The Story of a Child

     Their favorite pastime was going to the library, and choosing a book for the other to read.

     They played with each other's imagination and, together, created a beautiful world that was bathed in light and covered with vegetation, inhabited by small orange creatures that lived in underground caves. With their cheerfulness and funny quirks, these creatures from the ground had great adventures, and made the boy fall asleep with a smile on his face, every night.

     She listened to all his questions and always had the patience to answer, with a soft voice and a gentle smile. When she didn't know the answer, the same smile would be kept during the trip to the library.

     The days went by happily.

     ***

     Time flew through the years and on a sunny autumn day a glistening winged being, similar to what we would call a Faerie, came from the sky. It was the first time the child saw one. Only many, many years later did he see Faeries, but never did he feel as much awe as he did back then. She had an important message to deliver to his mother. They needed her in the kingdom of the clouds, for a very important task: together with friends and family of the past, they would help younglings depart safely and grown-ups arrive.

     His mother looked at him, who was now one decade old, and tried to remain as calm as she could while saying her goodbye. The boy stood still, unaware of what was really happening and of the reality he would face from then on, not knowing how to react to the sadness he saw in his mother's eyes.

     "Mommy has to leave now. I'm so proud of you. I've seen you turn into a wonderful boy, and now I have to go there. So that others may come here, so that I can help those who are also getting up there.

     Remember that I love you, now and forever. I'll always be looking at you from the clouds, and I want to always see you smiling."

     The last tight hug. The last kiss on the cheek. Water crossing their faces. And she flew.

     ***

     The child moved to a boarding school, surrounded by peers of his own age that also lived there. He hoped to find comfort and care in some of the faces and words of those he crossed, searching for a smile as kind and a voice as soft as his mother's. But the sun that shone with rays of hope was soon covered by dark clouds. The adults had tired eyes and busy minds. As for his peers... he was approached by a foul group of kids. In the child's solitude, innocence and desire for interaction these kids found vulnerability and a way to assert their dominance, thus taking advantage of him in a miserable, violent and entirely undeserved way. The poor child's path was crossed by this group of kids far too often, and all the others stood away from him, afraid of suffering a similar treatment.

     Despite this, he always tried to keep the smile that his mother wanted. Even when water poured from his eyes, into his cheeks, and into the palms of his hands. He wanted to not be overwhelmed by sadness, but he was filled by it. He wanted to not feel alone, so he kept thinking about the world he imagined with his mom - all the over creatures there wept with him.

      Why did he have to endure this? What did he do wrong? It all made no sense. Everyone around him made no sense. From the immense initial sadness that he felt, other emotions derived. Despair, anger, sorrow, all together in a sometimes motionless lake, sometimes fierce vortex that repelled the few who could be well intentioned and willing to get close to him.

     Hurt over and over again, his eyes dried up and his smile turned into a painful grin. With all hope gone, he promised himself he wouldn't try anymore, locking his mind in logical and rational thought, far from the painful emotions that he used to feel and the lack of reason in why he suffered.

     He learned that, in his world, he would either be was the one who would dominate, or he would be – again – dominated by others.

     ***

     He made the library his home, and kept his mind busy by obsessively studying several subjects, such as various branches of economics, sciences and technologies. Of all those, genetics and astronomy fascinated him, and so the hours he didn't spend at the library were spent in a laboratory or looking at the sky.

     Already being as bright as he was, he put his knowledge into action, earning a lot of money, in increasing quantities over time. As this was happening, he confirmed what was not in the books he had read: that knowledge and currency gave power. Soon, he was above others. His name went from forgotten for several years to mentioned with increasing frequency, respect and, ultimately, fear.

      But he wasn't feeling better. The status he earned and the way people treated him because of it – fearful, cowed, submissive – made him feel a disturbing combination of both disgust and pleasure. He hated those around him, he hated the world he lived him and, deep down, he hated himself. He wanted to be alone, he wanted to leave everything and everyone.

     And so he did. He left his own land, hoping to leave behind the bad memories and the longing associated to the good ones.

     ***

     He had spent a long time in his spaceship, when he made the decision to stop on one small emerald planet. As he set foot in it, he saw the world bathed by sunlight and covered by vegetation that he and his mother had imagined. And so he stood there. He spent the days roaming around the planet, taking notes and samples, studying it. And thinking about his mother, recalling all the great memories and the wonderful person she was.

     There was one thing lacking in this world. The now grown child went to the laboratory and, over and over, tested, tried and created creatures. From lifeless blobs to blemished mutants, to finally succeeding. In front of him stood a couple of orange, funny, smiling creatures that lived underground, just like the ones he and his mother had imagined over and over. He called them Grundos.

     The population of Grundos grew, and the society they lived in was peaceful, filled with joy and festivities, and very devoted to their creator. But their creator did not enjoy this. He wanted to be just one more, in the middle of them. He did not want to have power over them. He did not deserve to be so well treated by such wonderful beings. He felt like an unnecessary, foul extra on that beautiful world.

     Without them noticing, he departed.

     ***

     When he reached adulthood, he also reached an arid, infertile and sunless planet. A place that matched how he felt. For the following years he stood there, alone, while his thoughts and feelings were transmuted in very bizarre ways.

      As for what happened next to Frank – or, shall I say, Dr. Sloth –, that is something you all know a part of.

     By sharing this story I don't want you to change your view and opinion on Frank. I just want you to know who he was and what he went through before coming to Neopia.

The End