Finding his family -- Narration, part 2.
Backdated to Wednesday, Dec. 31st.
Bark rubbed his cheek as he headed towards his old house. Those snowballs were surprisingly sharp. His team had emerged victorious in their battle, though, and he was feeling rather confident in that aspect.
The upcoming encounter had nothing to do with fist fights, however. He needed to find his parents and ... catch up on things.
Eventually he spotted the house in the distance. The lights were out, and he could see a "For Sale" sign up in front of it as he got closer. So his family had moved. Where to?
He shuffled his feet after knocking on his old neighbor's door. He was praying it wouldn't result in another fist fight. Luckily, his neighbor was simply surprised to see him again. After a brief exchange, Bark and his companions headed towards the medical center -- Bark's smug grin of confidence melted into an uneasy look of apprehension.
At the hospital, Bark listened intently as the nurse at the front desk explained what had happened after he left. He learned that his parents continued to live in their house surviving on his father's gambling habits. As time went on, however, his mother became excessively forgetful and absent-minded. Not one to tolerate such odd behavior and weakness, his father left for work one day and never returned home. His neighbors, realizing his mother was unable to care for herself at that point, placed her in the hospital's care.
Unsure of what to expect, Bark politely asked his friends to wait outside the room. After he knocked on the door of the room the nurse directed him to, he heard his mother's voice grant him permission to enter. He found her sitting in a rocking chair near the window, looking slightly more aged than he remembered her, but otherwise exactly the same as the day he left.
She turned to him and smiled. "Hello. What can I do for you, dear?"
"H-hi... er... how are you doing today? Enjoying the nice weather we're having?" Bark asked awkwardly.
His mother turned back to the window and nodded. "Oh, yes. It's quite pleasant. I enjoy watching the passers by. Everyone is in good spirits around the holidays, it seems."
Bark rubbed the back of his head. She seemed... unusually calm and happy, staring blankly out the window. "Yeah, people like festivities like that." He bit his lip, trying to think of how to work his apology into casual conversation. After a few awkward moments, he finally decided to just come out with it.
"Listen, Mom... I'm so sorry for running out like that! I was so ashamed of myself, and..." He felt tears welling up in his eyes. His mother gave him a curious look. "...and I didn't know what to do! Everyone was staring at me like I was some kind of monster! And Sickle... oh cripes, Sickle... what I did to him... I've felt horrible about it every day since the incident..."
He ran over to his mother and hugged her tight. "Please forgive me! I never meant for it to come to any of this! I just wanted to make you and Dad proud of me! Just... wanted to make you... proud of me..."
His mother kept still for a moment, then pushed him away. "What is this nonsense? My son is five years old! He's in school right now! Look!" She pointed at the clock on the wall. "It's 1PM! He's not even out of class yet! Who are you and what kind of farce is this?!"
Bark was stunned. It took a few moments for him to regain his composure. "Mom, it's me! Bark! I'm not 5 anymore... I'm almost 18! Don't you remember? Remember my 6th birthday party? The one where the candles on my cake caught the curtains on fire? Or my 11th, when I got those ice skates and fell and cut my lip on the ice? How can you have forgotten?"
"Preposterous!" she exclaimed. "You are trying to deceive me! My son is only 5! He'll be home from school any time now! You'll see!!"
"Mom!" Bark pleaded. "How can you not recognize me? I'm wearing the scarf you knitted when you were pregnant with me! I can't come home from kindergarten because I've already grown up!"
His mother stood up and backed up against the wall. "Liar! Get away! My son is only a child!! My husband will be home with him any minute now!! Just you wait!! Liar!!"
Bark's eyes stung from the tears streaming down his cheeks at this point. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Mom... Dad's not coming back! I'm really not a child anymore! Why can't you remember?"
He took a step towards her and she let out an ear-piercing scream. "LIAR!!! YOU'RE NOT MY SON!! HELP! SOMEONE HELP!!!"
Moments later, three nurses burst into the room and ran to her side, grabbing her wrists to restrain her and making every attempt at calming her down as she screamed about lies and attempted assault. It was too much for Bark to bear--he turned and ran out of the room, holding his face in his hands.
Rather than expose his distress to his friends, he ran straight for the closest restroom. There he stayed for about 10 minutes, regaining his composure and making sure his tears were dry.
When he emerged and approached Knuckles and Blaze again, he gave only this brief synopsis of his encounter: "Mom's doing okay. She's forgotten some things since I left, but she's happy, all the same. The nurses will take good care of her here."
WIthout saying another word, he turned toward the exit and walked outside before either of his friends could respond.
