Say Audrey

By Aaron Akram

The story of a young boy and his quest to be a doctor. It's a work of great imagination as Audrey uses his mind to escape from the conditions of life. His umbrella can take him places he sees in dreams. It's ultimately a story of man vs self as he tries to understand himself and find the answers to life. What's the point of all this? He sets off&n

• Language: English
• Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
• Release date: Jan 27, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638374770

Book preview

Chapters

1.A Turtle

2.A Teller and the Told

3.The Castle

4.Dreams

5.City of Ruin

6.Hoping

7.Back to Work

8.The Mansion of Memory

9.The Baseball Field

10.Life and Death

11.Are You the Evening?

12.The Rainbow

13.A Ghost on the Wire

14.Searching

15.Winter Snow

16.Independence Day

17.One More Slip

18.Something in the Water

19.Summer Abroad

20.The Tall Boy

21.An Education

22.The Lean Years

23.Shoes

24.All We Gain

25.Looking Both Ways

26.To Be Content

27.Secrets and Lies

28.Turning Point

29.A Man of Merit

30.Redemption

31.Nadar

32.My Voice

PART I

Chapter 1: A Turtle

Goodbye assumes many hellos ahead in the small world of a child; a child could never say goodbye and mean so. Audrey saw many things growing up in a small town, but he never saw anyone grow sick before, not like his father had. He was terrified. He remembered the events in his head and he played them over constantly. Why did this happen? Why now? Everything was good the way it was. Now it was lightly raining in the woods when Audrey and his friends Corey and Michael were walking home. They were playing in the woods for most the day and brought a pet turtle in a red wagon. The wagon began to fill with water as they went back home and the sun was starting to set. It began to rain harder.

Audrey looked at the turtle and thought about getting it back safely. A strange sensation took over him as if the turtle were his father and he had to protect him. If the turtle got back safe his father would be alright and everything would go back to normal. If not? He didn’t wish to think about it. His hand clutched the wagon tight by the handle. He looked ahead through the pouring rain. The boys were all soaked but mostly in good spirits. Audrey wouldn’t let himself be happy. He was on a mission. It's easy for two people in the same situation to have completely different mindsets. This was do or die for Audrey like in basketball when the clock is running out. Audrey felt his heart beat quicker and his muscles tighten. He looked every which way. Back and front then side to side. Faster and faster he looked around. Suddenly a light turned on in Michael's backyard. He could see the shape of a woman waiting at the door. Shadows cast over the lawn. The boys ran in and pulled off their shoes. Michael's mother began to dry the boys’ hair with towels. She rubbed their heads firmly. They all were loved and felt so. They gently placed the turtle back and all was well.

Chapter 2: A Teller and the Told

Audrey woke the next day in his own home. He woke up early as usual. Children need no more than 8 hours of sleep per night. Everyone else was still in bed. Audrey stumbled into his parents’ room and laid down in the bed between them as was his custom for many years. His mother slipped her arm around him and smiled faintly. She too was fond of the custom. He was still her little boy though he was going on ten years old. His father turned to face him. As he grew older Audrey would look back on this time, cradled between his parents, as the warmest feeling he’d ever know.

After a few minutes he quietly left. He needed a plan for the day. It was the end of summer and the start of fall. School would start soon. He tried to enjoy these last few days. He changed his clothes and went for a walk in the park bringing his umbrella; after yesterday's incident he might need it. Audrey's umbrella was white with different ties tied to the metal hooks about the rim. The ties were of all different patterns and colors. It was a beautiful umbrella that doubled as protection from the sun. Audrey wore bright, colorful clothes that attracted the attention of the girls in the park. He wore a beautiful purple shirt tucked in dark jeans. The overall appearance was charming.

Audrey liked the park. It was a nice place to walk when his mind was troubled. It was his father's health which concerned him. His father seemed better but what if something else arose? What would he do? How would he handle it? His sense of comfort and security at home was gone. He would never have it back. He was filled with doubt. Only for that moment in bed did he feel okay. He thought about money and food and how they would make out without his father. In class Audrey's mind was racing with questions, pondering things a child should never have to.

