Keeper of Harmony

Life is like a river.  You are a trout that is swimming through the straits of life whose currents forbid you from turning back.  As life moves on you can take multiple pathways that determine your future.  With each different path taken changes the outcome of your future.  That is all we can pretty much do at this point: move forward without turning back from our mistakes.

We'll begin the telling of a tale of a person named Lyn Gärtners.  A lonely twenty-two year old man living in a big, yet quaint, white house settled within acres of verdant landscapes.

There we see how poorly the man treats his property; the yards, both front and back, are dead and lifeless from his mistreatment, or rather the lack of attention due to his consuming thoughts of loneliness. Pesky invaders known as weeds: white clover, dandelions and crab grass are sprouted throughout the surroundings.  If that wasn't enough, blackberry bushes grew alongside the walls of the structure which he lived, with each passing week they covered more and more of the home until it was entangled completely.

Moving on with the story, we'll avert our sights from the outside proceeding onwards into the building where Lyn resides. From the front entrance we're already introduced to a long hallway.  At the end of the narrow corridor is the immense master bedroom. The largeness of the room makes him often feel small and even lonelier.  Within the bedroom, just beyond the threshold, the dozing creature of a man lays snoring on a luxurious king-sized mattress.  For all that could hear his snores- they were atrociously unbearable.

Next to the bed is an aged oak dresser, standing at the exact height of the bed. On top of the dresser are two items: A banker's lamp with a green glass shade and tarnished brass finish, and a large digital alarm clock glowing green numbers showing the current time 6:57AM.  After a few minutes, the time now 7:00AM, the clock sounded it's ear-piercing alarm that echoed throughout the empty rooms and hallway.

The man, still tired and weary, plunges his face inside his soft feathery pillows in attempts to ignore the alarm and what it signals.  Daily he dreaded the beeping noises emitting from the green glowing monster that is the clock.  Lyn anchored his eyelids tightly shut, as if he could stop hearing the sounds the tighter he closed. Then he abruptly turned the opposite direction away from the screeching noise, stuffing his face even deeper in the pluffy pillows.  Finally, after being unable to ignore the annoying tone, he sat up and scooted closer to the dresser - hammering the poor system with his bare fist.  Recklessly he pounded and pounded the poor machine until the noised quelled.

He sat up from the sheets widely stretching his aching limbs whilst yawning extensively- then gently rubbed the bags underneath his sore eyes.

"Another crummy day..." Lyn muttered negatively in spirit.  He rose up to start his daily routine of brushing his teeth, taking a shower, grooming, etc., etc..  Once the routine is complete he then goes to sit comfortably on his faux-leather sofa in the living room, but only after pouring a small round bowl of Reese's Puffs cereal.

While eating, he catches up on his favorite program, Adventure Time on his gigantic plasma screened TV that's mounted on the wall across from him.  The television has become a sense of company for the lonely man.

Suddenly, his android phone rings a "Super Mario" tune that is designated for one particular caller- Lyn acknowledges who was calling by the tune it played.  Lyn becomes somewhat anxious, and leaned over for the phone that is placed on a short coffee table in front of him.  Setting the bowl down on the wooden furniture, he grabs the phone, presses the green button, and held it up to his right ear.

He was the first to initiate the greeting.

"Hello." he answered.

"Hello," replied a female voice sounding soothingly. "How have you been doing?"

"Good,"

"Good? Is that all you've got to say?"

"Pretty much." Lyn simply confirmed.

The woman on the phone sighed audibly.

"Lyn," she started, "I know how rough it must be.  It's been about a month since that tragic night.  You wish you could've done something, but I understand that you were scared.  I'm sure they also understand.

The man itches his head with his open hand.  Dolefully staring down at the heavenly white carpet.

"But I could've- no, I should've."

"It's okay, dear. Everything happens, and it's not your fault. Why not we talk this at another time alright?"

"Okay...."

"I'll talk to you later."

"Okay.  I'll see you later."

"Take care."

"You too."

"Bye."

"Bye, grandma."

Lyn pushed the red button and places the phone back onto the coffee table. Before he resumed watching television, he noticed the small picture frame standing at the center of the coffee table. He froze as he was placing the phone down -- glancing at the picture depicting a man and woman couple with a young boy in the middle between.  The boy was wearing an orange, short-sleeve, t-shirt and blue jeans; pretty much what the man is wearing as we speak.

