Chapter 6 – Ben’s life

 

…

From the school, Ben hurriedly went to where he worked, Auntie Bebang’s Store. He was a cargador there. He carried the baskets of fishes and vegetables from another location, the shipping section. There were open carriages transporting the products to the markets.

Many caravans from the outside brought new business to the county. Carts and close carriages were their main transportation. The county arranged them separate from the local market to make sure the traffic.

The location was the business central because of the number of merchants and businesses.

There were also a lot of horses, and their crap smelled terrible. The plain wide enough for them to play. There was also a large pool they could drink and swim.

The smell, noises, and dirt scattered all over the place. It resembled a swamp. Such a life. He didn’t mind these things anymore. Sometimes, he became the storekeeper if Auntie Bebang wasn’t there. That’s where he learned how to compute. And heck, he knew how hard arithmetic was.

Cargador’s work was during morning. This was because the hot weather during afternoon would spoil the products. And rightly so.

Nonetheless, Auntie Bebang and other shop owners still called for deliveries during afternoon.

The reason was because they have an extraordinary box ware.

Ben was wide eyed by inventions that benefited everyone. A box able to make the product fresh while inside it was sure amazing, wasn’t it? It even beaten his refrigerator in the house.

His co-workers, the other cargadors from other shops, called the box a kwadrado.

There were small ponds where they kept the fishes alive. The pond pleased Ben every time he went there to check; he thought he arrived to another world.

There was also trash-can-looking machine called bataba, where they put the spoiled products. Ben was nodding every time he heard whining and growling of gears inside the machine. It kept the wet market clean, and the sounds meant the bataba was shredding the wastes into finer grain, which was helpful to the county’s farms. This also added to their work because they needed to help the farmers carry the large sacks of fertilizer and put it to the shipping section to deliver.

Another machine Ben had seen, which he also wanted to buy, was the weighing scale. The machine was very helpful that it could convert anything from grams, cups, liters, etc. And of the years he’d spent in the market he hadn’t seen nor heard that machine malfunctioned or destroyed. Aba, he even accidentally dropped a large basket of goods on it, yet it didn’t break.

He always had to experiment. Sometimes, the food was not good because he was inexperienced. Thanking his luck, his neighbors and co-workers always gave him pointers, so his skills were increasing. “But it wasn’t bad to dream something, no?” He whistled and his hands hid behind his head.

There were other things in the wet market everybody couldn’t imagine. Ben felt every place had a vault of treasure in them. The school was one example; the market was another.

At this point, Ben was in the wet market to explain himself.

“Well, Auntie, you heard it. Who thought that I needed a long time to find the greatest treasure in the academy?” With a face of have someone done something great, Ben sighed.

But with one snort of Auntie Bebang, made his expression crumbled. “Stop your nonsense, Brat. Just go early to work tomorrow.”

“And how about your brother? You are really late, so you need to go home already. Maybe your brother was already hungry and you are here saying your delusions.” The woman tied her hair. There many white hairs and wrinkles on her face but her eyes were smiling. She didn’t seem old because of it.

“That is because Auntie, although you are bright and beautiful, you have a narrow view of the world!”

“Also, I made a lot of monggo soup. He won’t be hungry.” He beamed.

“Hmph. No one has said I am beautiful. More like a fatso! And can you stop already? Here are noodles and a yellow tail fish. You remember what did I teach you, right?” The woman crouched down and pulled something on a cabinet. Then, she hurled a fish from a container and dunked it to the boy’s arms.

Ben nodded like he was pecking. “Yes, yes. Diced up the fish, a vegetable broth and make an enriching creamy soup.”

“That’s good.” The cheeks of Auntie Bebang blossomed into a beautiful bun. “Don’t always use your glib tongue. More work for you tomorrow, okay? That chap Edison complained about how much work earlier.”

“AHAHAH. I’m sorry. I’ll give his favorite cheese buns. Though bread is expensive right now, I think I have that much. Thank you, Auntie! See you tomorrow.”

“And, I, am, going to be strong!” Ben ran while hugging the yellow tail fish. He left a loud laugh that echoed his youth and ambition.

Auntie Bebang giggled before shaking her head.

