My home town of Cyprianus was built between four hills. The Eastern and western hills were more skin to mounds of dirt, most likely due to erosion caused by the river that ran through the center of the town. The southern hill was mostly grass and seemed to stretch on for a while before it began to dip. The northern hill, the tallest hill, was covered by a thick forest at its peak. It was on this hill that I enjoyed a few of my mornings. Watching the brilliant light of the rising sun being softened and muted by the brick houses of Cyprianus was, in some way I didn’t understand, pacifying. I had my theories as to why it was so, though admittedly I should have put more thought into it.
On this particular morning I had gone up the hill earlier than on any other day. Reason being, Philip had wanted to spend the morning with me before I had to go to attend the first day of the new school year.
Phillip is a golden brown rabbit who was quite large for a rabbit. Protruding from atop his head was a pair of antlers about the length of my forearm at the time. His fur is always fluffy, even when dirty.
Phillip sat on my lap as we looked over Cyprianus. He allowed me to scratch between his antlers as we did so. After a few minutes of gazing, he hopped off me. I stood up and dusted off my pants. I tucked in my white dress shirt before I followed Phillip down a dirt path. He moved fast for a chunky jackalope. We went down a dirt path that had formed before Phillip and I were even born. The path went through a meadow which itself connected to a neighborhood.
The meadow itself was very plain, save for a metallic pipe that stuck out of the ground at an angle. I walked by it so often I never paid any mind to it.
Philip hopped ahead of me as I slowly walked through the neighborhood. We zigged and zagged through streets and soon he hopped off down an adjacent street to return home. I continued my way toward school.
When I arrived at Dympna’s School for the Underwhelming I walked through the double doors. My homeroom number had been mailed to us by the school a good week before classes had begun.
I began to space out after I sat down at a desk. My eyes glazed over and my mind wandered into nothingness. Soon after begining something found me within the nothingness. It was a pale hand. My eyes followed the arm to take a look at who it belonged to.
The hand belonged to a green eyed girl. She wore her uniform with pride as she stood next to my desk holding her backpack. I took in every aspect of her facial features. From her small button nose, to even a mole on her left cheekbone. All to determine if I had seen her before. I wasn’t too sure, but as I stated, before this day, life was fuzzier.
Her soft pink colored lips began to move and my eyes were drawn to them. I didn’t register what she had said.
"I’m sorry, what did you say?" I asked her.
She pointed past me to the desk next to mine. She replied with, "I asked if that desk was taken." She tilted her head slightly as she spoke. A strand of her black hair fell onto her face.
"I think you can take it."
She smiled. My eyes began to slowly glaze over as she walked in front of the chalkboard to get to her newly claimed desk. After sitting down she opened her bag and took out pencils, a few notebooks, and some books which she then shoved all into her desk. She then organized everything in such a way that only she could call it, neat. I was surprised at that because my sister, the only other girl I had ever talked to, was a clean freak. Given my limited interactions with women, I assumed they were all as tidy as my sister. When she finished she turned to me and stuck out her hand.
"Hi, I’m Mallory!" She said with such offputting enthusiasm.
I looked at her hand, then into her green eyes, then finally back at her hand. I firmly grasped it. My medium golden skin deeply contrasted her paleness.
"Hello," I said to her.
She smiled, showing off her dimples as she did so. "What’s your name?" She asked me.
I couldn’t help but smile as i told her my name. Mallory seemed to be very friendly. Honestly it was a breath of fresh air. Everyone else in Cyprianus was the opposite. They weren’t necessarily mean, it was more like an absence of kindness. An absence of most emotions honestly. I thought she must not have been from Cyprianus.
"Are you from around here?"
"Not really. I was born in a town north of the mountains, like my dad. But my mom is from a country across the ocean!"
"North of the mountains?" I asked.
"Yeah, not anywhere close to a city, though. It was closer to the mountains, more than anything."
"So you’re not from here? When did you move here?"
A look of confusion came across the girl’s face. "I don’t know much, but I know we lived up north for most of my life. We moved here recently, I don’t quite remember how recent, though."
Her memory was spotty, much like everyone else in Cyprianus.
"That’s alright, I guess"
Now it was her turn to ask questions, "what about you?"
I shrugged, "well, I was born here, raised here, and I’m most likely going to die here."
