The mid-day sun shines brightly in the sky. Below the expanse is a bustling town. People yelling out in the markets, horses treading the streets gracefully as they carry their riders, many enjoying the sounds of the strings plucked on the guitars and violins.
It seems like a happy and peaceful day for the residents of this town. But far away from it, beyond the open gates of the town, past the vast farms where people worked the soil. In and out of the forests surrounding the farms, under a single tree in the lush grasslands of the hills. There rests a young man, in the space between its huge roots.
Dressed up in a black shirt, and brown bottoms, his glasses are set down on the grass beside him. His brown skin radiated from the sun, his curly black hair fades into an ash grey at the tips, his eyes closed as if meditating to the sounds around him.
On the adjacent side of the tree is another young man who is a year behind his friend in age. He is playing a violin, moving the bow as if it were comforting the strings on the instrument. He too has a dark complexion, but not as dark as his friend who appears to be asleep. His hair is also curly, fully black and slightly long enough to pull into a ponytail.
The wind blows gently, making the grass dance to its gentle force. Birds cry from above them as they fly west…Nero stops playing his instrument. There's a short silence under the tree.
"Wake up Nate!"
"I wasn't asleep!" He responds irritably..
"Stand up, We don't want to waste enough time to regret it." Says Nero.
Nate opens his eyes slowly. He sits there for two more minutes before he puts on his glasses, crawls over a tree root to retrieve a backpack hidden behind it and finally stands on his feet. Nero puts his violin back in its case and pulls its strap over his shoulder. Nate looks up at the tree for some time…
"Do you think you'll miss this place?" He asked Nero, who happened to be his closest and only friend.
"Perhaps this very tree, otherwise I'll have no regrets whatsoever about what we're doing." Nero replies.
"How sure are you that you won't have regrets? Cause we have no idea what's out there to begin with."
Nero thinks about it for a while. He then puts his arm around Nate's shoulders and says…
" The real question is, will you manage to keep your sanity in a place that makes you regret being born?" He says with a smirk.
" Let's go…" Nate turns westward and walks in that direction, leaving the tree behind. Nero chuckles and follows behind.
Nate and Nero have known eachother ever since they were children. They lived in a land that has a profound love for stringed instruments. The name of this land is Chordiyalor. It is to their misfortune however, that the land didn't extend the same love to them.
Nero has never known the face of his parents. Because they disappeared when he was still an infant. Ever since then he had to survive in an unkind orphanage. Meanwhile Nate only had his mother who he is leaving behind. His father died when he was young, and so he never knew him.
However, even if it is one of the reasons, they're unfortunate circumstances isn't the main reason they want to leave this land. They could say it is to find Nero's missing parents but that would only feel like an excuse to the both of them. They are leaving because they are each searching for life's meaning.
Most would suggest that it is impossible to find that answer. But they feel that if they died without ever finding out, they would have lived for nothing.
Honestly, they don't know what they will find out there. Actually there might be nothing out there. It is known throughout Chordiyalor that anyone who has tried to leave the country, disappears. No trace is left of them. Perhaps that is how Nero's parents vanished.
The only lead they had was the Gigantic root that stretched across the entire land. There has always been a saying about it which quotes…
"At the source of the roots, you will find freedom and the slanderer. You will find shackles and the captor. Find me and your timeless reward, at the source of the roots…"
"Remind me of how we get out of here again…We were supposed to follow trees?" Said Nate.
" No, we have to follow the gigantic roots that run across this land," said Nero.
"Which roots? I don't see them."
"We'll see them once we descend this hill," Said Nero.
They walk on for thirty more minutes before they start descending the hill. The whole scenery comes into view as they do so. Out in the distance, as the light graces the land with its rays, they see a river. The river goes on to meet the sea up ahead. They also see some fields of rice and the port village they are heading to. The Giant roots also come into view. They emerge from beneath the sea and stretch to the east of the town.
"So those huge roots are what you were talking about…" Says Nate.