…

It was already dark when Ben got home. Moreover, he discovered his brother was eating just now. A chicken bone stuck out from his mouth.

“Oh, brother! Eating late?”

“No. I ate just a while ago. Auntie Linda passed by and gave me this delicious chicken wings. So I eat again.”

“Wow. Her secret fried seasoning is superb!” The boy beamed.

“Yep, you need to learn it from her, okay?” His brother wiped his nose. His face centered on eating that sweat had already accumulated on his face.

“Sure. She likes me a lot. Though, she is pretty talkative. Sometimes, I wonder where did she got so much stories to tell.”

“HAHAHAH.” His brother laughed out loud; a piece of meat even flew. “You don’t want to know.”

“But she seldom cooks it. What do you think is the occasion?” Ben put the fish on the sink with a loud thud. He started cleaning its scale.

“Her son has a birthday. They invited many people. She didn’t invite me though because she thought I’ll feel uncomfortable. But they did give a lot of chicken.”

Tom Horizon was already twenty-two this year. Although this age was considered very young, he felt he was older than that. Or maybe in terms of maturity.

Many things could happen to a person’s life. Yet, Tom felt that he’d experienced a lifetime. His parents vanished with no clue where they were.

He suddenly became a parent with little knowledge about the world. Fortunately, his brother was easy to take care. He tried to teach him good manners as much as he can.  Additionally, his brother didn’t remember their parents.

Obviously, he tried to find their parents. But he got a clue he needed strength to find out what happened. Hence, he prioritized in getting stronger. He took intense training until he flopped down to the ground. Though, he needed to get up for his brother who had to eat, bathe and clothe.

He also dreamt of being strong. Who don’t? But just only when he’d started, everything came down and smashed his dream into smithereens.

He became a cripple. Crippled by the man, none other than himself. He’d done everything for the dream to complete his family. But what was more ironic for a man who strived for nothing but to achieve his dream other than by failing with no comeback at all.

He became a cripple. A fact that almost broken his mind.

“What about my brother? How can he eat without me cooking? Where do we get money to begin with? How can I work? Why am I a failure?” A torrential and without ending amount of regret, frustration and despair overwhelmed his very being. The endless bleak emotions almost drowned him.

“Is god real? Then, why she let it happened to me? It seems god asleep. And she’ll discover the minute she wakes up, one of her children has stopped believing at her.”

Even when they found Ben had a powerful body, Tom only felt relief. But other than that, he felt sorrowful for his brother. This wasn’t a plight he should have. He could see the bruises, tanning and fatigue of his brother from work. And in every single morning, his brother bounced back with renewed vigor and enthusiasm.

Were you really asleep? How could you let a child face the hardship of life?

Sighing in desperation inside, Tom put a hearty smile on his face.

“Don’t tell me, Auntie Bebang keeps giving you this much.” His pale face had a healthy hue from the sweat and meat that bulged off his cheeks.

“Yep, it is yellow tail fish this time.” It gratified Ben seeing his brother looked young once again.

“We shouldn’t keep getting in debt with other people.” Tom shook his head while munching on another chicken wing.

“Don’t worry, bro. She says it free. And I’ll just pay her in the future. Anyway, you are the one to talk.” He chopped the tail and pulled out the innards. Then he set them into a plastic. The boy in mind. “This is for the neighbor cats.”

“Hmm. It’s alright. I can’t do much at all, but I can still use my handsome face.” Tom posed and winked to the speechless Ben.

“Err, I can be as shameless as long as it can provide us our food.”

“Okay, Bro. By the way, you’ve train before, right?” Ben hurriedly brought out the Anito Foundation Arts. “You need to teach me, okay?”

Suddenly, the mouth stopped. He laid the chicken and his hands on the table. Tom’s face darkened. “Where did you get this?” There was a soft tremble in his voice.

“Aba, you won’t imagine what happened today.” Ben expected this, so his staunch reaction didn’t startle him. Ben blabbered while also moving towards the kitchen to cook. Immersed in his own story and in preparing the food at the same time, he didn’t see the changing face of his brother.

“Why?” Like a dark tumultuous cloud, Tom’s voice and expression not resembling his previous face.

