Days of Travels

[Santinka]

 

[Santinka]

Days of Travels
By Daceria

Sword of Chance

Today was the day. It felt like the end of the world, for all he had ever known would be gone. His friends, his family, even his girlfriend. How could he possibly go through with this? Today was the day he turned eighteen. Normally kids love becoming adults, but for him, it was the end of the world itself.
His family had always had a ceremony for young men when they turned eighteen, but his birthday would change not only himself, but the whole world as well. Today was the day that Jared would make history.
“Why, Dad?” asked Jared
“Son, " his dad said. "You know very well that today you are a man. It is your duty, as a man, to enter the war. Today you celebrate your manhood, but tomorrow you are enlisting in the war, I insist. I fought in Vietnam and now it’s your turn to make history. Don’t let me down, Son.” His father smiled and ruffled his hair with one hand as he walked away, to get ready for the ceremony.
Jared quickly fixed his blonde hair. No one really understood just what he was going through. Growing up was fun, but why so fast? He didn’t want to leave his friends or his girlfriend to go to some war that he didn’t need to fight! He had his own battles, right in his own city! Two or three years earlier, the twin towers in New York had fallen due to a terrorist attack. Growing up, Jared had hoped to climb to the top of those towers. Then all of a sudden there were rocks, rubble, and clouds of smoke that covered where they used to be. Now there was the memorial building, but to him it just wasn’t the same.
Jared didn't understand why his father wanted him to go to war. Didn't he think that maybe Jared had plans already, like going to college, or getting a job?
Jared heard a knock at the door and went to answer it.
“Hey Jared]! So what’s it like to be a man?” asked Bradley, one of his older friends. He was eighteen, ]five-foot-eight and about 140 pounds. Bradley played for the school’s football team, along with a lot of Jared’s other friends. Jared had been the quarterback due to his asthma. He couldn’t run like the rest of the guys.
“It’s not exactly how I expected it. I didn't expect not being able to talk to you guys again," Jared said. "I mean, my father wants me to enlist in the army!” exclaimed Jared, letting Bradley inside. They walked into the living room and sat down. From a distance Jared could see those ridiculous pictures of him when he was younger. There, starring him, was his last school picture. It was the only one he didn’t smile for, which had made his mother furious. He just stared at the picture. If he could turn back the clock he would have smiled, and he wished he could have made his mother happy. She was out in Florida seeing his grandmother, who the doctors had found cancer in. He loved his grandmother and wished every day for her to get better.
Jared got up and looked at Bradley. “Today is my day," he said, "and I’m going to make the best of it that I can!” he exclaimed as he grabbed his football and invited Bradley to come and play with the other guys until it was time for the ceremony to begin. Bradley followed Jared as they went out to their football field, but when they got there, there was a man standing in the center of the field. Jared went to the man, but Bradley stayed back.
“Hey, would you mind if we played football here?” asked Jared. The old man just looked at him. He had a beard that looked silver, not long, but noticeable, and he was very tall for an old man, taller then all of their players. He was very skinny and looked like he hadn’t had a decent meal for quite some time. The man just stood there. He didn’t talk, he didn’t move, he just stood there. Bradley called to Jared.

