Greener Here: Signs of The Downfall
Characters
(Me-sha) Misha - A Lion
Fray - A Deer
Medi - A Billy Goat
Lerd - A Lion
Mother Lion
The Rabbit
Part One
The Garden is a peaceful place where all animals of a kind coexist with one another. The animals today, like any other day, are relishing themselves. Some are shopping, taking a walk, setting up shops for the day, and others are casually talking to one another. The children seem always to be outside and about. Playtime for them seems to be endless as usual.
Up ahead, four children are getting scolded by a guard, a lion, for falsely making an allegation about the baker, a billy goat, beating someone. It turned out it was nothing more than a mockery as the baker was only hitting the eggs.
"These silly games those children play." The guard thought to himself.
Granted, the guard chuckled but still shook his head in dismay. He simply didn't want to encourage the children's silly pranks. And he wanted to respect and show that he took the matter seriously. The baker, however, seemed to have noticed the chuckle. With a face of embarrassment, he felt they had turned him into a laughingstock. A huge sigh came and went. He decided to go back inside his shop and continue with the preparations he was making before he was rudely interrupted.
Only the guard and the four children remained.
The guard then tells the children to go back to play but warns them not to cause disturbances anymore. He watched as two boys ran off, and one Boy flew after them. The fourth, whom he assumed was the little girl behind it all. She stood there momentarily and looked at him with her bright blue eyes filled with curiosity. She then turns and follows her friends.
"Something about her eyes is full of adventure. Must run within our species." He muttered to himself.
"You know you could have taken this matter more seriously, Lerd. It's your job as a guard. "said the baker.
"Please relax, Medi; they are only children." Answered Lerd.
"Say that to your son. He's no child."
"My son? He did it again, didn't he?"
Medi calmly nods and then walks more profound into the kitchen while waving. That was the end of that.
"That old goat sure likes to keep things short. Well, it looks like I have to talk to Misha once again about not scaring Medi."
Each and almost every animal of a kind has a job. Today, we'll be exploring one kind whose job is essential. That would be protecting The Garden. That duty was up to the big cats and many other types of animals with protecting and watching abilities. Such as the eagles, falcons during the day, owls, and other nocturnal animals for the night.
But our story starts with the mention of Misha. His father, Lerd, continues his way home to their cottage. Misha is currently at home studying as his father instructed. Of course, he was doing just that because he knew his father would ask him questions about it later.
Not far away, a friend of Misha, who goes by the name of Fray, is coming to see him. Fray is a little deer who often visits Misha every day when she's able. She's pretty kind and adorable as well. Both are often seen together in Misha's hometown of Aliceseal. She arrives at the cottage, takes a deep breath, and knocks.
"I'm coming. Dad, why are you knocking? Oh, Fray, it's you. "
"Sorry, I know you told me to come later, but I got impatient. Even my mother insisted I'd go early as well." She said nervously
"That's alright. I thought you were my father for a moment. He should be back from guard duty soon. Hm. He seems to be running later than usual."
"I bet he caught those little brats again." He said with a huge sigh.
"Um...yeah...um."
"Oh, sorry, please come inside. My mother ran to the store to get some food for dinner. Would you like to stay and eat with us again?"
"That's ok, I only came to see you, and I wanted to know if you'd like to go to the meadows with me." She said nervously.
Just before Misha had a chance to answer, Fray quickly interrupted him clumsily.
"But that's if you want, but then I'd be interrupting your dinner time with your family. So, it might not be a good idea, I'm sorry that was rude, and I shouldn't have asked that in the first place. "She said with her head lowered.
"Fray, relax, alright. My parents will understand, and we've been friends for a long time, so no worries."
"Friends, right? We're just friends." She said with her cheeks reddened.
A bit of awkwardness overcame Fray, but Misha seemed unfazed by this. Perhaps he was too focused on his father coming home about his studies, Fray thought.
"Fray, I've been thinking about something lately."
"Oh yeah, what is that, Misha?"
"While I've been studying these books. I ran into something about the outside world. I don't know what it means, but I think there is a way to leave The Garden. And I mean to see what's beyond it."
"Misha, that's just silly. It's just myths, and everyone has read them before." She said with a cute laugh.
"No, seriously. It talks about how the Boy used to sit around and tell the animals about his adventures. Our ancestors wrote these texts and hoped to pass these stories to us. And I think we should explore beyond The Garden together." He said with excitement while clenching his fist.
"Misha, why would we want to explore anywhere else? We have everything we could need, and it's perfect in The Garden."
"I know it is, but I feel we should have more choice in what to do. Not grow up and do what our specific species are assigned to do." He said with passion.
"Misha, I'm not sure I understand how you feel, but we don't have to do what our specific species are born to do. We have a choice, and we are free. Your father wants you to go into the guard while you want to be a history professor, and that's the difference between you and everyone else." She corrected him.
"Ok, I didn't mean it like that…."
"Then what did you mean by it? From the sounds of it, it appears you want more. Besides, we are not bound to do jobs just because our kind can do them better than other animals, and we have free will."
"That's not it. Why are we denied going to certain places in The Garden? Don't you find it strange?"
"Not it at all. Those places are sacred grounds. And one of them is the entrance to The Garden, which is heavily forbidden to go near."
"So then, do you call that true freedom? Within this "perfect" place." He whispered.
Fray shoots Misha a dirty look.
"How could you say that? Long ago…"
"Long ago, a catastrophe forced all animals to go to a utopia because outsiders poisoned the world. That utopia was called The Garden, created by a boy who came from the sky. And so on and so on. Yes, I've heard the story many times, Fray."
"Then, if you know it, why do you question? Why continue to make The Garden a bad place?"
"You wouldn't understand if we are truly free. Then why are we unable to go anywhere we want or go out as we please? Do you call that freedom? Someone is hiding something from us animals and trying to keep the truth from getting out."
"Or maybe Misha, they are protecting us. And what's this about freedom? You are free, and we can be whomever we wish to be, have whatever job we want, live wherever we want, and love, love whoever we want no matter the species."
"It's bull!! The Garden isn't all that at all. The Boy trapped us here! We are nothing but prisoners!! That's what I feel. How am I supposed to be who I want to be if I'm restricted?"
Fray looks at Misha with a broken and saddened face. She couldn't believe he would say those words about The Garden. Fray quickly passes him and scampers outside. On the way out, she almost ran into Misha's father. Lerd walks inside the house.
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