“Then suddenly-, what? Why?”

“Why do you need to be strong?” It wasn’t loud, but it fell like thunder in Ben’s ears. It was different. He turned around and gaze at the unknown person before him.

The boy had a look of shock. His brows furrowed and said blinking. “Aren’t everyone wanted to be strong?”

“No. Some just wanted a simple life. We are already good.” Suddenly, Ben perceived a layer of fog covering Tom’s face and... even their relationship.

“If you say so, but our life will be better if I got stronger.” Ben raised his voice higher to stand on his ground. He didn’t see the water dripping from his hands.

“I say, we are already good.” But his brother’s was an octave higher.

“Then why you didn’t prevent me from going to the school?” The boy balled his fist, his face darkened despite his brown skin.

“You went there earlier without consulting me.” Tom bit his lips.

“I can pay all the debts easier if I became strong. I have a friend who told me that the military pay high wages.”

“Debts? You are talking about money? You don’t know how much money needed to pave that path. It is either you sink or die from that ambition. It will be long before you can even enter the military.”

Ben pouted. It was his dream, after all. He saw nothing wrong about dreaming to become strong. He also thought that his brother already read the letter and seeing him in a good mood meant his brother didn’t mind. This caught him off guard.

On the other hand, Tom didn’t want his brother path he’d been. The moment he saw the letter, he immediately threw it in the trash can.

An impeding horror struck his heart. There would come a time Ben would search their parents. And he didn’t want him to fail or worst, hear him dying somewhere, alone.

“I just hope, you find yourself another path.”

After that, the two brothers become quiet. Tom was eating while Ben was cooking. Moments later, Ben joined Tom in eating and the two went to their respective rooms after finishing in the kitchen.

…

Gentle wind brushed the next morning. Hustle and bustle started early.

Ben finished reading the introductory part of the Anito Foundation Arts last night. So, he was eager to try it this morning. He woke up earlier than expected, so do the chores first. After finishing everything, he went again to his room. Ben excitedly performed what he had read. He seated in what he thought was the right form before steadying his breath and waiting for his heart to calm down.

Then he tried to recall what he’d read.

The book introduced the art as a Combat Foundation Arts.

Hence, it enabled an individual to perceive the hidden veins in the body.

In order to harness the World’s energy, the individual must absorb it until one form a white river.

The individual must habitually absorb the World’s Energy to light up each vein.

“The first part said that the practitioner has to imagine himself as a rock sculpture while meditating.”

“It’s complexion was dirty brown, but there’s no more information about its facial features.”

“Hm. That’s easy, I just saw ten of them yesterday.”

“Second part is to feel the surroundings. There’re intangible and transparent streams flowing in the air without rhythm. What’s intangible? It means I can’t hold it in my hands, right?.”

“Last. Effect on heart and mind. What’s that? Probably a beneficial effect.” He licked his lips and started.

In fact, all the Foundation Arts, although follow the same system of lighting up veins or creating spell circles, could have added effects.

An example of this was the Anito Foundation Art.

The explanation was ambiguous, but it described having an effect of calming the mind and strengthening the heart.

Effects to his mind and heart, Ben hadn’t thought of it. Right now, the most important was to sense the World’s Energy. The World’s Energy that an individual could perceive from training a Combat Foundation Art was in the form of transparent streams.

A quack conjectured the ‘form’ it was using was the life force of the surroundings.

The idea was neither agreed nor rejected by scientists because they also theorized the life force as the ability to stay fit and healthy in changing conditions.

Others described life force as spiritual and that everything had its own life force.

But absorbing life force meant stealing other’s life, and this should be discernible. Yet others were fine and normal.

Hence, scientists attributed the transparent streams to the wonders of World’s Energy.

By training in Combat Foundation Art, the person became healthier and stronger than normal standards.

Ben focused on the image that the book wanted to portray. But he sorely lacked imagination on how the rock sculpture should look. He thought about the statues in school. He imagined the man with the painting of a mural sitting on cross legs. Then, he changed the statues’ color with dirty brown. After a minute, he changed to another statue because he felt nothing.

