Fiction Fragment Friday
This week’s story is told from the perspective of the character I’m playing in my weekly roleplaying game. Of course as usual my characters are bigger and more important in the world when I write about them then they ever could be in a game. While the character’s thoughts and motivations are the same as I want them to be in the game his place in the world will never be the same. I’m not sure that I would want them to be.
Even in the middle of the park, you can’t escape the city. The sounds of people arguing, horns honking, and a train in the distance combine to drown out nature. The exhaust is not as bad but still assaults the nose. Thankfully, the smell of hot dog carts give me a moment of relief. The park is the one place in the city where I can fully sync with the energy fields of nature. Where I can communicate instead of just using it. Unfortunately, that means my senses are operating at a level to make the city oppressive.
Usually, I can tap into the traits of one animal at a time, but not in the park. There, sitting by the lake, I have the ears of a bat, the sight of an owl, and the smell of a bloodhound. The one place I can commune with nature, and it enhances my senses so much I can’t enjoy it. I try to escape the city only to have its worst traits amplified.
As I open my eyes, I am met with the sight of animals. Squirrels, birds, insects, and rodents surround me in all directions. These are the moments I live for. When I am one of them. I open my bag and pull out a loaf of bread. They can’t rely on me to feed them every day, but I am one of them and I will not abandon them today.
“What in the world is going on here?” I don’t know the woman who yelled in surprise, but she managed to ruin my entire afternoon. The animals surrounding me run in fear. They know that not all humans are safe to be around. Without knowing who will be kind and who will be cruel, it is safer to just avoid them all. I can feel their fear and it saddens me. We have taken so much from nature already and there is nothing they can do about it.
“You scared them away,” I say to the newcomer. I don’t turn around to face her.
“You did that, didn’t you? You were controlling all the animals in the park.” Her voice is accusatory, with a twinge of anger in it.
“It’s not about control.” I hold up the loaf of bread over my head. “I feed them, and they trust me. Doesn’t need to be more to it than that.” I try to keep my voice steady and confident.
“I know what I saw. That was more than just food. There was an owl standing next to a mouse. Admit it, you’re one of those freaks.”
I fight back my initial response. My friends keep telling me I have anger issues. That isn’t the entire story, though. When I channel animals, I don’t just get their senses; I get a part of their spirit. Animals rely on instinct more than we do. Our complicated jumble of thoughts get in the way of our instincts. So, when I channel animals, I am a more extreme version of myself. My thoughts get pushed to the back and my instincts drive me forward. In this moment, my instincts want me to grow cat claws out of my fingers and rip her throat out. That isn’t who I am, though.
“You’re right. I do have powers. I don’t control anything, though, and I don’t hurt anyone. There’s a lot of darkness in the world, and yes, some of it comes from people with powers. It isn’t the powers that cause it, though it’s the hatred in their hearts. Ask yourself, out of the two of us, do you really think it was the guy feeding bread to park animals that has hatred in his heart?”
I finally turn to face her and get my first look. She is radiant, with long green hair draped over a flowing white dress. It feels like her deep blue eyes can see right through me. What draws my attention, though, is her bare feet with flowers growing on the ground all around them. She takes a step towards me, and I watch more flowers grow before my eyes. “There you are. The fire I knew you had in you.” She touches my shoulder, and warmth fills my whole body. At that moment, the city outside the park vanishes from my senses. We are alone with nature and my connection feels stronger than it ever has before.
“Who are you?” I say, but my voice cracks a bit as I do. I can feel tears forming and I don’t know if they are from joy, awe, or fear.
She laughs, and the sound is like music. “Oh my child, you know who I am. You are my chosen warrior.”
“Mother nature?” I ask in disbelief.
“If that is how you wish to think of me, it is not as a whole inaccurate. I am the spirit of all things that live on this planet, be they plant, animal, ameba, or one of the many forms of life you humans have yet to discover.”
“Gaia,” I say in wonder.
“One of the many names I have answered to over the years. I am not here to talk about me, though. I am here to grant you a gift. You have significant challenges ahead, but here you may find sanctuary. In this park, you may hide from the outside world for a time and heal when you need to. Here from time to time if you ask questions of me, I just may answer.”
“Thank you,” I say barely able to look at her. “Why me though?”
“Perhaps it is because I need my champion to be strong. Perhaps it is because you possess a strength you have yet to realize. Or perhaps it is because of a promise I once made to your father. Regardless of my motivation, this place is now yours. Treat it well and it will do the same for you.”
One moment she is speaking and the next she is gone. She does not leave or fade away. Instead, she is simply gone, but deep inside, I still feel her presence. The park is quiet, yet I know where every animal is. I don’t feel them, I just know. When I walk from the park, the sounds of the world return. Looking over my shoulder, I see people in the park, though it was empty for me just moments ago. The world feels more solid like I have returned to it from somewhere less physical.
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