Natural Affinity

The Tablet

    Fredrick Jones is your typical sixteen-year-old boy, at least to a point. He's mostly antisocial compared to others, and seems to have a connection to dogs. While others were drinking and doing very strange things, he spends time alone contemplating his thoughts. He doesn't like his current life, in terms of the constant world of humanity. He longed for more, a new place to explore- new creatures to see!

    He knew it was all but a dream, and he understood that. He was never one for "togetherness", as past events caused great humiliation, which would explain his personality. One thing he always liked to do was go into the forest on the outskirts of town. The city was rather small, so the forest was easy to find. It was a large expanse of trees and plants, with a few rocks here and there. It was a symbol of peace and serenity, where Fredrick could compose himself and be free from the stillness of the material world.

    The dirt crunched under his blue sneakers as he trudged the path to his "secret place". He went into the woodlands so often that he had memorized the entire path, and even transformed one of the caves into a lair of sorts. Surprisingly nobody knew about it, not even his parents. They were fine with his outings as long as he came by dark. He found comfort in his solitude, as it was a chance for him to silently converse with himself and ponder.

    What about? Simply..things. He never had a specific topic to think about, so he just examined events that were going on in his everyday and how important they were. This mostly concerned news happening nearby and small things in school. He didn't talk much, so he wasn't exactly "visible" to anyone.

    He finally made it to his destination, a short ledge with a brief drop. Jumping down, his grey jacket shook a little. He fixed it up and looked into the small expanse. A small lantern sat on a patch of moss in the back, filling the area with a soft glow. To the left of it was a small sheet with a pillow and blanket, a few books stacked atop it. The other side held a small fold table with a spiral notebook and a chair. The teen grazed the cover with a hand before sitting down and opening it up, taking out a pen and writing.

Oct. 5, 2016

It's still the same old deal..people talking about pulling pranks on Halloween like in those cliched movies. Honestly, I feel like I'm the only one who actually cares about the future, which may include me getting a job as a dog tamer. I really like them... They're so happy and fun. It makes me wonder what I could do with my affection for them.

Putting that aside, it's only freshman year and I already-

    A sound broke his thoughts away, the pen slowing down until it completely stopped. He looked around slightly, keeping his ears open for a trace of something. It didn't take long for him to hear it, a pulsing sound- like something out of a video game. Cautiously, he made his way out and looked around, trying to find whatever made the sound.

    He looked around the opening, nothing but trees and grass beyond it. The sky was a bit cloudy, as expected during the fall. He heard the sound again, this time to the right. His curiosity guided him to the sound, wanting to find out what it was.

    He eventually made it to a very large tree. It was one of the tallest in the forest, and could be seen from quite a distance. He never got to see it up close, so it was quite a sight. Ancient vanes of wood stuck out from the ground, connecting to the massive body in front of the teen. The top was littered with leaves, all of which were differing hues of orange and red, giving the impression that it was on fire.

    The sound was closer now, he could hear it. As he went closer to the base of the tree, he spotted something shining in the bark. He walked closer, careful not to trip under the massive roots. When he got close enough, he could see an object trapped underneath one of them. With a firm grip on it, he tugged on it forcefully. It took a bit of work, but eventually he got it free.