From Dawn to Dusk: Aimless

Forward

Howdy! The following is a quick one-shot that takes place in a fantasy universe that I have been steadily creating called "From Dawn to Dusk" (title is possibly subject to change). This short story takes place during the earliest parts of the timeline. Allow this to hold you over before I officially release my first novel, A Collector's Debt, soon.tm

Aimless

    It's fascinating what white noise can do for you. The chugga chugga of the train has nearly drained away all my senses. You would think this would open up my mind and allow me to think at an exponential rate but instead even my imagination refuses to wander. I don't smell the fabric softener or the wood polish that is giving my cabin a fresh lemon scent. I can't even detect the lilac perfume I put on before leaving my home. I don't feel the soft, cool fabric of my seat pressing against my bare legs. My right hand has been continuously stroking the calico cat that has been my traveling companion for more than three years, but my fingertips don't register just how soft her multi-colored fur is. If you were to look at me, you would argue that I was terribly focus on the passing landscape, but I certainly couldn't tell you what trees we passed or what species of bird flew by. The only thing keeping me tethered to reality was that endless chugga chugga. I was entirely in a peaceful trance.

    But that damn tether keeping me on this mortal plane would be my downfall. It allowed the gentlemen who slid open my cabin door to break me from my peaceful nonexistence. I tear my eyes from their unimportant staring and now gaze at the man questioningly. My right hand stopped scratching my traveling partners back and I suddenly recognize just how warm my sitting quarters were. My brain finally begins registering the portly man standing before me. He had some impressive facial hair - a blond, bushy mustache sat above his upper lip and matching eyebrows, in both thickness and color, sat above his eyes. His round head was otherwise bald. He was wearing a forest green dress shirt and a pair of tan dress pants. His pants were secured by a pair of black suspenders.

    "Beg your pardon?" I offered with my small, mousy voice that I wasn't sure I was gonna be able to find. He let out a belly laugh that would rival Saint Nicholas.

    "Ho, ho!" his loud voice echoed, almost an octave high enough to be annoying. "I asked if it would be alright if my familiar and I shared your cabin with you."

    "Um..." I initially begin, certainly not wanting to have any social interactions. "I suppose so..." My eyes dart to my legs and my hands tug on my skirt to make sure I'm not sitting indecently.

    "Oh, thank you, dear!" He heartily bellowed. He slid the cabin door open a bit wider so that his round form could make an entrance. Following behind him was a large, brown bloodhound. His old, wrinkly face glanced up at me and over at my cat. His tailed waged while my feline friend stopped her purring and began to anxiously stare. Once the long dog cleared the doorway, the large man slid the door shut and found a seat opposite of me. His familiar hopped up onto the seat next to him and gave a quiet sigh. The four of us awkwardly stared at each other - my cat and I feeling anxious and wary of these new strangers while our counterparts gave nonthreatening glances.

    "Ah, I suppose introductions are in order," the mustachioed man finally spoke. "My name is Atticus Montgomery - werewolf adventurer that demands stories be written about him!" His oak sized arm pumped into the air as a fire lit up behind his dark, brown eyes. "And this is my partner, Wallace!" His dinner plate sized hand patted the dog gently a few times on the back, which caused the canine to happily wag his tail. "Now, if I may be so bold to ask, what do they call you and your traveling companion?" He made eye contact with me in an attempt to be friendly, but he only succeeded in increasing my urge to shrink my form. I diverted my light blue eyes to my pet and cleared my throat, forcing my mind to remember my manners.

    "I'm, uh.... I'm Amy" I state, feeling my throat clench and all the saliva in my mouth dry up. I pushed through the interaction "And this little girl is Allie." I gently pet the cute furry beast as I called out her name. She looked over at me and let out the quietest of meows. I've known her long enough to know that usually means she is uncomfortable with her surroundings. I pat my leg, inviting the creature over into my lap. She graciously takes the opportunity and sits on me, her claws gently digging into my skin through my skirt.

    "Pleasure to meet you both and thank you graciously for allowing us to share your private cabin," the man says, a touch quieter now. Has he actually read my emotions and adjusted? That's uncommon for people of his personality. "I understand you were probably enjoying this trip in solitude, and I would've allowed you to keep to yourself, but you see, all other cabins were too full to accommodate both my companion and I."

    "You're certainly welcome," I squeak out. Both of my hands and my eyes put their attention on Allie, hoping that this idle action would end this conversation. Atticus certainly wasn't being rude or terribly intrusive, but I desperately wanted to go back to feeling like I'm not really here. About thirty seconds of silence passed before Atticus had to once again make his voice heard.

    "I don't mean to pry, Miss, but I am awfully curious what a Fae is doing traveling alone - especially this far from the Faelands," he kindly questioned. My anxiety riddled brain wanted to perceive this as a threat. I'm a young girl, traveling alone, and I'm now trapped in close quarters with an older man I have never met. Granted - Allie and I could most certainly take him in a fight, or at the very least cause enough trouble to get help. My more rational mind viewed this man as the nice older gent that he was.