“Remember Jared? We're not supposed to talk to weird strangers,” Bradley muttered.
“I’m not a kid, Bradley. I think I can handle it,” Jared said.
“Suit yourself,” Bradley replied and ran off quickly. Once he was gone the man spoke up.
“Don’t you recognize me Jared?” he asked. Jared began to worry a little at this point. He had never met him and yet, this man knew who he was! It was almost time for the ceremony anyway, and if he didn’t hurry he would be late, he decided quickly.
“Who are you? How do you know me and why are you here?” Jared asked cautiously.
“My name is David. You are my grandson. I’m here to show you the way.” He smiled.
“Wait a second, my grandfather is dead! How in the world—?!” Jared was now really freaked out. Was he talking to a ghost?! But Bradley was able to see him!
“Please don’t worry Jared, I’m not a ghost. Actually, in a way I suppose I am. A different kind of ghost. In heaven, they call us angels,” he explained.
“Well then grandfather, unless you have a miracle for me, I’m going to be late,” explained Jared, edging away.
“You're not going,” said his grandfather calmly, as if it were fact. “If you go, you will die.”
“What are you talking about?!” Jared demanded, backing away.
“Terrorists.”
“What?!”
“They plan to attack center square, right where your ceremony is being held. Everyone there was told by other angels to flee, but many of them didn’t believe us. Your father is still there waiting for you,” explained David.
“I have to go tell him!” Jared cried in horror, turning to run.
David grabbed his shoulders.
“If you leave now then your world will be in ruins, Jared. Your family, your friends, and myself—we need you alive," he said.
“But—Dad—I—”
"You must run away from here. Enlist in the army or form your own. Jared listen!” David snapped as Jared began to shake his head. “I was in your shoes, I know what it’s like to lose a loved one, but now you must go! In the army you'll get your vengeance. It’s the safest place for you."
He pulled out a gleaming sword and raised it in the air, and for a hysterical moment Jared thought his own grandfather would stab him! But the old man lowered the blade and presented it to the boy with a solemn expression on his face.
"I want to give you this," he said. "Before either of our times, it belonged to a great warrior, a protector. The tale is so old that his name and his legend have been lost, but not forgotten. It is an ancient katana, and it has been passed down through our family for centuries, until at last it comes to you. It has a special ability, Jared. It has the power to save one life—but only one. You must use this ability only in the greatest of peril. When the time is right, you will know what to do."
Jared stared at the blade with misgiving and confusion. He looked up into his grandfather’s eyes and tried to understand what he had meant by all that he had said. What would happen when he took the sword? Would something change? Would he be different somehow?
Something deep inside him urged Jared to reach out and take the katana, and as it changed from his grandfather’s hands to his own, a feeling of finality fell over him.
David smiled, a little sadly it seemed, but with pride in his eyes. “Good luck, my grandson. You will change the world.”
The sound of a bomb exploded in the air over town and Jared spun around, staring at the flames and black clouds that suddenly billowed in the sky. The ground shook under his feet and he lost his balance, tumbling to the ground with the force of the distant blast.
“Grandfather!” David shouted, twisting to see what had happened to the old man, but David had vanished. “Dad!” Jared shouted, lurching to his feet. “Dad!”

