Chapter 8: A ride to the city
Sometimes someone might just open their eyes to indicate that they were awake in the morning, but to Jerry, what eyes would be open when his had been gouged out as punishment from the socket they resided in? I miss having the sun's rays scorch my eyes.
He sighed in nostalgia as he raised his head, 'Today may be a great day and I wouldn't know it, huh. As usual, my body will be my only source of experience.
Using his cane, he stood up and headed toward the road. The road and forest were quiet as Jerry inhaled the fresh air and swayed slightly, listening to the distant sound of an animal grazing grass, birds tweeting, and a squirrel descending on a tree.
After a while, the noises of his stomach rumpling created a tune that made Jerry smile awkwardly as he said with evident crimson cheeks:
"Guess I am hungry"
He pulled off the road and went to the trolley to look for food; he discovered a plastic sack of green apples. He took one bite while still swaying to the rhythm of the morning, eating in solitude. After half an hour, Jerry suddenly jumped up, his ears twitching at a faraway sound.
He hurried to the road, cane in hand, to avoid tripping. He was at the side of the road when he placed his ear on top of the tar road, sensing little tremors that caused some of the rocks to vibrate up and down. Jerry smiled as he figured that a big vehicle was on its way, most likely heading for Callisto like him.
Jerry walked out of the path and stood at the edge, his palm straight above his head, pointing toward the city. To his relief, he heard a hooking sound that almost made him lose his balance, but he used the cane to regain it. A single hook without any extra push or pull from the driver indicated that he was halting as the wheels squeaked with bits of steam.
Jerry remained there, waiting for the driver to come out and help him out after the car came to a halt a bit distance away from him. If they were paying attention, they would see the blindfold and assume he was visually impaired.
Perhaps they are also impaired; this could be a curious coincidence.
To his delight, Jerry heard footfall on the hard tar. The sound was heavy and booming, indicating that they were wearing heavy boots or gear; honestly, what do I expect from a truck driver?
The noises of the echoing boots strolling and pausing in front of made me concerned enough to activate {nature perception}, which is a principle of Mang Long's teachings. It permits you to temporarily gain a feeling of your surroundings if antagonism is unavoidable and you are forced to take action.
Jerry's hearing, touch, and other senses were magnified by {Nature perception}, which revealed an abstract visual cue in a black void with white undulating waves. Jerry recognized the wave as the person in front of him; the wave rippled, making an up-and-down motion.
Jerry deduced that the person was waving his hand or upper body in front of his blindfold and the smell of the strong cologne verified it was a man. He giggled inside and talked with his hands clasped in a pray stance:
"Greetings, father of the road. I hope your voyage was safe and free from danger. I am Saint Jeramia of the Blind Sect from the Windgone region far south; perhaps you can assist me in getting to Callisto."
There was no response for a while, until Jerry heard a scoff followed by an irritated voice and the stink of chewed chicken.
"Boy you got a lot of guts to travel in your current state, strangers can take advantage of this"
Jerry's visual white waves gently rippled when the man finished talking, and he bowed and added:
"I am on an outing, sir; my temple allows us younglings to explore the country till they come fetch us themselves. So, as a stranger who stopped and greeted me with fatherly affection.
Greeted with fatherly warmth, the guy was perplexed; all he had done was positively critique the boy's bravery in traveling this path blindly and warn him, but he had not greeted him at all.
As the man carefully reached into his back pocket for something, Jerry had a mental image of the waves from (Nature perception) turning red in a concentrated area of the wave from the center to the right, without influencing the entire pattern.
Jerry understood the man was suspicious of him, which is why he was drawing a weapon. Which weapon? He'll soon find out.
Jerry gripped his cane tightly just in case, but the tinge of red faded as Jerry suspected that doubt had crept in. The man then inquired with a note of reserve:
"You are infected ain't you?"
Jerry smiled and responded:
"The term we use is blessed sir and yes, I was one of the blessed but human at the moment as my blessing was taken out" as he pointed to his blindfold.
The man made a scoffing sound as he proceeded toward the trolley, leaving Jerry in the center of the street. He then asked:
"Can I have a lift sir?"
The man spit some nasty saliva on the floor and said:
"I am not taking a piss at the trolley now, am I? The truck still has room for the trolley and the bag. So let me finish here, and I will help you get into the truck."
Jerry smiled as he heard that answer; he wanted to jump for pleasure, but he held his emotions in check as he preserved the facade of a temple monk from an extinct temple in the highlands.
He did not fabricate the narrative and only utilized it as a guilt trap for the naive and the crooks. The temple that valued respite from the other sensations of the body was a well-known group that gained notoriety during Jerry's slaughter. So, if people come across these survivors, help is almost always promised, and Jerry utilized it as a cover to secure a free ride or free supplies for his travels.
After a while, the truck roared to life and the man set out for the road with Jerry in behind. Jerry shut down the {Nature perception} as the mental visions of the waves were gone. He took slow breaths that hinted at nervousness, but not the ordinary nervousness that any person would have upon recognizing there was no threat from this stranger.
This anxiousness stemmed from his decision not to kill this man in cold blood if he pulled out a pistol. Seriously, what can a blind man do to move a truck off the road?
"Guess you were scared huh?"
"Of sleeping on a tree, yep fear of a bear getting me... maybe"
The man scoffed as he closed his mouth and wiped his teeth with his tongue. Jerry interrupted the momentary silence:
"As a form of respect I spoke my name as Jeramia but you can call me Jerry" He gestured for his hand to be shaken.
Seeing this, the man took the hand and shook it, saying:
"Elliot"
***
Callisto is famous for an incident that changed the history of inhabitants and colonizes, and that history will be celebrated this week. The backway jubilation, in which city residents must wear clothing from the earliest century chosen by the mayor for that week.
People were once required to wear togas, frontier attire, and World War military uniforms. This ritual is held to honor the past and achievements from those chosen times, as well as to pay respect to the natives who battled for this country with their might; instead of the colonizers mockingly declaring victory with this festival, it is seen as a display of respect and moving on from the past.
This is the approach to seek forgiveness, by occasionally making the tragedies known to the city's residents and tourists. However, this week will be remembered as the birth of the next dread and fall of the blessed, as a disaster is being planned in the city's deep caves and catacombs.