“Nikolai? Get in here, grub’s on! Should’ve known…kid’s just gonna disappear one day, I swear!” The aging black door of a modest, one-story brick house creaked open. Thirty-five-year-old Tarik Sandori stepped through the doorway onto the porch overlooking the sweeping, green fields of Mount Faizon, his boots thunking over the wood railing. Down the end of the field, a car rolled along the gravelly dirt road, filling the quiet air with soft grinding noise. Tarik rolled up his jacket sleeve to check his wristwatch. “Twelve after six. He usually comes straight home. What’s that lunkhead gotten into now?” Tarik left the door open and sat in a chair by the kitchen table, fiddling with the utensils.

Tarik walked through the den area, cluttered with boxes full of tools, wood and metal sheets, half-built shelving units, and miscellaneous construction and craft supplies. Upon entering the kitchen, he walked into a warm, steamy haze. After a quick stir in a pot of boiling vegetables, he walked over to the counter by the refrigerator and collected a bowl of whipped potatoes and a loaf of bread. “Pot roast is about done—see if I can finish this story!” With a laugh, he sat back down and thumbed through a weighty, grey book with illustrations of unearthly, statuesque characters and creatures on the cover.

Outside, the sun sank gradually on the horizon. Rustling leaves crackled by the bushes near the woods, followed by thumping sounds, growing louder and faster. A silhouetted figure emerged from the dark foliage, catching highlights from the faint remaining sunlight. The five-foot seven-inch tall youth wore a tattered, stitched yellow-green shirt and dark brown pants, his face obscured by the heavy, droopy plant he carried. An entangled mess of leaves and roots dangled down to the boy’s ankles. “Wait’ll he gets a load of this,” his pitchy, abrasive voice said. The gruesome flytrap’s slender roots coiled up his legs, making him fidget. “Hey, easy there, Jaws! Keep it up, I’ll turn ya into coleslaw!” He tripped through the door, tugging the icky roots from his ankles. “Hey Pop, I’m home.”

Tarik came from the kitchen when he heard the commotion. “I do wish you’d stop calling me Pop. It’s about time you…what have you got?”

Nikolai heaved the hideous, overgrown plant onto the floor, revealing his teenage visage. Light dirt smudges dotted his rosy face, still with a hint of adolescent chub. From beneath his dark brown bangs, a drop of sweat rolled down his forehead. A self-satisfied dent filled his brows as he stared through blue eyes, smirking at his father. “Huh? Oh that? Little guy just followed me home! Crazy, right?”

Tarik towered over Nikolai, making him wince. “Was that before or after you dug it up?” He walked past the grinning lad and dragged the large flytrap out the door.

“Ah, it’s just a Ragurgi plant. They’re not as scary as you say they are!” Nikolai said.

Tarik heaved the dying plant over the railing onto the grass, stumbling a bit. “Uh-huh, wait’ll one tries to bite your head off. I warned you not to go out there—those people are crazy. Somethin’s off about that whole place!” He walked past Nikolai and sat at the table.

“Come on, Pop, it ain’t a big deal! And you know I don’t believe them hokey fairy tales.”

“Hey, I know what I saw. Now, may we eat?”

Nikolai ran his hands through his hair and joined his father. “Nikolai? I told you, I like ‘Niko’ better.”

“If you ever listened to me I wouldn’t need to call you that.” Niko rolled his eyes and hunched over in his chair. “You feelin’ alright, boy? You’re usually done eating before I finish setting the table!”

Niko chuckled. “Naw, just got another headache. Been buggin’ me for a while now.”

“Another one? This has been goin’ on for weeks. Maybe we should get you to a doctor.”

“The guy in Tallindor Town? Phh, more like a witch doctor.”

“Would you rather suffer? ‘Cause I’m not lettin’ you use that excuse to get outta school again!”

Niko picked up his glass of milk and took a sip. “Fine. Maybe you can talk to him ‘bout those voices again!”

Tarik laughed. “Call me crazy all you want! Maybe that bump on the head last week’s finally gotten to me.”

Niko chortled. “Nah, you keep readin’ all them ghost stories.”

Tarik handed him a heaping plate of meat, potatoes, and greens. “Hey, it’s more than you read. Here, dig in.” Niko savagely devoured his meal, his chin trickling with savory broth. “So, I take it you didn’t make it to school again today?” Tarik said, cutting his meat.

Niko threw up his hands, accidentally flinging his fork across the table. “Yeah I did!”

“Really? Then why did Mr. Waechter say you were missing?” Tarik replied.

“Hey I stayed for History, but I told ya, I can’t sit still all day!”

“So you spent the whole day lost in the woods?” Tarik asked, leaning down while Niko rummaged for his fallen fork.

