History Notes 21/8/20                                                                                                                    Jacob Zandi

Russia

      — leading nation in interstellar exploration

      — UNIF main location

            ~ no wonder they had so much sway in the end

      — Russian language

            ~ used to be commonplace 

            ~ characters of city names & such

            ~ chorans’ names also Russian based??

Jacob decided to exhaust the energy he knew he’d end up wrestling with for the rest of the day by sprint-hobbling to his house. It was surprisingly fun, trying to optimize speed while keeping as much weight off of his left leg as possible. By the time Jacob made it home, he was proudly out of breath.

His mother was far less proud.

“Owowow, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! It’s not like a little hobble-run will kill me!”

“Ugh! You know that you should be taking it easy! And don’t call it a ‘hobble-run’; it sounds even worse! Now you go to your room and rest, and if I see you so much as approach the front door, I will ground you for the next decade!”

Clutching his ear, Jacob retreated to his room. As soon as he closed the door, he pounced on his bed and buried his face in his fluffiest pillow.

“Mmnaaarghhh! It’s not like I broke my leg or anything! There’s a line between worrying about your kid and yelling at them for getting a scratch! I mean, this is a little more than a scratch, but… That’s not the point!”

The phoenix plushie lying next to him didn’t respond, but Jacob could tell from the look in its eyes that it agreed with him.

“You’d think by now she’d be desensitized to me coming home with cuts and bruises, but nooo. She acts like I’ve never gotten hurt before!”

The phoenix plushie vigorously agreed silently.

“I bet if Dad were around, he’d be on my side…”

The phoenix plushie looked a little sad.

“... I mean, he would, right…?”

Jacob rolled over onto his back. There were plastic stars plastered all over the ceiling that glowed when it got dark. For now, though, they were just yellowish-white decagons.

Well, that’s what Dylan liked to call them, but Jacob still didn’t get what exactly a “decagon” was.

“Hey, Flamix.”

The phoenix plushie listened quietly.

“Do you think I’ll make a good Fielder?”

He could feel its comforting nod.

“I sure hope so. Even if I’m not all that smart, I’m real good at picking out the right berries. Like those bluestones. And I’m quick on my feet, too. Stronger than Dylan or Serena, though that’s not saying much. It’s okay if I’m not so good at the rest, then, right?”

The phoenix plushie was silent.

Jacob sighed.

“Yeah, I guess you can’t say, either, huh? Not like you’ve ever been out in the field.”

He continued to stare at the yellowish-white plastic decagons.

At some point, he drifted off to sleep. When he woke up, there was a hot bowl of soup and a plate of salad on his desk, and the stars were glowing.

— — —

Jacob woke up well before his alarm the next morning. He grinned when he realized that he’d even beaten the sun, and changed out of his pajamas with a level of clumsy excitement that was reserved for but one day of the year.

Donning his favorite outfit that blended comfort with agility, Jacob rushed out the door before immediately returning to grab his wallet.

Practically tripping down the stairs, Jacob paused for a moment at the kitchen. He shook his head, and leapt out the door into the brisk morning. There was no time of the day that better personified the village’s namesake than the brief period of time between the night’s end and daybreak. The energy felt electric, as if the village—no, the world—was trapped in an ethereal spell where Jacob alone existed. Though his skin tingled in the cold, the shivers that ran up his spine had been there long before he’d made it outside.

Jacob ran down the dirt paths that divided the village into humble sectors, counting each house he passed. By the time he passed the fifth house, the eastern border of the village was in sight. He slowed to a fast walk, taking a moment to admire the serenity of the forest that continued past the east gate. Then, he spun on a dime to face house number six. He hopped over to the front door, raised his fist, then paused.

Jacob recalled the last time he had banged on Dylan’s door before the sun had come up. He had learned that day that people who honed their mind over their body had their own brand of “scary.”

A voice that called out from the path interrupted Jacob’s thinking and potentially saved his life.

Jacob turned around and waved.

Serena hobbled up to him, barely identifiable underneath all those sweaters.

Despite that, her teeth still clattered as she spoke.

“Heya. Up bright ’n early, aren’t you? Or could it be that you couldn’t even get to sleep in the first place?” she said.

“Believe it or not, I slept like a log! I’m just over here wondering what you’re doing up so early.”

For some reason, Serena’s cheeks reddened. She spun around quickly, tilting her head towards the cloudy sky.

