1 Rebirth
In the cold city of Taleo, another day of heavy rain passes, continuing the endless display of death and despair. Countless damaged skyscrapers line the cloudy horizon. Some have had their tops collapsed and some have large holes on them.
Below the skyscrapers is what used to be the roads and sidewalks. Instead of speeding cars and peoples steps the light pittering and pattering of the rain fills the city. Damaged cars and building debris fill the flowing 10ft river that smacks against the buildings, the rain feeding it every moment.
In this dead city, within the only intact skyscraper a small family of survivors lives. On a cold night tens of children and a handful of adults rest, with the exception of two.
On the roof of this building two men, one in his late 70s and one in his early 30s stand. The old man is wearing a light blue t-shirt with fluffy pink pajama pants and the young man is wearing a thick blue jacket and a pairs of gray gym pants.
The old man stands serenely, a cold wind hitting his tanned, wrinkled skin. The young man looks towards the old man, a feeling of sadness filling his heart after seeing his messy thick gray hair and the countless black spots covering his thin body.
"I don't have much longer." The old man suddenly said calmly, as if his death wasn't worth a thought. The young man just sighs in response. Suddenly things go quiet. Both the old man and the young man begin to reminiscence on their youth.
The young man, before the rain, was just another salaryman. Come in at 8 in the morning and leave at midnight. He was never very close with his family and he only had a few friends. Living the same dull and dreary life like everybody else.
Then one day, in his rural town it started to rain. One day, then two days, then a week, then a month. All towns below sea level were flooded, seaside towns joining the ocean. Several islands disappeared from the face of the world soon.
The world's best scientists came together to try and stop the rain. The young man, like the rest of the world finally had some hope. Unfortunately, the scientist failed. The rain never stopped.
The young man, like countless others, braved his way to Taleo, a city on the highest mountain on earth. He fought against hungry beast, deranged people, and dark thoughts. In the end, after toiling away for 7 months he made it.
He found out that countless other people showed up before him. The people of Taleo rejected them. They refused to share their food or teach the survivors how to farm or handle cattle. Tensions rose and within 5 months there was almost nobody left.
The old man, just like him was one of the survivors. Though, unlike the other survivors, the old man grew up in Taleo. He was raised normally with two parents and a younger sister.
He used to get along rather well with his parents, though they were always a tad controlling. Shortly after he entered high school his parents became especially controlling. They controlled who he made friends with, they controlled when he could rest, they controlled his future.
In the suffocating cage his home had become he managed to find some joy. Sometimes, when his parents were asleep he would stay up late to watch light shows, magic shows, and fun chemistry shows.
He would be amazed by the shining lights dancing around a large stage, endlessly changing colors and shapes. He would spend hours wondering how the magician he last saw managed to pull off their latest trick. He would be surprised when he saw scientists play with fire, changing its color from green to pink with only a pinch of dust.
One night, while he was watching a new light show on his phone his parents walked in on him. They told him to go back to sleep. In the end, he couldn't, fearing whether his parents will scold him in the morning or not. Unfortunately, his fears came true.
His parents ended up scolding him for wasting his time. If he's going to stay up late he should at least be studying and even then he would need their permission they said. From then on he began to actively ignore his parents. No matter how they begged or how much they screamed he refused to listen to them. Things seemed to be going fine until they targeted his younger sister.
She had just started middle school and she was already experiencing stress-filled sleepless nights. As she lost more and more friends her brother made more and more. She lived carefully while her brother lived freely. After three years of being put down by her parents.After being told countless times that she had no future without her parents. After having her brother refused to help her she ended her own life.
On March 13th, 2012 she hung herself on the thickest branch of the tree she and her brother used to climb together as kids.
Her parents held a small funeral, the brother putting aside his hatred for his parents and seeing her. What was supposed to be a day of remembrance was turned into one of separation as the young man's parents refused to take any responsibility for her death.