'At least you two are in a better place now.' said Lyn in midst of thought.

And then the saddened fellow finally continues watching his program eating his soggy cereal.

After watching the show, he goes to use the remote sitting next to him and turned off the television screen.  Next, he abandons the empty living room heading on down through the hallway to another room of the corridor on the left hand side.

It was an ordinary office not finely organized: a fixed shelf, black computer desk with an Alienware X14 laptop resting on the keyboard tray.  Lyn approaches the desk and pulls out the tray to flip open the sleeping laptop, pressing the button to awaken the computer as it fully lits up to the desktop screen.

"Okay," Lyn wringed his hands, "Let's see if there is anybody on Skype today."

The human drags his cursor down double clicking an icon labelled Skype and sees two friends currently signed on:

Raymond a.k.a. SkittleDash is a sixteen year old teenager who lives in the city ten miles off from where Lyn lives; and Andrew a.k.a. LoneWolf is a seventeen year old who so happens to be Raymond's best friend & neighbor.  Lyn met these young adults on a game Team Fortress 2.

This is what the man mostly does everyday ever since he managed to save for an expensive laptop.  Which explains the lack of attention on his yard....

However this was an activity he enjoyed most doing, as if talking to people on the internet helps relieve the bitterness of being alone.  Still, even the enthusiasm doesn't relinquish his depression at the slightest.

Patiently Lyn sat waiting on his swivel chair for his friends to answer.

Finally his friends have answered and both greeted the human with each different phrases.

"What up, Linx?" says Raymond, referring to Lyn's online alias.

"Hey, Linx." spoke Andrew in a lower-pitched voice.

"Hi.  So, are we ready to play some TF2?" Lyn inquired the two.

"Not today.  I'll be going to school really soon." said Raymond.

"Same here." Andrew seconded.

"What?  I thought you guys had like another week of summer vacation?"

"It's already been THAT week!" Andrew lightly exclaimed.

The human elbows on the side of the swivel chair frustrated.

"Are you serious...." Lyn disgruntled, "That sucks."

"It does, but I got to go take a shower and put clean clothes on."

Andrew leaves the group call to do what he says, however, Raymond had the spare time to catch up on knowing Lyn's day.

"Yo, Linx, how have you been?" Raymond asked politely.

"Well, for one: I'm sad that we won't be getting to play much more often because of your SCHOOL!"

"I knooow.  It really sucks.  I can't do anything about it, though."

"I understand, I understand.  Oh hey, remember that video I sent to you?"

Raymond, out of nowhere, goes off chuckling crazily.

"Ahahaha!  Yes, I remember."

""I've lost my manhood years ago, so I don't know what keeps me going.".  That kills me everytime!" Lyn also laughed.

"Yeah... but hey, I know you probably aren't a brony but-"

As Raymond said this unknown word -- "brony" -- Lyn instantly cuts him off to ask, "What in blue blazes is a brony?!"

That rather escalated quickly...

Raymond elaborates briefly.

"A brony is like a dude who watches this show called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic; hence you put together brother & pony."

Only did it take Lyn a split second to recall what that show was about, but assumingly back then it was more of a girl's program to watch.

"So you're asking me if I've watched a show meant for small aged girls?  Are you implying I'm... a fruit bowl or something?" Lyn questioned sounded incredibly offended.

"No, no, no.  Nothing like that at all.  Here," and on the Skype chat appeared a link to a YouTube video, "It's the opening intro.  It's not too bad or anything, trust me."

Before Lyn could think it through, Raymond left the call at an instant because of whatever reasons.  Lyn was once again introduced to the sound of loneliness.

The man wasn't too sure about clicking the blue-worded link on the text box.  He thought long and hard about the subject, however he became distracted thinking about YouTube - reminding him that he wanted to watch some funny videos for today.

He minimized Skype and popped up Google Chrome; typing in YouTube's web address.  Next he watched a series of Megaman videos from a channel called GameGrumps.  A couple of hours had passed and Lyn remains seated on his swivel chair finishing up the last of Game Grumps' Megaman videos.

'Oh, lord.  Those guys, I swear, they are too hilarious.' he chuckled.

Now that that's settled, Lyn determines he should go click the link on Skype to watch the video.  Soon as he did, Google Chrome opens another new tab of a video titled My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - Intro.

