The Call to Leave
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The next day, Michael was not at his house for practice. Trevor had not known his instructor to absent himself long from his home, let alone miss an appointment.
More peculiar was when he was found to be missing from his seat at church, a location he had occupied every Sunday without fail for as long as anyone could remember. Just prior to the service, a couple of the deacons mounted an expedition to check on him. Midway through they returned empty-handed and nonplussed.
The next day, when Trevor had once again failed to find Michael for the voice lesson, he made his way instead to his grandfather’s shop. The shop was a cluttered place, cobwebbed with netting, glass buoys, spears, and other paraphernalia relevant to the fishing vocation.
Trevor’s grandfather sat at his workbench on a high stool. He was tying a net, his practiced hands working the netting tool, anastomosing the line into the form that would help one of the fishermen provide food for the village.
“Hello!” the old man said, glancing over his shoulder. “Trevor, what brings you here? Don’t you have practice at this time?”
“Hello Grandfather. I do, but Michael still hasn’t returned.”
“That’s odd, not at all like him,” he frowned, his hands pausing before picking up once more.
“Do you think he is alright? Could something have happened to him?”
“Something certainly could have happened to him. He is still old, even if he is from the Outside.”
“How old is Michael?”
Trevor’s Grandfather carefully put down his work and turned towards Trevor. “I can’t say as I know,” he said thoughtfully. “He has been around since I was a child, and for as long as anyone then could remember as well.”
“If he has been around for so long, he couldn’t be gone now, could he?”
“Just because something seems to be constant doesn’t mean that it is. It felt like I would always have your grandmother, until one day I didn’t. The most constant things in life have a way of slipping away suddenly and unexpectedly.”
“But why would he just leave without telling anyone?”
“Perhaps he didn’t intend on being gone for long, and got lost or hurt. Perhaps he just knew it was his time, and didn’t want to trouble anyone.”
“But he is causing a lot of trouble. People have been out looking for him since yesterday. He seemed normal until that night at dinner.”
“Well, we’ll see, or not, soon enough. As you say, he is old and tough. They may find him safe and sound.”
The next day Trevor proceeded to voice lessons out of habit, rather than with any hope of Michael being there. To his surprise, his knock was quickly answered.
“Quickly, come in boy. I am not ready to be back just yet.”
“Where have you been? We have been taking shifts searching for you. Are you well?”
“No, I have not taken ill or gone mad, though perhaps you should not regard me as the authority on that. As for the search, let them keep looking for now.”
“But they’re worried, and you’re okay!”
“See, this is just what I am trying to avoid. I am getting ready to leave, and have some preparations that are bothersome to do in a mob of anxious neighbors. There will be time enough for goodbyes later.”
“You could have let people know you would be gone for a few days, then they wouldn’t have been worried.”
“I know that. Just wasn’t thinking that night. It is done now, and I intend to make do. Perhaps I am still not thinking straight, which is why I want to talk to you.”
“Huh?”
Michael looked into Trevor and frowned more deeply. “Trevor, you are a militiaman now. You are willing to defend the village?”
“Yes!” Trevor said breathlessly, his mind racing with all of the possible dangers that could be bearing down on their little village as they spoke.
“I want you to think about what I am going to ask you.” Michael hesitated, some conflict simmering below the wrinkled surface of his face. It seemed to be a long time before he spoke. “Would you be willing to go to the Outside to protect the village, even if you could never return here?”
This gave Trevor pause. He had always dreamed of seeing the Outside, visiting new lands and people, but he knew he should feel some weight of the never returning bit.
“What do you need me for?”
“I am moving too fast for this. Things blur as I pass them. I need someone who is moving more slowly, who will look after the interest of the village. Someone less likely to lose perspective.”
This was puzzling to Trevor. “What do you mean by ‘moving too fast’? If you are worried about rushing, you can wait a while before leaving.”
“No, that is not what I mean. I am old: the village feels ephemeral to me. I need someone who is still feeling their time, who knows the weight of things. Think it over Trevor, and be discreet.”
In truth he never really thought it over. Trevor’s mind had been made up since the possibility of exploring the Outside presented itself. He tried to hold it in his mind, picture how it would affect his family and friends, but it slipped from his hands like a glass orb coated with oil.
The only difficulty was deciding how long of a delay was appropriate to demonstrate to Michael that he had carefully and responsibly weighed the options before accepting the adventure. Upon completing that formality, all that remained was to wallow in the sweet pathos that bloomed amid his relationships as the date of their departure approached.
His family was anxious, he inspired awe in his peers, and he had shining self-sacrifice and hints of dark dangers to hang before the eyes of the village girls. The thought of never coming back gave him no pause, but the powerful sense of the present allowed him to enjoy this paradise for a young man of his age and sensibilities.
On the eve of the departure, Trevor went through his mental packing list to see if he had forgotten anything that Michael had recommended. The itinerary, such as he understood it, was to hike up into the mountains where they were to meet a dragon. The matter-of-fact way that Michael had introduced this first aim countered any misgivings that Trevor might have had. Indeed, Trevor assumed that Michael was just using some figure of speech. Two days’ walk was much too close for an actual dragon.
There was a small farewell gathering that evening, consisting of close friends and family. Trevor had had his fill of goodbyes over the course of the week, and was impatient for the departure. He complained to Michael, who just laughed.
“You are slowing down! It is a side-effect of great change. Enjoy it, because you pick up speed as you grow older.”