Yes, he should've been there for her more. He should've protected her from their parents. He is one of the reasons she died. He knows that full well. He regrets everything he's done.
Unlike him, their parents refused to take any responsibility, instead choosing to blame her death on their so called failure of a son. If he had just listened she wouldn't have died they said. On that day he decided that he would never contact them again. He left their cage and joined the outside world as just another homeless person.
Yes, there were days where it was too cold to sleep. Yes, there were days when he couldn't eat. Yes, there were days were he couldn't make a single cent. Even so, he was happy. He has been and still is perfectly fine with spending his life on the streets.
Even when the night was cold the memories of the children he made smile with his magic tricks while in the local park warmed him.
Even when he couldn't eat knowing that his weekly stories at the local park brought some life to people's boring days washed away the pain.
Even when no one gave him a cent the memories of the sweet kids giving him whatever money they had after he gave life advice gave him faith when he was starting to lose it.
Day after day and year after year he would always be in that same park, bringing smiles to sad children and helping those having trouble in life by patiently listening, becoming a shoulder to cry on, something many people lack.
He was at peace.
Then as he turned 71 the rain began.
The sky went dark, the sun swallowed by black clouds. Rain would collect into the city drainage system and slide down the mountain. For a few days, everything was fine.
Then after 2 months, the roads were too damaged and wet to drive on. Plus farmers were unable to deliver any more food as the non-stop rain had damaged the new crops and soil.
Things swiftly descended into chaos. People began hoarding and stealing food, even going so far as to kill. Then in the 5th-month survivors from outside started to appear at the city border.
The people of Taleo refused them. We already have enough stomachs to fill they said. As things became more and more chaotic the now old man continued to tell stories, give advice, and put on magic shows for the kids.
In a dreary rain-filled world he became the only source of joy. He would offer whatever food he found to the starving and he would often refuse when people thanked him with food.
One fateful day the dull salaryman and the happy homeless elder meet. The salaryman would always join the old man in his shows, sometimes working as an assistant in his magic shows.
One day the young salaryman walked in on the old man crying all alone. He slowly walked up to him, tears falling down his downcast face. "Hey old man. Thank you for everything you've done." The young man said.
They stayed silent for a few minutes before the old man spoke. "I don't have much longer." He said while staring at the young man.
At that moment the young man's heart breaks. His thoughts stop as he looks at the now frail old man. He chokes up, tears continuing to fall. "Thank you. Thank you for giving me a reason to live." He said.
The old man remains silent.
After several seconds of silence, the young man looks at the old man. His eyes are still open and his chest has stopped moving. The young man places his finger under the old man's nose.
No breath.
The young man panics. He tries Cpr, he tries pumping his chest, he tries shaking the old man. No matter what he does the old man stays dead. No matter how much he begs god or screams the old man's cold body only continues to stiffen further.
At that moment, without hesitation, the young man walks to the edge of the building and falls. His body hits the water hard, his head hitting a piece of floating debris.
As things go dark and his mind fades the young man begins to hear things. His sight blurs as the sound of a grown man screaming fills his ears.
Suddenly he's surrounded by pink walls. He sees some light in front of him. Curiously he tries to walk towards it, being forced to crawl as his body is too weak.
Suddenly he finds himself being held by what seems to be a middle-aged rugged farmer. The young man tries to look around, waving his hands, only to see that he has become an infant.
A light pink umbilical cord hangs on his belly.
He gazes at what seems to be his mother still screaming as she gives birth to another child. It calmly looks around, its eyes filled with a sense of maturity and wisdom.
Just after the old man died he too experienced the same thing. Both of them think the same thing. What the hell is happening?
As they think to themselves their mother grabs them and begins speaking a language they don't know. Suddenly they hear her call their names.
The new mother names the reborn old man Thomas and the reborn young man Issac. As they hear their past names they feel a sense of relief. As they receive their past names once again they both look towards each other and think to themselves, what is wrong with that baby?
