I

"Long have I debated whether life was worth living. Right from the get-go have I stumbled on every root life's road ever erected. I tried paving my own road but the ground kept cracking. The stone bricks I lay showed no affection for the clay. I worked my way up only to be humiliated by my own kin. To my own race I felt no sense of belonging. As life brought me down, death beckoned." - Albrecht Frey

When presented with the tragic news of my brother's passing I felt a shroud of ambivalency engulf me. I had always been quite envious of Eric as he was first with most things society deemed a milestone in life. First words spoken, the first kiss, the first job and now, first in death. He was my twin and apparently he had died in the wilderness of Qudapi. "Why?" I asked and was told he had been searching for the meaning of life. I frowned and shrugged with disappointment. Had I really been envious of a person willing to sacrifice his life in order to fulfill something that holds no absolute answer? A notion so abstract mankind had attempted defining it for millenniums but to no avail. But in all the disappointment I still felt the same intense feeling of urgency. Despite resting in the grave he was ahead of me. In what regard I could not tell but needless to say, I was losing the race.

Most of the village attended the funeral. Many familiar faces that brought both joy and disdain. Among them you had Faust known for his sense of wit. Quite the individual he was and I would lie if I were to say I was not fond of him. Although we had our fair share of quarrels we did get a long. And there was the timid Ruth that was neither fair nor unsightly. Quite dull is how I would describe her, plain and dull. She was not the kind of person that would retort to abuse that she so often was exposed to. 

The impassive crowd gave me reason to brood over the vanity mankind had bestowed upon itself. There, a day with clouds painting the sky grey and the damp soil with it's characteristic fragrance we found ourselves huddled in a circle weeping tears for a man either of them barely knew. Even the trees and birds wept in unison with the shallow tears shed, a process they had witnessed many times over. None of them knew about the Eric that was the very epitome of evil. Not to mention the heinous deeds he enacted while under the influence of drug X and Y. Flaying rabbits alive, whipping dogs and throwing rocks at unsuspecting birds. I remember during dinner he would say the food was too salty promptly wedding it with the kitchen floor just to spite everything that was decent. The years were hard on my mother and slowly she sunk into depression. She was a decent woman, if there were to be any justice in the world he would have been held accountable for his very own existence. The contempt I held for him numbed me to evil and indecency and strongly contributed to my indifference to the betterment of mankind. Yet, here we stand, weeping in unison squeezed in between the grey heavens and the damp and murky soil. 

The procession neared it's conclusion and I saw my mother being consoled by sympathetic people. For me it was closure, another chapter had ended and finally I could start paving my own way with no regard to anyone but myself. As I made my way to the car I saw Faust and Ruth approach me with sullen faces. 

"Hey Al! We're sorry for your loss."

"Thanks, nice of you to attend."

"He was a nice fellow" Ruth said.

"Indeed he was!" agreed Faust.

"I heard you're leaving quiet village Copperriver?" said Faust with a smirk.

"As a matter of fact I am. I'm leaving next week with the train towards Lesterbury. Apparently Eric left his belongings in Dalesworth and I've received a notice I should pick them up as soon as possible."

"My, quite the excursion. It'll take at least one day to just get through Erdfall due to the lackluster trains and buses. I was in a nearby city running an errand for a friend of mine and I must say it was quite the horrible experience, people kept looking at me as if I was mad." Faust suppressed a grin as it would not fit the current setting.

"Well to no one's surprise then." I said.

To my delight Faust scowled and Ruth sniggered whilst bidding their farewells. The crowd dispersed and left was only me and my brother's gravestone inscribed with 

"Here lieth a decent man blessed with the gift of adventure

Eric Jones Frey

1987 - 2012"

Staring at the gravestone I was completely devoid of any sentiment but a vague hint of anger. He had been let loose far too easily. I am convinced the reason of his travels to a remote wilderness was something beyond the answer I had been given. A possible answer to my inquiry could be discovered in the deceased's belongings. What horrors were I about to unravel? An icy gust of wind grazed my being and to my surprise I shivered as a tear trickled down my left cheek announcing itself by the relentless wind ripping at the moist surface of my face.