He subconsciously held his breath as he took in the otherworldly view. Col stood at the very top of a particularly tall hill, one might call it a small mountain even. He forgot his rather unfortunate circumstances for a moment for the view ahead truly was that astonishing.

Spreading eastward spanned an expansive grassland. The early morning sunlight glistened among the ears of the grass. From the slightly chilly air and rich golden grass Col assumed it was autumn, but considering his situation he could be way out of the ballpark.

To the west lurked a dark, creepy, and scarily lively forest where the occasional roars of what he could only pray were tame wildlife could be heard. The trees in that forest looked particularly tall and impressive.

 Not to mention that despite how bright it was here the forest still managed to look like someone spilled ink all over it. The darkness was almost like a haze hovering over the fauna. That sure as hell was one oppressive atmosphere. Yeah, no way he was going in there. Ever. 

Low rumbles reached Col's ears but he desperately refused to pay them any mind. Safer to avoid reality for a little while longer. He stubbornly remained transfixed on what was ahead of him.

Safe to say he was hella traumatized by water and there was a hell of a lot of it right at the bottom of this hill. There was a narrow lake which stretched into a river. It divided the two biomes, one shore dark and foreboding the other gleaming an inviting golden. 

The water itself was a spectacle. Streams fed into it from a cascade of waterfalls coming off the hills. The scene was breathtaking and the water was pure. It was like a scene right out of a fairy tale. Col hoped it wasn't.

The entire scene seemed untouched by any civil hands and probably was. And that's why Col was screwed. He could follow the river like the protagonists in stories usually did when lost but he was still wary of the water. If mermaids were real, and the stories he heard were true, then what was to prevent other things from being real?

Col sighed and turned around. Turns out he was at the foothills of an expansive mountain range. That rumbling he heard? A thunderstorm at the top of the mountain peaks. Unshed tears sting at the back of his eyes and he let out a sound half between a laugh and a sob. He and his damn mouth had got him in this situation.

 He didn't have the energy to run away from reality now. The mountains were way too tall to even be in his world. He had been to Everest before and it couldn't even begin to compare. Not to mention there were peaks even taller than the ones he could see on the mountain range.

That impenetrable wall of a mountain range. How does an 18-year-old scale those things without supplies? The whole situation was so funny it was hopeless. Col's last bastion of mental strength fell as he collapsed into a heap. Hot tears ran down his brown cheeks.

A loud voice in his head kept repeating: "Oh hell nah, Oh hell no! Bro this most definitely cannot be happening. Wake the hell up, man!!" Col desperately hoped it was all a dream. But deep down he knew, he was utterly fucked. He knew what had happened to him and why. It was all his fault after all. 

A couple of days earlier...

"Wake up brat!! Show me you still got some wits about you." roared Bruce at the top of his lungs, "No sane son of mine would ever risk making your mother mad by missing our flight."

Col groaned "I'm awake" and promptly proceeded back into his blissful dreams. The 3 hours hadn't nearly been enough. He really should lay off gaming for a while.

Bruce chuckled. He knew exactly who he was dealing with and hence came prepared. Surely his son wouldn't mind getting started on his shower a bit early right? The tan six-foot wall of muscle that was Bruce hoisted the bucket up and splashed the ice-laced contents right onto his son's bed. 

Col gave a decidedly inhuman yelp as he jumped but it was too late.

"Make sure to hang those to dry before we leave" He heard Bruce shout out in mirth as he disappeared out of the door to Col's room. Unconcerned that his son was wet and shivering in the middle of a sloppy mess. Brian was left speechless. Was the old geezer really that excited to meet his wife? 

If Col dug deep down he could understand. His father and mother had to live separately due to work obligations. They usually made time to meet for at least a couple of days each month but the last half-year had been hectic. Travel had been tough. His father was American and an aide in the African Union. His Zimbabwean mother served in the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority. 

Col's education had happened in boarding schools since his parents had a nest of travel bugs biting them every second of every day. That's where Col started to work on his physique. After inheriting his mother's dark hair(short, always), light caramel skin(when not tanned), and gentle hazel-green eyes, alongside his father's god-sculpted features and athletic build, he stood out as quite the handsome young man. And he knew it too.

Col spent quite a few minutes examining his fit body in the mirror as always. 'Damn I'm hella fine' he mused, not for the first time and certainly not the last. After a quick workout, the young narcissist put on his serious face and walked down out of his room. He assigned a maid he met on the way to deal with his child-parent's mess.

By the time he made it downstairs to the first floor of the Tanyaradzwa Mansion Bruce was practically a ball of nervous energy. Seeing this Col couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for the guy. He smiled. At least his parents were getting action. How the hell he was still single-beat him? Just based on his pristine form alone beauties should be lining up.

"Hey, brat hurry up!" Bruce interrupted and got him off his train of thought. "The jet won't wait all day and neither will our takeoff slot. I sure as hell don't wanna be the one giving her the call."

Upon hearing the threat Col felt a cold shiver go down his spine. He was so overwhelmed by the fear of facing his angry mother that he even forgot to be annoyed at this man. 

"Yeah sure Dad," he replied in earnest. "Let's get the hell out of this place."

"Speaking of," intoned Bruce in his rich baritone, "do you wanna fly the jet this time? It's been a while since you got your license right?"

Col's eyes sparkled at the idea. Despite having access to several flying vehicles due to his father's work, he rarely got the chance to interact with them personally licensed or not. His thrill-seeking bug activated. 

"Say less," he quipped "I-I-I mean of course I want to fly the jet." Col corrected himself. NO WAY he was going to be subjected to yet another lecture on modern slang. It was already enough that he had to spend hours on a plane with an overexcited and insufferable prankster. He sure as hell needed the solace the cockpit would provide.

"Great," Replied a suspicious Bruce with a raised eyebrow. " I'll call the airport and have everything arranged by the time we arrive. The help has already packed everything into transport. It should be getting loaded into the plane's cargo hold right about now. So let's follow"

He then promptly turned around and started walking outside where their escort was waiting. Col scrambled to follow and almost failed to match his father's gait. That man surely knew how to carry himself with purpose. He had an air of domination around him that could not be brushed off casually. 

The servants saw the two off as they went. Little did they know that it would be the last time this particular young master stood before them. That fate would toy with them all and leave a particular young man at the whims of forces he spit on as imaginary. The same young man who was struggling to catch up to the beast that called himself Bruce. 

Their previous cavalier behavior faded to the background as they walked regally. As they got into the limousine, they almost breathed a sigh of relief. At that point, Col said the first of quite a few sentences that ruined his life.

"Uhhhh dad? Where exactly are going to land this time? Where's mom?" the boy asked.

"We have decided that you are responsible enough after you turn 20. We taught you the do's and don'ts. We believe that you are now capable of weighing words and won't put the entire family in jeopardy by talking out of pocket. Remember how we raised you and it'll all be fine"

Col was getting more and more excited as the old man spoke. When Bruce finished his talk he said "You still haven't told me where we are headed off to. I mean I am pilot right?"

Bruce grinned like he was enjoying this. " Pipe down and listen. I'm talking about your ancestral homeland. I think you've heard of the place before and couldn't stop bugging me to go when you were even more of a brat than right now but we always refused. It's not exactly the safest place for more reasons than one. We're going to the Vhumba mountains in Mutare."