"Here goes nothing."
Gazing at the darkness enshrouded bottom, Dre took in a few small breaths, crutched the makeshift rope tighter and stood horizontally with it's support before beginning his descent. One careful step at a time.
Climbing down a slope terrain wasn't really new to him as he'd already done it a couple of times with his late parents. But now with his body weakened due to hunger, he couldn't rush it, as he knew one slip and he would prumitte to his death.
Thirty minutes into his descent and his hands had already began going numb as he approached the darkness which seemed even more terrifying, though he couldn't go back as he'd already come this far.
Closing his eyes for a moments notice, he disappeared into the darkness.
****
"Dre, Dre get up, we'll be late."
A feminine voice echoed throughout a modernised mansion.
On a queen sized bed bolted on the concrete floor, under cream bedsheets, a young boy of about 13 years, confused, peeled open his big eyes as the warm rays seeping through a window to his left of the room, bathed him in their radiant warmth.
"What's happening?" Dre uttered in bewilderment. Wasn't I just descending the valley just a second ago? But right after that thought formed, his brows raised. 'Wait this is my room' he looked more and more confused, everything from the wallpapers on walls around, to the monitor on the desk, everything was the same as back when his parents were still alive. 'Are these my memories? But why do they feel so real?'
"Dre." The feminine voice raced again, only this time it was followed by a loud banging on his room door.
Dre jerked up from under the sheets, his heart racing. Even if this was a memory, hearing his mother's voice again, he couldn't help but feel waves of emotions.
Reaching for the door, he cracked it open revealing a lady of breath taking beauty who seemed to have been in her mid 30's with shoulder length black braids and brown eyes.
"What's wrong?" She asked a show of concern painting her face after glancing at her sudden emotional son.
Seeing her right in front of him, he couldn't help the flow of warm tears on his cheeks.
"I'm just happy to see you." He uttered after a minute of silence as he wiped the tears and jumped in his mother's embrace.
"..." Dumbfounded, she caressed his hair and after observing nothing unnatural, well except for his emotional outburst which one could sometimes experience after a nightmare, she added. "We have to leave now if you want to see them cross."
Hearing that, Dre's heart abruptly titened. He remembered this day all too well.
Today was when his parents died while rushing him to go see the wildbeast cross from Tanzania to Kenya.
'Why today of all day's? Why this memory? Is this a joke?' Dre gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath. He felt like screaming, he felt like crying his heart out, he felt like killing the culprit behind this, but alas he was powerless, just like an ant under a boot and to top it all off no one had forced him to participate.
"Yeah, I'll be out in a few" He said in a voice barely audible before shutting his room door.
Sitting still on the edge of the bed, he willed his status to confirm this reality, if he was just dreaming or if anything that'd happened thus far was real. However to his disappointment or relief the screen popped up with the same details as before.
'What kind of a sick game is this? Why would it force me to relieve this kind of horror?'
Dre was mad at everything but right at that moment a thought popped up.
He got the chance, so what if he prevented their deaths? What if he were to stay in this memory that felt so real, almost like a new reality?
But if he did, wouldn't he just die like in a couple of days? After all he was already hungry and thirsty and his body would continue to crave food and water till it collapsed.
Though with that thought he suddenly recalled his prior situation.
Rising from his bed, with torrents of emotions that preyed to tear him apart, he walked out of the room and headed towards the kitchen.
Everything was as he remembered, three red coaches around the living room with one coffee table in the middle. walking past them he trekked straight to the kitchen.
None of his parents were around as both of them were already busy preparing for departure.
He still couldn't think straight with an empty stomach so he hurried to fill it.
He'd wanted so bad to see his father but if he did, even if this was supposed to be a memory, with his emotions this elevated, he would just be drawing too much concern from both of them, which he didn't wish to do. He wasn't just a kid that couldn't control his emotions, at least that's what he believed.
Luckily, after entering the kitchen he found breakfast his mother had prepared.
Taking out a cup from a top shelf, he filled it with tea before taking the rolls of pancakes on a plate and immediately after began chunking them down.
Somehow everything felt so real, the taste of pancakes the sweet smell and flavor of tea as they both filled his stomach, felt unusually authentic.
Did this mean that he could stay here as long as he wished if he prevented their deaths?
"Hey champ, ready to go?"
His thoughts were interrupted by a raspy masculine voice.
Heeding it, a jolt ran throughout his body. An image of his father crossing his mind, he slowly turned around while trying to resist the water works from flooding his eyes.
Finally turning, a figure of masculine build with curly black hair and black eyes came to view.
Not able to resist the rampant emotions, Dre leaped into his embrace.
"What's wrong, your mother told me how you acted a moment ago. Now you're eating alone in here like you've missed a meal or something. And what's with the random hug?"
He asked concern incorporated in his voice.
Dre pulled out of his embrace, a smile of loneliness and sadness creeping up his face as he looked up at his father.
"Aren't I allowed to hug my parents?"