Part Three
Changes Within
I felt uncomfortable. That
could be confirmed. My arm was hurting but I couldn’t figure out why exactly.
Damn, my brain hurt…
I sat up as I did so I
realized I had been lying on the ground. There was a faint outline in the dust where
I had been lying just as there was a layer of dust coating my clothes. I took a
second to look at my arm which had stopped hurting so badly. The reason: I had
been lying on it.
Considering my
cluelessness as to what had happened, or as to why I was sitting in the dirt in
the middle of nowhere I guessed that I had passed out. Why had I passed out? I
wasn’t sure but there were a few hazy memories that were starting to come back.
Rapidash….ghost
town…ghost…wait what am I missing here?
It took a few seconds for
the answer to come…where was my Pokemon?!
“Rapidash? Rapidash! Where
the hell are you?” I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the dust that was rallying
all around me.
The wind gave a howl and
me, thinking it was the ghost, let out a yelp and covered my head. Oh no. Oh
no. Where was Rapidash? Where was I?
For a few minutes I sat
there, shaking like a leaf in a heavy wind, trying to console myself. It took a
good portion of those few minutes to realize that I needed to calm down and
regain control.
I got up. I dusted myself
off. I began walking.
There came sounds from
everywhere. And every one of those sounds made me want to scream. Was this
whole ordeal worth it? Just to meet up with a man who I wasn’t even sure
returned my feelings for him…his actions always led him to believe contrary
even though he told me how he felt…
I closed my eyes. It was
just too painful right now to think about that. I had bigger things to worry
about. Maybe when I found Rapidash she would knock some sense into me, she
would tell me to just give up on him that he wasn’t worth it.
A small sound came from
behind me.
What was that?
I spun around. I could’ve
sworn I heard somebody giggling.
“Rapidash?”
No answer. The wind
whistled through cracked window panes.
“RAPIDASH?”
Nothing
except the resounding echo of my own voice.
Wait; there it was again a
child or a Pokemon laughing.
Am I going mad …was I
always mad?
The noise seemed to be
coming from one of the buildings lining the street. It looked like a café or a
bar. There was a foot high wooden platform that was covered by a wood roof and
decorated with many little tables, also wood.
The entire area was barren
of trees I wondered where these people had gotten all this wood from?
The floor creaked as I put
my foot down on the platform, as did the entire building when my entire body
weight was applied.
I stepped into the bar, as
it turned out to be. There was dust here too. Good God a lot of it. I sneezed
heavily and the whole building quivered.
I held the next sneeze
before it came. I, teary-eyed, looked around the room. It was empty. Were there
more ghosts? Little baby ghosts?
A disturbing thought came
to mind…was Rapidash a ghost?
I felt a shiver go up my
spine.
I left the bar shortly
after that, it was way too creepy. I resumed my slow search for my Pokemon. She
had probably run off without knowing I had fallen.
With this theory I made my
decision to leave town. If it were her she would do the same thing. I think.
I really have changed a
lot. I know I would never have done this before. I would’ve searched this whole
place up and down and when I was sure my friend wasn’t here then I would go.
What had happened?
The town, being small,
ended fairly quickly, the dilapidated houses gave way to flat desert and the
horizon could be seen once again.
Rapidash had taken off
with the map but I was sure there was a river around here and a few kilometers
onward was my destination, Red town. A small little settlement much like the
ghost town except it was actually inhabited.
Rapidash would probably
meet me at the river. I’d better head over there.
<<>>
But she wasn’t. I felt instantly guilty, well,
perhaps more so than I had when I had left town.
When I put my feet in the water I knew how little I
deserved the pleasures of the water’s liquid caress. Or when I purged my thirst
by cupping the water in my hand and drinking it I knew I didn’t deserve it.
But even though I knew it was wrong I couldn’t turn
back. I can’t identify the feeling I felt. It was as if the very shame that was
driving me to return was also holding me back.
I decided to go on to
End Part Three