Just a Miracle

‘MOM I have to submit a story for my school. Should I do it?’ Gortimer called out from the living room, leaning towards the table.

‘Yes Son, you should and I can help you in it.’ Mrs. Johnson replied back, scrubbing the last plate left out in the sink, exhaling the load of her work. She was a Surgeon and a perfect housewife. Still, her bad at having a dependent son like Gortimer. Gortimer’s father “Mr. Johnson”, who was a Teacher, was puzzling the pile of papers in front of him.

Gortimer was busy choosing the characters for his story, which was difficult for him. ‘Momma please help me out! I don’t understand this.’ he shouted again from his leaving room.

‘Coming son!’ was Mrs. Johnson’s reply from the kitchen. She wiped her hands in the apron she was wearing and told him the topic and characters to write on.

After extremely hard work, he was able to sort out few paragraphs and yelped again, ‘Can you do my math sums? They are just so time taking.’

‘Boy, I’ll only explain it to you.’

It took many pleads and helps to complete all the work from school, then choosing which dress to wear and would it be ok if took a bowl of ice cream instead of a scoop.

This was Gortimer’s day-to-day life. Seeking for support and mostly his socks.

Once again Gortimer was back from school, his shirt stained from ink.

‘No one told me whether to play hockey outside or pen fight. After long thinking, I selected pen fight because I thought I would have got messy in playing field hockey. And this is what “Pen Fight” resulted in.’ Gortimer showed his mother the blues on his shirt.

‘Ah, Gortimer...’ Mrs. Johnson sighed, bleaching Gortimer’s White Shirt. She was just thinking about improving Gortimer.

In a Flash:

Gortimer squeaking for support in hockey. Asking his parents to help in doing his homework from school. Searching for his neighbors to do collect empty milk packets for him. Asking others whether he should call his “Character-Cat”, “Holy” or “Ly-ho”. Finally, getting back to his bed.

This was all Gortimer did today.

There was a golden cup in hands, Gortimer’s Hand, for the first time ever. And oh, the applause and ooh the honor, this is the best day of Gortimer’s life. What now, Gortimer’s white teeth hid back into the lips. The clappings’ turned into “Beep-Beep….Beep-Beep”. Gortimer jumped on the stage he was standing on and “Holy Cheese”, he was back on his bed.

‘Just a dream, I can never be that good. Or maybe…’ Gortimer stayed up from his bed thinking about living his dream when his bare foot crunched one of his toys, making him yelp out of his lungs. ‘AARGH’

His lavender-curtained large window was waiting for him to bounce out from it and head over to his father, who was now watering the plants. And so he did. Holly Banana Pants, he did jump, the highest he could have done to date. 

‘DADYYY, Dad I am having severe pain in my foot. HELP ME-!’ Gortimer called out for his father. Surprisingly, Mr. Johnson was nowhere to be spotted. It was like, for a second he was there and then another…gone.

Gortimer, still having pain in his foot forgot about it in searching for his father. He went back to his house but somehow, he was not able to, he tried many times, even spraining his arm. He felt like some kind of glass wall was stopping him. He felt confused and terrified than ever, he ran back to the window he came out from but it was also locked. He saw from outside of the window, his mother coming into his room and searching for him. He shouted to notify her mother about his presence but seemed like her mother was neither able to see him nor hear him.

Gortimer, having a burning curiosity to know about all these strange happenings, came out from his garden and entrance-gate, up to the alley which led up to his school. He entered into it, everything was usual excluding his first-ever desire to lead in his class, and astonishing but real, he did. In every subject. I must say this was his own hard work. Then it was his game period which gave him a silver medal in the longest jump (Gortimer was puzzled by his own progress).

He was so overjoyed that he forgot all about the glass barrier in front of his home.

Whistling, hopping, and swinging his bag resting on his wrist, he was heading towards his home. When he saw a turtle. It was not a common one, this turtle was actually crawling like a snake.

‘Oi Boy!’ the turtle came across Gortimer swiftly. ‘Are you new here? What’s your name?’

‘Er, Gortimer Johnson.’

‘Ah…finally you are here, knew it. You are pretty famous here you know; for your specialty of dependency. Even I was stunned.’

‘Where am I? This seems to be the exact place I used to live but I cannot feel it the same way.’

‘For, it is the “Desirable world”; a place where you get all the qualities into you which you don’t have in reality. But the good thing about this is that those qualities won’t be just additional support but you’ll gain it on your own will. Every time when a living thing, remember when I am talking about a living thing, it means all the living ones. Where was I……yes every time a creature lacks the abilities for the real world, they are sent here. You must be the leading one in absence of assets. The path is yours; it goes according to your choice. This is common in both reality and desirable world.’

‘Erm, can you help me-’

‘HELP you asked? Oh no, no one here asks for help. Never use that word in front of me again. In your journey of fortune, you will be the sailor of your sea. Hence, no one’s going to help you. Now go…’ Turtle pushed Gortimer into what looked like a Hurricane and left him.

Without experiencing the Hurricane Gortimer came out of it; eddying, swirling.