“Oh, nothing really, haha… Just out for a morning stroll, y’know?”

“That’s an awful lot of layers for someone going on a stroll.” “Like you’d know anything about being cold! Who goes out into this weather wearing a shirt and shorts?!”

The two of them laughed.

Then, Serena pointed towards the forest.

“Hey, check it out.”

Jacob looked over, and felt his breath catch in his throat.

Though the treeline was still dark, the edge of the canopy lit up with a soft, radiant glow. The sky above it was brightening as well, slowly spreading across the sky. Though the culprit was still hidden behind the trees, its warmth was already beginning to wash over the humble village.

Still gazing out at the first hints of daybreak, Serena spoke.

“How is it? Your first sunrise as a Junior Fielder.”

Jacob was too caught up in the moment to answer. He wasn’t technically one yet, but Prof. Spruce had promised him that he would take Jacob in as a Junior Fielder the day he turned sixteen. So to Jacob, this morning was the true start of his life.

It was the same sunrise he’d seen thousands of times already, but this was the first time in his life he had to squint through tears to see it.

Finally… I can finally do my part and discover the secrets that this planet is hiding from us. I can help so many people…

Jacob smiled. “It’s the first of many. Breathtaking as it may be, this view is nothing compared to the sights we’ll see from here on.”

Serena’s shoulder’s shook, and Jacob could barely make out her snickers.

Wait, that too?! I thought for sure that was a cool line…

Serena twirled around and faced him, eyes brimming with anticipation.

“Today’s the day, Jacob. Let’s go out there and change the world!”

“Man, you two are way too loud. You know that humans are supposed to get their morning energy from sunlight, right? You can’t even see the dang thing yet.” Dylan yawned as he stepped out of the house, still wearing his pajamas.

Taking one look at his bedhead, Serena broke into laughter.

Jacob shook his head. “You seriously expect me to not be excited? Today of all days? Now I know you know me better than that!”

“Unfortunately, you are correct. But just because I know something to be true doesn’t mean I can’t wish it weren’t.”

“Party pooper.”

“Flower brain.”

“Will you two just stop, already? Come on, we gotta have as much fun with each other while we still can! Hurry up and change, Dylan; we’re heading for the hills as soon as Jacob tells his mom.”

“Aww, do I gotta?”

“Shush, Jacob! You know how much she worries! Especially with that injury.”

“It doesn’t even hurt anymore, you know.”

“Just go!”

At Serena’s command, Jacob dragged his heels as he made his way back home. The excitement of the day quickly took over, however, and he found himself running just as quickly as when he’d left.

Five houses later, Jacob walked up to his front door. He reached for the door handle, then froze.

I swear I heard someone whisper something just now. What in the world…?

Jacob looked around, but nobody was nearby.

Just as he concluded that his anticipation was manifesting in hallucinations, he heard it again. It was an older woman’s voice.

Jacob strained his ears.

“Don’t…”

The voice seemed to be coming from the side of the house. As Jacob walked over, it became louder. Despite that, the voice was faint; a strong breeze could whisk it away, far and forever out of Jacob’s reach.

… Why did Jacob’s chest tighten at the thought?

“Don’t… go…”

Right before he rounded the corner, the woman’s words made Jacob stop. He didn’t recognize the voice, but it felt so familiar. It was strained and pleading, yet comforting.

Jacob’s feet were rooted to the spot. The thought of seeing someone he wanted to meet so badly terrified him.

Wait, why do I want to meet her? I don’t even know her.

Despite that, he couldn’t find the strength to confront her.

Instead, he responded.

“I… I have to go. I can’t stay cooped up in this village my whole life.”

“Please…”

“I’ve wanted this all my life. I’m not just going to give it all up. There are people out there who need me. Who needs someone.”

“Be happy… Stay here… You don’t… need to… suffer…”

It sounded like she was putting all of their strength into forming a simple sentence.

“I’m sorry. Whoever you are, I’m sorry, but I can’t. I can’t just wrap myself up in my blanket and forget about all those people.”

There was a moment of silence.

For some reason, it felt like an eternity to Jacob.

Then, the woman spoke again, her voice drowning in pain.

“I… lo…”

Jacob’s eyes widened, but the voice trailed off. He finally found the courage to turn the corner of his own house.

But there was nothing out of place, just a lone patch of grass that refused to surrender to its fate.