The Tales of Vast

Chapter 6: For Wealth or For Health October 12th, 2022

           "Briiiinnnng- Briiiinng" The alarm clock rang through the air, and Rory found his arm flailing about to silence it. Rory slept almost all night, yet he was still exhausted. He blinked slowly to help himself wake up. No sunlight came through the window, so it felt almost as if it were still bedtime. Rory sat up in bed. His lungs felt very off like there was something wrong and heavy with every breath he drew. He took a deep breath before standing up, and he began to get dressed.

           It was colder than normal that day, so Rory dressed in a thick, warm, black over-shirt and jeans. He tugged his favorite gray beanie over his long messy hair, without bothering to brush it. He pulled on his plain white sneakers, and grabbed his knapsack, slinging it over his shoulder.

          Rory wandered down the stairs, holding onto the banister, blinking his eyes slowly, rubbing the sleep out of them. He rounded the corner, reaching the kitchen, but he didn't make any coffee, for he ran out of coffee grounds. He could have just made it with the coffee pods that his father liked, but Rory hated the burnt taste they always had. Instead, he sat close to the fire-fueled furnace that sat close to the kitchen table. The fire had gone out overnight, but the embers were still warm with life.

          Rory and his dad didn't normally start a fire in the fireplace anymore, as it only caused problems for both. But, on cold nights like the ones more recently, the fireplace helped to warm the house up. Rory leaned against the warm bricks and closed his eyes, rubbing deep circles into his chest, inhaling slowly. 

          He didn't let himself doze off for too long, as his eyes opened back up after about five minutes, to a sharp feeling in his chest. He began to cough a bit. Ok, no time to sleep. He thought to himself, standing up slowly, and he made his way to the backdoor.

         The sun was still low in the sky, and Rory could hear birds chirping from somewhere distant. The trees shook with the wind, and Rory could smell the light, airy scent that accompanied Autumn. The scent was thick. Too thick.

          Rory leaned forward, allowing for his bag to slump to his feet, as he placed his hands on his knees, catching his breath. He felt like he'd been exercising all day and was out of breath. This, of course, only caught Spixter's attention, unbeknownst to Rory. It had been almost three weeks since Spixter first showed up, and Rory noted that he only did so from the early hours of 6:25, to 6:45, sometimes earlier, sometimes later.

           Over the course of his presence, Rory seldom had to arrive later than usual, or earlier, as his work schedule was interrupted on occasion. On those days, he arrived at his backyard, to see a note placed upon his table, scribbled in poor handwriting. Each note had some sort of weak tease present in it, followed by his signature. Rory's favorites included:

             "Morning sleepy head, you were late by an hour. I watered your plants and stole your tomatoes. Hope you're happy. Don't be late next time.

-Spixter"

            And,

              "If I had a dollar for every time, I had to take care of your stupid garden, I wouldn't have to steal from your stupid garden because then I'd actually be able to afford food. You got lucky this time. I'm leaving you to pick all the strawberries. I hope you die.

-Love, Spixter"

            However, his top favorite included one from yesterday,

              "Tell your dad I said hi. I left your flowers un-watered, by the way. If your dad asks, yes, I am single.