Where do you go, if you are running; if you have no one who will take you in, no one who cares for you? Without a destination or a goal, Esteban was alone, and it almost tore him apart. He had no purpose, surviving was not enough, it was not living. Neither was running. It wasn't enough, and it wasn't safe.
And yet, there was nowhere to go. The house was either destroyed, or held by the very men who had caused his grief. Even if it was safe, there was still a deep emotional barrier. He couldn't go back there. Even if he did, what then. They had taken all the money, the crops, anything if value, his life would be the same as out wandering the wilderness.
The town was off limits too. His parents didn't have any relatives nearby, or good friends. No one would want him, especially after what happened to his family. Anyway, the town was basically ruled by the dragons, they'd know he'd survived, and they'd be on the hunt. The same goes for half of Northern Peru, maybe even more. For now, wandering seemed the only option.
jesand wrote:
I fell like this gets a bit aimless ;D
Prove me wrong. I'd be happy for that.
I'm not sure if you mean the story, the rider, or both. If you mean the story it is deliberately a bit like that, to reflect what it is like for the character, who is obviously feeling a bit like that. I get if that is a bit boring, but he doesn't stay a dreary character forever.
It is incredible to even think that someone like Esteban could have survived in the wilderness. He had lived all of his life in relative safety, and the speed of the transition would be crippling to anyone else. However, for Esteban, it was the shock of the change, and how it came about, which allowed him to survive, and change, away from the grasp of society.
In fact, it wasn't a will to survive which sustained him at all. He was utterly driven by a thirst for vengeance. He knew he was powerless, but his anger against those who had done him wrong clouded his judgement and vision. It had left him scarred, and unable to be the man he could have been. His youth and inexperience had allowed him to be changed and warped and withered.
The Peruvian winter shouldn't be much of an issue, after all it is only 5 degrees south. However, in the highlands, it is freezing cold, all year round. And when you're hunted in the valleys, the only way things can go is up, but that isn't a good thing. Esteban had never been a fan of the mountains, and riding a half broken bike up them to get food is no ones idea of fun.
Rather haphazardly, Esteban had headed North. Whether by any particular incentive, or just chance, he steadily headed North every day. Jaén being close to the northern border, he soon found himself alone, and much further away from home than he expected.
@Suttyefinitely!
@Anyone out there: Has anyone guessed the theme in the titles yet?
Far Over the Misty Mountains Cold
Esteban quickly found himself in Ecuador, and then Colombia, whether he knew it or not. Not that it mattered, national borders mean nothing if you have no identity. For Esteban cycling was no longer his escape, it was not his method of travel, it was how he lived. Every day he would ride, always searching for his next meal or rest, whether it belonged to someone or not. He could never be sure of his next meal, or his next shelter. The vibrance of life was replaced by a dull haze.
Every day was the same pattern, always running but never looking back. For him, there was no future. He did not dream of being anything but alive, as it was remarkable that was true. In fact, he did not dream, he lived as if in a trance. Slowly all his fire and thirst for revenge, or even justification, was slowly sapped from him, without any replacement. Esteban was left empty, surviving, but incapable of any more.
@Sutty: Unfortunately he is at the moment
@Martial:
The Road Goes Ever On And On
Roads go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree,
By caves where never sun has shone,
By streams that never find the sea;
Over snow by winter sown,
And through the merry flowers of June,
Over grass and over stone,
And under mountains of the moon.
Roads go ever ever on
Under cloud and under star,
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar.
Eyes that fire and sword have seen
And horror in the halls of stone
Look at last on meadows green
And trees and hills they long have known.
@Sutty: if only it was mine, and now for something completely different....
Catch of the Day
Statistically, the more you steal, the more likely you are to have been caught at some point. For somebody like Esteban, this is a serious problem. As in cycling, a short lapse of concentration can be devastating, and can turn your next meal into a likely criminal record, or worse. In Esteban's case, that moment came when trying to steal a fish.
Despite your noble reporter's best efforts, the type of fish remains unknown. It seems likely, from certain sources, that it was a Rainbow Trout. However, the widely held opinion among those who have investigated themselves, is that it was a Sea Bass. Whatever the fish, the result is the same. He was quickly found by the owner of a certain fish selling establishment (who wish to remain nameless).
