Acts of Kindness

The group crowded him immediately after his grand entrance, their voices meshing into an overwhelming cacophony.

"We're so glad you're here, huge fan! I'm Toby—accounting.

"And I'm Mia, logistics. They call me 'Mia the Machine."

"No one calls you that..."

"Can you shut up Todd? Administrative Assistants don't speak." 

One after the other, they rattled off their names, positions, how long they'd been working, and even their salaries. Every single one of them wore wide smiles, practically stretching ear to ear, each explained how 

"You're the Entropy, right?," Toby said. "The one who single handedly reversed our carbon emissions?" He was practically jumping in excitement.

"I studied your designs in school," Mia added with a fervent nod. "My background in engineering is what got me this job."

"Dude, I still have the clip where you unveiled the GX-7" Jared chimed in, his grin practically glued to his face. "I watch it everyday!"

Entro smiled, no one had ever actually cared about his passions in so long, not since his kids. 

"Where is everyone else?" Entro asked, curious.

Their smiles didn't waver, though their gazes briefly flicked to one another.

"Oh, uh," Toby started, his tone too light, "There is a big meeting in the auditorium, we were just on our way there."

"Yeah," Mia interjected, "Briefing us on company expectation and whatnot, nothing too important."

But there was something awkward in how they said it. The friendliness in their words felt rehearsed, almost desperate, like they trying to keep a train from derailing.

They continued bombarding him with rapid-fire introductions, listing off inventions, awards and achievements even he forgot he had. 

"You know you promised another I-83, I'm still waiting!" Jared said, leaning in conspiratorially. "I was in line the minute they announced the first few and waited the entire time." 

Entro was dumbstruck. They announced the I-83 weeks before they actually started handing them out, did this guy camp out for that long?

These guys were super fans. 

Something was very off-putting though; it was the silence, beyond their voices, the building felt unnaturally quiet. He had just been there the day before; it was extremely lively.

"Seriously, though," Jared added, patting Entro's shoulder, "you're gonna love it here. Just stick with us, and teach us everything you know, I mean we know"

"You're such a leach Jared," Mia exclaimed. "Geniuses don't have time for us common folk." 

That last comment made Entro nearly trip. It sounded, sarcastic, almost condescending. He scanned his surroundings, uneasy.

"Where is everyone?"

The group ceased machine gunning information for just a moment, their smiles faltering ever so slightly before snapping back into place.

"Like we said," Mia chirped, voice all too bright, "they're just… busy. You'll see, we're here right now."

Somehow, they ushered him to a tall door, one he recognized as the entrance to the testing room. He had it built to contain his most dangerous projects for monitoring. 

Entro couldn't tell what was going on, but apparently he was about to find out. These guys seemed like good friends, perhaps after this boring corporate meeting, he could get to know them better.

Since he arrived, everyone walked side by side to him, pelting information his way. Now, Jared took the lead in opening the door, while the rest of the group circled behind him, almost like they were herding him forward and as they moved forward, Entro felt a hand on his back, guiding him, almost nudging him inside. His feet felt heavier with every step and his thoughts struggled to catch up.

 Jared pushed, revealing a huge crowd of people wearing the same uniform as Entro, albeit in a noticeably better condition. Their attire had name tags attached to them, and sported safety strips that reflected harshly onto his eyes. 

The moment the door was fully opened, all eyes were on him and conversations were under hushed tones, and his new friends kept nudging him into the room. 

Perhaps that's what garnered the stares, he was frozen at the door, interrupting a meeting. 

This was awkward.

To his detriment, whatever everyone was being briefed about ceased as everyone stared at him and whispered. He could still hear the swishing of air leaving their mouths as it pounded against his head and filled his brain from temple to temple, drowning every thought he had.

The same conversation as always except it was less murmuring and more chanting. Chanting his past achievements, his genius, his reign, and eventually his downfall. 

The rotund man, who was speaking at the mic prior to Entro's arrival, now addressed him directly. 

"Ah, if it isn't the man of the hour, every hour. Well, he was"

Entro visibly winced and clenched his fist by his side 

This prompted a laughter that infectiously spread throughout the entire crowd. The room wasn't small by any means, but their laughter made the once cavernous building seem miniscule. 

He whipped around to find his new friends, and there he saw them, heads down. Like children who were just caught doing wrong.

The writing was practically engrained into the wall. 

He was duped and betrayed. 

"Come on Entro, don't be so angry. We're just teasing you, come on stage." 

Before he could respond, physically or verbally, the crowd shifted behind him and started pushing and shoving him towards the front. 

They wouldn't even let him keep his balance; he almost fell several times. 

Once at the stairs of the stage, looking up, there he was, the rotund man looking down with a sneer on his face. 

Entro slowly made his way up the stairs, each step seemingly adding a boulder to his back. By the time he arrived next to the rotund man, he was deathly pale in the face and the piercing of a thousand eyes penetrating his body was agonizing. 

"That's him? He looks pathetic."

"Yeah, I thought he'd be taller" 

Malicious comments sprouted around the crowd like a ruthless game of whack-a-mole. 

"Let's give a warm welcome to the legend himself, Entropy!" 

Cheering and applause erupted from the crowd. Mockery, jeering and aggressive language mixed into the ovation. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's not every day we're graced by the presence of a legend.

'A legend you all made up'

"Someone who used to be the talk of every boardroom, every lab...once upon a time, of course."

Entro could do nothing but stand there, awkwardly, absorbing the abuse like an old sponge. 

"This is the man who single handedly changed the world, did he not?"

