Patchwick Garden - Hearsay Project
Prompt: Writer’s Hideout Prompt #40 “What Happened?” “I killed them all.”
Patchwick stares up into the night sky. He did it most clear nights. Something about the stars relaxed him, like seeing a friend after a long period. He tied it with that he could see his old home. It was the only reason that made any sense to him. Patchwick looks over to the west and immediately spots the pink star. ‘Wolf’ is what they called it here on Earth. It was better than what its original name was. He didn't remember it. One of many things that he couldn't remember. Anything beyond his time here on Earth was lost to him. He spent quite a few years wondering why he was here and not there. “Brooding under a full moon again, Pat?” He looks behind himself and sees Bree, a pyromancer and human who was helping him with his garden. “Brooding? Never,” he replies, but points to the moon. “Full moon? Always.” Bree plops down next to him and looks to the stars, too. He always enjoyed her company. Hers, Hannibal's, and many of the others that called this place home. It made him feel not so alone. There was one person that Patchwick wished they would spend more time together, but he was off fighting the war. One between Humans and their creations. “Hannibal was telling me you’re from Wolf,” Bree says, cutting into his thoughts. “Of course,” he answers. “Probably the only place I would call home besides Earth.” “What's it like?” Patchwick pauses, unable to remember much of anything about his home. However words spill out of his mouth before he could stop them. “It was a lot like Earth before the war,” he says and he swells with pride. “Lots of Mancers, smart Mancers.” He smiles. “They saved the Universe.” Sometimes, Patchwick discovers a small torn piece of his history that pour out of him. They are stories for him, however. He still has no personal memories of those events. Hannibal had described it in a way that seemed to make sense. It was Patchwick's ancestors trying to teach him their story. “If they saved the Universe, why are you here?” Bree asks after a pause. “What happened?” “I killed them all.” A heaviness forms in his chest that seems to weigh him down. He looks to Bree, who had a look of shock on her face. He quickly looks away, under a sudden realization of what he just said. “We could have gone without that story,” he mutters. He's surprised when she remains by his side and looks back to the stars. “They must have done some something horrid if you had to eliminate them,” she replies, and pats his shoulder. “You are the nicest person I know, and have the patience of a tree.” It helps him feel a small bit better. He would struggle with it for awhile, but he’d find some way to live with it. Patchwick was shocked into silence and is unable to find words to say in response. He looks back up at Wolf, his ‘home’. He gets a sick feeling in his stomach and he looks away.
AN - Patchwick doesn’t have many of these moments in his life. When he does, they’re usually not good. His previous life as ‘Mort’ was not a good one.