However badly this situation. went, it cod have been a lot worse. He was solely asked to return the fish, and do some work in return. Ofishally to do so, the estabfishment haddock to recod the parents and notify them of the robbery.
As soon as they found out the truth, they were forced to send Esteban to the local orphanage. This turned out to be a mixed blessing for someone like Esteban.
Spoiler
Hobbit&Haddock Corp. would like to ofishally apologise for any mental damage caused by fish puns during the 3rd paragraph. They are inexcusable, and clearly do not fit in to the setting of the story. Once again, we apologise, we were out of plaice
In an orphanage, you meet all sorts of people. A lot of them have been through more than most, and they are all lacking something, but what that is depends on them. Even for an orphanage for criminals and those found on the street, Esteban stood out. But not necessarily in a good way.
He was originally a recluse, and an introvert. A long time alone, avoiding others will do that to any person, never mind a young child, having just gone through immense trauma. Nobody talked to him, nobody wanted to talk to him. More importantly though, he did not want to talk to anyone. In fact, he was happy enough just to sit there, if happy is the word. It seems almost impossible he could be happy at all, given the circumstances and the past.
Esteban was not a kid to get into trouble. He hid from attention rather than seeking it. However, he was not a hard worker either. His times away meant he was not accustomed to an academic environment. In an area of discipline and punishment, action and reaction (film reference), he did not fit in. He did not learn, nor did he disrupt, he sat, and he stared. Everyday was the same, but at least now he was sure of his next meal, and his next bed.
As orphanages go, San Ignacio's orphanage one wasn't too bad. The place was owned by a Mrs Jiminez. They were kind people, if somewhat tired of their role. Unfortunately they were only getting older, and less and less time could be spent making sure the children could grow into upstanding members of society. To them, it was sad to see so many people come through their doors, only to join gangs or smuggling groups.
Esteban, on the other hand, couldn't care much less. He had no respect or time for his classmates, nor they for him. It seemed mutually beneficial for both parties to allow the other to continue. For Esteban, it meant he wasn't bullied or questioned, for the others, it meant not being hit, literally.
For someone who has spent most of their ever fading memory actively avoiding people, it is a hard job making friends, and adapting to a new environment. It did not take the others long to figure out he was a bit strange. During the first week, one of the boys asked him why he was in the corner, more specifically, whether "he missed his mummy".
The boy promptly broke his jaw and lost six teeth. Esteban had to sit in the corner for the rest of the month, not that this really mattered to him, as that was already his plan. Perhaps more significantly, no one ever really talked to him again, unless it was absolutely necessary, for fear of snapping another lose string.
Despite his odd behaviour, Mrs Jiminez saw something in Esteban. If you have worked with troubled children most of your life, I imagine that you develop into a good judge of character. Whatever the case, she saw something which she could nurture into something more than a thug and a smuggler.
At first, here efforts were unsuccessful. She, like everyone before her, was unable to sustain even a short conversation with Esteban. It seemed almost as if he didn't want here help, he didn't want to better himself. However, Mrs Jiminez was just as strong willed, she had to be, after all, she was still running her orphanage after decades of tiring work. As soon as she began, she knew she had to finish, and would not stop until she had turned his life around.
Mrs Jiminez always had a plan B. In this case, that was her son... Diego Jiminez. Despite not being an orphan, although he had lost his father, he attended the orphanage. Mrs Jiminez thought the best way to get at Esteban was through him. At first, this may seem like an odd decision, since he did not socialise with any of his peers.
However, like Esteban, Diego was not like the other boys. As the son of the owner, he tended not to be included in a lot of the discussions, or anything else the boys did, for rather suspicious reasons. This caused Mrs Jiminez a lot of sadness, to see her boy was being left out almost every time. He was not disliked, but he was also seen as a bit strange, as he, in many ways, took after Mrs Jiminez in his kind nature.
Initially it was hard for Diego to break the ice, but with a slow melting process, and constant, perhaps overexcited parental guidance, a bond emerged. For both of them, this was beneficial, they now both had someone to talk to, to help them, to understand and listen to them, especially as they were in a rather troubling environment.
efinitely! 
