The night the Rhymer went whack

64

As he journeyed without his sound strength, Nick had to bob and weave to avoid death, just like everyone else. No entourage, no fawning, he was ordinary. And he hated it.

He stumbled a few steps out of the stadium and vomited. His head was pounding and there was a pain in his chest. His sounds were off, leaving him void of his strength. He needed solitude so he headed toward the woods, battling small animals, beggars and petty thieves along the way. The world quickly reverting back to as when he first encountered it, noisy and chaotic. Even the singing birds annoyed him, the squawking, cackling and other animal grunts did too. Panicked, he couldn’t think straight and his breathing became labored and all the while, Rascal stayed by his side. He sensed his master’s trouble and was programmed to help.

He barked just once, loud and ferociously, silencing all in their immediate radius and this created the peace Nick needed to assess his despair. Still wheezing, he slowly calmed and realized that his rhythm was truly off. Something caused it. He didn’t know what. All he knew was that his animal instinct was directing him home so that’s where he headed, yet he didn’t know where he was nor how long it would take him to get there. He had gotten used to all the traveling by not caring where he was or where he was going, he just enjoyed the moment and the people that surrounded him.

The world had become one big stage for him with separation only by seas and oceans and he remembered crossing one and it saddened him, thinking that it now could take weeks to navigate back home. But he quickly remembered that he had returned from that oceanic crossing a few weeks earlier and he was closer to home than he originally thought. A couple of days away at most, he thought, while gathering his whereabouts and trying to stay focused.

All this while Rascal stayed loyal. Ever since that day when Nick screamed for him, saw him malnourished and barely alive, took him in, cleaned him and fed him, they’ve been inseparable. Now their roles were reversed with Rascal taking the lead and directing Nick homeward. When it was time to rest, Rascal found a secluded area and barked for peace. Not a hard feat, and actually, since Nick’s onset of off-ness, he had become more aware of how filled with noise the world truly was and how annoying sound could be. Nick also thought about his two years of silence and how wonderful, in hindsight, that truly was, and also the brief time spent in Africa under the sound tree, but now, even the wind blowing agitated him. The animals, the people yelling, even his own inner thoughts began feeding on his sanity.

And this is why the world is the way it is, he concluded. Without symmetry, there’s no unity.

With his powers now silenced Nick kept thinking and trying different sounds and pitches, but he couldn’t control anything. He was just adding to the noise he’d been hearing and he hated it. Furious with himself, he and Rascal pressed homeward harder and more determined, rarely sleeping, barely eating, traveling day and night. Then finally he noticed his hometown and the surrounding landscape. It’d been years and it seemed even dirtier, more dingy and smelly than what he remembered. No time for nostalgia, he needed to get to the comfort of home and hit reset or at least find out what was going on, so he picked up his pace, slightly trotting while heading for his childhood home.

He thought of his mom and how her warm smile would welcome him. He knew he stunk but he knew that she wouldn’t care, bear hugging him like there was no tomorrow. He truly missed her, and those thoughts quickened his pace as he realized how excited he was to return to his mom. Then Rascal ran a little faster, soon bolting ahead with determination. His barking increased as he broke out into a full fledge sprint leaving Nick straining to catch him. As he rounded the last turn, he was able to just catch Rascal burst through the slightly opened lobby door. Odd, Nick thought, but it has ben years so maybe it’s just broke. Panting, he finally reached the vestibule and noticed that even the inner door was slightly ajar. Wide enough that Rascal had ran through it and bounded up the steps.

Neglecting the elevator, Nick followed his dog, finding the strength to bolt up the stairs. Nine flights later, he crept toward his home and soon noticed that his front door was also slightly open. He knew Rascal had entered, hearing his barks turning into whimpers. This nervous-ed him as he creaked the door open further and laid his eyes on Rascal whimpering and standing still on four bloody paws. He turned and ran, guiding Nick as he instinctively followed, leading him to his mom, sprawled on the floor in a pool of her blood.