Pocket Dad (G/t) (Discontinued)

[10]

"C'mon big boy, today's your big day," Anthony nudged the boy's arm. He perked up at the mention of 'big day' and turned sharply to meet the little man's eyes.

"Are we going today? Really? We're really going! Are you sure?" Shawn bounced up and down on the spot and dropped the dirt sculpture in his hands. Although he looked like a human ball of excitement, his voice betrayed a hint of anxiety.

"Yes yes, we are. It's raining, it's past lunchtime and it's the morrow of the Ydall festival; there shouldn't be too many people out in the streets. We should be safe to go," he'd known for a good few weeks that this day would come eventually, and despite all the time he'd given himself to get ready, Anthony still didn't want to go just yet. He knew if he didn't go right then, he'd delay the inevitable a few more months, so he finally decided to man up and get it over with. "Now go clean up and put on some good and dry clothes, or I may just change my mind!" With that, Shawn got up on his feet and rushed to do as told. His footfalls sent faint tremors to the ground. To think that the tiny baby human in a wooden carrier would one day be a little big person whose steps quaked the ground was a little unnerving for Anthony. Fortunately, he didn't often think of it; at the end of the day, the big scary human was still only his kid, whom he felt he could trust and count on.

"I'm done! Let's go," the boy was back in a matter of minutes, clean and ready to go, he held by his side a shoulder bag. "I don't like those shoes."

"I know you don't, but you have to wear them,"

"I know! But I really don't like those, can I just wear socks?"

"When did you get so picky? You know you need to wear those. It's dangerous to walk in the village barefooted, and besides, you don't want to be the odd one out,"

"But you're barefooted right now,"

"But I won't be walking. Now come on," Anthony motioned for the kid to come down. Shawn knelt and held the bag down and open. " Are you sure this is fine?" He asked.

The man stood in front of the open bag a few seconds, and he tried to get rid of the uneasy feeling that crept up on him. He suddenly didn't feel so much like himself; if anything, he didn't feel much at all aside from the cold and sick sensation in the pit of his stomach.  "Sure it is, don't worry." He crawled in and tried to find a comfortable standing position; He didn't find any, "Alright, we're good to go."

"Sure you're good?"

"Absolutely sure, don't you worry. Let's just go now, alright?" He didn't get an answer right away, but a few silent seconds later he felt everything around him slowly shifting and moving. Once it settled down, he poked his head out of the bag, eager to get back a sense of space and a bit of breath. He was sure he wasn't too claustrophobic, but he didn't feel too comfortable or at peace in a place with walls enclosing all around him; it was too stuffy and he felt he couldn't breathe well enough.

"Onward now, Shawn!" He tried to be upbeat about the situation, but he knew he wouldn't be able to, despite his best efforts.

_____

Shawn couldn't focus on a single thing for long enough, and that for two reasons: the first was that there so many new and weird things all around that grabbed his attention, and the second was the absolute flood of new people emerging from every corner.

The place was full of homes and buildings that weren't homes, of all shapes and heights and kinds and colours; some looked like big wooden boxes, some like big blue tubes, and some much more small and normal ones of dark shades. But there were so many more details to find when he took a closer look, like strange signs on the walls, emblems bellow windowsills, strange wooden cross patterns on some doors. The ground and paths were made of stone (which he found ridiculous, who would waste time and magic to cover the fresh soft soil with cold hard rock?) There was occasionally a large stone shape right in the very middle of the path that didn't represent something coherent to him. There were many mixed colours, but the one that dominated was the green of bushes and plants adorning homes' outside and trees squashed between the buildings amassed and squeezed close together. Everything was full and tight and overcrowded, and the boy's breath hitched in excitement and amazement at the newness of it all.