The world shaper

8

They were walking through a park. The path was lit with street lights but the rest of the park was resting in the dark. The scene was magical because the path was like a white thread put on a darkness.

“Aren’t you afraid walking in the dark?”

“I don’t know. Until now I haven’t had any problems.”

“Then…”

He didn’t finish his sentence when a young man in a leather jacket and with a curious hair cut jumped in front of them.

“So, mum and dad put your money out!”

His eyes were glittering with uncertainty, but he looked desperate enough to do anything in order to get some money.

“Speaking of the devil.” Anna helplessly hissed through her clanged teeth.

“Silence! I want money, now!”

Young man pulled a big knife out of his pocket and started to swing with it in front of their noses. The old man spotted a ball above his head. It wasn’t like Anna’s. It was completely black. Actually it wasn’t black. It looked like it was sipping the colors from the surrounding space. Instinctively he reached for it. Young man twitched and made a cut over old man’s hand. But the old man didn’t pull his hand back. Instead he touched the ball. By his touch the ball undulated a bit.

Anna took a step back and silently and watched them. She was like in trance, unable to move. Old man observed the ball. Firstly it was avoiding his fingers then he managed to catch it between thumb and index finger. The ball started to shake and then the change occurred. It started to grow transparent. It was so transparent that it was almost invisible.

Young man just stood there and helplessly watched what was going on. His lowered his hands and his knife fell to the floor.

The ball it slowly began to gain color. It got a bit of a blue, a touch of green and a shade of white. It looked almost like Anna’s. The old man held it for just a while then he carefully removed his hand.

Young man stared at him in astonishment. He opened his mouth to say something and then he closed it back. Finally he managed to speak out:

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

He ran away as fast as he could and soon they lost the sight of him in the darkness of the park.

Anna stood there shaking a bit.

“What has just happened?”

“I changed his world,” old man peacefully replied. “His world was dark. It was without the sun or life. I put a bit of joy and sense into it.”

Anna observed him with great admiration. It looked like he transformed from the helpless old men to a hero.

“Yes?”

“I’m slowly getting my memory back. My name is Horatio and I seem to have a mission. It looks like I can remodel and reshape people’s worlds and bring lightness that casts away the darkness in them.”

“You did that to the boy?”

“Yes. He was full of rage and anger. If I wouldn’t help him he would sooner or later get into some serious problems.”

She still couldn’t exactly figure out what has happened. Then she saw the old man’s hand.

“You are hurt.”

“It’s nothing. It’s just a scratch.”

She pulled a handkerchief from her purse, took his arm and wrapped his hand in a handkerchief which instantly turned red from blood.

“Let’s go home. Your wound needs to be disinfected and properly taken care of.”

They were deep in their thoughts when so they were in front of Anna’s house in no time. She placed Horatio’s in the armchair in the living room and she went into the bathroom to get a clean cloth, anti-inflammatory balm, sterile gauze and a bandage. Firstly she cleaned his wound with wet cloth and smeared a balm on it. Then she covered it with gauze. She carefully wrapped a bandage around his hand.

“I hope it is not too firm,” she said and rechecked the bandage.

“No. It will be fine,” Horatio shortly replied.

“That was way too much for me. I think I’ll get into the shower.”

“And I’ll get to the bed,” said Horatio while yawning.