Mallory gasped, "You’re willing to die, here? Don’t get me wrong cause Cyprianus is a beautiful place, but don’t you want to see the world. Don’t you want to live? Or more importantly, don’t you want to go on an adventure?"
I thought about it for a moment and came to the conclusion that she was correct, about Cyprianus at least. It WAS a beautiful place. Trees stood proudly along many sidewalks. The flowers that bloomed there were vibrant shades of any color you could imagine, and their sweet scent rivaled only by the taste of sugar. Even our factories had beauty to them. Their symmetry perfectly contrasted the wildness of the encompassing nature.
I kept thinking and came to a realization. I had never considered leaving Cyprianus. I’ve thought about it, but never really considered it. The reason being I didn’t want to walk the day or two to the nearest town. If I couldn’t walk for a day, I sure as hell would be too lazy to go on an adventure.
"Adventures aren’t my thing," I admitted to her.
Mallory recoiled like I had just slapped her across the face. "Well, I’m gonna change your mind. Adventures seem like so much fun. A bunch of my books make me want to go on an adventure."
"I don’t really read."
"I’ll change that too! I have so many books you could borrow. You can come over to my house and-" Mallory became silent as she stared at me.
"Are you okay?" I asked her.
"Would you like to be friends?"
"I’m sorry, what?"
"Would you like to be my friend?" She gave off a vibe that suggested she wouldn’t be taking no for an answer.
"I- sure. I guess, but, why do you ask?"
"My mom says to only invite friends over to our house. Now that we are friends I can invite you over. Would you like to come over so you can choose books to borrow?"
"I don’t see why not."
Mallory clapped her hands with glee.
"Awesome! I’ll ask my parents if you can come over tomorrow! If that’s okay with you, I mean."
I smiled and nodded my head.
Mallory opened her mouth to say something else, but the sound of a bell prevented her from speaking. Our teacher, who I had willingly ignored up until now, stood up from her chair and began to address the class. She gave a speech about the upcoming school year and how it will be one of the best ever. She then handed out a stack of papers and told us to find the ones with our name and take it. These papers were our schedules.
Some time passed and the bell went off yet again. We all stood up to head to our first class. I grabbed my backpack and Mallory asked me what my first class was. We began to compare schedules and learned we had our first and last period together. We also had lunch together.
"What do you think we’ll learn this year?"
"Something interesting I hope."
We walked in silence for a few feet. The hallway felt longer than usual. I decided to fill the silence.
"Did you go to school before coming here?"
Mallory’s face turned bright red, "I don’t remember much, but I do know we had schools up North. We have technology and machines, you know."
"I’m sorry I didn’t mean anything like that."
Mallory’s red face softened to a pink, "No, I’m sorry. I know you didn’t. It’s just being from North of the mountains, I kinda get the feeling people might look at me funny."
We reached the stairwell at this point.
"You won’t have to worry about anything like that around here." I pointed to a student walking up the stairs opposite of us. Their eyes are void of emotion. "The people around here are all sort of indifferent. They’re all kinda numb, I call it being fuzzy."
We arrived at our landing as the bell rang out once again. Mallory took hold of my wrist."Are we late?"
"Ow my wrist. And no, that just means we have three minutes left to get to class."
"Oh. alright. We should hurry then, I really don’t want to be late to class."
We rushed to class and made it with two minutes to spare. Mallory set her bag at a desk near the front of the class. I never had a friend before but I was certain I had to sit next to her.
Class started soon after. The teacher gave a short speech then gave us all two textbooks. One title read, "A Heavily Edited and Censored History of Southern -." My country’s name was scratched off. I didn’t bother looking at the second one at that time. These textbooks and the fact they were untruthful always bothered me. No one else cared about them, but they were all fuzzy of course. Mallory however wasn’t as fuzzy as everyone else so I wondered what her thoughts were. I turned my head to Mallory,her eyes filled with eagerness. She was an odd girl, so happy to learn. Though, it seems happiness was her default emotion. I decided to say nothing.
Class commenced shortly after this. Throughout it Mallory’s focus refused to stray from the teacher’s words. When class was over Mallory and I parted ways.
The next few hours snailed along as the growl in my stomach became more ferocious. Once lunch period came I headed to my homeroom class and dropped off my backpack at my desk. I walked down the school hallways, a consistent chatter of the other students filled the air.
