being rude. He had to practice, he hadn't touched the piano for three days. He needed to pack his bags, help the elder to pack his, and move to Aufshürg. Maybe the roskies were not interested in attacking a place with music prosperity, which would make absolutely no sense, but still--