#MarchMadness - Day 5

March Madness, I have to give it a try although I write (and tell) mainly short stories and I have a lack of words. In between I try to read more in English. By now I wrote 8396 words

I learned, thanks to @mariannewest, there is always a story to tell, no matter what the prompt is. If you like to join or like to be a #MMFan (reading the novels written this month) please do so. See @freewritehouse or HERE.

I did use the prompt mini van for Day 5.

Here you can read what I already wrote:
Day 1. Day 2. Day 3. Day 4

The picture is a pixabay.com pic.

03-05 (Day 5) - word count: 1729

'There"s no time to check it out', his brother said.
'Did you notice all these crates have different colours and there are only a few green ones? We have to hurry on now, the club is waiting for us. How about you Courage? If you like you can come along.'

'I don't know. I have some urgent things to do, things that cannot wait.'

'Well it's up to you, feel free to join us. You should know you can leave at any moment you want. It's a safe place. Nobody will ask you any questions.'

'How come they won't?'

'There is no need to. They know it and feel it. The good, bad, the intentions. There is no way you can hide you or your thoughts.'

'For now I will join you then, who knows I will even find what I am looking for over there.'

Charlie jumped out off the carriage. Alain and Courage followed him as fast as they could.

'Can you please slow down a bit', Courage asked, 'I am still a bit stiff. I don't have such long legs as you.

'If you like I can carry you on my back', Alain said, 'it's better we get away of here as soon as possible.'

He didn't feel safe as long as they were still close to the railway station and wondered what the club would be. He never been in one nor been a member of a club. He knew his dad once joined one called scouting. He told they had a clubhouse which they build themselves.
'Everything you build together makes you feel closer to that person', he had said. Would the club be something like that? Would it make him feel closer to someone?

Although he was twenty-five years younger as his brother he was nearly as tall as he was.
He felt a bit worried about Courage, he had to run most of the time.

'Don't worry, I am a traveller you know, I can run fast. It's just I have been in that crate too long. I hope we will get something to eat and I can sleep a bit once we are there. You will see after my beauty sleep I am as good as new'.
He sounded as if he had a hard time breathing, but he did giggle after he had said it.

'What's a beauty sleep?'

'It's an old expression. It means you look better after you had some extra sleep, took some rest. Now I think about it... I think it is a female thing, something only women do, beauty sleeps I mean. What's your brother's name.'

'His name is Charlie. He's named after our grandpa. Dad says he even looks like him now he is getting older.'

'I like him. I am grateful to both of you.'

After a quick walk of 20 minutes they arrived in the centre of WE.
It was something completely different as Alain ever saw in his entire life. The houses were well maintained. There were streetlights and all kind of shops and the streets looked brand new. He wondered if it was real and he was not dreaming. He squeezed his arm.
'Ouch!'

'Are you alright', Charlie asked.

'Yes. I am, sorry I was surprised... I mean... is this real? It looks so different. It's looks all so... unreal. It gives me the creeps somehow. It is as if we lived in the forgotten world. Who did build this all?'

'I cannot tell you. I only noticed there are no signs, no names. I mean, no street names, the shops are nameless too. I agree it all looks brand new. Now I think about it... it always does look the same. Nothing ever changed here. Nothing ever broke, been removed or replaced.
Hurry up. We need to cross the centre, on the edge of the city you will find the club.'

Only 8 minutes later they arrived. Charlie bounced at the door and it swung open by itself. The room they entered was empty. There was just a fireplace burning and a table with all kinds of food was waiting for them.
'Let's eat first, after dinner I will show you around'.
They ate in silence. There was plenty of food, it did not seem to be less.

'It's the same as in one of those fairy tales mom told us you know', Alain said. 'This cannot be real.'

'Who knows we do live in a fairy tale at the moment or it's just a dream', Courage said, 'but no matter what it is I will have a nap now. I cannot stay awake for one more minute.'
He left the table and curled himself up in front of the fireplace and fell into a deep sleep immediately.

'How can he sleep already', Alain wondered.

'He is a traveller', Charlie said, 'it is what travellers do. They are not like us. You know that don't you?'

'Yes I do, but I don't care I like him. I want us to be friends. It feels good to have him around. He needs to find his companion. What do you think, should I go with him? Keep him company? He isn't that tall as we are. He might get lost or caught again or...'

'It is up to you what to decide. It is your life and nobody can or will tell you how to live it. We all have a task, at least I think we have. The world is not what it once was. There are no longer rules to live by, we need to find our own way together with our family.'

'Family.. how come we only have such a small one? Not as big as grass I mean?'

'Grass?

'Yes. grass. There once were more than thousands of species. Now they are all gone or at least I think they are gone. Just because man couldn't stand them. Were they with too many?'

'It was not about 'not standing it', but about not able to live with it, at least I think it was. Each specie tries to survive. It is survival of the fittest. If you are not one of the fittest the only thing you can do is change or die.'

'I don't think they all died, Courage said he might have seen it at the place he once lived. I would love to see it. Do you think it would make me ill? I could die from it?'

'I cannot tell you. The only thing I know is from now on it will take a long time for those who live to die. It's not only that times have changed but also time itself did change. The world we live in slowed down. Still... if you should die of it, it might be worth it? At least you saw grass... íf it still exists.'

There was a lot to think about.
To start with: what is life worth if you are too afraid to live?

'… If it comes to family... we do have family. We are just like grass', Charlie said, 'all the living beings are our family. We are just different species, but we do understand each other, we can communicate with each other. We all need and have a companion. We share the same needs and feelings and know how to compromise. You have a very large family Alain. It is not just mom, dad and me.

Well.. if you like you can take a nap now too our new brother will not wake up in the next hour. Trust me there is nothing to worry about, you will know what to do, you both will.'

The brothers left the table and joined Courage at the fireplace. Charlie took place on the sofa and stared into the fire. Alain was sitting next to him and thought about what his brother had said. He had family, even a very large one, it had nothing to do with blood. The members of his family were just as different as the species of grass. It was possible grass did still exist. He felt warm and safe as he fall asleep.

In his dream he saw himself walking over a large green field together with his companion.
'Grass', he whispered, 'how great it is to see you, to know you still exist. I hope we don't hurt you. I just wanted to know how you feel. The Mother said it was allowed.'
He smiled and kept smiling, the feeling of grass was the most amazing thing he ever felt.

His brother smiled too. He knew what the boy was dreaming about, the world he was visiting, was walking around. He didn't feel tired, looked at the fire and watched over the two sleeping figures beside him. Both living their dream.

'No need to worry, we are both fine', he said to his companion.
'I hope the house is so too. It might be he won't return. If so you both need to come over here. He will need his companion and so do I. I miss you. There are things we both might need to see and do.'

'Good to hear you arrived', his companion said. 'No one will harm this place, if we leave we will ask others to take care of it.'

'I am very grateful to you. The train, the freight train, there is something with it. It's better not to take it. To be honest I want to find out more about it.'

'Just let me know when we are needed, we'll take the tunnels then. See you soon, love for both of you.'

'The train, those crates, this city... there is something seriously wrong about it', he mumbled.
He was used to it. As Alain saw it for the first time he immediately felt there was something wrong, and... he was right. It all looked unreal.
Now he thought any deeper about it the right word was fake. The city was fake. He couldn't remember he ever saw a living being walking around there. Was anyone shopping at all?

How was the freight transported? He had never seen a truck driving in his entire life, not even a mini van. These vehicles were just rusty left overs of the past. Also.. where was the freight been stored and who did order it?

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