“Not lost, exploring. Get this, I climbed the mountain! You can see everything from there!”

“Straight up? Why didn’t you take the trails?”

“‘Cause it’s slow and boring! Woulda taken me twenty years!”

Tarik rubbed a hand across his green eyes. “Good lord, Nikolai, you’re gonna give me a heart attack one day. Why can’t you act like a normal teenager?”

Niko snorted. “Hey, I’m normal.”

“Then go to school! Chase girls! Play sports! I wouldn’t be so mad if you broke a few rules here and there, but I gotta call the school every day to make sure you’re there. I got jobs to finish for my friends. I can’t keep worrying about where you are.”

“Alright, sorry,” Niko said. “Hey, Pop?”

Tarik glanced up from his book. “What is it?”

“Are we ever gonna get outta here?”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on, you actually like living here? There’s nothing out here but sticks and fields!”

“Yet you spend half the day wandering around like a vagabond.”

Niko shrugged. “Vagabond? I ain’t talkin’ about vegetables!”

Tarik rolled his eyes and set down the book. “All the more reason for you to stay in school.”

“Man, but I’m sick of all the guys callin’ me stupid.”

“Son, if you didn’t always act like a clown and focused on your work, you’d have a better time. Where’s this coming from, anyway?”

Niko scoffed as he bit into his veggies. “I don’t know. Just feels like I’m gettin’ nowhere. Why don’t we move?”

“I told you, with me working part-time it’s been tough. I can’t afford a new car yet.”

“What about a horse? I seen horses in what’s-his-name’s yard!”

“Give it a rest, Nikolai. Just put that passion into your homework.”

“Man, I can’t just read all day, I wanna do stuff!”

He is just like me, Tarik thought, always has to be on the move!

Niko got up from his chair. “You told me you explored Gesnia when you were younger, Pop.”

Tarik folded his hands. “What’s your angle?”

“I wanna do that too.”

“Niko, you’re seventeen. You’re nowhere near ready to be on your own. I didn’t have a choice growing up—I had to find my way.”

“Why not? I could take care of myself in the wild.”

“Hate to tell you this, but most civilized people don’t live in the wild! Forget it, you’re not ready.”

“I’m tellin’ you I could handle myself; I’m already as strong as you, Pop.”

Tarik quickly approached his son and towered over him. “Discussion closed, Nikolai! Finish up and do your homework.”

Niko’s head slumped down while he picked through his dinner, then slid his plate away. “I’m done.”

Tarik wiped his mustache and collected his empty plates. “Look, I know you’re havin’ a hard time, but what’s the rush? You got your whole life to accomplish things. You just need more experience. Life isn’t a straight line, and you should be prepared to go off the path. That’s one thing you’re good at.”

Niko shrugged. “I guess.”

Tarik smiled. “Why don’t you sleep on it. Maybe you’ll realize what a stupid idea this is.” He grunted, and nudged his son as he headed for the kitchen. He suddenly turned around. “You say something?”

Niko had already left the living room.

* * * * *

Late that night, Niko woke up and tiptoed through the short hallway, entranced by soft light glowing from around the corner. “Pop?” he whispered. Niko crept into the quiet den, where Tarik sat on the worn old couch, and tapped his shoulder.

Tarik flinched. “Geez…! What’re you doin’ up?”

“What, a guy can’t take a piss?” Niko said flippantly.

“Just go back to bed.”

“How come you’re up?”

“Unlike you, I don’t have to go to school tomorrow,” Tarik replied, flipping through his book.

Niko hesitantly sat beside him. “Seriously. You sleepwalkin’ again?”

“No, just couldn’t sleep.”

Niko peered over Tarik’s shoulder. “Man, what is so fascinating about that book?”

“It’s the mythology book my friend gave me. Figured I’d read it again.”

“Phh, why bother? You read ‘em before, not like the ending’s gonna change.”

“Stories like these aren’t just for fun, they can teach us things,” Tarik said, not looking up from the page.

“No kiddin’, like what?”

“Lots of things: morals, life lessons, finding spirituality…they mean different things to different people. I bet if you looked hard enough, even you could find something useful,” Tarik said.

Niko’s mouth bent. “Eh, maybe. Just looks like a buncha words.”

Tarik gently pushed Niko’s face away. “It’s not the words, it’s what they mean. You think your life’s hard? Imagine living in ancient times! We’re not that different from them—they may be closer to us than we realize.”

Niko looked at his father, his eyes squinting with inquisition. Before he could speak, Tarik lightly bopped him over the head with the book, pointing his thumb down the hallway. Niko nodded, and went back to his room while Tarik kept reading.

“We are, Tarik…”

Tarik spasmed, and his head darted around the room, but he remained alone.

