It was yet another boring day out and about in the town. Nothing interesting ever happens here, nor does anything exciting or fun.
I sighed, tired of the city markets that sold the same old things every day. So, naturally, what does one do when they detest the town they are in?
They leave. For the time being, anyway.
I puffed out my chest and climbed down from the roof I was on.
"Going out into the forest again, Myles?" I heard the butcher call from halfway down the street.
I adjusted my ragged clothes and waved.
"You know it!"
And with that, I turned and ran straight past the city gates and out into the blissful calm of the woodlands.
Now, that day I was feeling particularly adventurous, so I decided to see how far the forest stretched. I was just walking in a straight line, after all. I could easily find my way back.
Turns out, the forest only went for a few kilometres before I found an opening.
It was quite strange, really. It looked like a city of some sort, but there were no roofs on houses. No walls or windows or anything that assured me that people lived there.
Ruins as far as the eye could see.
I walked up and down steps, ducked under fallen support beams, and generally explored the place until I came to what was obviously once a castle. I stopped and hid behind a pole.
There was a man, just standing there with a blank expression on his face, leaning on a sword wearing a rusty crown.
My curiosity got the better of me and I came out of hiding, so the man could see me. As soon as he did, he smiled.
"Excuse me? I...uh...have a question for you." I yelled. He raised an eyebrow and nodded at me.
I cleared my throat.
"Why the fuck are you wearing an iron crown? And how did you even get it wet enough for it to tarnish?" I question, "I mean, geez at least put some effort into it and glide it so it looks gold and the outside doesn't tarnish!"
"What the fuck...?" I mumbled to myself.
The man's expression changed, so did his stance. He threw the sword onto the ground and marched straight up to me, obviously angry.
"Oh, oh, well I'm sorry," He waved his arms in the air, "I don't just, like, carry gliding materials around. Sorry, I'm not prepared like you."
He pouted and I stood in silence.
"So where's your crown, huh? You don't have one?"
I shook my head as there wasn't really anything else to do.
"Didn't think so. Watch yourself." He aggressively poked me in the chest before turning around and muttering something about "kids these days just don't respect their elders."
Insulted, I turned around to march right back to the village and tell everyone about the rude man who got all defensive when I asked him to take better care of his crown.
"W...wait!"
I stop and face the man with an annoyed stare.
"Don't tell people about me!"
"And why not?"
I saw him hesitate and twiddle with his fingers.
"B...because they'll kill me!"
I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah, right. I'm not falling for that one."
The man sighed.
"It WAS a bit cliché, wasn't it?"
I nod, tapping my foot impatiently, "Well?"
"Alright, alright...I just don't like people, ok? So don't tell people or they'll come looking for me."
I thought about this for a second and then replied
"That seems fair enough."
And so I turned around the way I came, went back to the village and never told a single soul about the mysterious man who wore a rusty crown.
What? You thought that this was going to be some big, epic story about how he's my long lost father or something?
Not this time.
It was literally just about the time I met a crazy homeless man who had a knack for collecting random objects from some ruins.
*tap dances off stage*