This caught Lyn by surprise.  He didn't realize there was a new generation of the show.  Last he remembered when he used to be little, he could remember that My Little Pony was mainly aimed for little girls.  Regardless, the show now still has that exact appeal... but to his discovery, it's directly viewed for all-aged audiences; a family program which included men.

He was dumbstruck by this result.  A show about colorful, feminine, talking ponies showing values and lessons about friendship that actually attracts the male audience.

Lyn wasn't sure what to say about this, really.  Ordinarily he would have flat out judged his friend of being... queer... for watching something so girlish, but Lyn wasn't the sort of type to think such harsh judgments, especially towards his friends.

Giving it rational thinking, the confused man decided to give another go on watching an episode to come to a conclusion.

So he chose to shut off the laptop for a little bit and returned back to his living room.  He swiped the remote, goes through Comcast on Demand and searches down the name.

There were several episodes, but Lyn immediately went for the "S1E1" as a fair start-off.  He watched all the way through and realized there was a "second part" of the episode.  Before then, he didn't think it was too bad actually.  At least the comical humor they added were noticeable to his vision.  Although he wasn't finished, so onward to the final part of the episode!

Later, he finally finishes watching the first episode of season one.  Lyn grabs the remote to shut off the television and thoroughly reviews it in mind.

"Well," he spoke to himself, "It was decent.  However, I'm not really into that sort of thing.  I did give it a fair shot, that's what matters." he shrugged.

Without any business in the living room, he returns once more to the office and resumes browsing through the internet on his laptop.  Only a few minutes using the computer Lyn immediately grew bored thus shutting the laptop down once again.

He thought of doing something different for a change.

'Maybe I should go snooping around in my parent's boxes in the garage; I'll probably find an artifact worth a fortune.'

With the thought said in place, Lyn greedfully rushes towards the garage door which is only a couple of feet off on the right of the office entrance.  The man goes to the door and already does he feel a tint of cold air breezing from the tiny gap from the bottom of the door.

"Bbrrrrr!" Lyn shook.  "Better get me a sweater."

Quickly Lyn returned wearing an XXL blue sweatshirt.  The reason: having a roomy sweatshirt makes it comfortable for him.  Back on the matter at hand, Lyn twists the knob and swiftly pulls the door wide open.  The suppressed freezing air also blows out, causing Lyn to shiver.

'Been like months since I've been in here?' questioned Lyn as hot air exhausts from his breath.

Lyn left the door open so light is shedded around until he can find the light switch amongst the darkness.  His hand slithers across the wall, hoping it can touch an unfamiliar shape.  Once he found the switch, he flicks it upward thus the lights flickered and shined down the illuminations revealing the grey concrete floors.

Lyn could now close the door behind him to proceed on his intentions.

His whole body again shivers only for the fact his bare feet are stepping on the icy-cold temperatures of the floors.

'I knew I should've worn slippers.  Oh well, at least I can't get frostbite under this temperature.'

Shelves planted on the wall had stacks of various sizes of boxes labelled in different ink markers.  What Lyn searches for is a box marked Rick & Tina .  Shoving some items that aren't particularly important, he stumbled upon a medium-sized box that has Rick & Tina marker written on the side.

"Bingo!" said Lyn tugging a smirk.

Pulling the box out of the dusty shelf, the human realized it's not as heavy as it appeared to be when he held it in his arms.  This brought a foreshadowing sign of disappointment on Lyn's face.  He chose to neglect the feel of it's weight and decided to give a look inside.

Alas it is how he believed it'd be; the box was light due to the contents stored in are nothing but a photo album & an untitled book with a leathery spine.  Taking out the photo album first, Lyn opens the cover to reveal two pictures depicting two different parents.  The first one Lyn recognizes; the two adults standing in front of a mansion are without a doubt his grandparents.  The photo below the first showed a man and woman smiling with a baby in between them in close-up range.

Lyn wasn't entirely sure who they were yet neither was he interested to know.  Flipping from the first page Lyn browed a series of pictures of his father's years as a kid, a teenager with a diploma, and a full-grown adult graduating college.  Again, Lyn didn't bother looking at those either and obnoxiously flips another page.

The next page is what made Lyn froze: a page full of his mother and father's times together.

'I'll have to remind myself to make frames of these and hang 'em on the living room walls.' Lyn thought to himself as he turned a page.