'I did it for you ungrateful idiots'

"Reduced our emissions, built machines that exist only in our dreams; standing before us, it's almost like seeing a ghost." 

Entro stood alone under the crushing weight of their amusement, each chuckle a reminder of his worth. 

"I will say, I didn't recognize you at first. The interviews and textbooks really did you justice. But hey, who among us hasn't let a little time get the better of them, am I right?"

Fervent whistles and clapping resounded with deafening zeal. 

"Look, now you're here with us, a humble group of admirers. I mean, what an honor for us. We see how even the might can join the rest of us mere mortals. It must be hard, carrying the weight of all those accomplishments, all those expectations. But don't worry, we're not expecting miracles anymore, just being here is enough." 

Each insult was more muffled than the last, his heart an Olympic sprinter, attempting to escape his chest cavity. The air seemed impossibly thin, like breathing through a straw. He blamed the lack of oxygen on the imbeciles screaming their heads off; the room appeared to be getting smaller, with the population size enlarging. 

"I will say, I figured out knight in shining armor would be... more aptly dressed, but-" 

Entro didn't hear anything past that. He was already off the stage and sprinting out of the door, leaving the humiliating scene behind. With no destination in mind, he only ran. Out of the front entrance, down the road, and into the park. 

Sights blurred together; faces were murky. He couldn't concentrate on any detail, and sounds came through a watery barrier. 

Entro found himself laid against a tree in the city park, Voldstadt forest. He had it built as a gift to Kaira, who had been protesting urbanization at the time. It eventually became a staple and city gem; you couldn't tear this place down no matter what happened to Entro. 

Usually, he could come here and let the sounds of nature wash over him, the birds chirping, leaves rustling, squirrels scampering about; they eased his worries. All of his children used to come care for the greenery, and Entro would watch from a nearby bench. 

Those memories would help on a different day that was not today. Now the wind carried the sounds of laughter, and the birds taunted his position with malevolent passion. 

Everything was progressively getting louder. He shut his eyes to block out the sensation, a futile attempt. It was all pounding on his head, or that might've been him trying to beat the thoughts out. Ripping at his psyche, he could feel it all shattering bit by bit, until...

"Hey Mr." 

It stopped. 

"Hey Mr!"

As he slowly opened his eyes, Entro spotted a small boy, standing directly in front of him. There was nothing out of the ordinary about him, brown hair and eyes, school clothes, chubby face, and a book clutched in his hands.

"Are you okay Mr?" the boy asked, tilting his head. 

Entro realized he hadn't answered the child yet. 

"Yeah, I'm okay. What can I do for you buddy, have you lost your parents?" 

He figured the boy needed help getting back to his family, although he didn't look scared. More...concerned? 

The boy frowned. "No sir, you looked like you needed help, so I came to say hi." 

Help? 

Entro straightened a little, confused by what he meant.

"What do you mean bud" 

How do I look like I need help?

"You were crying and hitting yourself and saying help me. I heard from over there" the boy said, pointing across the park. 

Ah, so I've been making a fool of myself

Entro wondered how many people saw him breakdown and essentially lose it. Based on the sun positioning, he'd been here for hours, but it hadn't felt like it. 

Seeing as he wasn't going to answer, the kid pushed on.

"What happened to make you so sad Mr?" 

Entro wasn't sure why he was still talking to the kid, but he knew one thing, every time he looked into the boys' eyes; he saw Hope. 

"I was stupid and threw my life away" Entro dejectedly answered. 

"Oh, do you need help getting it out of the trash?" 

Entro chuckled. 

"No, I can't ever get it back, thank you though" 

The boys' expression saddened. 

"Well, read this. This is my favorite book and when I read it, my sadness goes away, it can help you." 

The boy held out an obviously well used book, with big golden letters printed on the front. 

[Whispers of the Eternal Flame] 

Sounds like a pretty heavy book for a kid so young

"Ethan!" A young woman called from across the park.

"I told you to stay by the bench, Mommy was going to be right back." 

The resemblance between the two was striking, she couldn't deny that was her kid even if a DNA test told her otherwise. 

"I'm sorry Mommy, this guy needed help." 

That was when she finally took note of Entro. Baggy clothes, tear stained face, sunken eyes, listless gaze. 

"Hey, what can I do for you? Are you homeless, do you need food? I-" 

Her voice trailed off as she squinted at his face, originally masked by the sun shining directly into her face. 

"Let's go Ethan." she said while staring Entro down

"But Mommy"

"No buts, this man doesn't need help Ethan, he doesn't need anything." 

Without giving Ethan a chance to respond she scooped him up and stomped away. Leaving Entro with a book and more confused than he was before.

Entro stared at the book in his hands, its golden letters gleaming faintly in the dimming sunlight. Whispers of the Eternal Flame. The title seemed almost ironic, as if the universe had chosen it specifically to mock him.

The boy's innocent words echoed in his mind. "Do you need help getting it out of the trash?"

A bitter smile crept onto his face. "Out of the trash," he muttered to himself. If only it were that simple.

He thumbed through the worn pages, each one softened by countless readings. The words were faded in places, the edges frayed. This book had clearly been loved, cherished, even. It was a stark contrast to how he felt—discarded and forgotten.

For a moment, he considered tossing it aside. What could a child's favorite book possibly offer him? But the boy's earnest face lingered in his mind, the unshakable image of hope shining in his wide eyes.

With a sigh, Entro leaned back against the tree, opened to the first page, and began to read.

The world around him faded as the words pulled him in. At first, they were just words, mere ink on paper, but gradually, they began to weave a tale that stirred something deep within him. It wasn't solace exactly, but a faint flicker of something he thought he'd lost.