4
That night stills scars my mind. It was both terrifying and somewhat exciting, all at once. Every moment, every breath I took that night, it all stays with me.
I was silent as Chewy padded forward. Slow, bumpy steps. I jolted every time. My back hunched over and my gaze was kept low. I was deep in thought.
Every so often, I would cast a look over at Alden. He walked by Chewy's head, slightly in front of me. His head was raised, he showed no emotion from the previous night. His footsteps were silent, like a fox stalking prey. The deafening quiet was cut off by the sound of shuffling. A graceful deer emerged from the shrubs ahead of us. A small fawn, on thin wobbly legs, stumbled out beside it. I smiled and Alden pulled Chewy to a halt. We watched the pair cross the path from a healthy distance, careful not to startle the mother and her baby.
They bounded away, into the forest.
We carried on. I kept my gaze tracking Alden. His strides were long and his shoulders fell up and down as he walked. Almost like the trotting of a horse. His left foot was turned in, only slightly, when it was raised, but pushed out was pressed on the ground. His fingers twitched whenever he put his left foot down, and only his right hand swung out when the left foot was placed.
It's interesting, what you can notice about people when you look hard enough.
My mother, for instance, whenever she was angry or upset, her left eyebrow twitched and her eyes narrowed, only a fraction.
Something weird about Alden, was when he is concerned, I noticed this the night before, his right knee twitched. And his top lip quivers.
Strange what you notice about people.
Regardless, I think the most interesting thing about Alden is his mind. Based on how little I know about it, I feel it's a big part of him. A part he doesn't like. Yet, the best part of him.
The mind is everything. You have a healthy mind, you're far more likely to have a healthy lifestyle, too.
Your mind is what controls your movements. It's the very essence of your motivation. If you could see into people's minds, I figure you'd be the most powerful person on earth. And, that's exactly why you can't read minds. I'm very glad it's not something people can do.
I also think, that you mind is an unstable source of power. The mind is your home base. It's what you are. But, others can destroy it without even going inside. It's both the weakest and strongest thing this world has. And it's inside everyone. So, I guess everyone is essentially the weakest and strongest thing on the planet.
It's what you do with your thoughts, and how you turn them into action, that makes you a strong person. Everyone can think the same thing. But people portray these thoughts differently.
Only, people don't think the same thing most of the time.
Opinions. The bane of my existence.
Well, no. More what people do with said opinions. But, that's a different rant for a different time.
More noises from the bushes, only, the sound of heavy footsteps. Probably caused by walking boots.
A man holding a rifle, with dead racoons hanging over his shoulders, stepped out into the light.
Immediate hatred.
The man turned to face us and gave Alden a toothy grin, 'Nice donkey you got there, boy. How much?' He sneered, eyeing Chewy with the gaze of the devil. My face fell and my lip raised in a disgusted position.
YOU ARE READING
My Patchwork Child
Adventure'Listen, Bean.' First time he's used that name. I thought it was sweet. 'You've struggled through way too much. You've done the unimaginable. You've survived something many wouldn't have. At such a young age. You've made it through something no one...
