The Escape

It was dark. The earthy scent of soil lingered in the air. All that could be heard was the sound of worms crawling about on a fresh bed of leaves. It sounded an awful lot like rain. The kind that was gentle enough to put you to sleep. The sound tormented Jimmy. It reminded him of the freedom he no longer had. He wanted to be able to see the rain again - to feel it against his bare skin.

Jimmy knew he was doomed from the moment he opened his eyes in this damned incarnation. Darkness. It was all that he knew in his first hours as a silkworm. He knew it all too well.

'I must be cursed,' he thought.

It was the very thing he had tried to escape. And yet there he was - surrounded by darkness.

In his previous life, Jimmy was a lonely guy. He had no friends, no family. The only thing he ever had was himself. And in this life, the only thing he had was the old shoebox that he shared with the other worms and the bittersweet mulberry leaves inside it. The same damn leaves over and over. He was sick of the taste. He longed for just one last bite of a McDonald's cheeseburger. But he was a worm, and worms don't eat McDonald's. Jimmy was frustrated. He felt like crying, but he couldn't because worms don't cry. Out of all things possible, he just had to be reincarnated as a silkworm. He would have much rather been reincarnated as a rat. It was a death wish, but at least he'd be free to do as he pleased.

'I have to get out of here,' Jimmy thought.

He didn't want to die an insignificant death. Not again. Especially not in the darkness of the old shoebox like some kind of nobody. He was tired of being a nobody. He wanted to be seen. He wanted to be human again. He wanted to be able to eat a McDonald's cheeseburger once more.

If there was one thing Jimmy knew for sure, it was that you can't always get what you want in life. Some things are attainable and others... well, others are simply impossible. As far as he knew, worms could not turn into humans. So the next best thing he could hope for was that, by some kind of miracle, he'd at least get to eat a cheeseburger. In his opinion, it was a reasonable wish. Jimmy decided that if he was going to fulfill any wish, it would be that one. But first, he would have to escape the box.

Moving as a worm felt rather weird to Jimmy. His new body was plump and flexible and he had four more legs than he was used to. In his previous life, Jimmy was short and skinny. He hated exercise, but his metabolism was fast. It's how he remained skinny despite his love for fast food. He often wondered if a man could have too much space in his heart for food. Each time he thought about it, he arrived at the same conclusion. According to Jimmy, the simple answer was no. He swore it would be the death of him in this lifetime.

The first rays of light seeped in through a large hole in the shoebox as the day began. This was his only stroke of luck so far. They didn't seem to make them with holes these days. Jimmy was no stranger to shoeboxes. He thought about the time he worked at the mall during summer break. It was a shoe store and it was his job to pack the shelves. Occasionally, a classmate would show up. They would always ask him the same question.

"What are you doing here?"

He never knew how to answer that so he always responded with just one word.

"Because."

'Because my parents died when I was really young and now I live in an orphanage. Because nobody wants to adopt a teenage boy. Because if I want things I have to get them myself. Because I have nobody else but myself.'

But that was never what anyone really wanted to hear. And it was definitely not something he was comfortable sharing. He wanted to be treated like a normal kid. He didn't want their pity or their selfish charity. He could never let them know the truth. Eventually, he learned that the best way to avoid his classmates' prying eyes was to make it look like he was too busy to talk.

"You brilliant bastard!" his boss would always say, "You're a hard worker, but that stinking attitude... Take those damn earphones off when I'm talking to you!"

He never listened, of course. Those blessed earphones were his salvation.

Jimmy sulked as he weaved his way through the worm-covered bed of leaves. He couldn't get over the fact that he had reincarnated as a silkworm of all things. He once heard that silkworms live a rather short life. If his memory was correct, he had about a month left to live. Jimmy had to hand it to God. He was being dealt a shorthand in life yet again. He knew that there was no point in sulking - he knew better than anyone - yet he couldn't help but feel cheated. He wanted to know what it felt like to live an easy life for once. Nothing ever seemed to come easy for Jimmy. That's how it remained. Even then, as he began the climb towards the hole. It was quite literally the worst uphill battle Jimmy had ever had to endure. His tiny feet were aching and he was starting to feel hungry again. He was tempted to just give up on what he now realized was a crazy idea. It was a suicide mission. All his needs were taken care of inside the shoebox.

'It wouldn't be so bad to stay,' he thought, 'I get free food and shelter. It's safe inside here.'

Yet still, a nagging feeling from within was dying to be heard. Jimmy knew that if he stayed inside the box it would feel like hell. He would be putting himself through mental anguish. There were two things he was most afraid of. The first was the dark and the second was the thought that he'd die a meaningless death. He had already accomplished the second one. This was his second chance. He wanted to do something meaningful this time. And if he couldn't, then at least he'd find peace in the knowledge that he died trying.

With newfound determination, Jimmy pushed himself to take the last few steps towards his escape. He gasped when he saw what lay on the other side. Jimmy was speechless. He suddenly felt anxious. He knew exactly what he was looking at, but he couldn't believe his eyes. It was a bathroom, but everything was huge. He felt tiny and insignificant in comparison to the towering walls outside the box. His grasp was loosening. If he didn't calm down, he'd fall and all his efforts would have been for nothing. So he used the energy he had left to push himself through the hole. Jimmy plummeted towards the floor of the colossal bathroom and landed with a thud.