Post by Ninja Dathron on Mar 6, 2008 17:01:07 GMT -5
I wrote this a couple years back. This is definitely not in the fantasy/sci-fi kind of genre at all, although still fiction. It's simply my only piece of writing, and I kinda like it. I'm pretty sure some bits are quite childish and so on, but it's still a nice little piece.
Comments are encouraged.
Chapter One
Kaikara woke up and looked around the clay hut he lived in with his family. Today was his birthday. He was now 8 years old. Remembering this, he ran excitedly outside to find his parents and pass along the great news. However, after a quick look-around, he could only find his brother of 13 years, Akello. He rushed to him and exclaimed, "Guess what day it is!"
Akello pretended to forget. "Oh, I don't know. Just a normal day I guess. Nothing special about today, that's for sure." He winked at Kaikara.
"Hey! It's my birthday, stupid!" Kaikara laughed. "Now, Akello, do you know where Mom and Dad are? I want to tell them."
"Hmm, well they went down to the village...to get you a present, maybe."
"Yay!" exclaimed Kaikara, and he ran back into the hut.
"I'm getting hungy, Akello. Why aren't Mom and Dad back yet? I want to see my present!"
It was late afternoon, and the boys parents hadn't returned yet. Akello was beginning to worry, but he didn't let it show to his little brother. Then...
"Akello!"
It was their father. He had crawled to their hut from the village, with bullets in his leg and chest. Akello didn't think he would survive.
"Where's Mom?" Kaikara said.
"She...couldn't...get away. They killed her!"
The boys were shocked.
"Who - who are they?" Akello asked.
"The...Lord's Resistance...Army. Don't....let them...get you. They will make you...fight.."
Their father, Mukasa, closed his eyes. He was dead.
Chapter Two
"Come, Kaikara. We have to hide from the Lord's Resistance Army so that they don't hurt us either."
"But they...they killed Dad!"
"Yes, I know. Do you want that to happen to you, though? I didn't think so. Now, let's get moving."
Wiping back his tears, Kaikara got up off the ground and followed his brother into the brush.
"Look what I found! A couple a' little birds hiding in the bushed!"
An evil, toothless grin peeked out through the bushes at the boys. They had been caught.
"Akello, what should we do?" Kaikara asked his brother tentatively.
Akello was stunned. He couldn't believe he had let himself doze off with his brother. Now, because of his error, they were about to get killed, or worse, be forced to kill others. Ignoring his brothers plaintive query, he rushed at the man still grinning at the He bit and scratched, but it wasn't enough. The man calmly slid a knife into his belly.
As Kaikara watched his brother slump down to the ground, at first he thought it was a joke. His brother couldn't be dead. But then, he saw the dark blood staining his brother's shirt, and he broke apart. He had nobody left. He felt extreme confusion about what exactly had happened, but what he did feel strongly, was a sense of loneliness. As he sat on the dusty earth, somebody came up behind him and hit him on the head with a rock. Everything went dark.
"Wha...where am I?" inquired Kaikara.
"You're in a camp of the Lord's Resistance Army. We are a group of righteous men fighting the government of our beautiful country, Uganda," replied a voice.
Kaikara couldn't believe that this man speaking to him from the shadows considered his group righteous. He also didn't understand where his family came into this. If the man said they were fighting the government, then why did they kill his family? How could that possibly make sense? Kaikara briefly considered mentioning this to the man, but after seeing what they did to his parents, and the coolness with which they killed his brother, he decided not to risk it. Better to just stay quiet and find a way to get through this.
Chapter Three
"Come, boy, hurry up. Go to the table over by that tent, and grab your equipment. You're a fighter now!"
In a daze, Kaikara dragged himself over to the table. The man noticed his sluggishness, however, and hit him in the back of his head, sending Kaikara reeling.
"Don't dawdle! You're a soldier now! When I say go, you GO!"
Kaikara ran as fast as he could to the table, and looked at what was there. Guns, pants, ammo, boots. Everything a soldier needed, except Kaikara didn't feel like a soldier. Gritting his teeth, he took the smallest gun, matching ammo, and boots and pants that looked like they might fit him.
Chapter Four
"HEY! Get up boy! They leader wants to see you!"
It was the same man who had been ordering around Kaikara the last couple days. Kaikara had learned that he had an English name, Dave. He never learned his last name. Kaikara wondered why the leader wanted him, and what this mysterious man would be like. Throughout his short stay with the L.R.A., their leader had been mentioned many times. His name was Joseph Kony, and all the men spoke of him as if he were a god. One of them called him a "spirit medium". Kaikara followed Dave towards the large, green tent in the middle of the camp.