Now what really seems peculier is there are huge number of photos of his father only, however, the angle & position of his father made it act like someone, or SOMETHING, is in there too.

Lyn ponders on the cryptic photos.

'Dad, you were cool 'n' all, but seriously, were you so mental about being lonely before meeting Mom that you created an imaginary friend?' asked Lyn cringing the thought of it.

No longer are there more pictures after that so Lyn carelessly tosses the album into the abyss and withdraws the unnamed novel.

'Dad was keen on writing fictional stories.  Heck, I remember him reading me a fan-fictional tale of a man raising a baby pegasus when I was younger.  Ha!  He always had a sense of imagination.  Anyway, let's see the reason you couldn't name this book...'

The moment of excitement tingled his nerves as he opens the cover, so far what he saw is... nothing.  Literally.  There was not a single print within every page.

"Seriously?!  I guess that's why you didn't name it because there's actually nothing on it!" Lyn discouragingly uproared, throwing the book back into the box, then stands up to kick the box.

'Sheesh.  Nothing but junk.  All of it.  Maybe tomorrow when the garbage comes I'll throw them away, for now though, I think its almost time for work.'

Lyn pulls out his android phone from the left hand pocket of his jeans and goes to discover it is 1:43PM - Pacific time.

'Work starts in seventeen minutes... I better slip on my boots and head out.' Lyn sorely sighed.

Closing the door after exiting the cold garage, Lyn puts on a pair of white socks and a pair of tacky, yellow hiking boots he's had for a year now then proceeds heading out the front door with keys in hand.

Prior to leaving, he made sure every light is off around the house.  Once that's settled he exits the house locking the door behind him.  A device hanged onto the same ring of the keys was pressed as a white SUV's car lights flashed twice making a beeping sound.

Lyn enters the vehicle, turns on the ignition, the engine comes alive, and drove off to his job as a Forklift Operator.

Driving through a straight roadway, passing unfathomable maple trees on the side, the human glimpses quickly at the sky.  Being it fall and all, numerous grey clouds have blanket over the yonder telling a storm could brew any moment.

Avoiding to look at the sky anymore Lyn paid utmost attention to the road ahead.  Coming to a stop sign at a four-way intersection Lyn patiently waited for incoming cars coming to either side of the multi-pathway.

There was one coming from the left side; a drunkard, driving a brown pick-up, who is twice over the fifty-mile speed limit drinking an alcoholic beverage slightly swerving.  His radio's volume was up to the max while playing something called Gangnam Style.  The drunken fool sings along with the song playing.

"Gangnam Style!  Whoop-whoop, whoop, whoop-whoop!"

Vigorously gulping the remainder of his current bottle, he sits up off his seat to reach out on the back seat for another one, completely having his hands off the wheel.

Lyn figured now would be a good time to drive on.  Unfortunately, when Lyn was in the middle of the intersection, he noticed the speeding vehicle coming right at him.  He couldn't react in time thus the speeding vehicle brutally collided against Lyn's side; sending him rolling many feet away from the collision.

Lyn was wiped out to an unconscious state afterward.

When he awoken from a massive headache, everything he sees is blurry, and his hands felt strands of grass as he helped himself get up.  By the time he gained vision there's nothing but pure blackness in every direction he faced.  He also heard eerie sounds such as ravens crowing and wolves howling.  Has the crash really sent Lyn that far out into an ominous grove, and what happened to his car and that of the drunk driver?

Far as Lyn is concerned- he has no idea how he got here- but he doesn't plan to stay for long.  How will he escape let alone survive in a forest of the wilderness?  Find out on the next chapter of Keeper of Harmony!

Here it is, folks, the newly rewritten Prologue of the story.  Hopefully this is more suited to your interests than the previous.  Be sure to read this as I'm going to give out instructions on how I use the symbols.  1) When the ***** appears at the end of a paragraph, this usually indicates a side story is about to be narrated at the same time as the event takes place above the *****.  2) The ----- will indicate a separate event which occurs either after what happens above the ----- to another's perspective.  3) I'm not quite sure which symbol to use but I think I'll use ~~~~~ to indicate a separate event which occurs before what happens above; whether it'd be a flashback montage or what not.  Anyways, enjoy the reading fellows.

P.S. - Any of those who spot out errors or such, comment below the part(s) of what I need to fix on.  Thank you for the patronage.