* * * * *

Early the next morning, Tarik entered the kitchen to make breakfast, his long, bristly auburn hair sweeping over his chiseled face. “Barely slept last night; damn sounds keep wakin’ me up.” He walked towards the hallway. “Hey Niko, you awake in there?” He set the table while he waited, then crept into Niko’s room. Niko lie asleep on his bed, contorted in his dark green sheets. “You’ll never change.” Tarik bent down and yanked off the bed sheet. Niko’s body jerked, and he rolled off the mattress.

“Pop, what’re ya doin’?” he said, frantically rubbing his crusty eyes.

“Get up, you need time for your weekly shower before you leave.”

“Very funny.” Niko crawled over to his window. “Man, the sun ain’t even awake yet!”

“C’mon, early bird, time to get your worms.” Tarik laughed, and walked out of the room.

Niko rubbed his eyes and stumbled through the doorway, lamely untucking his white undershirt. “I bet even the worms are still sleepin’.” He entered the living room and plopped into a chair. “So Pop, whatcha make?”

“A manly breakfast; bacon, eggs, oats, and fruit. In your case, you need all the brain food you can get!” Tarik slapped Niko on the back and he slouched forward.

“Real funny,” Niko retorted. He flipped a couple blueberries into the air and caught a few in his mouth, the others bouncing across the table.

Tarik picked up his small portable radio from the shelf by the wall and scrolled through the stations, then sat at the table. A radio newscast softly filled the living room. “Listen now, big guy, I need to get some work done today, so please be a good sport and stay in class. Maybe tonight we’ll head to Senigot City and meet Miles for dinner.”

“Who?” Niko asked with a mouth full of oats.

“Miles, my old friend. It’s been years since we’ve seen him…but anyway, promise me you’ll knuckle under and get your schoolwork done.”

Niko softly tapped his spoon alongside the bowl, his tongue poking inside his cheek. “Lemme ask you somethin’, Pop. You really believe all that junk you read?”

“To a degree,” Tarik said suspiciously.

“I was up all night thinkin’…about life bein’ a path. What if this ain’t my path?”

Tarik turned down the radio. “Son, we’ve been through this. You have to start somewhere. Leaving now is only gonna hurt you. Believe me when I say this, now please, get ready.”

The small living area fell silent for several minutes while they ate. Niko scraped up one last mouthful of eggs and set his utensils on the plate. With a belch, he picked up his dishes and headed to the kitchen. “See, I’m bein’ respondible already!” Niko said. He clanked the dishes onto the counter and sauntered back out.

“Ah, well done,” Tarik retorted, “there’s hope for you yet.”

They stared at one another briefly, and Niko hiked up his pants as he stepped toward the door. He yanked his green shirt and book bag off the wall hook and slung the door open.

“Nikolai?”

“Yeah, what?”

Tarik calmly stepped over to the boy, and finally gave him a hug. “I love you, buddy. Remember what I said. I’ll see you later.”

Niko tried to smile, half-heartedly hugging Tarik with his free arm. He stepped out the door and clopped down the railway onto the grass. His shoes crackled along the dirty road as he ventured down the field towards the town. The house lie beyond him, and Niko wandered along the rolling terrain, passing scattered houses along the winding, lonely road. He stopped and looked up to the morning sun, his chest rising with a deep breath. Clutching his fists, he stepped off the road and trekked along the field westward into the woods.

At the front door of the house, Tarik viewed from the front porch. He shook his head and flung the door open, storming into the kitchen. He grabbed the telephone from the wall and began dialing. “Hello? Principal Blackley? Yeah, it’s Tarik Sandori. Something’s come up; it looks like Nikolai won’t be in class again today…sir, I understand…please, just let me…very well. Goodbye.” Tarik slammed the phone back into the cradle and kicked the wall. “I’m done with that kid!”

Niko wandered through the woods, passing beneath draping foliage and crooked trees. “I’ll show him,” he said with a puff. He slapped some tall-standing plants aside, pricking his hand on their tiny thistles. “Shit!” Niko clenched his teeth and hoofed over some mossy stones. “Tired of sittin’ and lookin’ at walls all day! He don’t get it—he got to go anywhere he wanted! It’s like the book said, sometimes you gotta get off the path…dang, gotta piss.” He stopped near a patch of shrubs when an unusual pressure thumped on his shoe. Niko yanked his pants back up and spread the leaves apart. A large Ragurgi plant had bitten down on his foot. He tugged his foot away, the large flytrap still clamping on his foot. “Oh come on, go munch on some flies!” He tripped and fell down into the patch of man-eaters, his limbs ensnared by their gnarled roots.

“Damn…c’mon, think of something!” Despite Niko’s thrashing, his limbs numbed from the poisonous saliva in the Ragurgi’s mouths.