The Order of Things

I assumed desire was but a complex perception in which we exist to seek conceptually abstract ideas such as love and kinship. But perhaps I am mistaken. Perhaps desire is about indulging in the pleasures of the flesh and wealth. Certainly, the flesh appears to dictate our desires. It is the thing that arbitrarily fills us with joy. It is, but our desires manifest in corporeal form. So perhaps the purest form of happiness is to appease these seemingly mundane pleasures.

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A few days, perhaps even weeks, passed, and as the days remaining decreased, so too did the camp’s members. The large gathering had been the spark of change, which resulted in further people leaving the camp.

As more and more camp members came to say goodbye each day, Lady Scarlet looked further distressed. Despite this, she still managed to find time to teach me things. Perhaps the most significant was how to read.

I was still not very good at it, but now I could make out sounds from the letters and put them together. I didn’t know every word, but at least I could now read the characters. I was told I had a knack for learning. However, she may have just been trying to be kind. I wouldn’t make so many mistakes if I were as good as she said.

One of the saddest departures was Mr. and Mrs. Dinklebottom, the couple who gave Lady Scarlet and, consequently, me, Buddy. I spent a few days with them. Mrs. Dinklebottom baked really good bread, and I helped taste it.

I would bring Buddy along with me so he could see his parents. Unlike mine, his didn’t hurt him, so he was lucky. When Mr and Mrs Dinklebottom left, so too did Buddy’s family. I was worried that he would be lonely, so I intended to spoil him with more walks.

He seemed to enjoy walking along the perimeter of the camp. We called it our perimeter checks, though this was a lie. We just used the opportunity to go for walks.

Thankfully, unlike many other camp folk, Mr and Mrs Dinklebottom didn’t go into the rift alone. Along with a group of other regular camp folk, they were accompanied by Jason. The red-haired guard who, when I first came to this campsite.

While I was sad to see him leave, I knew they would be far better equipped for the rift than others who had ventured before.

Lady Scarlet also agreed to try to meet up with them in the rift once Mr. Ren returned. That was something I could look forward to.

Still, despite this slight optimism, I could not help but feel sad at seeing them go. I could only imagine how hard it must have been for Lady Scarlet.

But with departures came new entries; although the numbers were dwindling, new faces would occasionally be welcomed into the camp. Many of those who came only stayed briefly before venturing into the rift.

Lady Scarlet, Miss Zaloneas and the Church of Xilu members were the only certainties around the camp.

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One particular day, while I was doing a perimeter check with Buddy, I heard a commotion from the camp’s entrance. It wasn’t odd for interactions to happen at the gate, as the guards always questioned individuals before entering the camp. What was strange was the degree of shouting.

Curious to see what was happening, I scooped up Buddy so he wouldn’t run off and decided to wander over.

The path to the gate branched off into two directions. One way went to the gate. The other looped around and would take me back to Lady Scarlet’s tent.

A sign was up to assist those new to town to navigate. A crow landed on the sign. It spread its wings, revealing a set of red eyes that appeared on the wings as it cawed.

My head began to hurt as the sign ignited with a fiery message.

Don’t

I blinked for a split second, and the crow was gone, and the sign looked no different than it ever had. Perhaps I was more tired from the walk than I initially believed.

I continued on with Buddy to the gate. The guards were blocking a group of people from entering the camp. I wouldn’t have thought much of it if I didn’t know who they were. It was my Father, Stepmother and Anne.

“You stupid peasant. Don’t you know who I am?” my father shouted, spit flying from his round porky face.

“Sir, your previous status is irrelevant now. You need to be invited by someone in the camp to enter.”

“Dear, this peasant doesn’t realise that this is Chesternaut land, and we can do whatever we wish on our land.” My Stepmother added, hiding the lower part of her face behind the purple paper fan she carried.

“We are well aware of who you all are and your status. Your status, however, is irrelevant to the rules of this camp.”

“Preposterous,” Father yelled. “I’ll have you know that for such blatant insubordination, I could have you executed.”

The guards looked exhausted. I, too, always felt exhausted after dealing with my family, so I understood how the guards must have felt.

While Father and Stepmother argued with the guards, Anne, who was holding Choco in her arms, noticed me.

“Hey, why is the brat there?” She asked, pointing her finger at me.

Anne’s comments caused everyone, the guards and my family, to look over at me.

“Ah, perfect; you said we could enter if someone let us in, right? Brat, I don’t know how or why you are here, but let your dear old family in, would you?” He asked.

Although he called me a brat, this was perhaps the nicest thing he had ever said to me.

“Alright, let them in,” I responded.

“Are you sure, kid?” The guard asked.

Honestly, I didn’t want to let them in. But how could I say no to them? I was taught always to obey what they said because they were more important than me. Although I knew Lady Scarlet would understand if I turned them away, something within me prevented me from denying them.

“You can let them in,” I responded, although I began to tremble as I did so.

“See, hear that!” Father said smugly.

“Excellent; well, I would like to speak to the person in charge to give them my peace of mind for such unkind treatment,” my Stepmother added.

The guards looked at each other before stating. “Very well, you may enter. We will escort you to see Lady Scarlet.”

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End Chapter 9