A Curious Day

A Curious Day

By ___

January 8, 2007





An alarm clock buzzer rang three times. At the moment it made a sound, a hand slapped it on its head, and it was silent for the rest of the day. The hand belonged to a boy, about 11, with ruffled hair and bright green eyes. The boy’s name was Keine, whose life would change this very day.
         Keine got out of bed, put on his school uniform, a stiff collared shirt with a button-up style and a black pair of pants, and got ready for the same, normal old day. He brushed his teeth. He made his bed. He ate breakfast. All with the same uncaring attitude, as it had been for almost a year. You see, Keine found no useful interest in this routine, but he did it anyway, like all of his other chores and lessons. He mowed the lawn when he was asked to. He raked the leaves in winter. He took out the trash in summer. And he was always polite, to every adult and friend. But, he didn’t mean any of things he did. He did them with no passion, no feeling. Keine just didn’t like his life.
         “Keine! Are you all packed and ready to go?”
Keine sighed as a short woman walked into the room. “Yes, Mom…”
         “I’m going off to work now.” She said as she gave him a rushed kiss. “See you tonight.”
As she closed the door, Keine sighed again. Even his mom was rushed, well, at least, since his father had disappeared. He thought about his father, how he was like a guide in the roller coaster called life. He would always be there for him, picking him up as he fell. Never would he scold, and never would he rush. “But, now those days are over.” He thought. And he sighed once more.
         Keine put on his backpack and put on his coat, and walked out the door. Back into his green backyard, with trees and flowers scattered randomly. There was a mown lawn, and some scarce weeds popped their heads up. He walked across the grass to his yellow school bus, taking this all in. But something was different. Something he couldn’t quite explain. As he stepped onto the bus, he noticed something even stranger. There was no loud noise, no paper airplanes flying, and no disturbances. There were no kids on the bus. Even the driver was different, not his usual unshaved beard and bad breath. His face was shaved, and his breath was tainted with mint toothpaste.
         “Sit.” The man said.
So Keine sat, still puzzling the strangeness. But, he found he rather liked it, as it was a change from the norm. He sat back and relaxed, pulled out an energy bar, and took a small bite, saving the rest for later.
         “Are you ready?” the bus driver said.
         “If it’s interesting, sure.”
         “Good.”
And as he said that last word, the bus jumped off the ground, and flew off. Keine was amazed. The bus driver was now much different, with scales lining his body and sharp teeth in his head. For he was now a dragon. Out the window was a whole new landscape, one with upturned soil and mountains with thousands of holes. They flew past the strange mountains, and on to a bright green field, and then a sparkling blue sea. The ocean was like nothing he had ever seen. It was clear and blue, with no tainted human trash and waste. You could see colorful fish swim under the water, with beautiful reefs with coral and anemones line the bottom. It was fantastic for Keine, to see all the new sights and sounds. He sat, looking out, with his mouth wide open in amazement.
         After the sea, lay a new land, charred and blackened by what looked like many fights. If he strained his eyes, he could make out dragons, of all shapes and sizes, letting loose gusts of fire on one another. They fought with an extreme hatred, not caring who they hit, friend or foe. He thought he saw the driver look down and shed a quick tear. Keine quickly wished they would not land here, and so they didn’t. Instead, until what seemed like an eternity, they reached a small island at the end of the world. He could see nothing but blackness beyond the horizon. As they landed, the doors of the bus opened, and the driver told him these simple instructions.
         “You must go find the one who can stop all of this. But beware, for he has never been reached before. Look for the doors and pass through them. If you need help, look into yourself and find the answers.” And with those words, he sailed off into the darkness.
         Keine looked around. He saw no houses, and no doors. It was a flat landscape, filled with wild grass and plants unknown. He quickly looked around to see for a dragon or human. Nothing met his eyes. So he looked harder, casting apart the grass to look for trapdoors or holes. But, as he soon found out, there was nothing on this island. He grew frustrated. Why hadn’t the driver given him more instructions? Couldn’t he have told him what to do? But then, he knew that if he had given it away, the sense of pure adventure that he was having would be lost, and he would become like his old self. So he sat, and tried to think of what to do. And as he thought more and more, slowly, something began to happen. The grass began to disappear, and instead, pavement lined the ground. He started to see his old home, and his backyard, and the school bus with many kids waiting to go. And then, he began to realize that whatever you thought, you would get. And so he thought of what the driver had told him, and the landscape changed once more, into a plain with one small hut. The hut was humbly built, with bricks and straw, and had a small chimney and a door. So, Keine stood up, shook off some gravel from the sidewalk, and opened the door. Inside was not the inside of a house. Instead, it was a palace, lavishly filled with gold and thrones. They made him look in awe and wonder. But, all of the riches were spattered with fresh blood. And as he looked up, he could see two dueling dragons, one the darkest black, and the other purest white. Every blow they exchanged made them change, from brilliant white to shimmering darkness. And every time the dark dragon was about to win, he hesitated, and turned white again. Keine looked on in fascination. But, he had a feeling this was not what he had come to see. As he thought that, a magnificent pair of double doors appeared in front of him.
