Fragments Gallery
Lost Journey: The Teacher
When my eyes open I am sitting in a square cobbled courtyard. In front of me stands an older and yet still hale man. Surrounding me is gathered a group of young people, some of them little more than children. They all stare at the man before us with rapt attention. I glance at my own small hands and then look back up to focus on our instructor. He had noticed my distraction and frowns at me. He doesn't take kindly to his pupils ignoring him.
The master droned on and on. His words quickly became a meaningless buzz to me. They become nothing but white noise. From the little I heard before I zoned out it seemed he was lecturing on the philosophies of valor, bravery and holding steadfast as well as the effects of those traits on historical figures.
My attention lapsed. The next thing I knew the other children around me were rising to their feet and leaving the courtyard.
I rose to follow, my knees somewhat shaky from kneeling for so long.
"You stop," ordered the instructor.
"Yes, sir?" I ask softly.
"What was I discussing?"
"Honour, valor, bravery, steadfastness in arms and how they affected heroes," I say trying to keep my voice steady and confident.
He stares at me and frowns.
"I could have sworn…. Carry on child."
I nod gratefully and spin on my heels to exit the room.
I sense his eyes on me all the way down the hall. I breath a great sigh of relief as I round the corner. As I began to walk back to my quarters my surroundings begin to glow a pure white. As it grows in intensity it becomes too bright for my eyes, I squeeze my eyes shut.
When they open I find myself back in that same small room with the craggy old man standing before me.
"Do you understand?" he asks me.
There was something odd. I was sure that I had just seen that man in the-
"What did you see? What was important?"
I gape at him as my wearied brain tries to put things together.
"I saw… you," I eventually gasp, "You were in the vision."
"You saw what?" The man looks shocked.
"You were there. You were the teacher!"
The man walks off to the side leaving my line of sight. I hear some rapid speaking in a low tone. I could only make out bits and pieces.
"Where exactly did you send him?" The man was saying, "You had no… must never… how dare you!"
The man enters my vision again as he storms from the room.
"Someone return our friend to the room," He roars from the doorway.
I was roughly unchained from the chair and as I was pulled to my feet a cloth bag slipped over my head.
They marched me swiftly through the halls and before too long the bag was torn from my head. I glanced around and found myself once more in the white featureless room.
Not once did I see my guides.
I sat on the edge of the bed and stared blankly at one of the walls as I considered what had happened.
It didn’t make sense.