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Today was just like any other day—the sun is up, the silence in the air occasionally interrupted by the song of the birds accompanied by the voices of children playing on the streets, enjoying the last bits of summer vacation. This was the perfect time to be consumed by your thoughts before you ultimately die of boredom with the lack of things to do this vacation. Ever since you found out about the existence of Deepspace Hunters, you’ve always wanted to be one. But, is it really possible? “Looks like you’ve somehow got your heads in the clouds there despite it being a clear day, pips. What’s up?”
Your thoughts were interrupted by the voice that you know all too well, Caleb. His voice offers you comfort from your storm of thoughts though not without startling the ever living daylights out of you. “Sorry, sorry. Shouldn't've interrupted your little adventure.” Without waiting for a response, he sat right beside you on the couch. “So? What’s got you so distracted?” “It’s nothing… Just random stuff to pass the time,” “And what is this random stuff to pass the time that you are thinking of, dare I ask?” Turning your head, you could almost see Caleb batting his eyelashes at you just like how your girl friends do when they’re trying to get some gossip from you. ”...You’re not gonna let this go, are you?” ”Nope! It’s my sworn duty to know everything about you and solve any problems for ya! What kind of knight in shining armor would I be if I didn’t?”
With a defeated sigh, you open up the door to your mind, spilling every thought that plagued your mind. ”I really really want to be a hunter.” With just a glance, he could spot the determination in your eyes. It was endearing somehow. ”I knew that already.” ”Let me finish! I wanna be a hunter, but I don’t know if I can… I mean, they probably have like, really hard training, right? Just like policemen or… or in the military! There’s no way in hell I’m surviving that! What if there are exams? Do I need to pay for my own equipment? I have to fight those weird looking wanderers! Do we even have enough money to…wait, is there even a Deepspace Hunter school thing?!” ”Woah woah woah! Slow down, one thing at a time, pipsqueak!” Glancing at Caleb, you could see the mixture of shock and confusion painting his eyes. Another second passes before it finally sinks in that you’ve just rambled nearly everything that you’ve been thinking of since you got the free time to do so.
”Let’s sort things out first, yeah? It’s still early to be thinking of all the downsides!” A comforting hand comes to rest at your shoulder, grounding you to reality as you try your best to sort out your thoughts. But still, it’s hard to not think of everything at once. Didn’t people use to say that planning ahead is important? ”First of all, tell me. What do you really wanna be when you grow up? What’s your dream?” You sighed for what seems to be the thousandth time today before speaking once more. You tried to calm yourself as you knew that Caleb, bless his heart, was just trying to help you with your overthinking. ”I thought you said you knew already? I wanna be a hunter.” In a blink of an eye, Caleb flashes you with that signature smile of his. With just one smile, it was almost like the sun shone a hundred times brighter; you almost had to squint just to look at him. ”Then, that’s that! Your dream is to become a hunter. Nothing more, nothing less. There’s no use in worrying about something that you won’t even encounter yet, pips. Cross that bridge when you get there.” ”Just dreaming isn’t enough, Caleb… It just…feels impossible. I’m not athletic, I can’t reach high shelves without asking for your help, I get scared so easily… I’m just worried that this dream of being a hunter would just stay a dream.”
A silence envelops the both of you as the depth of your words sink in. In the current state of the world, just dreaming of something isn’t enough. You have to have contingency plans for every contingency plan that you have. Nobody has the luxury of comfort anymore unless you’re with power and money. As you sink deeper into your thoughts, Caleb stands to his feet, offering his hand to you. ”Walk with me?” With a second of hesitation, you took his hand. He led you outside the house and into the streets outside, the setting sun basking it in comforting light. It wasn’t too hot nor too cold outside which made walks just perfect. With just a few steps outside, you knew immediately where he was taking you; to the secret spot the both of you share. A quiet spot in the nearby park that’s covered with trees and wildflowers.
Reaching your destination, he sits down on the grass and you follow suit. ”There’s nothing wrong with dreaming, pips.” He began before playing with the hem of his shirt. ”...If dreams can come true, what does that say about nightmares?” Your head turned away, suddenly finding the trees fascinating. “That’s what I’m here for! I’ll chase away those nightmares for you.” “That’s not how this works, Caleb…” A sigh escaped your lips for the umpteenth time. “If I was to weigh the possibility between my nightmares coming true or my dream… I don’t even wanna think about it.”
“Oh yeah? What are your nightmares about, then?” You thought for a second, gathering all the words before laying it on him. “You and gran. Let’s say that I become a hunter, good then! But while I’m away at work, something might happen to you both. Or that me being a hunter would be the reason something bad happens to you both. I don’t ever want that to happen. I don’t even want to think about it.” You felt his hands take yours in his. “Just trust me. Gran and I would be happier to see you get your dream. There’s no harm in dreaming nor trying! Just promise us that you’ll be a happy hunter and we promise you that we'll be alright.”
At that moment, Caleb gave you his word—even a pinky promise. But why is it now at the very moment you decide to visit your old home where Caleb and gran were, you see not the home you grew up in, but ashes?
That day, Caleb taught you 3 lessons; dreams come true, but so did nightmares. And as gut wrenching it was to say, some promises are just meant to be broken.