Joseph Kony was the color of dark chocolate, with black, dusty dreadlocks. He was younger than Kaikara expected. Kaikara guessed he was in his late 30's, or mid 40's. He had a dreamy, calm expression on his face. Kaikara tried to see how this man could allow child soldiers in his group and attack innocent villages and people who had nothing to do with the Ugandan government.
"So kid, you think you're ready for your first fight?"
Kaikara had been training the last couple of days with other kids around his age, with target practice, weightlifting, and drills.
"I don't think I ever will, sir." Kaikara replied honestly.
"Well, too bad! You're in Dave's squad, and you're invading the village of Okolim tomorrow morning. Be ready by 5:00!"
Kony's demeanor had completely changed after Kaikara's response. He became angry and spat out his orders as fast as possible to Kaikara.
"GET OUT!" yelled Joseph.
Kaikara ran out of the tent as fast as he could. As much as he tried to stop it, he began to cry. He wasn't used to being yelled at, and he couldn't believe he had to try to kill friendly villagers the next morning. He ran into the tent he shared with four other boys, and ignoring their confused glances, fell on his mat and tried to hide from the world.
Chapter Five
Kaikara woke up about an hour before he left to raid the village of Okolim. He had tossed and turned in his unsettling sleep, struggling to get some actual rest. He sat in his tent until Dave walked in and yelled at them all to jump out of bed and get ready.
"This is your first battle with the honorable L.R.A., so be sure you make us proud!"
Kaikara felt like he might throw up. He couldn't believe he was about to commit something so terribly wrong. He didn't want anyone else to suffer like he had.
After everybody had dressed and prepared their weapons, they formed up and waited as Dave gave them a little speech.
"Ok boys. This village is small, but we believe it will help our mission against the Ugandan government to take it. We need more soldiers, so if you see any boys your age, hit them with the butt of your weapon and drag them toward camp. Make sure you..."
Kaikara tuned out the man as he showed them how to correctly and safely hit the boys they needed to kidnap. He didn't want to hear. He felt that if he found a boy like himself, he'd help him run away, or he'd hide him. Anything to keep him from getting stuck in the L.R.A.
"...And also, kill anybody else in your way. Don't listen if they ask you to let them go; they're just trying to trick you! If they succeed, they will turn on you as soon as they get a chance. So kill everybody, except for boys. Men, women, girls. Kill them all. All right, that was enough. Now follow me, we've got to fight for our country!"
Kaikara again felt confusion and anger at the man's words. It seemed that they were fighting AGAINST their country! Wasn't a country mainly made up of the people? Besides that, it's just dirt, grass and mud. It was people that made countries so vastly different and unique from each other. So if the L.R.A. truly believe in fighting for the country, why kill the people that make it what it is? Kaikara just couldn't understand.
A couple of hours later, they had reached the village. From then on, it was all a fog for Kaikara. He heard Dave yelling, "Attack!", and he felt himself running out with the boys. He saw his hand pulling out his knife, and not his gun. Although Kaikara himself had not realized it was too close range to use the gun, his hand noticed. His eyes noticed the woman on the ground, bleeding to death from numerous bullet wounds. His hand again betrayed him, taking his knife, and sinking int into the back of the man weeping over the woman's body., Then, his mind took over, and he fainted.
Chapter Six
When he woke, at first he thought he was still at the L.R.A. camp and had fallen out of his bunk. After looking around, however, everything began to flood back. All of a sudden, he remember what had happened the night before. As he stood up, he noticed the dead couple and his knife in the man's back. Backing off in horror, he tripped over a rock and landed on the body of another dead man. Kaikara screamed and got off the body. As he looked around the village, all he could see were dead bodies. Then, as he was about to turn around to get away from the terrible scene, he saw movement. It was an old man. Somebody was actually still alive in the place! Kaikara rushed to the man.
"It's all right, I'll help you. Let's get inside this hut over here."
Kaikara helped the man over to the hut, and laid him down on the mat at one end of the small space. The man was still breathing, but he had knife wounds in his right shoulder and leg, and his left hand was nearly cut off at the wrist. Kaikara let the man sleep while he ran around the outskirts of the town looking for herbs and other items that he could use to help the man.