" Yep. I've heard that at certain times during the night, you can hear a melody coming from those exact roots."
" I'm aware of that rumor, I wonder what it sounds like?"
" I have no idea either." Says Nero as they go further down the hill.
The refreshing calm breeze blows upon them as the beautiful orange pink sky glistens, the melodic sounds of the waving grass and irry anticlimactic sounds of the birds leave them both contemplating about the huge decision of leaving their land, their home and everything they knew for a world that could possibly spell disaster for both. Nevertheless they continue to walk in silence thinking about all their decisions and life that they've put up for all this time.
After 25 mins of walking the port comes into view and Nero begins to recall a distant memory of what he had found in Nate's room a year prior. On an average lukewarm day Nero had gone over to Nate's house to pass time but like always Nate's mother was not home, so Nero invited himself into the house in faith of finding Nate probably laying on his bed contemplating like he usually would.
Nero walked in from the front door and nothing but silence could be heard, the house was clean and tidy. The shades of grey and navy blue covered the palette of the house, hints of maroon on the pillows and curtains stood out. The house felt lonely, it was as if only a single person lived there.
Nero walked past the living room and continued to Nate's bedroom. He knocked twice and then proceeded to enter the room. He's not here, Nero said to himself.
He looked around and a crumpled piece of paper lay on the corner of the bed, he picked it up and found something was written in Nate's handwriting, it was a letter, a poem he had written to himself.
"For now I have words to convey a little bit of my mind
When I was younger I dealt with these things the best I could
Before I used to keep it all segregated
My feelings and my mind were all separated
For a moment my life was not congregated
Now both are coagulated mixed and filtrated
Stuck in an endless cycle of concentration that my fears and loneliness wonder my mind with no designated
Place of being
All these mood swings are draining
Wish I could keep it constant but it's all fading
Motivation strikes me but then again it ends in seconds
It's hard to be consistent with ambitions
If each passing day
They're slowly wilting
on the sunniest of days
This house reminds me of how sad and lonely
I truly am
The day ends the same way it started
Me looking and feeling like an empty carcass
Mind thinking of the misery
Body in pain
Emotions failing to fluctuate
It's the lowest they can get
Is there someone out there like me?
How many feel the same as me?
If you do please talk to me
I'll be there for you
If you'll be there for me"
' I could never forget those words, the pain he felt as I read through it. His pain is something he searches to eradicate. I'll continue to help him find fulfilment and inner peace to the fullest but only he can find his destination.' Thought Nero.
"We're here," says Nate.
"Damn it's finally happening, we're going to steal a boat." replies Nero.
They walk through the village port without looking inconspicuous in search of a lone boat they can steal.
"They have arrived!" a loud voice shouts out from a distance.
Nate and Nero look around and see a large boat is docking. It doesn't look like anything they have seen before, its design has circular patterns around it, it only has 3 people on board who are even darker in complexion to those of the village, they did not wear any tops but wore what seemed like animal skins around their waist.
They had weird circular things around the lobe of their ears and for one of them the metal circular rings seemed to be hanging from his ear lobe. They spoke to a man at the dock, they seemed to understand but sounded different from anyone the two had ever heard.
Nero and Nate take cover so as not to be seen.
"Nero something is off"
"I know right those people don't look like they're from here at all." replies Nero.
"It's not just that, haven't you noticed there's no one other than that one man in the entire port excluding us of course"
"Wait you're right no one's around, we tried to not look suspicious but there's not a single soul here... wait it's the village meeting today everyone is gathered there"
"Oh yeah you're right, but why are those people here?"
"I don't know but let's get closer near that shed we might be able to hop onto the small boat next to those strangers' boat once they're distracted"
They sneak into the cart from the side as the 3 strangers and 1 villager are discussing. They hide behind a couple of crates in anticipation of their escape, but then the villager heads towards the cart the two boys are hiding behind. Without hesitation they jump and each hide inside a crate filled with fabric.
'shit they'll find us in the crates if they look inside them' Nate thought to himself.