When I arrived at the dining hall I quickly got in line, we only had 30 minutes in there which started when the second bell rang. I got my food when it was my turn to, walked to an empty table and calmly ate my food. A few bites into my meal Mallory crashed her tray onto the other side of the table.
She chomped on a piece of bread as she spoke, "my literature class is going to be so much fun! I’ve already read most of the books we’re going to be reading, But it’ll be nice to discuss their themes with people who aren’t my parents."
I didn’t have a response to that, I was too distracted by how quickly Mallory was inhaling her food. "Have you ever had food before?"
"I’ve had food before! It’s just that I’m addicted to the Southern spices."
"Is northern food any different?"
"Much different, but it’s delicious!"
"I would love to try Northern food one day."
Mallory and I got up and threw out our trays. I returned to our table while she went to the restroom. The bell rang while she was gone so I waited for her outside the restroom. When she exited we headed to the doors that led to the playground. At the playground we walked up to the swingset. I plopped down onto a swing. The soft screetch made with each swing was the only sound as we sat in silence.
When she had finally found her words Mallory said, "what did you mean earlier about people being numb? I tried making friends all day but no one was interested."
"It means what it means. Nobody responds the way they should. At least the way I feel they should."
"Why do you think that is?"
"Maybe someone is putting something in the water."
"What makes you say that?"
I thought about it for a moment. I thought about what I should say. I decided to tell her the partial truth, "It’s just a theory. We all drink water."
"Why aren’t you like everyone else?"
"I don’t know, but I could take a guess."
"What’s your guess then?"
"I think it’s just good luck."
After the bell rang we went back inside and went to our respective classes. Nothing of note happened until the final school bell rang, letting us out for the day.
Exiting the school always caused mild claustrophobia. A sea of students always formed in the main hallway as we all try to leave. Mallory seemed comfortable among all these people. Once outside I sat on the front steps and waited for my sister. Mallory joined me for a bit before saying she had to go and said goodbye. She walked Northbound before turning a corner and I lost sight of her.
A moment later my sister walked down the steps. I didn’t bother asking how her day was, she wasn’t much for talking those days.
It took us about 20 minutes to walk home every school day. Phillip was waiting for us at the front door. My sister crouched down and patted Phillip on the head. She went inside after straightening up then Phillip and I followed her in. We all headed upstairs where our rooms were. My sister locked herself in hers while Philip and I went into my room.
I didn’t have much in my room. My bed was against the back wall, a wardrobe stood opposite of my bed, a desk next to a window that overlooked the street, and in the back corner a small pillow that Phillip used as a bed.
I changed out of my school uniform into a pair of sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt. I was about to tell Phillip about my day when the thought actually hit me. How was Mallory responsive? The only reason I wasn’t fuzzy and my sister on her way was Phillip.
Before I found him life was very fuzzy. I was unresponsive, much like everyone else in Cyprianus. Once, on a spectacular sunny day I found Phillip in my backyard, munching on some leafy greens. Overtime life became clearer, and that was when I noticed people went missing all the time. Mostly children and teens, but a handful of adults went missing as well, yet no one seemed to care, much less notice.
Once, i found a body with its head crushed almost perfectly flat. His teeth were shattered, eyes popped, and his brain was mushed all over the ground. His shirt was drenched in blood which was oozed from three puncture wounds in his chest. Each wound was wider than a human finger and was so deep I could see the blood soaked earth underneath the body. His lower torso was awfully mutilated. Almost as though an animal had made a meal of him. That was impossible however. Phillip was the only animal in and around Cyprianus. A morbid curiosity filled me when I saw that man’s body, and I was unable to tear my eyes from his corpse. The day after I found it I went back but the body was gone. No trace was left behind.
Things were weird in Cyprianus, and things got weirder as we got older. As we kept trying to fix things.
Phillip started chewing on some lettuce I had in the room.
"I made a friend today! Her name is Mallory, she seems very nice and even invited me over tomorrow. Oh, and she doesn’t seem to be fuzzy."
Phillip stared at me. He couldn’t talk, but regardless we were able to understand each other very well.
"You wouldn’t have anything to do with that would you?"
The animal blinked at me as he munched on his vegetable.
