An Awakener's Peradventure

Chapter 5: The Search of a New Road

The current year is 888 A. P (After Purobaida). It stormed on a Wednesday afternoon in Mugenishika. A green bus with purple stripes pulled over at a bus stop on the left lane. A teenage boy walked underneath the rain clouds, opening a small black umbrella with his left hand.

He wore an oak brown hoodie with a green long-sleeved t-shirt underneath, blue jeans, white and brown boots, and glasses. A black leather schoolbag was also slung over his back.

He walked down the rose brick pavement towards his right as he continued his way back home after another rough day of collage. After passing twelve houses, he arrived at the front door of a pink house on his left.

He opened the door and heard computer noises coming from upstairs. Locking the door, he made his way to the kitchen. He searched through the fridge and took the seafood risotto left overnight.

As the food warmed up, he thought about what his friends might be doing. He attempted to stay away from it, but envy exerted a powerful influence. That they lived a more thrilling life frustrated him. The microwave timer roared before he dug deeper.

When he finished, he went upstairs to his bedroom. The distorted sounds escaping the opposite bedroom were more intangible as he got closer.

He opened his door to find his chubby brother resting on a cushioned swivel chair. Empty bags of potato chips and other snacks blanketed the ceramic floor. His eyes were fixated on the screen in front of him.

"Hello Eilam," he called out to him. His brother never registered the call. He was only focused on watching videos that would blind and deafen the average person. "At least try to acknowledge me," he complained.

He entered his bedroom and slammed the door shut. He tossed his belongings aside and collapsed on his back onto a bed.

A grey aura emitted from the surrounding walls. His thoughts returned more fiercely than usual. It seemed it would be another rough battle of introspection. He pulled out his phone and skimmed through his musical playlists before selecting a shuffle of depressing songs.

A clan made of the darkest parts of his insecurities would always wage against his mind. They fought over many things regarding the wellbeing of the person who was named Konstantin. However, the major war centred on him as an individual.

Konstantin was compassionate and helpful to others. He recalled the time he interacted with the school flamingo. He helped the elderly librarian.

Then came the times he attempted to interact with his colleagues. His best friend had a free Wednesday, so he passed by every person he knew. He was never acknowledged, or they did not remember him, even though they had met multiple times before.

He was awoken by the door clicks and noticed that forty-five minutes had passed. He paused his soundtrack and looked down at the guardrails. Both his parents had returned home earlier than he was told.

His father had a plump stomach, with hairs protruding around his chest. He had grey hair that only covered the top, leaving his back bald and had a stubble beard around his bottom jaw. His mother had wrinkles around her eyelids and her cheeks. She had brown hair that she dyed blonde and green eyes. He ran down the stairs, greeted them with open arms only to slapped by several favours.

First, his father needed someone to assist him with fixing his car's tyres. Next, his mother needed someone to clean her nail salon, which was on the opposite side of the house. Then, his father needed someone needed a shopping assistant for the weekly bag of groceries. All the chores that happened this day were tame compared to the weekends, especially on Sundays.

By seven 0'clock, Konstantin's legs were grounded down and minced. The extensive amount of labour stress he endured leapt from his back as he took his seat at the dinner table. He felt euphoric when he lifted his feet off the ceramic tiles.