    "Well... I'm sure you're aware of the Faelands not being the safest place to be right now," I returned, making eye contact a bit more confidently this time.

    "Certainly," he said with a solemn head nod. "My apologies for what happened to Princess Aurora." I gave him a questioning stare. Why apologize to me? I wasn't part of the royal family. I haven't even seen the Princess in person. "However, you are still quite a ways away from home. What brought you to this half of the world?" He placed both large hands on his knees and gave a kind smile. Why does he want to know so much about me?

    "I mean... war is the only recourse that the royal family wants to take. I'd no doubt be forced to go engage the Pixies on the battlefield." I explain mournfully. "The only way to remove myself from that kind of destruction is to move to the other side of the world."

    "Hm," Atticus hummed, causing his mustache to twitch. "Certainly understandable. As an adventurer, I have engaged many foes in battle. It is certainly not a pleasant experience." I slightly nod my head in agreement. My gaze then falls upon Wallace - who began to do a circle march on the soft cushion before curling his beefy torso into a tight ball of fuzz. "If you don't mind me prying-" I nearly said that I did - "what are your plans now?"

    "Pardon?" My hands left Allie's soft fur and were now nestled under my crossed arms.

    "Now that you have successfully made your way to the other end of creation, what do you plan on doing?" he clarified. Why did he have to ask that God forsaken question? What am I going to do? Right now, all I want to do is go back to barely existing, but something with bushy hair tells me that is most likely not gonna happen. I simply shrug my shoulders and divert my gaze back to the rushing scenery. The train was about halfway across a river. We were still a solid 10 hours from our destination.

    "If I may be so bold," the gentleman said after clearing his throat. "Was there a reason you chose the human capital of Babel as your destination? I know these train tickets aren't cheap, especially ones taking the scenic route." I close my eyes for a moment, doing my best not to get overwhelmed by the questioning. He sounds exactly like my father. I hate being asked plans for the future. Why can't I just... be? Why does there always have to be a plan of action? Why do I always need to be doing something?

    "I'm not sure," I said with a hoarse voice. I could almost feel tears welling up. "I was just going to figure it out whenever I got there."

    "HO HO!" Atticus bellowed, this time even louder than before. I nearly jumped and almost forced Allie out of my lap. "What a wonderful idea! Taking everything one day at a time and experience life as it throws itself at you!" He slapped his stomach a few times as he continued beaming. "You are not much unlike myself and Wallace! I, too, have no plan or reason for heading to Babel! Wallace and I have never been there before, so we wanted to see it!" I stared at the werekin in awe. An elder? Without a plan? Is such a thing possible? I feel like every part of my life was predetermined back home. Everyone expected something from me, but no one could exactly tell me what. I forced myself to ask.

    "You don't have a plan for the future? You don't have an ultimate goal? A purpose?" I timidly spoke, expecting this man to respond defensively and lash out against me.

    "Plan? Purpose?" he retorted, with a goofy smile showing through his bushy 'stache. "HO HO! My dear girl! Traveling aimlessly is my purpose!" he let out another loud laugh and I couldn't help but notice I was smiling as well.

    "Beg your pardon?" I ask again.

    "The idea that you must have some sort of destination, some sort of final goal and ultimate task is a farce!" he explained. Now Wallace was also sitting up, being excited by his owner. "I enjoy traveling. I enjoy smelling new smells. I adore seeing locations I never witnessed. My goal in life is to experience life. Experience this world's people and her locations and food and sounds! I have all these senses; I may as well use them!" I continued smiling at Atticus and waited for his laugh to subside.

    "That sounds like a wonderful plan," I said, still sounding awfully quiet.

    "Why don't you join me?" Atticus suddenly asked. I offer him a puzzled look. "Oh don't give me that glare, haha! Travel with me. Become an adventurer like myself! Use those senses God has given you to witness all of this planet's beauty! And if you despise it? You only need to stop and find something else." He gave a calm and gentle smile that I once again couldn't do anything but return.

    "Well, we have quite a journey ahead of us. I'll think about it."

Backward

(If the text at the beginning of a story is called a forward, doesn't it make sense that the text at the end should be called the Backward?")

Thanks for taking the time to read this short story that I felt the urge to right. As I stated before, this entry was apart of a large overarching story that I am currently working through - and will probably be working on the rest of my life. I hope you enjoyed this peek at some of the fiction writing I am capable of. Repeating myself again - I am planning on self-publishing my first novel, A Collector's Debt, fairly soon. Since I plan on marketing the hell out of it, I'm sure you'll hear about it somewhere on the internet but you can also hear about it directly from the source. If you email us at ragdollgamers.business@gmail.com then you will be added to our mailing list. You'll receive emails notifying you of new updates to both the blog and my other creative outlets. You can also submit an email form from the sidebar menu on the home page of the blog!

Thank you all so much again for reading whatever I happen to write. I hope to write for you again soon but for now - Good Night and Joy Be With You All.