Chapter Seven
It had been three days since Kaikara found the old man. During that time, Kaikara used herbs he found in the brush to relieve the pain, scraps of cloth to bind the wounds, and water from a local well to keep them hydrated and to clean the mans wounds. Using a knife he found around the battlefield, he killed a small wild pig, which kept them from starving. So, now, three days later, with the man visibly improving, a traveler arrived.
Everything about the traveler was different. His clothes were different, with many pockets and pouches, and a big hat on his head. His walk was different, confident yet clumsy. And biggest difference of all was his face. Instead of the creamy brown Kaikara and his family had, or the deep black the old man had, the traveler's face was a splotchy white, with brown spots and reddish cheeks. Kaikara didn't like the look of the man, or the...the different-ness of the man, but the traveler didn't look dangerous.
Chapter Eight
The traveler had noticed the carnage around the town by now, and he looked sick. Then, while still looking around the village, the traveler noticed Kaikara, and ran over. He began gesturing and talking frantically in a language Kaikara didn't understand. Finally, he began to speak in Swahili, which Kaikara could speak.
"What happened here? All these people dead...are you the only ones left?" the man said in a rush.
"The L.R.A. attacked this village," replied Kaikara. He decided not to mention that he was part of the L.R.A. when they attacked.
"The Lord's Resistance Army! That must have been terrible! Is this your grandfather, child?"
"No," Kaikara said stuffily.
He was surprised the man couldn't see the difference of skin color on Kaikara and the old. He glared at the traveler, as if daring him to ask another question. He did.
"Er...My name is Dylan. What's yours?"
"Kaikara," the boy mumbled.
"That's a nice name. But enough of this. This is no place for a boy like you to be, and your friend looks injured. How about I take you both with me to the city just south of here?"
Well...ok, I guess." Kaikara said.
"All right, then. Let's make a crutch for the man so he can walk. Can you help me?"
As Kaikara trudged along with Dylan to look for a good piece of wood, he began to think that Dylan might not be as bad as he had first thought. If he was willing to help make the old man a crutch and take them all to the city, he might actually be friendly. With slightly more bounce to his step, Kaikara helped Dylan carve out the crutch.
Chapter Nine
During the time Kaikara was caring for the old man, the man never said a word to the boy, but after Dylan and Kaikara finished the crutch, he spoke.
"Thank you, Kaikara, for all that you have done for me the last few days," he croaked. "I have not told you my name. I am Ochen. I hope we reach the city soon. I still feel very weak."
"Don't worry, Ochen," replied Dylan. "It's only a 2 hour walk from here. Once we get there, I'll get you in the hospital as fast as possible. Kaikara, where would you like to go when we get there? I can take you anywhere you need to go. Do you have relatives in the city?"
Kaikara hung his head. He knew all his relatives had lived with him in their hut, and that all of them were dead. He was at a loss for words. He had forgotten he would have to find a place to live now that his family was dead. He tried to reply to Dylan, but nothing came out of his mouth. Instead, a couple tears trickled down his face.
"What's wrong, Kaikara? Why won't you answer me?" Dylan asked.
"My..um..my parents and my brother were my only family, and they're dead," Kaikara sniffled.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry!" gasped Dylan. "I had no idea. Please accept my apology."
"It's okay," mumbled Kaikara. "Let's get going; I want to reach the city before dark."
Chapter Ten
When they arrived at the city, their first stop was the hospital. The old man was tired, but he looked happy, and his wounds were healing. As they checked him in, Ochen looked tearfully at Kaikara.
"I'll miss you, boy. You helped me when I was dying in the mud. I'll never forget you. Please, if there is anything I can do for you..."
Kaikara shook his head.
"Well then, I bid farewell. I hope to see you again, my friend."
The nurses put him in a portable hospital bed and rolled him to one of their rooms. Kaikara waved until Ochen was out of sight.
"Well, then, Kaikara," said Dylan after they left the hospital. "What would you like to do? You told me there is nowhere for you to go here. Maybe...maybe, you could stay with me, until you get things figured out. And if you don't, I'd even consider adopting you, as I know you would be a fantastic son."
Kaikara couldn't believe it. Dylan had just offered to be his father. He felt slight anger, at the man trying to take his father's place, but he knew that Dylan was just trying to help. Kaikara also knew that he would be happy living with Dylan. He knew he could trust him.
"All right," replied Kaikara, and he walked off with Dylan, towards his hotel room.
That night, Kaikara played his first video game that Dylan paid the hotel for. He saw many things he'd never heard of: televisions, modern bathrooms, rugs, and beds. All were new to Kaikara, and he loved every minute of it.
A week later, Dylan was working out the adoption forms.