"If it’s not you then it might just be a mistake the town made. If that’s the case then there’s a chance it’ll correct the mistake and she’ll become fuzzy."
Phillip stood up on his hind legs and we stared at each other.
"You’re a genius!" I shouted. I put my hands underneath his front legs and held him by the armpits so his feet dangled. "I’ll bring you with me tomorrow and you can pee all over her house!"
Phillip tilted his head so his antlers touched my face.
"You’re right. We don’t know Mallory’s furry companion policy, but I’m sure we can figure something out."
Phillip began to squirm in my hands. I set him on my bed, on which he hopped around for a moment then hopped over to a stuffed toy bear I had. He sat perfectly still next to it.
It was an adorable sight and it made me smile.
"If you’re able to hold still enough I think it could work."
I sat at the edge of my bed and Phillip hopped up to me. I scratched the top of his head between his antlers. After a minute or so he moved his head. Philip hopped off my bed and out my bedroom door. I followed him down the stairs, through the living quarters, and into the kitchen.
At the time I would often forget to eat, so Phillip would make sure I was as well fed as he was. I made myself a small snack bowl of fruits as Phillip hopped around the kitchen.
When finished with the fruit I poured myself a glass of water from the pitcher on the counter.
I took a few steps toward the doorway when suddenly Phillip hopped into it and aimed his antlers at me.
"I’ll eat more later, right before we look out the window."
He lowered his guard a bit, but held his antlers steady at me. He took a second more to think, then lifted his head and blinked. He turned around and headed back to our room.
Once in my room I took out the textbook I hadn’t bothered with earlier from my backpack. It was titled, "A Not So Brief History of Many, But Not Too Many, Weapons of the South." A smile creeped into my face. I loved weapons, so much so that I had already read up on a few knives.
Eventually night fell upon Cyprianus. The unnatural quietness of that place was always emphasized by the dark. The potential of an attack never was what bothered me, I knew I wasn’t in any danger. Most nights, there was neither man nor beast outside on the streets of Cyprianus. And that’s what bothered me. If I were to go outside I would be the only living thing out there. Truly alone. Truly isolated. Surely it was the worst kind of madness.
I went downstairs and made myself a meal consisting of lunch meats and bread. I returned with the plate and a glass of water. I set them on my desk before grabbing a notebook. I sat on my chair then rolled over to the lightswitch and flicked off the lights. Phillip went under my bed and pulled out a pair of binoculars then brought them to me. He hopped onto my lap and we rolled over to my desk. The window being directly in front of my desk was no accident, I had put it there a short while after finding phillip.
I ate my food in silence, occasionally giving scraps to Phillip. I soon fell asleep but was eventually awoken by Phillip nibbling on my hand. I looked up and out the window to see what Phillip and I had been expecting.
Across the street from my house walked a man. His gait was that of an injured animal. He wore a shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbow. His dark pant legs were tucked into a pair of very dirty work boots. A scar extended from the bottom of the right side of his jaw to just below his right eye. It was because of this that Philip and I referred to him as The Scarred Man. Greasy long brown hair covered the back of his head. I only ever saw the right side of his face, as he only ever walked one direction.
To a kid he was terrifying, but his appearance was never what I took interest in. Every night that Phillip and I saw this man, he dragged a wagon behind him as he slowly walked. And in that wagon was a child, whom I hoped was sleeping. A different child every time. Sometimes I knew of them and other times I had no idea. This time, I believed him to be a kid from my science class. I believe his name was jason. I grabbed my pencil and started sketching this new child’s face. Over a period of six months, my notebook had been filled with the faces of missing children and a short description of what they were wearing when I saw them.
Phillip used his antlers to lightly poke my chin. I put the binoculars up to his face so he could see what I saw. I finished the sketch and took another look at the kid.
"It’s kinda weird don’t you think?"
Phillip and I turned to each other.
"Some kids are taken while wearing sleepwear, while others wear street clothes. I don’t know if it’s important but it’s weird."
Phillip tilted his head slightly.
"Yeah, you’re right. This whole place is weird."
I turned back to look out the window. I watched The Scarred Man once more. He walked with a rhythm, one could even call it confidence. Hesitation was perfectly absent from his steps. He knew he wouldn’t be stopped, he couldn’t be stopped. So he walked on, towards the North side of Cyprianus. Towards the forest.