((lawlz I steal ideas from movies))
Bark rubbed his cheek as he headed towards his old house. Those snowballs were surprisingly sharp. His team had emerged victorious in their battle, though, and he was feeling rather confident in that aspect.
The upcoming encounter had nothing to do with fist fights, however. He needed to find his parents and ... catch up on things.
Eventually he spotted the house in the distance. The lights were out, and he could see a "For Sale" sign up in front of it as he got closer. So his family had moved. Where to?
He shuffled his feet after knocking on his old neighbor's door. He was praying it wouldn't result in another fist fight. Luckily, his neighbor was simply surprised to see him again. After a brief exchange, Bark and his companions headed towards the medical center -- Bark's smug grin of confidence melted into an uneasy look of apprehension.
At the hospital, Bark listened intently as the nurse at the front desk explained what had happened after he left. He learned that his parents continued to live in their house surviving on his father's gambling habits. As time went on, however, his mother became excessively forgetful and absent-minded. Not one to tolerate such odd behavior and weakness, his father left for work one day and never returned home. His neighbors, realizing his mother was unable to care for herself at that point, placed her in the hospital's care.
Unsure of what to expect, Bark politely asked his friends to wait outside the room. After he knocked on the door of the room the nurse directed him to, he heard his mother's voice grant him permission to enter. He found her sitting in a rocking chair near the window, looking slightly more aged than he remembered her, but otherwise exactly the same as the day he left.
She turned to him and smiled. "Hello. What can I do for you, dear?"
"H-hi... er... how are you doing today? Enjoying the nice weather we're having?" Bark asked awkwardly.
His mother turned back to the window and nodded. "Oh, yes. It's quite pleasant. I enjoy watching the passers by. Everyone is in good spirits around the holidays, it seems."
Bark rubbed the back of his head. She seemed... unusually calm and happy, staring blankly out the window. "Yeah, people like festivities like that." He bit his lip, trying to think of how to work his apology into casual conversation. After a few awkward moments, he finally decided to just come out with it.
"Listen, Mom... I'm so sorry for running out like that! I was so ashamed of myself, and..." He felt tears welling up in his eyes. His mother gave him a curious look. "...and I didn't know what to do! Everyone was staring at me like I was some kind of monster! And Sickle... oh cripes, Sickle... what I did to him... I've felt horrible about it every day since the incident..."
He ran over to his mother and hugged her tight. "Please forgive me! I never meant for it to come to any of this! I just wanted to make you and Dad proud of me! Just... wanted to make you... proud of me..."
His mother kept still for a moment, then pushed him away. "What is this nonsense? My son is five years old! He's in school right now! Look!" She pointed at the clock on the wall. "It's 1PM! He's not even out of class yet! Who are you and what kind of farce is this?!"
Bark was stunned. It took a few moments for him to regain his composure. "Mom, it's me! Bark! I'm not 5 anymore... I'm almost 18! Don't you remember? Remember my 6th birthday party? The one where the candles on my cake caught the curtains on fire? Or my 11th, when I got those ice skates and fell and cut my lip on the ice? How can you have forgotten?"
"Preposterous!" she exclaimed. "You are trying to deceive me! My son is only 5! He'll be home from school any time now! You'll see!!"
"Mom!" Bark pleaded. "How can you not recognize me? I'm wearing the scarf you knitted when you were pregnant with me! I can't come home from kindergarten because I've already grown up!"
His mother stood up and backed up against the wall. "Liar! Get away! My son is only a child!! My husband will be home with him any minute now!! Just you wait!! Liar!!"
Bark's eyes stung from the tears streaming down his cheeks at this point. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Mom... Dad's not coming back! I'm really not a child anymore! Why can't you remember?"
He took a step towards her and she let out an ear-piercing scream. "LIAR!!! YOU'RE NOT MY SON!! HELP! SOMEONE HELP!!!"
Moments later, three nurses burst into the room and ran to her side, grabbing her wrists to restrain her and making every attempt at calming her down as she screamed about lies and attempted assault. It was too much for Bark to bear--he turned and ran out of the room, holding his face in his hands.
Rather than expose his distress to his friends, he ran straight for the closest restroom. There he stayed for about 10 minutes, regaining his composure and making sure his tears were dry.
When he emerged and approached Knuckles and Blaze again, he gave only this brief synopsis of his encounter: "Mom's doing okay. She's forgotten some things since I left, but she's happy, all the same. The nurses will take good care of her here."
WIthout saying another word, he turned toward the exit and walked outside before either of his friends could respond.
((lawlz I steal ideas from movies))