It was as if his body had a mind of its own— it just got up and ran.
He had lost the Others twice in his flight, and been discovered twice. Only after ducking into a feeble structure, out its back entrance, scratching through the shadows of a thicket, and splashing through a stream did he slow down enough to realize he had lost them for good. For now.
He glanced back, making sure once more the Others were not in sight. His panting was beginning to subside, his mind beginning to clear. He glanced up into this new tree. It had droopy leaves instead of the tall, uplifted branches the one he had fallen from had had. Should he climb its branches and return to where he felt safe? Was that where he belonged? The vivid memory of his recent fall returned and quickly pursued the associations of safety and heights, replacing it with the opposite.
His heart sent another surge of electricity through his system, and he backed away as if this tree, too, would fall on him at any second.
Tripping on a stone, he fell backwards into a cluster of fuzzy vine-like plants. Grateful it was not the brambles that had torn and bitten his skin as he had clawed his way through in desperation to reach this place, he sighed and felt his body relax, if only slightly. There were no Others to be seen here. No sounds but those of the trees and plants stirring in the breeze. He was alone, the only one in this place, abandoned in an unknown land, rejected, cut off from his home. He had nowhere he belonged.
Home? Was that the “before?” If so, where was this home? Where was he supposed to go? What was he supposed to be doing? He had been doing something, hadn’t he? He felt sure of it. But what?
His eyes drifted to the sky once again, and found even the clouds had abandoned him. Lam thought of the bird that had almost joined him. Why had it changed its mind? Had it rejected him, or rejected the mob below him? Where had it flown instead? Where were any of the animals here? It was extremely quiet. He missed the constant chatter in his head. It felt so empty without it, so lonely. Had it been noisier at home , or was it merely the absence of the angry crowd screaming for his life that now rang in his ears? There was no way for him to know. It was all so confusing, all so hopeless.
Lam sighed and allowed his body to release more of its tension. It really did feel wonderful to loosen his muscles. They were so heavy. His entire body felt so bulky, so weak. He wasn’t used to this. Lying on the soft bed of vines and gazing into the expanse of sky spread above him brought feelings of peace and relaxation within him. Something about the sky stirred something in his body. It was a wash of electricity through his system, like that of the fear when he was running, but somehow different.
Ah, fear . That’s what that had been. That sounded right. Then what was this new feeling?
He didn’t know why the sky was blue here, but its shade began darkening, then returned to its full brightness, only to be dimmed to an even darker hue. The brightness returned as he inhaled a deep breath of air into his lungs and opened his drooping eyes fully once more.
He exhaled the air as he drifted into blackness and dreams of things he could no longer remember.
• THREE •
A sharp stick jabbed his ribs. He screamed and tried to leap up. He needed to run again— the Others had found him! He had to protect his body!
But his body would not respond. It would not rise or run.
The huge round face of an old woman filled his vision. Her large round eyes mirrored the shape of her face. Their hazel color appeared to be so light they looked yellow, and flickered as her toothless mouth spread into a grin. A rank odor flooded his nostrils as she chuckled and inspected his face. Lam struggled again as the old woman leaned in even closer, her long beak of a nose nearly touching his. The only way she would have been able to achieve this angle of examination was if she were sitting on
He had lost the Others twice in his flight, and been discovered twice. Only after ducking into a feeble structure, out its back entrance, scratching through the shadows of a thicket, and splashing through a stream did he slow down enough to realize he had lost them for good. For now.
He glanced back, making sure once more the Others were not in sight. His panting was beginning to subside, his mind beginning to clear. He glanced up into this new tree. It had droopy leaves instead of the tall, uplifted branches the one he had fallen from had had. Should he climb its branches and return to where he felt safe? Was that where he belonged? The vivid memory of his recent fall returned and quickly pursued the associations of safety and heights, replacing it with the opposite.
His heart sent another surge of electricity through his system, and he backed away as if this tree, too, would fall on him at any second.
Tripping on a stone, he fell backwards into a cluster of fuzzy vine-like plants. Grateful it was not the brambles that had torn and bitten his skin as he had clawed his way through in desperation to reach this place, he sighed and felt his body relax, if only slightly. There were no Others to be seen here. No sounds but those of the trees and plants stirring in the breeze. He was alone, the only one in this place, abandoned in an unknown land, rejected, cut off from his home. He had nowhere he belonged.
Home? Was that the “before?” If so, where was this home? Where was he supposed to go? What was he supposed to be doing? He had been doing something, hadn’t he? He felt sure of it. But what?
His eyes drifted to the sky once again, and found even the clouds had abandoned him. Lam thought of the bird that had almost joined him. Why had it changed its mind? Had it rejected him, or rejected the mob below him? Where had it flown instead? Where were any of the animals here? It was extremely quiet. He missed the constant chatter in his head. It felt so empty without it, so lonely. Had it been noisier at home , or was it merely the absence of the angry crowd screaming for his life that now rang in his ears? There was no way for him to know. It was all so confusing, all so hopeless.
Lam sighed and allowed his body to release more of its tension. It really did feel wonderful to loosen his muscles. They were so heavy. His entire body felt so bulky, so weak. He wasn’t used to this. Lying on the soft bed of vines and gazing into the expanse of sky spread above him brought feelings of peace and relaxation within him. Something about the sky stirred something in his body. It was a wash of electricity through his system, like that of the fear when he was running, but somehow different.
Ah, fear . That’s what that had been. That sounded right. Then what was this new feeling?
He didn’t know why the sky was blue here, but its shade began darkening, then returned to its full brightness, only to be dimmed to an even darker hue. The brightness returned as he inhaled a deep breath of air into his lungs and opened his drooping eyes fully once more.
He exhaled the air as he drifted into blackness and dreams of things he could no longer remember.
• THREE •
A sharp stick jabbed his ribs. He screamed and tried to leap up. He needed to run again— the Others had found him! He had to protect his body!
But his body would not respond. It would not rise or run.
The huge round face of an old woman filled his vision. Her large round eyes mirrored the shape of her face. Their hazel color appeared to be so light they looked yellow, and flickered as her toothless mouth spread into a grin. A rank odor flooded his nostrils as she chuckled and inspected his face. Lam struggled again as the old woman leaned in even closer, her long beak of a nose nearly touching his. The only way she would have been able to achieve this angle of examination was if she were sitting on
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