***

That was the day that Jared’s life changed.
Central square was demolished in a terrorist attack that took many lives. Had his father finally heard the warning and left? Jared wondered. Was he still alive? Was he buried somewhere in the rubble?
Jared enlisted that very night in the army. There he hoped to find someone or something that could help him, for he could not do this alone. One kid in a world full of people, trying to find those responsible for the attack? It was impossible! Where could he even start? Becoming a man was far worse than he had imagined.
The next day, the news of the attack was everywhere, from the newspapers and radio to TVs and online broadcasts. Jared’s mother had called his cell phone that morning to make sure he was okay, and though he hated to tell her, he had to give her the news that his father was in the park during the attack. Afterward he just said a simple "I love you Mom. Bye.” He hung up to the sound of her sobbing on the other end, but he couldn’t bring himself listen. He couldn’t let himself get caught up in his mother’s emotions.
How had she felt when he turned sixteen and got his first girlfriend?
"My little boy is all grown up, I just can’t believe how fast he grew!" she sobbed.
Jared looked back on this memory and smiled. His mom always made him laugh, even in the worst of times. He wanted to go see her, to tell her the whole story. Would she think he was insane when he told her how his dead grandfather had told him to stay out of the park?
She was in Florida with her mother now. The only way he would see her was if he got some money. After a moment of thought, he went into his father’s study and searched for the key to the lock box. He would find all he needed in there.
Jared opened the box and took out several hundreds and a few twenties, then closed the rest back up and hid the key again. His mom would need the money when she came home, he realized. If his father was...she’d need it for the funeral, he thought, not quite bringing himself to think ‘dead’. He booked a plane ticket online for that afternoon and sat on his bed, wondering what to do next.
Jared looked to his left and saw the katana on his belt. he grasped it and held it straight up in front of him. It looked just like any other Japanese sword, with a curved blade in the usual tradition. He didn’t see anything special.
But his grandfather had said it would save one life. Did that mean bringing someone back from the dead?
You must use this ability only in the greatest of peril. Then he saw, on the sheath, the Japanese characters for Protector. Protector? Of what?! His own rear end? His grandfather had told him to run away to war instead of trying to save his father...and he’d listened!
Jared stormed out of the house, slamming the door in anger and stomped down the sidewalk, not watching where he was going and not caring, either.
“I was so worried about you!” Rachel yelled from behind him. His girlfriend ran up to him and hugged him close, giving him a quick kiss. Jared looked at her and frowned. Were her fingers burned?
“I’m fine—but what happened to your hands?!” asked Jared with concern, forgetting his anger.
“Oh, I burned them at work yesterday. Hot tea spilled all over them. I’m lucky my whole arms aren’t burned.”
She smiled, putting her hands behind her back. She didn’t want Jared to think about her little problems. There were way more serious things to worry about.
“Rachel my father is... well he’s probably dead. I’m glad that you're safe though. Are the rest of our friends?” asked Jared.
From behind Rachel came the entire football team, but as Jared looked around and greeted them, he realized everyone was there...except for Bradley.
“Hey guys...where is Bradley?” asked Jared uneasily.
The guys exchanged looks.
“He just went to see if you were home while we followed Rachel here," explained Matthew hurriedly. "I’ll give him a call and tell him to come down this way,” he said, taking out his phone and pushing buttons.
“Never mind. I have a to catch.” Jared saluted and walked off, waving. The guys could not believe it! Their quarterback was going to be in the army?! The team took Rachel home as she began to cry. What if she never saw him again? How could he just run off like that? Without saying goodbye?
Little did Jared know, but Bradley was waiting for him at the airport. He was standing there by the plane when Jared arrived.
It took a minute for him to get over the shock of seeing Bradley in a place where he had expected everyone to be unfamiliar, and he couldn’t help but feel glad that he got to see his friend one last time. All the same, he wondered how to explain his decision to his best friend.
I'll come back a hero. My dead grandfather told me to do this. My father wanted me to—his last wishes were for this. All of theses thoughts ran through his head as he came closer.
“Hey Jared!” waved Bradley
Jared gave a half-hearted wave in return as he came to a stop. “Listen, Brad... I enlisted in the army." Bradley nodded contentedly, not seeming to understand, and Jared clenched his teeth in frustration. "I have to go. I’ll miss you guys and everything, but I have to do this, I can't change my mind now, it's too late."
"Yeah?" he replied mildly, as if he were talking to a fisherman. Yeah? It was really that big? Isn’t that something, then.
"I going to war, Bradley! I can't be a kid and play football with you forever! I'm already signed up, I have to do it! It's time to be a man and stop playing around!" Jared shouted, trying to make him understand.
A reckless grin spread across Bradley's face as he looked Jared in the eyes. "Oh, I'm not the only one?" he asked innocently.
“Please tell me your not serious,” Jared exclaimed.
"Naw, of course not!" Bradley replied sarcastically. "Yes I'm coming you idiot! I'm not letting my best bud have all the fun without me! Besides, it's better for both of us...and I'm already signed up. I have to do it now!" he added with that wicked grin as he repeated Jared’s own words.
Jared felt himself grin broadly. "I could hit you right now," he said, slapping his friend on the back. "I can't believe you!"
Bradley laughed. "Whoa hey, easy on the merchandise!" he teased. "Besides," he said seriously, "you need someone to talk to."
Jared knew he was right, although he didn't say so. They got on the plane and left together to Miami, Florida, to visit his mother and grandmother one last time before training and deployment.
Jared and Bradley sat together. Beside them was some dude who was already at the window seat. He had headphones on, a plate of cookies, half eaten, and a book in his lap in front of him. Jared looked at the book from where he was sitting and couldn't help but be a little worried, because it was a book on how not to get plane sick. Jared thought man, this guy needs serious help! He was snoring very loudly and Bradley was thankful for winning their Rock, Paper, Scissors fight earlier for the edge seat. Jared would just have to put up with it.
He looked out the window. From what he could, see the clouds were below them now. They had long since taken off.
Jared had been in planes before, but as he looked back he realized that Bradley was gone and smiled. A few minutes later he returned with a paper bag. It was ripped, but it would hold whatever Bradley threw up.
“I hate planes,” he remarked as he sat down.
“They're not that bad. Suck it up! It’s all part of being a man, and we have to live up to it, Bradley. No more kid stuff, this is the real deal,” Jared declared proudly.
He couldn’t wait to see his mother though. Maybe then he would hear some good news, like that his gram’s cancer had been removed. He sat still and stared out the window at the endless blue of the sky, thinking his own thoughts. They had hours to go before they would get to Miami, and as he sat there through the hours and the sound of Bradley getting sick, he slowly realized that he had become a man from within. His lost ceremony wasn’t for presents, or to make him gain new friends. It was to invite him into the hardships that he would face as a man. He knew these hardships were only beginning and that only he could control how he would handle them, but deep down he knew that he would be the man his father had wanted him to be. Someday.

The beginning.  

[Santinka]

About the Author

Daceria is a twenty-year-old newlywed, currently working on completing her first book. She loves to write and finds inspiration in just about everything! Her hobbies are writing, reading, drawing, and listening to music. She is currently working on her first novel A Wolf’s Journey.