2004-03-31 - 11:27 p.m.
The Hermit
A boy encounters another story of a man shrouded by mysteries. His tale began long ago, in a time before the worlds of light and darkness, but to the boy’s knowledge, he is simply an eccentric old man. The day he met him, he was exploring the nearby campus, looking for new buildings and secret ways between houses. He would follow trails through brush and trees until these had become scarce, and then strayed from the paths, climbing fences, walking through gardens, and even apartments. Taking one of these novel routes, he finds himself in a place most intriguing to him. He sees a large aquarium, a story high and as wide as a house, spanned by a metal walkway leading right up to the roof of a house to which it is attached. Though afraid, his curiosity makes the best of him and he climbs a ladder to the walk and proceeds to cross it, with no idea of his intentions.
On reaching the end next to the house, he contemplates continuing on to the balcony and then the roof. Before he can make up his mind, however, he notices a bearded figure wearing a cloak observing him. Whether he just appeared there, or he came out from the house, the boy cannot tell, and his mind is not working quickly enough to ask the man questions. He knows he is trespassing, and he fears the man. He reminds him of a story someone once told about a hermit who killed everyone who entered his home, leaving no trace of their deaths and never suspected or convicted for his crimes. Could it be, he thinks, that this curiosity truly has been his undoing? Would the old man somehow strike him down without warning for this violation? His fears only heighten when he sees the scowl on the man’s face, how angry he is becoming.
The man does not attack, but instead he growls at the boy, “such foolish curiosity in a small boy ought to get him killed, but you’re lucky this time.” He smiles in a twisted manner. The words seem to calm the boy, but the man’s tone and expression offer no salvation, and he remains wary. Suddenly the man snaps his finger, and the oddest sensation rushes through the boy. He has the vaguest feeling of seeing himself struck by lightning, yet there is no pain and he remains inside himself. “I’ve given you a gift,” the man continues, almost sadistically now, “you’ll be able to do things beyond your wildest imagination.” The boy stares at him stupidly while hundreds of thoughts pass through his mind. He cannot notice any change within him however. The man’s smile fades into a harsh earnestness before speaking a final message. “Now be gone from this place, and don’t come back without reason. Fortune smiled on you this time, but you’ll be dead if you seek me again before necessity requires it of you. Remember though, that when all is ready, you’ll need a map to find me again.” As he speaks he turns back to his house, and his tone drops to disinterest. “You can probably find one in the library… the old library, not the new one, don’t...” Though the man seems to continue on, the boy can no longer make out his words. He stands in a stupor for a time he cannot measure, and then remembers very little about how he came home when he awakes in his room the next day.
