Story Telling

"This is how to do it"

"What are you doing?! I already told you how to do that"

"Do you forget what I was just said, do it like this!"

Currently, Aku is being scolded by his grandfather, doing physical work isn't as easy as he has thought before. The stamina he needed to do the work is being drained like crazy because he isn't used to doing the work.

The first thing he needed to do is to adapt, just heard what his grandfather told him to do, and don't get angry because he knows his grandfather is making him learn by practice. Not only the theory anymore but training while learning.

In that way, the development of himself will be good and he believes his grandparent want that way. He believes in following his grandfather's order rather than other popular strangers' videos on the internet.

He believes his grandfather will guide him to the right way, and so does his grandmother. He wouldn't believe if they wanted him to do bad things because that is how they taught him from early days.

The sky has fallen into darkness, today is the first time he feels tired this much. The tiredness is different with the depleted magic core he felt this noon, his body full of ache and he couldn't move even his finger.

He is laying down on the ground right now, even if the ground is dirty but that isn't inside his mind. The thing currently inside his mind is 'I have worked very hard today, I hope grandmother will keep up with her promise to tell the story about the first hero'

His consciousness is no more, the last thing he remembers is only a warmth could be felt around his body before he sleeps. After he opens his eyes, the surrounding has changed to inside his home.

He is laying on the couch in the living room, he could see his grandfather is reading a paper and watching tv while his grandmother is cooking for dinner. Nowadays, people didn't have tv because it is an outdated technology.

Everyone could watch the news from the board. The Board could do anything just like a smartphone but it is smoother and high-quality video could be used. The price of the board is expensive for his family but for other families, they will buy it no matter what.

It is for them following the technology era while he and his family are still in the past era. He couldn't hate his grandparent just because they don't buy him the board. He knows how expensive the board is, and now he knows how hard it is to work in the field because he has experienced it today.

The dinner is ready, his grandmother calling him and his grandfather to join and have dinner on the dining table. He gets up from the couch and walks to the dining table followed by his grandfather behind and his grandmother too.

While eating food for dinner, no one is speaking. His grandparent told him to not talk or speak while having food, it isn't a good manner. He didn't know the reason why but he just follow their word.

He didn't know why but his stomach needed more food after he has worked hard at the field today, he even eats two portions of food he usually ate for dinner. After dinner, his grandfather went out to have a breath while he and his grandmother cleaned the plate that has been used for dinner.

While helping wash the dishes, Aku wanted to ask his grandmother about her promises this noon, he wanted to hear about the first hero story but at the same time, he is curious about his grandmother's identity.

With self-confidence, his grandmother has told him that she knows the story of the first hero even though the book, the records, and the people have erased the memory about the first hero and only mention it as the first hero, nothing more and nothing less.

"Grandmother, I-"

"I know"

Before he could ask his grandmother a question, she has cut his word and with a smile, she pats him on the head.

Softly and slowly he could feel the patting she does to his head.

"Tonight, come to grandmom room and I will tell you the story"

"Yes, grandmother!"

She still patting him on the head, Aku didn't reject it either because it feels nice. Now he knows the feeling of a person being patted by their beloved family.

In a matter of seconds, he imagines patting Chloe's head to see her smile. But, the imagination was destroyed after his grandmother speak then he realises it and back to reality.

"How long was it the last time grandmom read you a late-night story to make you fall asleep"

"..."

He couldn't retort at his grandmother's words, it has been more than 4 years since his grandmother last read him late-night book stories. At the school, he hasn't any book because all of the data about the subject lesson is sent to each student's Board or smartphone.

He went back to his room, inside the room is a simple room full of books. When he was small he likes to read books in his free time, because his grandmother will read him book at late-night. His favorite book is about ancient animals.

He likes every ancient animal book his grandmother used to read him but the most favorite of all it is about the smart deer and the crocodiles. The two mentioned are a type of ancient animal.

The shortened story is like this, the smart deer wanted to cross a river. But, along the way to cross the river, he met crocodiles the ruler of the river. There are about ten crocodiles and they are hungry and wanted to eat the smart deer.

But before being eaten, the smart deer said to the crocodiles "I wanted to know how many of you are here, so I could divide my body into each part and all of you get one"

The ten crocodiles agree with what the smart deer said, if they fight to the death to eat the smart deer, then some of them will die in vain. They line up so the smart deer could count on them.

The smart deer counted with a jump to the crocodile body. The crocodile isn't under the water so the deer didn't sink to the deep river after he jump to the first crocodile he shouted "one"

He jumped to the second crocodile and said "two", then the third crocodile "three". He does that until at the tenth crocodile and jumps to the land across the river from the land he stands before meeting the crocodiles.

In the end, the smart deer said to the ten crocodiles "Thank you, because of you I could cross the rivers without being eaten by a crocodile" then the smart deer ran away from the river shore.

Realized has been duped by the smart deer, the ten crocodiles accuse other crocodiles of the problem and then they kill each other.

The story is good because the deer has outsmarted the ten crocodiles even though the deer couldn't possibly win against the ten crocodiles. The story also could mean even if a person met a stronger person than himself or herself, if they could outsmart the stronger person then they will live the future.

The story has been Aku's favorite because of that. He read many books too because after he read this piece of story he wanted to know more about the knowledge. He even read about the academy-level lesson when he was in middle school.

At first, he didn't know anything but he learn without giving up. And right now he could answer most of the questions asked in academy-level lessons. The high school level question is like doing an elementary school level question for him.

This is the reason he could finish the sudden exam at this noon in only 5 minutes. He is thirsty for more knowledge, and his goal right now is to become a wizard. The records to become a wizard has been erased but his grandmother said she knows about it.

So he is couldn't believe it at first but right now he is already waiting for the time for his grandmother to tell him a story about it. With a knock, he knocked at his grandmother's door. It is already time to sleep, and because of that, he went to his grandmother's room as she has said at dinner.

"Grandmother, It is me Aku"

After a while seconds, the door has been opened and he could see his grandmother with a pajama worn on her body. He picks up his pillow and enters his grandmother's room.

The room light is dim, there is no electricity and instead, she is using a candle as the light. He lay down on her grandmother's bed, his grandmother came and raise the blanket for him to cover his body.

She opened one of the books after reaching it from under her bead. A serious expression on her face makes Aku's face also become serious. Not long after he could hear his grandmother's voice

"Long time ago, a man is living alone in his apartment"