There were two paths in front of him. One of them had a glorious shining star, very close to Gortimer and the other one’s marvelous star was very far and also the way was messier than the other one. Gortimer chose the near-star one because he thought it would be easier. But then his feet stopped him, he thought. ‘What about the rest of the path of this one, I can see the magnificence in front of me but I am not sure about the rest part of it. Though I do see the whole way of this rodent one. Also, the turtle told me to chose wisely.’

At last, Gortimer chose the far-one. He went on and on, still thinking if he should step back to the other path. Suddenly he started sinking down and down, deep into the sea. ‘The path was all dry then how come I sank into this vast marine.’ Gortimer murmured, barely getting enough air to breathe in. He has never done swimming before and now he had to face this ocean. He was trying. He knew that if he would stop trying, he will eventually get basined whiteout even his parents knowing about him.

As he struggled to save his dear life, the water bodies dried up. The path became like it was previously. At this stage, he learned that “Dear Life is a most precious thing, it gives us chance to do anything.”

Abruptly the sunny path converted into a starry-skyed, shining moon and he was in the woods. He walked again, this time pretty scared of the darkness. Someone moved across him and patted on his shoulder, ‘Hey! You must be feeling afraid. Here, take my hand and come with me. I might be your friend.’

Gortimer shivered, he thought it might be good to have company on this frightening night. He was about to hold the stranger’s hand when some part of him, maybe leaved years ago, awoke again and told him to not accept this offer. This might be more dreadful than being alone. Gortimer refused him and slowly walked away when he felt something was following him. He watched his back then started his walk again but the figure which offered him company came in front of him again.

‘You sure? I thought you would allow me and I will put you into more darkness than you could ever find.’

On this, Gortimer was so afraid that he exclaimed, ‘I NEVER MADE A FRIEND AND SO I DON’T NEED YOU. LEAVE ME ALONE!’

Alone was the word, which made the black figure fade away and the night turned back into the previous path. From here Gortimer erudite “Sometimes being alone is braver than having a fake friend who stubs on your back. You are enough to take yourself through the difficult journey.”

Gortimer moved forward, now knowing many things he was never aware of. Feeling more confident and sharper on his courage. He was ready to heal from the other challenges. And the good things was that he probably travelled miles that the “Star” was nearer to him.

There was another change in environment, one door with a knob, a bunch of keys, a stone, and three chances to try to escape from that place.

He thought it would be too time taking in trying out the keys so he lifted the stone and threw on the door, expecting to open but it didn’t. Instead, the keys became larger in number, which means harder for him to guess and just two chances. He tried one of the keys which seemed sort of different from others but it was a waste of time. He had just one chance to escape. He thought for a while, ‘If there are just three chances then why someone would give tons of keys to try?’ His mind held an emergency meeting for getting rid of this problem. ‘Sometimes, it is as easy as it looks, don’t make it hard.’ said one of the parts of his brain. Thus he just moved the knob and the door flung open.

“It’s not just Hard-Work but also Focus is the key to success.” He heard himself saying this with a lit-up smiling face.

‘WOAH!’ the star was more closer, he was about to reach it when he heard many painful voices. He moved his head back, it was the voice of his grandparents moaning, ‘Come child, help us. We need you.’ Then his cousins appeared, ‘Gortimer we are losing you. You are not with us anymore. Come back!’

Then it was his parents, ‘Gortimer save us. Don’t go there. We need you.’ they wailed. All of the voices started echoing in his ears. His eyes were not watching anything now. It was his ears troubling him, should he go back? He moved two steps backward, still having the dreadful moaning in his ear. Fortunately, he heard something different, different from the painful voices. He concentrated on the sound. ‘My boy you almost did it. Keep your senses on your goal. You are just a step behind it. Don’t listen to others.’ And the voice fainted.

Gortimer was not sure what to do so he did what his heart said. Moving in the direction of the star. And there were huge forces binding him and blinding him to prevent his reach from the star. But this time he had the power of his will stronger than ever. He just wanted to get out of this path and end it all. He shut his eyes tightly and his ears covered with his palms, moving wildly.

Then it was all closed, ‘I can say you did a great job after being a nut for ages.’ Gortimer was leaning on the floor, he stared up and saw the turtle.

‘Is it done?’

‘Indeed.’ The turtle was wearing a delighted expression on his face. ‘You can assume all these things which you just experienced was a test but the real one. And you passed it all. Of course, some took time and few were quick. But I must say you are a kindred spirit unaware of your power. Most of the children I meet are like you. Now, you are ready to live perfectly in your real world. Just don’t remember you came here, okay?’

‘Okay. Am I going back to my parents?’

‘Yes. I forgot to tell you that the school topper you saw here as yourself was the future of yours but now I can say it is going to turn into the present in the real world. Goodbye!’ The turtle waved and sent Gortimer back to the window he came out from.

He jumped through it and now he was back in his room. He watched in his clock it was almost an hour since he left but must be more than half a year in the world he just came from.

From that day his life changed. He always hummed in himself the thing which turtle told him. “You are exactly like a bird in the Hurricane who just learned to fly.”

His mother asked him several times about this change, he just simply smiled and said, ‘Just a funny-big Miracle.’