04 - TOO MUCH TO TAKE II

The old man raised his head, exposing his bloodshot eyes. “Freedom… My freedom… A bud of hope has come. For it to find this place… it’s truly a whit of wonder.” He sounded deranged and somewhat mentally-challenged.

“Don’t kill me, please!” Edgar desperately said. He wasn’t in a position to patiently observe this scary, hairy old guy who would perfectly fit a villain in the stories his mother and sister always told him. “I have a lot more things to do in this life!”

“If you don’t want to die,” the old man’s voice was hoarse, “then promise me that you’ll destroy this rock and break these chains for me.”

“Eh?” Edgar was startled. “I’m too weak for that. Look. I’m struggling to peel even a banana.” He showed the banana in his hand which was still unpeeled.

“Fool. You think I expect a weakling like you to break these chains?” he squeezed Edgar’s waist, causing him to howl in pain.

“No! Please! Ah!” Edgar screamed and begged. “Forgive this fool.”

“Hmph!” the old man loosened the grip of his hair. “You’re too weak to break these damned chains. Even if I raise your strength to an extent, it’s still not possible to break these things that have kept me here for years.”

“Then…” Edgar’s voice was trembling, “what do you want me to do?”

“Where’s sir?” he enlarged his eyes, making his eyes look like fiery pits of hell.

“S-Sorry,” Edgar lowered his back. “What do you want me to do, sir?”

“Hmph!” his snort was powerful enough to blow a blast of air in Edgar’s face. “All you need to do is find a person and tell him that I’m being held here.”

“B-But I can’t leave this place. If you don’t already know, we are in the valley of…” as he was saying, the old man narrowed his eyes, and Edgar shut his mouth.

“I know you’re as weak as an ant, no, probably a bit stronger physically,” the old man indifferently said. “But with some training, I can raise your strength to that of an elephant in a year. And if you follow the instructions I give you, then you can get out of this place relatively safely.”

“Really?” Edgar’s eyes lit up.

“This great old saint never lies,” he let go of Edgar. “If you’re willing, then go fill your belly with fruits. If not, then… just get out of my eyes before I change my mind.”

Edgar stood right where he was, while looking at the old man. “Hey, old man, why were—”

He received a blood-curdling glare.

“I mean, sir, why were you sealed like this?” Edgar asked. “Who did this to you? Something so inhumane…”

“That’s not important. Go and eat first.”

“It is important. If you’re a bad guy, and I help you get out, then won’t that make me a bad guy?”

“Hmph! You think you’re in a position to force your opinions on others?” the old man’s hair raised and thrust through Edgar’s shoulder, making him scream in pain. “You have no choice but to listen to me.”

Edgar narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

“What’s with that look?” Some of the hair wrapped around Edgar’s throat and lifted him up. “You thought I’ll be a good mentor because I need you? Beg for your life, and I’ll consider letting you down.”

“So, you’re a bad guy,” Edgar coughed out words as he was being choked. “I’d rather die than help scum like you!”

The old man was startled. (What a strong resolve!) The old man increased the pressure on his throat. “Then die!”

“Gwuha!” Edgar spilled blood, and he felt totally powerless against the old man. Soon, his consciousness faded away.

Some time later.

Edgar woke up only to find himself still breathing. He looked at the old man who was still glaring at him without blinking. “Why didn’t you kill me?” he asked.

“Listen to me carefully, you shitty brat,” the old man stressed his words, adding anger into every word. “I was put here by bad people. They’ve killed my family, my friends, and my people right in front of my eyes. I don’t deserve to be put here. No one deserves to spend eternity in this darkness. This is too much to take.”

The corner of Edgar’s mouth curled down as he could relate to the old man about spending time in the darkness. “Why didn’t they kill you then?”

“That…” the old man sniffled a bit. “They wanted me to suffer forever, that’s why.”

A few seconds of silence passed.

“Alright, old man… Old sir, I’ll believe your story for now,” Edgar was rubbing his throat as it still hurt, “but don’t blame me if I change my mind after I go outside and know about you.”

“I’m fine with that,” the old man seemed to have gained some glow in his face. “So that means, you’ve agreed, right?”

Edgar slightly nodded and then looked around. “By the way, how did I get here? There doesn’t seem to be any tunnels leading to this place.”

“Ah, actually, I don’t know that either,” the old man said. “When I woke up, you’re here.”

“Eh?” Edgar was slack-jawed. “You don’t know?”

“You worry about practicing, and let me worry about getting you out of here,” assured the old man.

Edgar was pondering, but then his stomach grumbled aloud. His shoulders flailed. “I’m so hungry. Can I go and eat now?”

“Of course. But I’d suggest that you first have some water. Your body needs it more than food.” While the old man was saying, Edgar hurriedly picked up the banana he previously let go of. This time, instead of using his fingers, he used his teeth, and to his relief, his teeth were able to dig through the skin and peel the fruit, though it wasn’t easy. “Well, bananas have some water content, too. So, it’s not a bad start. But if you don’t chew them long enough, you’re going to get hiccups—”

Edgar spat the banana out straight away. “Ew, this tastes like shit.”

The old man didn’t say anything. Those who put him here ensured to give him food to keep him alive, but they also ensured that neither the food nor the water would ever taste well.

Though the fruit tasted horrible, Edgar was too hungry to keep caring about its taste. He bit a big piece and tried to swallow it at once.

Edgar didn’t start to suffer from hiccups, but the big banana piece stuck in his throat, and no matter what he did, it wasn’t coming out or going down. Crying helplessly, he immediately ran to the pool and dipped his face in the water, without even asking if they were drinkable or not. To his luck, the water worked wonders. Every bit of his skin that came into contact with the water absorbed it, and soon, the banana slid down his throat.

The old man faintly snorted in annoyance. “Bright in the heart, but not so much in the brain… These types of people make life tough for themselves and everyone around them.”

Meanwhile, the tunnel that Edgar had fallen through was long closed by some of the old man’s hair and broken rock.