Two months after that, they were at Dylan's home on the coast of Maine. So many new things for Kaikara. He couldn't wait to explore and discover everything that was waiting for him.
The End
Comments are encouraged.
Chapter One
Kaikara woke up and looked around the clay hut he lived in with his family. Today was his birthday. He was now 8 years old. Remembering this, he ran excitedly outside to find his parents and pass along the great news. However, after a quick look-around, he could only find his brother of 13 years, Akello. He rushed to him and exclaimed, "Guess what day it is!"
Akello pretended to forget. "Oh, I don't know. Just a normal day I guess. Nothing special about today, that's for sure." He winked at Kaikara.
"Hey! It's my birthday, stupid!" Kaikara laughed. "Now, Akello, do you know where Mom and Dad are? I want to tell them."
"Hmm, well they went down to the village...to get you a present, maybe."
"Yay!" exclaimed Kaikara, and he ran back into the hut.
"I'm getting hungy, Akello. Why aren't Mom and Dad back yet? I want to see my present!"
It was late afternoon, and the boys parents hadn't returned yet. Akello was beginning to worry, but he didn't let it show to his little brother. Then...
"Akello!"
It was their father. He had crawled to their hut from the village, with bullets in his leg and chest. Akello didn't think he would survive.
"Where's Mom?" Kaikara said.
"She...couldn't...get away. They killed her!"
The boys were shocked.
"Who - who are they?" Akello asked.
"The...Lord's Resistance...Army. Don't....let them...get you. They will make you...fight.."
Their father, Mukasa, closed his eyes. He was dead.
Chapter Two
"Come, Kaikara. We have to hide from the Lord's Resistance Army so that they don't hurt us either."
"But they...they killed Dad!"
"Yes, I know. Do you want that to happen to you, though? I didn't think so. Now, let's get moving."
Wiping back his tears, Kaikara got up off the ground and followed his brother into the brush.
"Look what I found! A couple a' little birds hiding in the bushed!"
An evil, toothless grin peeked out through the bushes at the boys. They had been caught.
"Akello, what should we do?" Kaikara asked his brother tentatively.
Akello was stunned. He couldn't believe he had let himself doze off with his brother. Now, because of his error, they were about to get killed, or worse, be forced to kill others. Ignoring his brothers plaintive query, he rushed at the man still grinning at the He bit and scratched, but it wasn't enough. The man calmly slid a knife into his belly.
As Kaikara watched his brother slump down to the ground, at first he thought it was a joke. His brother couldn't be dead. But then, he saw the dark blood staining his brother's shirt, and he broke apart. He had nobody left. He felt extreme confusion about what exactly had happened, but what he did feel strongly, was a sense of loneliness. As he sat on the dusty earth, somebody came up behind him and hit him on the head with a rock. Everything went dark.
"Wha...where am I?" inquired Kaikara.
"You're in a camp of the Lord's Resistance Army. We are a group of righteous men fighting the government of our beautiful country, Uganda," replied a voice.
Kaikara couldn't believe that this man speaking to him from the shadows considered his group righteous. He also didn't understand where his family came into this. If the man said they were fighting the government, then why did they kill his family? How could that possibly make sense? Kaikara briefly considered mentioning this to the man, but after seeing what they did to his parents, and the coolness with which they killed his brother, he decided not to risk it. Better to just stay quiet and find a way to get through this.
Chapter Three
"Come, boy, hurry up. Go to the table over by that tent, and grab your equipment. You're a fighter now!"
In a daze, Kaikara dragged himself over to the table. The man noticed his sluggishness, however, and hit him in the back of his head, sending Kaikara reeling.
"Don't dawdle! You're a soldier now! When I say go, you GO!"
Kaikara ran as fast as he could to the table, and looked at what was there. Guns, pants, ammo, boots. Everything a soldier needed, except Kaikara didn't feel like a soldier. Gritting his teeth, he took the smallest gun, matching ammo, and boots and pants that looked like they might fit him.
Chapter Four
"HEY! Get up boy! They leader wants to see you!"
It was the same man who had been ordering around Kaikara the last couple days. Kaikara had learned that he had an English name, Dave. He never learned his last name. Kaikara wondered why the leader wanted him, and what this mysterious man would be like. Throughout his short stay with the L.R.A., their leader had been mentioned many times. His name was Joseph Kony, and all the men spoke of him as if he were a god. One of them called him a "spirit medium". Kaikara followed Dave towards the large, green tent in the middle of the camp.