He walked through, and on the other side a pair of mirrors met his eyes, both made of the clearest crystal. He looked upon them.  In one mirror he saw himself, smiling and happy, with that carefree look in his eyes. But in the other one, he saw a face shrouded by grief and sadness. He was unsure of what to do. And as he thought, another mirror appeared, between the two. It was very small, and yet, carved and painted the most beautifully. So he looked into it, and saw himself, right then, with the curious expression he had throughout this strange adventure. And before he knew it, he was within a new room.
This room was very different that the others. There, sitting on a table in front of him, was a jewel. The jewel was wonderful. It glowed and dazzled all the colors of the rainbow, and reflected them across the room, hitting the walls at odd angles. It was not cut or shaved, like many diamonds or precious stones, but instead in the shape of an oval, with no blemishes to be found. Keine was all of a sudden empowered by greed. The jewel was his now, and no one could take it. He would guard it, and protect it. But, as he did this, he forgot what he had come for, and was now helpless to his own emotion. This was how the jewel worked, stealing every sense of guidance and purpose and making the observer wish for more. So Keine touched the stone, and cried out in pain, for it was so cold and icy. In a jolt, he remembered everything, how he had come, and where he was going. He quickly forgot the stone and headed onward through the new pair of doors that awaited him. So he passed through, and in this room he saw the strangest of all things.
         It was a small boy, just like himself, but much different. The child looked exactly like Keine, but on his face were many rude and insolent expressions. He sniggered at Keine, and then said, “I’m your final obstacle.”
“Aren’t you bored? Tired, of listening to strange dragons? Just want to go back to your old life and never come back to this?” the new child said, speaking with a drawling tone. “Afraid this is all in your head? Think you’re crazy? Want to get out of this crazy dream?” it asked, giggling maliciously after ever question. “I can show you the way. Come with me, and this entire nightmare could be over.”
         Keine thought. Maybe he did just want to go back. He was probably making this all up, anyway. He’d wake up and he’d be on the bus, with kids laughing at him, watching him wipe up the drool he had made. So he thought, and he began to go where he had imagined. He saw a kid sitting next to him, shaking him to wake up. He heard the constant noise from the back of the bus. And all the time this was happening, the fake Keine giggled and clapped his hands, for his plan was working. But then, he thought back to the bus driver, and the new adventure. And he forgot about waking up, and came back into the room where the fake Keine resided. Now, however, he was gone, and only the echo of his words could be heard as they bounced against the walls. And the last pair of doors appeared in front of him. Inlaid with gold and silver, with a red paint coloring the spaces, they were indeed a sight to behold. So he opened the door.
            Inside, he saw a dragon. Not a normal dragon, with sharp teeth and harsh claws. This dragon was much different. His body radiated a pure gold, shining with the brightest force. His claws were sheer silver, as well as his talons, and a pair of shiny white teeth also glistened in the light.  But his eyes were soft and gentle, like a father looking at a son. They glowed the brightest of all. And Keine knew this was what he had come to see.
         “I am the dragon king.” the dragon asked, in an unexplainable booming voice.
         Keine looked in amazement.
         “I…well, my name is Keine, and I-I have come to ask you to stop the fight of the dragons.”
         At these last words, the king jumped up. “I must go, now. I, and only I, can stop this conflict. But, I have been chained within this festering prison.” he said ruefully. “I can only escape by the one who has the greatest imagination.” and he looked at Keine. “Are you that person?”
         Keine hoped he was. “I-I’ll try.”
         “You must think your very hardest, and go back to the original island. Beware, if you are mistaken in one single detail, then all will be lost.”
Keine gulped. But he started to think of the grass, the wind blowing through it, and the pure, pristine sea, like a dormant dragon. And they began to phase out of the room, and onto the small island, now aptly named, “Imagination.” As they arrived, the king smiled, prepared his wings, and soared into the sky. It was the greatest thing Keine had ever seen. The pure majesty of the dragon entranced him, and he wished he could be one too.
         “Thank you, my child!” the king proudly declared.
         And the astonished Keine thought, “Dad?”