Memories

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Another day at the forge/blacksmith; whatever anyone wants to call it, another-

~CLANG~

Yet again, the pile strikes. I wonder if Darrin's luck is still going or did he buried this time?

"You alive old klutz?" I shout back without looking as I have to focus on repairing this sword.

...No response.

Don't tell me he actually fell victim again? That's the what, nth time or just 3rd? I decided to check since he always makes a ruckus out of everything. Reason why I call him old klutz instead of his name.

As I look around the corner of the room I was in, not surprised at all, he is buried, almost non-visible. Sighing, I decided to unbury him. While doing so, I think about everything that has happened to me for the past 5 years.

...What am I doing trying to think at a moment like this?

While shaking my head to clear it, I continue to lift scrap metal after scrap metal until I finally see Darrin's unconscious face. Dusted tan skin, covered in small scratches from anyone's guess, and a grim looking face. My guess, it hurts staying under all this.

But then again, he always had a grim looking face.

Putting that aside, after I finish taking most of the metal off, I start to drag him towards outside. In doing so, someone saw me dragging him like a dead body, they decided in helping me carry him towards the healers hut. Everyone is accustomed to this so there was no questions to be asked.

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After hearing that he's alright and needs some rest, I went and cleaned up his mess, again. Sometimes, I wonder why he keeps all this metal in the same spot if this keeps happening.

After a while, I put the last one back and decided in going towards the lake. Might as well take a break myself if Darrin's out cold. While walking, I think back to my parents before losing them.

Father was strong-willed, sometimes stubborn, and funny. He was good friends with Darrin, always chatting together, making jokes. I miss him.

Mother... I don't remember much about her, nothing actually. Just what father has told me of her. Beautiful, spirited, graceful and mostly, free.

Father said she disappeared after I was born, though he never told me why.

I used to smile all the time. Even laughed, when things didn't go the way father wanted them to or Darrin complaining at father how his joke wasn't remotely close to whatever they were talking about.

Before I knew it, I was already at the lake, gliding a finger over the surface until I took notice. I decided to continue gliding my finger while giving out a sigh of how my life went from however it used to be to now.

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I awoke with a start. "Ugh... I fell asleep again," I scolded myself while sitting back up. As I look around still slightly dazed, I see that's it's past my normal time since it's already dark. Luckily, not dark enough, just enough to get back.

While running back, I thought what to say to Darrin when he finds out I stayed longer than usual...

That is, if he finds out.

But then again, he's resting right now and everyone will just ignore my time of coming since it's always different.

As I was running before the moon can appear, I caught a glimpse of something that made me stop to check it. I slowly walked up to whatever it was and picked it up.

...Whatever it was, it's impossible to see as there's almost no light left from the sky.

I decided to take it with me so I can check it later when I have a light source with me.

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Here I am, early as usual to the forge and what awaits me beside bent and broken tools and weapon?

It's a very grim looking Darrin.

"What were you doing so late out?!" He basically screamed in my ear.

"Umm... Accidentally slept again?" I respond cheekily and slightly nervous since this is the 7th time it happens.

"Bryan, I know you love staying at that lake since it means so much to you, but you need to be more careful," Darrin says calmly.

"Yeah, sure," I respond lazily while thinking on what I found. "If you need me, I'll be there," I say while gesturing my head to the room. All he does is give a slight nod and everything went back to how it was like it never happened.

While he was busy, I took out what the strange thing was out of my pocket and looked at it more clearly. All it did was leave me more confused than before.

It was a scale.