Joseph Kony was the color of dark chocolate, with black, dusty dreadlocks. He was younger than Kaikara expected. Kaikara guessed he was in his late 30's, or mid 40's. He had a dreamy, calm expression on his face. Kaikara tried to see how this man could allow child soldiers in his group and attack innocent villages and people who had nothing to do with the Ugandan government.
"So kid, you think you're ready for your first fight?"
Kaikara had been training the last couple of days with other kids around his age, with target practice, weightlifting, and drills.
"I don't think I ever will, sir." Kaikara replied honestly.
"Well, too bad! You're in Dave's squad, and you're invading the village of Okolim tomorrow morning. Be ready by 5:00!"
Kony's demeanor had completely changed after Kaikara's response. He became angry and spat out his orders as fast as possible to Kaikara.
"GET OUT!" yelled Joseph.
Kaikara ran out of the tent as fast as he could. As much as he tried to stop it, he began to cry. He wasn't used to being yelled at, and he couldn't believe he had to try to kill friendly villagers the next morning. He ran into the tent he shared with four other boys, and ignoring their confused glances, fell on his mat and tried to hide from the world.
Chapter Five
Kaikara woke up about an hour before he left to raid the village of Okolim. He had tossed and turned in his unsettling sleep, struggling to get some actual rest. He sat in his tent until Dave walked in and yelled at them all to jump out of bed and get ready.
"This is your first battle with the honorable L.R.A., so be sure you make us proud!"
Kaikara felt like he might throw up. He couldn't believe he was about to commit something so terribly wrong. He didn't want anyone else to suffer like he had.
After everybody had dressed and prepared their weapons, they formed up and waited as Dave gave them a little speech.
"Ok boys. This village is small, but we believe it will help our mission against the Ugandan government to take it. We need more soldiers, so if you see any boys your age, hit them with the butt of your weapon and drag them toward camp. Make sure you..."
Kaikara tuned out the man as he showed them how to correctly and safely hit the boys they needed to kidnap. He didn't want to hear. He felt that if he found a boy like himself, he'd help him run away, or he'd hide him. Anything to keep him from getting stuck in the L.R.A.
"...And also, kill anybody else in your way. Don't listen if they ask you to let them go; they're just trying to trick you! If they succeed, they will turn on you as soon as they get a chance. So kill everybody, except for boys. Men, women, girls. Kill them all. All right, that was enough. Now follow me, we've got to fight for our country!"
Kaikara again felt confusion and anger at the man's words. It seemed that they were fighting AGAINST their country! Wasn't a country mainly made up of the people? Besides that, it's just dirt, grass and mud. It was people that made countries so vastly different and unique from each other. So if the L.R.A. truly believe in fighting for the country, why kill the people that make it what it is? Kaikara just couldn't understand.
A couple of hours later, they had reached the village. From then on, it was all a fog for Kaikara. He heard Dave yelling, "Attack!", and he felt himself running out with the boys. He saw his hand pulling out his knife, and not his gun. Although Kaikara himself had not realized it was too close range to use the gun, his hand noticed. His eyes noticed the woman on the ground, bleeding to death from numerous bullet wounds. His hand again betrayed him, taking his knife, and sinking int into the back of the man weeping over the woman's body., Then, his mind took over, and he fainted.
Chapter Six
When he woke, at first he thought he was still at the L.R.A. camp and had fallen out of his bunk. After looking around, however, everything began to flood back. All of a sudden, he remember what had happened the night before. As he stood up, he noticed the dead couple and his knife in the man's back. Backing off in horror, he tripped over a rock and landed on the body of another dead man. Kaikara screamed and got off the body. As he looked around the village, all he could see were dead bodies. Then, as he was about to turn around to get away from the terrible scene, he saw movement. It was an old man. Somebody was actually still alive in the place! Kaikara rushed to the man.
"It's all right, I'll help you. Let's get inside this hut over here."
Kaikara helped the man over to the hut, and laid him down on the mat at one end of the small space. The man was still breathing, but he had knife wounds in his right shoulder and leg, and his left hand was nearly cut off at the wrist. Kaikara let the man sleep while he ran around the outskirts of the town looking for herbs and other items that he could use to help the man.
Chapter Seven
It had been three days since Kaikara found the old man. During that time, Kaikara used herbs he found in the brush to relieve the pain, scraps of cloth to bind the wounds, and water from a local well to keep them hydrated and to clean the mans wounds. Using a knife he found around the battlefield, he killed a small wild pig, which kept them from starving. So, now, three days later, with the man visibly improving, a traveler arrived.
