The Administrator

Chapter 1.1 - Encounter

'School life... It's one of life's most precious moments and it holds the most precious memories of our life. If you don't enjoy your school life to the fullest, then you regret it for the rest of your life.'

My colleagues from part time jobs say these words over and over to me to the point I can recall them in my sleep.

And I want to believe it too, but things don't go the way you think they would, right?

It's always like this anyway. But you never know when the unexpected happens.

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I am on my way to school.

The slight ray of light tracing the morning dew, the humming of birds, the calm yet light breeze that wafts around from time to time, everything makes this walk more enjoyable to me.

But unlike other days, today seems a bit different.

"It's too quiet today."

It's almost half an hour's walk from home to school, and my house is partway away from the main street. But today is the first time I see it deserted like this.

"Wait, did my clock screw up?"

It is after all working of its own volition.

And now that I recall, it's been more than three days since I went to school... or is it four days???

-Ah, who cares?

As I am brooding over my self-complaints and worries, the wind suddenly picks up, blowing my hair out of proportion.

I turn my head to the gap between the trees where the wind had blown.

On the side of the weedy street, there is a signboard. The letters printed on it succumbed to the constant rain and rust.

But as a regular, I know what it is.

Beyond the board and hiding behind a row of trees is a crater. A crater so big with not a speck of grass on it. It is like a huge playground with all the surrounding trees but the ground inside is all torn apart, and wide cracks can be seen on the inside.

The interesting part is where all the cracks lead to, the center where the shape of a huge rectangle hole can be seen. To me, it almost looks like a door casing.

The locals say that something in that shape fell from the sky, causing all this. Of course, I don't recall such a thing happening, and nothing of that sort was found in the vicinity making their claim refutable.

Anyway, since it's an area covered with natural vegetation, no harm to civilians or properties has been reported.

Without proper evidence, no one understands the reason for this. Some say that it was due to the impact of a meteor falling. While some claim that it was the explosion caused by a biological weapon and the so-called believer faction proclaims that it was the divine work of their gods...

From that day on, it's been one of the mysteries and attractions of our town.

-The enigmatic crash site

That's what people start to call this area from then. Till a year ago, this place was a hotbed for researchers and tourists alike, but for some reason, people's visits slowly started to wane and now it seems nothing more than a disaster area.

Lost in thoughts, I stand there dazed until I hear a person's voice.

"Land or people, once its purpose is over, they are nothing more than trash, right?"