As children we expect from our parents certain things. We expect our fathers to be strong, our mothers to be kind like the parents in the books we read. Now Audrey watched his father grow weak, his mother unkind, at a time he could use them most. Illness has a way of undoing families; of testing their resilience. Audrey's mother wasn’t bad for being angry. She was simply worried and unable to see how the illness could affect her children being so focused on her husband. Audrey was forced to grow up. There was no choice in the matter. He had to help his mother. He had to be the strength of his family now. There was nothing to be bitter about. That was life and he welcomed it.

When walking by the pond Audrey saw a distinguished man sitting on a bench near his pretty young daughter. She was drawing pictures on the sidewalk with a piece of chalk. The elderly man was sitting peacefully with his legs crossed. He had a newspaper by his side that he was no longer using. Audrey had seen the pair before but never thought of approaching them. Maybe the old man reminded him of his father but for whatever reason Audrey went to say hello. The old man introduced the young girl as Teller and himself as Told. Told had a light beard and dark hair that was slightly grey. His hair had a subtle wave to it. Teller had long, black hair that was combed straight. She wore a light blue dress down past her knees. Suddenly she ran so Audrey could speak with Told. Staring ahead at the trees in the park neither of the two spoke. Soon Audrey opened.

I wish I were an old man now with stories to tell.

The best part about having stories is to live them first. You should live thinking ‘this moment is the best moment’ because it is. You’ll have plenty of stories just wait.

I’m getting tired of waiting.

Well what do you want from life? Told questioned.

I don’t think about stuff like that, said Audrey shyly, I guess I wish to help somehow. I’d like to care for people and heal them. People like my dad.

That sounds like a fine idea you just have to work at it. You can do anything if you work hard enough. You seem bright Audrey.

My life is so dull. Sometimes I get sick of everything. I don’t feel like trying anymore.

Moods change quickly especially when you’re young. Do your best always no matter what you’re handed. Do what's right. I’ve missed so many opportunities. You have no idea. Don’t miss out on life by keeping to yourself. Be kind to everyone. Remember any place you go is about the people you’re with and what you make of it.

I know I’ve heard that before.

But it's true and worth repeating.

Sometimes I get so anxious I can’t breathe.

You have to stay in control. Slow your thinking and realize what's going on. Realize that the situation is far less scary than it appears. Control your breathing. Breathe in slow and breathe out slow. If you need space find space to calm yourself. It happens to a lot of us. You’re not alone. In most cases you simply have a little nervous energy. It can manifest itself in different ways. You need to direct it towards something positive like exercise or music or whatever you like. If you run in the morning you can get most of that energy out before school. It's good for your mind. If you’re in class focus all your energy on your lessons even when it's hard. Minimize any distracting thoughts. If they arise let them go and stay focused. Stay in control.

That sort of helps. I’ll try it out.

Do you follow? I know a little bit.

I have time.

Bodies are run by nerve. They give signals to the brain. Some get you excited, others calm you down. There are two ways; first one's called fight or flight. It's there to protect you when danger's near; if someone attacks or you have to run. Your eyes grow big, you breathe more, blood goes to your brain, your heart beats faster.

He went further, Everything's there to help you. Sometimes we get that way when we’re afraid. Sometimes we’re afraid with no reason. That's not the way we’re meant to be. We do our best to control it. Sometimes we can’t. There's an imbalance in our brain. It's chemical. It builds over time. It's not a weakness, it's merely nature. Use it to your strength. The more you know the better off you’ll be.

What's the other way?

There's the other one about resting and digesting. The name says it all. That's where you want to be the greater part of your day, unless something goes wrong. I was speaking about breathing. That can help. I told you about exercise. It comes with learning. These are the basics. It might be all you need.

