Chương 17: Exploring The Village

"How do you like it nebe?"

"M-good!" Damn I sound so fucking dumb. I look up at my mother, who just patted my head while asking me if I... well, enjoyed the whole exploring we're doing. My parents seem to have a plan by making me exploring the town This plan seems, to be, more or less, I'm not sure yet yet, but this plan seems to be simple: Make me enjoy my trip outside. And therefore give me a good birthday. Something that's confirmed with everything that happened today.

It started with the birthday celebration, with all the people I know in my world. My father and mother who doted on me, my aunt who did the same, and even kiko of all people did it. Probably to imitate everyone else, but still, she did it. Everyone was here... Apart from the grandfather guy. And I'm happy he wasn't here. After this there was this deeeeelicious cake! I ate as much of it as I could, I don't fucking care about cavities, I'm handicapped, I can eat as much cake as I want.

After this and a bit more celebrations, they let me outside. And now we're walking outside. In this weird village that's a mix of technology and poorness, looking at my left. Beside my mom. I can see a small turn on the left. We turn around and land on a small street, one entry behind us we just took, and one exit in front of us. When we take it. We land in the middle of a giant path. Directly, my parents turn to the left again to adjust their path and now go forward toward something.

The giant street around us is... well, giant, opening up enough for the houses and building at our sides to be pretty damn far, far enough that my father would need to sprint to reach them. There's also some little streets left and right that people takes, just like us, we come from one of those little streets. Most of the people walking in this big street are... women, and... FINALLY childrens! I didn't saw ONE child since we went out, I was the only one, but now! Here they are! Why?

I look up, in front of me, at where this big street leads, it leads toward some kind of... park? Ah, right, yeah. Like I was saying, my parents.. Father on right, and mother on left, definetly have a goal here. And their goal is definetly to make me enjoy this little exploration outside together, and what would a child love to do? Go play in a park of course! Which is why I freeze mid walking while staring at the park. I stop my jumping around and let my parents drag me around.

They take three good steps before they notice that I stopped following them.

"What's wrong dear? Do you want to &#&" Didn't understood my mother last word. But after a while, in front of both of their gazes, I push myself up to standing again.

"I don't wanna go there" I don't know the word for park, so instead, I lift my right hand held by my father and make him point at the park in front of us. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Ah" that's the only thing he says. But my mother squats in the middle of the street until we're practically face to face "Why don't you want to go to the par&?" Because I want to analyze your weird WORLD woman!? I want to see a calendar somewhere that tells me the date! Or a fucking map of the world! Or anything like that! Let me see your world! I don't wanna pass the entire afternoon wiping kids saliva out of my hair! I don't answer her.

One because saying that to her is probably a really bad idea, but two because I can't say this, my tongue isn't developed enough. Instead, I remember that it's my birthday, so I turn around, both hands in theirs and start pulling them away. I'LL ABUSE THE FACT THAT IT'S MY BIRTHDAY, I DO WHATAVER THE FUCK I WANT! Of course, I go nowhere. But thankfully they don't resist and let me lead them away from the park.

"Well" My mother says this single word, a bit confused, before she starts following me "Where are you leading us dear?" DON'T CALL ME DEAR, WOMAN! I push even harder against the ground, pulling them even faster away from the hell that is the playground. They don't resist, and my father thankfully answers my mother for me.

"He's an ex&#- growing up to &## us you know?" My mother laugh at whatever he said, apparently it's funny. But I didn't understood half of his sentence, so I can't really relate. I let them stay behind me while I look at the street around me. Lots of random streets left and right, a path forward, and there's the path behind me too that leads to the playground. Okay. What would be the best place for me to get information about this world without passing even more for a weird kid?

I look left and right, my mother even say a single "Dear?" And I decide that I have no idea because I don't know this fucking city. So instead, I turn to the left, to the path that's as far away as my home as possible. And start walking, well, jumping, skipping, to the left. My parents follow. And I can't help myself to let out the most adorable giggle that ever existed. MUHAHAHAHAH, THEY FELL FOR MY TRAP! FINALLY, AFTER A YEAR OF SUFFERING, FINALLY, I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS WORLD!

With a desperation rarely seen in any baby, and easily confused as excitement, I start jumping around as fast as I can while dragging my parents behind me. They talk to each other and sometimes laugh. But they don't restrain me. They know that I always wanted to go outside.

I've been staring at the window like some kind of wife waiting for his husband that has been declared missing in conflict in the middle of a war, I was sighing and shit whenever I stared at the window, I'm sure tragic music emanated from me whenever I stared outside! And I've been doing this whole staring for a long time, the second I managed to let out words, I've been asking to see the window so much that it's practically a routine now! After my third feeding!

They know, it's 'longingly looking outside the window" time for me! That's probably why we're walking outside right now, because it's my birthday, and that's something they thought I wanted to do. They didn't left me outside before this, dunno why, but probably something culture related, didn't saw a lot of kids outside after all. They're pretty rare, and most kids I saw are waaaay older than me, 8 years old easy, the youngest kid I ever seen during my staring sessions outside was six at best, apart me and kiko?

Never saw younger. But they probably let me left before most because I wanted to leave, because they thought I wanted this. And they were right. I'm happy. What they don't know about is that I'm happy about being able to get information about this world. But in the end, does it matter if they know why I'm happy or not? Probably not, so let me explore in peace. Okay, okay, go at it, one look at a time. Where can I get info? I look at my right, seeing houses, and some families passing.

Nothing's really interesting, no shop, no potential library or anything like that. I wonder if I could ask my parents if they knew where a library is, but I can barely read, and I don't know about the word library. So I give up on this idea for now. Instead, I look at my right. Searching for anything interesting. There's nothing interesting. It's pretty much the same as what's on my left. Well, at the exception of a small stand, smells pretty good, there's a girl cooking behind the stand.

Smell sweet"A-# you hungry nebe?" I compeltly ignore my mother and decide to pass by the stand, giving it only a single glance. Then I stop, and look at it again.

"Ah, the -##-&- need to #&#& his ##&&" What the fuck is my father even saying? I squint, and after a while. I can see that the girl is just using the same weird cooking method as my mother. So I get the fuck away from this street and take the first turn to the right while my mother say something to her husband "Lo-#- -#-# you're wrong" They both laugh at something I clearly don't fucking understand. Ignoring their laugh, I don't allow myself to find joy in anything but the results of my plans, so I keep searching.

I look, left, right, up, down, to the amusement of my parents. But I never stop. I take a left, then a right. Exploring the village thoroughly, making sure I get as much information as possible. And the results of my search is pretty clear. This entire world is STUPID! IT MAKES NO SENSE! THE TECHNOLOGY MAKES NO SENSE AT ALL! WHY IS THERE PRINTED PAPERS BUT PEOPLE STILL SELL SWORDS!? THIS WORLD MAKES NO SENSE I'M GOING TO GO FUCKING CRAZY! I stop. Staring at a window.

And at myself, at my young and wavery form reflected by the window.

"Do you want a &##&&# dear?" I look up at my mother. I like to imagine that my eyes are bloodshot. But really? They're probably not. At least her soft smile is telling me they're not. I don't know what she's seeing in my face, but what I see around me is a world that makes no fucking sense. Where am I!?