Go for It! - I

Today is the usual day in my obviously completely normal life, wake way too early in the morning, taking a bus, then remember that I have a dog now, go down the bus, back to my house, feed the dog, back to take another bus, too late for work, realize that I left my backpack at home, think about crying because of how bad my day has been, go back to my house, look at the park in front of my house, that child who is always sitting on a swing.

That child is always there, but I never thought anything special about him, just another child playing in the park, I used to do that a lot, even if it was necessary to avoid some of my father's informers that used to live in the same house as me, but this child seems like he is living a whole different situation, he doesn’t seem like someone who likes to be there like he was forced to be there, poor boy.

I went to work as normal, only half an hour later, but at least arriving late at the hospital hasn’t been a problem during the last month, so Abraham, or “Mr. Abraham” as I should call him, shouldn’t complain all that much about me.

“You’re late, what’s even the point of having you here” – There’s Abraham, just when I need him

“Sorry, Mr. Abraham, I had some problems with my dog, you see-“

“You have a new pup that was abandoned and you forgot about him before coming here, so you had to come back” – Ok, this man officially can read minds.

“How the heck did you know that!? I-I mean, how did you know that sir?”

“Lisa, she told the same story ten minutes ago” – Who could’ve said it, we’re both the worst pet owners in this world, or at least this hospital.

“Never mind, I will let that one slip, but I will not accept you being late more than once a month”

Who could guess that Abraham can be a nice guy to me specifically, even if it doesn’t make any sense?

The day has been normal, failing more than I should during the morning, the usual “blah blah” from Abraham, which is getting quite usual for me, and nothing special to mention, just a boy with a cold, another with a stomachache and a girl who didn’t want to go to school, so it’s time to go home again.

On my way home I look to the park, not like I had a reason to care about what that kid is doing, but obviously, no one wants to see a child basically abandoned until late at night, luckily enough, he isn’t there anymore.

The next day is just another usual thing, a lazy morning, going to the hospital, the kid is there in the park once again, it almost makes me feel like a bit of a creep, I just shouldn’t be wasting some of his daily minutes looking at a random kid who I don’t even know, and going to talk to him would only make me look more like a weirdo, but who can blame me? Anyone would worry about a kid who is always alone, every morning, every day, always in the same place.

I arrive at the hospital, another usual day, the giant door still impresses me every time I enter here, Abraham is slightly less stressing, while Tony and Lisa are as cheerful as always, it's quite a surprise with how horrible of an experience can be working at a hospital.

Another normal day, went back to my house, entered only to have a new doggie friend there waiting for me, it hurts my heart to leave her alone all that much; I’d like to take her out to the street, just for a bit, but she is a bit a too young to go out, even if it is just a little stroll, she is like three months old, so at least is just a few months more before we can take some extra time together. It would be nice to just go crazy and take her out, but out there I can also see a bunch of other dogs, and I’m not going to put her in danger for a simple walk to the park.

Friday, the kid is still on the swing, I still can’t take my little girl out, but at least tomorrow is a weekend, a free one this week, so I can at least enjoy more time with her at the house.

I go running to take my regular bus, and then I see him again, the kid is sitting there at the same swing as always, but this time he seems to be with a friend, or a brother, who knows what they are, the important fact is that he isn’t alone this time.

This boy seems a bit younger, more like a livelier boy too, it seems like he is looking for something around there, maybe I should help him, something like that would be an adult’s responsibility, right?

The working day is as normal as this hospital can be, nothing too relevant as of now, no voices in my head, nor deceased patients running around, and just one hour to go and rest for the next two days, that’s what I’d like to think.

I was taking my daily stroll and saw him, the kid from the swing, hanging out in the hospital like it was his park.

“Hey kid, are you with someone here?” – I try to be as friendly as I can, a kid at a hospital can be in a pretty bad situation, maybe they’re here for a parent, a sibling, or who knows, just avoiding an injection.

“Oh nice, is it just like a medium or something?” – You couldn’t believe my face after hearing this.

“You are dead, right?”

“Yes, I’ve been dead for quite some time”

“So when I saw you all those days on that swing… You’ve always been dead?” – The sole idea was quite depressing for me…

“What swing?” I don’t even know what you’re talking about” – Come on, the kid is messing with me now.

“I always saw you in front of my house, at the park, always sitting on the same swing; I’ve seen your face before”

“Oh, so you’re that weirdo who’s always looking at my bro when he goes to the park”

“What are you talking about!? I’m not a weirdo idiot” – This kid really gets on my nerves, I’m just trying to be nice by looking after him you dumb.

“And I’m not an idiot weirdo”

“Wait, give me a second; did you say your bro? Do you mean like your brother? You were the kid who was looking for something alongside the usual kid” – So he wasn’t who I saw all these days playing there at that park.

“My name is Carlo Santos; the guy you saw these days was my little bro, he may have the same beautiful blue eyes like me, but I’m not into his kind of hairstyle if you didn’t notice, my spiky red hair is nothing like his dumb stupid bowl cut”

“I’m not the kind of person who would’ve noticed something like that kid; I’m Adam by the way”

“Yeah, yeah, who cares weirdo, his name is Luca, I think I forgot to mention it, his surname is something that you can easily guess”

“Santos, easy to guess”

“You are completely right, weirdo! Also, what’s your name guy?”

“Adam, I already told you, boy, are you even paying attention to what we’re talking about?”

“I always pay attention creep, is just that I barely care” – Ok, this kid is officially an idiot.

“And why are you here Carlo? Why are you still here if you’re supposed to have died long ago?”

“Not that long ago actually, just ten years ago, I was twelve at the time, so I would be like twenty-two now”

“Oh, so not that far from me, but is funny that you still live like a boy”

“You actually said “live”? Man, I’m dead you know, that’s almost racist”

“Sorry about that, it’s hard to realize that you’re talking with a spirit”

“Not like it mattered all that much, it’s been like five years since I talked to someone else, that’s almost a big achievement for me, to receive an offensive commentary” – I’m not going to lie, as annoying as this guy is, at least it feels relieving to know that he is finally making contact with someone else after all these years.

“But why are you exactly here? In the hospital I mean, if you’re lingering to something, the hospital shouldn’t have anything to do with it, right?”

“What’s the usual reason to find a kid around here?”

“You’re with one of your parents?”

“Nah, they’re deader than me, I’m here looking for something for my bro”

“You mean like a favor? You mean money or something like that?”

“Nothing alike, I’ve just been roaming through the city to look for someone who can see me”

“But why though, what does that have to do with your brother?”

“Our parents died long ago after, around two years after he was born, we were adopted by my grandpa, he died last month, and my brother needs help now”

“So you don’t need money, and you’re in a hospital looking for someone who can help your brother; is he sick?”

“No, my brother is completely alone and I want him to receive something; could you come tomorrow to that park; as you said before I am the kid who was looking for something, for my brother, my family’s treasure is buried on that park, I want you to find it for him” – And that’s how I became a treasure hunter, I guess you could call me that, right?