The villager with the help of a horse, pulls all the crates towards the strangers boat and two of the strangers began to lift the crates on board.
"I don't have a good feeling about this man," whispers Nero.
"Let's just be quiet for now and then when the time comes let's jump out and make a run for it" replies Nate.
The boat takes sail and leaves the dock, carrying Nero and Nate with it. It whisks through the high waves that make the boat rock left and right while a storm brewed and descended down. Nero couldn't handle being in small places but the storm made it even worse, he got sea sick and vomited all over himself, while on the other hand Nate had slept throughout the whole thing as peacefully as a baby could lay next to its mother.
Neither of them could tell the passage of time but their hunger signified that a day had passed.
Large banging sounds began to be heard from the distance, with each passing minute it became louder and louder until the boat had stopped moving.
Voices were then heard with loud footsteps across the boat.
"barkanmu da warhaka yan'uwa yaya tafiyarku daga wannan tsibiri?" (welcome back brothers, how was your journey from the young island?) A deep voice spoke.
"Ya dan uwana mai girma, tafiya ta yi kyau kuma mun sami damar samun kayan bikin Calabar" (it was a great my brother, the journey went well and we were able to get the supplies for the Calabar ceremony)
"Za mu duba cikin akwatunan don bincika cewa yadudduka sun bushe kuma sun bushe daga guguwar da kuka fuskanta" (we shall look within the crates to check that the fabrics are well and dry from the storm you had experienced) The deep voice spoke again.
"Nate they're coming when they open the crates we should jump out as soon as possible and make a run for it."
"Alright I understand" replied Nate.
The men walked up to the crates and opened all of them one by one until they reach besides the two crates that Nate and Nero hid in and immediately the men open both crates…
"Now!!!" Nero yelled.
Both sprung out of the crates and bolted as fast as they could off the boat.
"masu kutse!" (Intruders!) One of them yelled.
"Dole ne su kasance daga tsibirin matasa bayan su" (They must be from the young island after them!)
They started to chase after Nero and Nate. At the same time, Nate and Nero proceeded into the forest. Their breaths and chests grew heavy with their hurried breathing. The trees zoomed past them as they ran across the unfamiliar tropical forests that let rays of the morning light shine through their leaves. They could hear birds chirping above them, lemurs watched on as they saw them struggle to get past the vines in their way.
"suka ruga cikin dajin" (They ran into the forest!) yelled one of the men giving chase.
"Ba za su yi nisa ba, ba su san inda za su ba" (They won't get far, they don't know where they are going!) said the other to his partners.
They came across a stream of which they hurriedly crossed. Nate took a glance behind him and noticed that they had left quite a gap between them.
"*huff, huff* Nate, I think we're losing them!"
" KEEP RUNNING! we aren't safe yet-"
*DUN!*
Suddenly, they heard a single beat of a drum echo loudly. As they kept rushing through the trees, Nate felt a terror emerge within his chest. He couldn't contemplate what he was seeing behind him. Nero's eyes widened with shock.
It was one of the men who were chasing them. He was in mid-air , holding a drum in one arm and his hand was hovering over the top of the drum. Upon descending behind them, he let the drum drop upright on the ground and when he landed, his hands smacked the drum hard and loud enough to release a resounding beat.
Nero and Nate could feel the sound shake their bones as they were sent off the ground by some kind of explosive force. The impact scared the birds away and chased the lemurs off. Nero hit a tree whilst Nate rolled to a stop on the ground.
A lemur dropped in front of them, its eyes wide open and yet it didn't move a muscle. It appeared to be knocked out…lifeless even.
Nero stood up, trying to ignore the pain assaulting his body. His case cushioned his back. But it only made him worry about his violin. He thought he heard water in the distance. He picked Nate up…
" Let's go!"
"I…I can't see!" said Nate.
"Huh!?"
Nero looked at Nate and saw him straining his eyes.
'CRAAAAP!!!' He yelled out in his mind.