The archive of the forgotten

The better one ~ prologue

Hello everybody, this idea which I am honestly pretty excited about started as a short story. Due to my enthusiasm it might grow up to be a novella. But, because I have designed it not to be one of my main title books I will simply split it up and post it here. Like I am supposed to. I'd love to hear your opinions on it!

The winter is slowly fading and the land is healing, even though it has tried to somany years it doesn't look the same as it did when I was young. When I was a child there was this brilliant green in the grass, it was almost neon, I have never seen that since they came into the country. It became all ashes and coals. The snow in the winter melted and was replaced with the ashes of construction of the great black monsters, monsters that fascinated me. My mother urged to stay away from the machines, my first scar was because of such a machine. And so our green farmland became something that needed to provide the city with its luxury. And our comforting life disappeared.

Nowadays we have found a balance between it, we will never fund someone else's luxury before our own. I made sure of it, whatever it might have cost, I secured a future that I could never dream to have when I was young. I smile and secure the last wheel to the functioning toy car.
I walk through the conservatory and grab all the finished toys and my cape so I can stay a bit dry. The washed out black of my tough trousers seems bleak when you see the relaxed fabric of the cape with its golden iron attachments and red details but first I'll put on my brown leather jacket over my whitish old blouse and bind my human hand in white bandages. The brown jacket has iron plates on and underneath it, because it was used to protect me once. Now, it only makes my arm rattle even more.

I walk out of the conservatory and am welcomed by the plants I have been nourishing. They're beautiful and might I say even cheerful, and I use that word sparingly. But they do bring a smile to my face even in trying times. I put the toys in the bag and walk into the woods. A dragonfly lands on my arm and I smile.

My mouth makes clouds in the cold of the morning and my teeth aren't used to the temperature, even though winter has just finished its course. My right hand feels blue as I pull the cape tighter around me. The way through the woods is rather long, and rather hard to walk too, I need to cross some calm streams and sometimes need to climb over trees but it's better than taking the road more travelled on. I would rather not be seen and somehow get hurt in the forest than being hurt by the cruelty of humanity. I almost stumble as the phantom pain in my knee acts up, I curse through my teeth and take a deep breath before going on.

After a while I finally arrive at the treasure chest as we used to call it. It once used to be a cabin but after it collapsed me and my friends turned it into a hiding place, now, I am the only one who actively uses it.
I open the top and look if all the toys from last time have been taken in by a happy owner, I am pleased to see they are. I am also pleased to see some thank you notes as always. I smile, a genius, according to a lot, where did I go wrong?

I hear something drop on the ground behind me. I look quickly look at it, a child dropped his bag. I quickly pull my hood over my head and cover my the right side of my face with my hand. The child and I stare at each other. I tower above him but my eyes look more scared than his. He points at my face and I feel tears in my eyes, ready for the cruelty of youth.

"You're the machineman." He says with a smile.

I look at him, in shock and pull the hood closer over my face.
"Yes, yes I am." I say while clearing my throat. I turn around and unload the rest of the toys.
"So you made my dancing elephant and my teddy bear, sir?" He says, his lisp painfully clear.
It reminds me of the time I needed to learn the new language and they would say I sounded like metal falling onto each other. I always felt like I sounded dumb when speaking in that cursed language. But the poetry of ours wasn't allowed anymore. I smile, I remember those two toys, I was fond of making them.
"And, do you like them?" I ask.
"Of course." He says with a smile as I turn around, now he is standing even closer to me. I back away from the child, allergic to innocence.
I chuckle and push him back a little. Afraid to hurt this fragile... what should he be? Six year old soul.
"Well," I pick up my bag and close the slot with presents for the children in the city. "Machineman needs to go."