Everything about the traveler was different. His clothes were different, with many pockets and pouches, and a big hat on his head. His walk was different, confident yet clumsy. And biggest difference of all was his face. Instead of the creamy brown Kaikara and his family had, or the deep black the old man had, the traveler's face was a splotchy white, with brown spots and reddish cheeks. Kaikara didn't like the look of the man, or the...the different-ness of the man, but the traveler didn't look dangerous.
Chapter Eight
The traveler had noticed the carnage around the town by now, and he looked sick. Then, while still looking around the village, the traveler noticed Kaikara, and ran over. He began gesturing and talking frantically in a language Kaikara didn't understand. Finally, he began to speak in Swahili, which Kaikara could speak.
"What happened here? All these people dead...are you the only ones left?" the man said in a rush.
"The L.R.A. attacked this village," replied Kaikara. He decided not to mention that he was part of the L.R.A. when they attacked.
"The Lord's Resistance Army! That must have been terrible! Is this your grandfather, child?"
"No," Kaikara said stuffily.
He was surprised the man couldn't see the difference of skin color on Kaikara and the old. He glared at the traveler, as if daring him to ask another question. He did.
"Er...My name is Dylan. What's yours?"
"Kaikara," the boy mumbled.
"That's a nice name. But enough of this. This is no place for a boy like you to be, and your friend looks injured. How about I take you both with me to the city just south of here?"
Well...ok, I guess." Kaikara said.
"All right, then. Let's make a crutch for the man so he can walk. Can you help me?"
As Kaikara trudged along with Dylan to look for a good piece of wood, he began to think that Dylan might not be as bad as he had first thought. If he was willing to help make the old man a crutch and take them all to the city, he might actually be friendly. With slightly more bounce to his step, Kaikara helped Dylan carve out the crutch.
Chapter Nine
During the time Kaikara was caring for the old man, the man never said a word to the boy, but after Dylan and Kaikara finished the crutch, he spoke.
"Thank you, Kaikara, for all that you have done for me the last few days," he croaked. "I have not told you my name. I am Ochen. I hope we reach the city soon. I still feel very weak."
"Don't worry, Ochen," replied Dylan. "It's only a 2 hour walk from here. Once we get there, I'll get you in the hospital as fast as possible. Kaikara, where would you like to go when we get there? I can take you anywhere you need to go. Do you have relatives in the city?"
Kaikara hung his head. He knew all his relatives had lived with him in their hut, and that all of them were dead. He was at a loss for words. He had forgotten he would have to find a place to live now that his family was dead. He tried to reply to Dylan, but nothing came out of his mouth. Instead, a couple tears trickled down his face.
"What's wrong, Kaikara? Why won't you answer me?" Dylan asked.
"My..um..my parents and my brother were my only family, and they're dead," Kaikara sniffled.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry!" gasped Dylan. "I had no idea. Please accept my apology."
"It's okay," mumbled Kaikara. "Let's get going; I want to reach the city before dark."
Chapter Ten
When they arrived at the city, their first stop was the hospital. The old man was tired, but he looked happy, and his wounds were healing. As they checked him in, Ochen looked tearfully at Kaikara.
"I'll miss you, boy. You helped me when I was dying in the mud. I'll never forget you. Please, if there is anything I can do for you..."
Kaikara shook his head.
"Well then, I bid farewell. I hope to see you again, my friend."
The nurses put him in a portable hospital bed and rolled him to one of their rooms. Kaikara waved until Ochen was out of sight.
"Well, then, Kaikara," said Dylan after they left the hospital. "What would you like to do? You told me there is nowhere for you to go here. Maybe...maybe, you could stay with me, until you get things figured out. And if you don't, I'd even consider adopting you, as I know you would be a fantastic son."
Kaikara couldn't believe it. Dylan had just offered to be his father. He felt slight anger, at the man trying to take his father's place, but he knew that Dylan was just trying to help. Kaikara also knew that he would be happy living with Dylan. He knew he could trust him.
"All right," replied Kaikara, and he walked off with Dylan, towards his hotel room.
That night, Kaikara played his first video game that Dylan paid the hotel for. He saw many things he'd never heard of: televisions, modern bathrooms, rugs, and beds. All were new to Kaikara, and he loved every minute of it.
A week later, Dylan was working out the adoption forms.
Two months after that, they were at Dylan's home on the coast of Maine. So many new things for Kaikara. He couldn't wait to explore and discover everything that was waiting for him.
The End