A while later, the little boy scratched his cheeks because he felt nothing aside from the numbing of his neck and legs. Heck, a train of thoughts kept forming in his head it made him hard to concentrate.

He thought about what happened yesterday, from the moment he went to school, the illusory image of the godly woman he’d seen, Auntie Bebang’s yellow tail fish and the conversation he had with his brother. Especially the latter. It kept on pricking on his heart, yet he didn’t know why.

“Why he didn’t want me to get strong? It is a one-way ticket to have an easy life. Maybe because I’m not fit to train?” A line of sweat streaked past his furrowed brows.

“Did he feel himself lacking too? Is that the reason he pushed himself till cripple? What did he feel when he became cripple?”

Many thoughts ran through his head. Ben grimaced, yet he could only stretch his limbs.

“I’m going to school and ask the teacher about it.” Ben planned.

Ben immediately went out of his room and prepared. After finishing everything, he pouted when he looked at the close room before him. Yet, he didn’t wake his brother and left a note on the table.

Anyway, he wasn’t taken aback by his attempt earlier. He knew he lacked knowledge and information almost everything about training. Thus, he needed to ask someone who knew the ins and outs. His brother was definitely not the one.

The earlier attempt didn’t hold him back. Maybe only a little, but he regained his enthusiasm. Who could calm down after seeing what he’d seen yesterday?

Transcendent!

This word alone amazed him, let alone seeing the person in question. A person capable of fighting against a horde of terrifying creatures. Each one of those creatures could be a nightmare to him, yet she fought them and slaughtered them like pigs. It made him more fervent in becoming strong than ever.

“One day, I’ll become like that too. And in that point, I can prove to my brother that my choice is not wrong. He is just too worried about me. But it will change in the future.” The sun patted his back. Both of his hands raised up high.

Ben was so lost in thought that he’d forgotten that his destination was to the school and alighted early. This time he rode the open carriage, however, his body automatically thought he was going to work. He only woke up when he bumped into someone. He quickly spun to see two familiar faces.

“Oh, I saw these two yesterday in school.” He thought.

It was Jed and Jigen. The duo met earlier because they bought cards in the market. Jed was near the academy, so he was ready. He also wanted to familiarize himself to his new surroundings.

For Jigen, however, he wanted new cards for his revenge.

Jigen pulled and rushed Jed, and the two of them began their brief tour towards the South Section—the market.  Jed observed the boundary of the four sections; there were more structures than people. Maybe there are few people or maybe they just don’t like to go out. He didn’t know yet.

“Do you know how abundant the harvest this time?”

“They said its quite bountiful.”

“HAHA, we will have a grand festival this time.”

“You guess!”

However, the bustle began when they got on the market. Crowd gathered here and there. Most were talking about the harvest. The bustle noise of bargains and sometimes carriages brought the liveliness of the place.

It was just the traffic was quite heavy. People may unintentionally bump into someone. Good thing, there were no snatchers. The traffic may look chaotic, but they were strangely organized.

Beggars and orphans were sitting in the corners. People deliberately stumbled there and left snacks or a spare of coins.

It was inevitable to have people in the lowest rung, even with the development of the county.

Funny enough, they didn’t look like beggars at all. They bathed, wore clean clothes, and they combed their hair. But people knew it was a visage. Water was free after all, but electricity and food weren’t.

After a few more accidents, these little radishes flash their teeth and thanked these people before scampering to their homes to share their food with others for today. The season hadn’t ended yet, so it was still hot. But the little kindness made the crowded surroundings warmer.

Not that the people weren’t aware of their misfortune. It was just most people barely have something for their family, too. They could only give a spare in regret. Nevertheless, with everyone giving a bit of their attention, it enabled to feed all these kids.

Seeing such acts, Jed became a little emotional. He was also like them. But unlike these guys, there was no one holding him back. He could do anything to survive. As for those guys, they kept their immaturity because they joined with many others just like themselves. Yes, they might be more mature, but being with others made their security relaxed. Their past had differences but because they were in the same position, prompted them to become a family.

Jed was honest that he was still immature, but he needed to forgo it if he wanted to survive. Others might attend the school for innocent intentions. But not him.

…