I start walking through the woods. When I suddenly hear someone following me. I look back, the child is walking the exact same path I am. I shake my head.
"You need to go back to the city, kid." I say, turning around, making sure he doesn't see the right side of my face.
"No, machineman go!" he screams and I cannot do anything but sigh. This is why I have always said I am never adopting children, they're all so dumb.... Like what do you mean you are a baby do some proper maths!
"Where is your mum?" I ask with a smile, hiding my anger.
"Home."
I sigh and rest my head on my palms. "Where is home?" I say, the anger placed neatly in the sentence.
"At home." He says as he shrugs.
I sigh through my teeth and turn around, not my monkey, not my problem. I just go on walking. He begins to hum a tune and I roll my eyes.
"Mum says crazy people live in the forest, are you crazy?" he asks while skipping
I sigh and just keep walking. "If you keep asking questions I will be." I groan.
"My mum says forests are dangerous."
"That's probably why you shouldn't follow me." I respond without missing a beat.
"Do you eat birds?"
"Do you eat chicken?"
"yes."
"Then you eat birds too my guy." I say with a sigh.
"Do you make toys for us because you are bored or because you are too old to play?"
"Are you too stupid to stop asking questions or too stubborn?" I ask as I cross a small stream.
"Are you dying? You seem old?" He asks.
"Honestly I wish you were dying so you wouldn't follow me."
"You're mean." He says.
"I know, that's why I'm crazy."
"Thrjel wouldn't like you, he would tell you to be kind instead of crazy." The boy says.
"How do you know, do you know him personally?" I ask
"No, but my mum does." He says.
"Oh let me guess Thrjel the great is your daddy?" I ask with a cynical smile.
"Actually he never had a partner in his life!" He says.
"Oh of course, he didn't need a damsel in distress because he was too self-absorbed right?"
"He was the best hero ever!" He says.
"Oh trust me heroes are never good." I mumble under my breath.
"You don't know what you're talking about, you really must be crazy. Are you a villain?"

I turn around swiftly and grab his chin.
"Listen to me now, you little shit, those fairytale stories are not true and will never be. You are just an annoying child who should be going back to his mum but is too dumb to even know where to go!" I hiss.
His eyes look at mine, terrified for a moment before he starts crying and falls down so he is sitting.

"No no no," oh god.... Children, the damned creatures. "It's okay. Nothing wrong, I didn't mean it." I say.
But he points at me and cries "Machine monster."
My mouth opens slowly as I realise I did not hurt his feelings, he is terrified of my face. I sigh and take off my hood and sit down on my knees. I run my fingers through my long black hair filled with the first grey streaks of age. I grab his hand and put my right one against his.
"See, human." I say as I interlock my fingers.
I pull back and show him my other arm. He wipes his tears. The bronze metal looks rough and used but beautifully human. I sigh and take off the belt securing it and take it of the thing that is left of my arm.
"This is a machine, not a monster." I say with a smile.
He looks at it and looks back at me before pointing to my face.
I sigh and try to fight the tears in my eyes and I reattach my arm and point to my right eye.
"Blind." I say, explaining the scarring and milky white layer on top of it.
He still looks at me with his deer eyes. And I sigh, I know what he is talking about. I smile and bite my finger, instructing him to do the same and I move it to the right.
"Feel those teeth?" I ask, he nods. I point at my jaw, that's almost fully exposed because of the wound. "I do not have the skin you have there. But I am still human. I don't bite." I say with a smile.
He touches the wound and I do not tell him that it hurts when he does that but the tear in my eye can't hide itself.
He smiles "Cool machine man!" He says.
I nod and feel a smile on my face. "Yeah, cool machine." I sigh, I stand up and dust off my clothes. "You need to get back to your mum." I say with a frown, I'll just go to the city and hope someone recognises him. I bind a cloth around my mouth to hide the wound and want to start walking when he all of a sudden grabs my hand. He looks up and smiles at me, he smiles at me, and with his dark blonde hair and his innocent eyes, he almost reminds me of him. Of the possibility of innocence we had. I smile and start walking.
"How did you become a machine man?" The boy asks as he skips on.
"It's a long story. A really long one." I say while staring into the distance.