3 CHAPTER 3: The Great Strider

The servant's quarters, located around 500 feet from the Vilhorm mansion, was a dilapidated 5 storied building covered in moss and vines. Each floor, except the ground floor, consisted of a common bathroom and 3 bedrooms, each of which had 4 beds. The ground floor was taken up by a bedroom and a living room. This bedroom had 2 beds, one for the Chief Servant and the other for her husband.

The bathrooms on each floor had 2 cubicles and 3 urinals. The bar of soap near the sink was barely visible since it had been in use since the previous month. The servants were barely provided for their basic needs by the Vilhorms, and had to use their salaries to buy the essentials. Since the monthly costs of these necessities were too high, the servants had to make sure they used these items to their fullest.

A thin boy walked out of his room on the fifth floor. His hair was pitch black but it showed signs of whitening. The children playing outside his room smiled as they looked up to the boy. A few rushed to him and hugged him. The boy smiled slightly, just enough to ensure the rest of the kids that he was fine.

He walked downstairs to the ground floor and knocked at the Chief Servant's door.

A burly woman around the same height as the boy opened the door. Her face was plastered with an expression of annoyance, her eyes droopy, as if she had just woken up.

"What do you want, kid? The matter better be important if you had to interrupt my afternoon nap."

The boy looked uneasy now. He knew he wouldn't get what he wanted if the Chief was this annoyed. He also knew that he couldn't just walk away at this moment because that would make the Chief even more annoyed.

"Actually maam, I came to ask for a raise. You see, my fami-" The door slammed shut in the boy's face. The boy clenched his fists in exasperation as the Chief hadn't even given his request a moment of thought.

The Chief Servant, Alexa Claire, had risen to her position by sucking up to the Vilhorms for more than 30 years. She had dedicated her life to serve this family and would go to any length to be praised by them. She refused to believe that she was replaceable despite how little the Vilhorms cared for her.

Alexa had let the position of Chief Servant get to her head and had turned the Servants quarters into her kingdom. Everyone listened to her because she had control over their pay and essentially their whole livelihood. In her presence, the servants showed immense support and affection for her actions, but the moment she turned her back to them, they bore their fangs and cursed her entire existence.

The boy walked back up to the fifth floor with his head lowered in dejection. The children playing near his door remained silent unlike the previous time the boy had passed them. They knew how to read the atmosphere despite their young age.

The boy knocked at his door and an older woman opened it. Crinkly grey hair sat atop her head, flowing down till her abdomen. Her skin was wrinkled and loose and looked like it would fall off at any given moment. She let in the boy with a hospitable smile, opening the door further to reveal an old man lying down on the bed.

The boy entered the dilapidated room and was met by a piece of plaster falling from over his head. A stream of dust twisted in the air as the plaster hit the floor. No matter how one looked at it, this establishment would soon come falling down. The boy walked over to the man and kneeled down next to him. He clutched the man's hand which felt like a bundle of sticks held together by a thin string.

"Hey dad," the boy began. "I'm sorry but I couldn't get a raise." The sorrow in the boy's voice resonated throughout the room, but his father did not say a word. Instead he opened his eyes and looked at the boy.

There was no emotion in the man's eyes. There was no intent behind his gaze.

"It's alright, Wolfe." the woman said as she placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

A tear fell from the boy's - Wolfe's - eye, but he wiped it away before the woman could see it. "I'm sorry mom." He said in a somber tone as he hugged his mother. They remained in each other's arms for a few minutes until Wolfe finally let go. He faced his father who hadn't moved an inch since Wolfe had entered the room.

The 55 year old man had short grey hair and sagging skin. This along with his emaciated body made him look like a corpse that barely clinged onto life. And in a way his mind was exactly that, a corpse that clinged onto life. His empty gaze buried itself in Wolfe's conscience like daggers in his back.

Instead of letting frustration take over him, Wolfe looked at his father with a determined smile. He clenched the man's hand harder, as if solidifying the goal in his mind. The man did not wince or wail as Wolfe pressed his hand. He just continued looking at his son with his desolate eyes until the boy got up once again.

"I'm going out for a while, mom." Wolfe declared as he looked at his father one last time before leaving the room.

Wolfe had been walking for an hour until he reached the outskirts of the city. Vast grasslands stretched across the lands before him. He walked further away from the city walls and lay beside a giant oak tree that pierced the blue sky above. The warm grass below him felt comforting and Wolfe couldn't help but roll over and bury his face in it. The cool shade of the oak tree contrasted the warmth of the grass. The tree extended 60 feet above the ground and was home to various insects and birds.

The Great Strider, for example, was a 3 inch long insect with a light body protected only by a chitinous exoskeleton. Unlike other insects that had 3 pairs of legs, this one had only 2. The third pair was reduced due to lack of activity over many generations. The existence of only 2 pairs allowed the insects to exert more control over their speed and acceleration. These quick speeds garnered it the name of the Great Strider.

Wolfe turned around to face the tree. This oak tree stood alone in the vast emptiness of the grasslands, far from the other trees in the forest. But despite its solitude, the tree had found a way to thrive and support a whole mini-ecosystem built around its existence. Wolfe found that encouraging. The lone tree gave him hope that he too could build something wonderful out of nothing. It made him believe that he could support anyone who required his help.

The existence of the tiny, yet largely impactful, Great Strider filled him with a sense of purpose. That he could achieve something insurmountable despite his lack of abilities.

Wolfe jumped up from the grass and stretched, releasing the tension that had accumulated in his body. Taking one last deep breath he walked back to the city, his mind now filled with hope and aspiration.

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