Winter break seemed like a perfect time for Dylan to have some piece and quiet, except it was anything but peaceful. It all started the day before winter break on that bus ride to school.
6:45 am Every day the bus passed by Dylan’s apartment. It was always the same old same old, wake up, go to school, come home, sleep. A vicious cycle he so desperately wanted to break. Every day he told himself. “Alright, today’s the day things are going to change.” Of course, they never did change. Luckily it was Friday and the last day of school before winter break, so at least he had something to look forward to.
The bus ground to a halt. Smiling through the glass door was John Jones, the bus driver, who coincidentally was also his English teacher. His school was on a budget and used all the help they could get. Even as a Sixteen-year-old he understood quite well why his school was so poor. Chicago, one of the most crime commenting city in the world, wasn’t exactly the best place for a school. Entering the bus Dylan was greeted with the fresh fragrance of sweat, body odor, and hormones.
“Lovely.” He thought.
A few steps and shoves later Dylan made it to his seat in the back of the bus. There was no heat in the vehicle, so he considered himself lucky to be in the back next to the exhaust. Dylan leaned his head up against the window looking at the world rushing by.
Wet leaves and rain flew across his window. Dylan reached into his pocket, pulling out an old MP3 player and some earbuds. He popped them in, and the world around him fell silent, a gorgeous piano taking its place. Each note was pristine and crisp, with a slow and smooth undertone. “Ray Charles. Nothing but the best.”” He thought to himself.
The radial blur of the world around him made his mind race with untold stories and adventures. Dylan daydreamed of a variety of things from running up walls to taking a nap, until finally fixating on the idea of a hero coming to save his city from all the sins it had committed. It was a nice thought. However, it was hard thinking optimistic when living in Chicago. Crime was through the roof more so than ever, and it would take a miracle to save the poor lost city.
“Boom!” A loud popping noise erupted from the front of the bus, the vehicle scratching to a halt.
“Everyone alright?!” Mr. Jones yelled. The students nodded.
Looking forward Dylan noticed the bus leaning to one side. “Alright everyone off the bus!”
Mr. Jones’ authoritative voice ruptured through the small vehicle, sending each student scurrying out the door. Dylan was the last one to leave. As he stepped out of the bus, he was met by a cold wind. Small droplets of rain fell onto his face, stinging and biting at his skin.
Mr. Jones motioned each of the students onto the sidewalk. Dylan hated the idea of feeling vulnerable on the streets of Chicago, especially when the only person able to protect them was an old man with a walking cane.
“Ting!” A loud metal on metal collision sound shot from the sewer drain beside him. Dylan bent down noticing something odd. Blocking a section of the drain was a big clump of mud. Through the grime, Dylan saw a sparkle of light.
He reached down for it, the mud practically dissolving in his hand. Wiping away the last bits, Dylan was in awe. A bright blue ring sat in his hand, its band made from a very sturdy metal, the top outfitted with a large blue sapphire carved into the shape of a shield.
The cold metal glinted as he moved it into the light. Post doing this he noticed something he hadn’t before. Carved across the silver plating was a series of symbols. He saw a few that looked familiar, but couldn’t make out any sort of meaning.
Dylan seemed to lock eyes with the ring, no matter how crazy it sounded, the ring felt alive.
Over the sound of Mr. Jones Dylan heard a faint whisper. “Hello?” Dylan shouted. His classmates looked around frantically towards him, each eye wide with fear.
“Hello, Mr. Porter, we can all hear you.” The once quiet class burst into laughter, following the undoubtedly sarcastic comment from Mr. Jones.
“No, I…” Dylan froze. He couldn’t tell what was more strange, the whispering in his head, or the giant shard of metal pierced through the front tire of the bus. “Whoah! What happened?”
The bus driver glared at him blankly, another sarcastic comment already forming on his lips. “It seems Dylan has some listening problems, eh?” The man walked over placing a hand on Dylan’s shoulder.
Once again the class lit up with laughter. Dylan felt his face heating up, turning a bright pink. Never in his life had he ever been so embarrassed, especially by a teacher.
After a few long moments of embarrassment, Dylan piped up. “Seriously whats going on?!”
The class fell silent. “I'm not entirely sure; it seems like we must have hit some scrap metal on the road.”
Dylan examined the metal. From what he could see, it was no ordinary scrap. It had minute carvings scratched into it. No one else seemed to notice this, so he brought it to Mr. Jones’ attention.
“So, why are there little symbols on the metal?”
Mr. Jones glared at Dylan as if he had insulted him in some odd way. “I see no…” He paused making quotes with his hands. “Little symbols.”
The man reached into his pocket pulling out an old outdated flip phone. He punched in a few numbers and the phone began to ring. “Hello? Yes, this is John. “
Must be the school, Dylan thought.
The sidewalk was getting slick and Dylan began to feel tired. He wondered about the giant shard, and how it had just appeared in front of the bus, and the fact that he was the only one who could see the writing engraved into it.
He tried drowning his thoughts with music, but it didn’t seem to work. The asumtions lingered in his mind, refusing to leave.
What had he just unearthed? He imagined it was just some random coincidence and that it would all be forgotten in a matter of hours; but this was different, the symbols, they're Nordic. Dylan couldn't explain how he knew, he just did.
I'm really excited to hear what ideas you have!
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