That makes sense. I never knew that. He smiled.

I want you to do well in school. If you do well you can achieve anything you want in life. No one can stop you but yourself.

What about you? What do you want from life?

Well when I was young I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to tell stories since I had such a vivid imagination. As I grew older I felt there was someone inside of me helping me write. As if someone was in my head whispering these stories to me. It was her; Teller was my muse born. She had been my muse for all those years. Now my life revolves around her and making her happy and I’m happy with that. I still write too when I have the time. When my muse speaks to me. Here she comes.

Anyways, I’m sorry I talked so much. You’re very kind and you have an answer to everything. What about love? How do I make someone fall in love with me? he asked jokingly.

All you need is a suit and tie. said Told laughing.

Chapter 3: The Castle

The next day Audrey thought about the things Told said. He wanted to speak with him again. There was so much to learn from such a wise man. Audrey stepped out of his house to notice the heavy winds outside. He took out his umbrella only to have it blown inside out. He quickly fixed the umbrella and looked up at the storm clouds approaching. Against his better judgment he decided to go to the park. Suddenly a mighty wind came and carried him off into the sky. The umbrella was like a hot air balloon that took him higher and higher.

Audrey was once again terrified. He could hardly see a thing or make sense of what was happening. He watched all the houses shrink away. The farms were patches of green and rivers were strips of blue. It was all happening too fast. The wind fell. He found himself sinking past clouds and birds and puffs of smoke till he crashed deep in water and arose gasping.

Audrey floated with his umbrella and swam to land. By some miracle it was in perfect condition. He folded the umbrella as soon as he could. It had caused enough trouble as it was though it did save him too. Things had gone from bad to worse. How can I care for my father now? Audrey looked around. He appeared to be in a kind of marshland. There were many insects around him which Audrey tried to shoo away. When he walked his feet sank in the mud. He had a hard time but soon came to a grassy hill. He wrung out his shirt and wiped his shoes till they were clean. When he looked down the hill he saw an old-fashioned village like the ones he saw in books. He decided to look.

In the town Audrey met all kinds of people. They were all well-fed and jolly. Audrey noticed they wore many layers of clothes despite the warm weather. They could hardly move or do much of anything. It must be hard to live that way he thought. Perhaps they have mosquitoes here. One man wore what looked like four thick shirts, a jacket, a scarf, and three hats on his head, not to mention the two pants he was wearing. He was so puffed up that Audrey smiled. Soon he remembered his own wet condition. A woman stopped him on his way, What a lovely umbrella that is she noted with a smile on her face. I’m a stranger here Audrey said, Is there any place to go or anything to see? She told him of a castle in the center of town where the king lived. People can visit. You should show the king your umbrella. I’m sure he’d love it. I’ve never seen anything like it. Audrey felt a sense of pride but quickly checked himself. Thanks he replied and walked on. By now he was quite dry. In the center of town was a beautiful castle with a long stone walkway leading to the large wooden doors.

Step right in. You’re just in time for the King's feast. said the King's servant.

The king was a short, stout old man. He wore clothes of the finest materials with layers upon layers of jewelry and a large crown on the top of his head. He had a great thick beard and a happy face. Though the atmosphere was cheerful nothing seemed to ever get done.

Please help yourself to any food you like. Anything you want is yours. offered the King, Please sit I’ve never seen you here before.

‘Thank you very much. I’m starving,‘said Audrey feeling a bit rushed.

That's a fine umbrella. May I have it?

No, I’m sorry but I’ll need it at some point. said Audrey sad to be put in such a position.

I understand, I understand. Well then let me tell you about our people. It's a sign of great nobility to possess many articles of clothes and to wear them at one time. You may have noted our peculiar fashion, peculiar to you at least. We are proud of our fashion as any people are. It's why you see me dressed as I am.

"Won’t it be costly and uncomfortable to live that way? Surely you could set an example by changing the fashion to relieve the people, so long as there's no religious