Thursday, September 10, 2020

Word: Vale

vale

[ veyl ]noun
 
1. a valley.
2. the world, or mortal or earthly life: this vale of tears.

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Day 1

Wow, so, I never thought I’d actually use this diary. Guess I’ll have to thank Stacy when I see her again. But yeah, I’m using it, since my phone is smashed to pieces. Let’s see, where should I begin. So, my job sent me on this team building thing with members of other offices. Boring as hell, but I did it.

I’m on my way home, just driving and listening to an audiobook, when this jerk swerves into my lane. I do the only thing I can think of, and avoid him. Only, I wasn’t paying attention to where I swerved. Turns out I was driving on the edge of a cliff, and I go over it.

Now I’m at the bottom of some valley in the middle of nowhere, and I have no idea how I survived the crash. At least I’m not alone. There’s three other people here with me, two women and a guy. They’re weird. They don’t speak English, or, well, any language at all. They also don’t seem to wear clothes.

That’s great in the case of the women, since holy hell are they hot. Like, I’ve seen Photoshopped supermodels that wish they could be half as hot as these two. The guy isn’t so great. I mean, he’s every bit as good looking as the ladies, but I’d honestly rather not see him freeballing so, well, freely. Anyway, since they don’t talk and can’t give names, I’m calling the redhead Scarlett, the blonde Sandy, and the guy Chad. Because why not?

Day 2

Okay, first lesson of this place: Don’t make the locals mad. Like, seriously, don’t. I was walking with Sandy, I guess she was kind of giving me a tour? Not really sure, because, you know, no language. But we come across the huge bear. I’m talking a big ass grizzly, like bigger than anything I’ve seen in any nature documentary. It growls at us and rears up, and I swear I’m a dead man. Sandy just goes up to it an lifts the thing like it’s a toy poodle. I’m serious, she had no trouble with it. She just throws it away like it’s nothing and then goes back to what she was doing.

I get back to the others and Chad is in this big river that runs through the valley. He reaches down and pulls out a fish that’s literally as big as he is. And Chad’s a big guy. He throws this huge fish that’s bigger than most people over his shoulder like a carnival goldfish and walks out of the river like nothing’s wrong. Anyway, the three of them tear into the fish without even gutting or cooking it. When they offered me some, I couldn’t really refuse people who can rip me in half with their bare hands, so I dig in. It was the best fish I’ve ever had.

Day 3

Okay, this valley is really starting to freak me out. Things don’t work like they do back home. I saw a squirrel today. Biggest damned rodent I’ve ever seen to. It was in bad shape. Like, on death’s door bad. I’m about to walk by when I see it healing. Visibly healing right in front of me. In less than a minute it runs off, fully healed and as annoyingly energetic as any squirrel in the world.

I wonder if it works on me? That would explain how I survived the crash.

Also, I’ve decided not to write here everyday. The pages are limited, so I’ll only write if something important happens, or I come up with something that needs to be recorded.

Day 10

I think I’m starting to understand what’s going on. It’s this valley. This place. It’s, well, it’s full of life. I don’t know how else to describe it. I don’t think the animals and people here are any different than normal, not really. But this valley is changing them. Making them better. Stronger. Faster. Tougher. I don’t know how or why, but life thrives here like nowhere else. It’s starting the affect me too. I feel lighter, better than I ever have in my life. It’s like all the pollution and chemicals we use on a daily basis are just leaving my system. I wonder what’ll happen when they’re gone. Will I be able to lift a bear too? That’d be cool.

Day 16

I don’t think I’m going to be getting out of this valley. I’ve been to a lot of it and there doesn’t seem to be a way out. The walls are too steep to climb, and the river comes from some underground source, and disappears the same way.

I’m also not sure I’d want to leave, even if I could. This place is incredible. It’s…it’s paradise. And even though Chad Scarlett and Sandy don’t talk, they’re the nicest people I’ve ever met. And I am figuring out how to communicate with them. They don’t use words, they use body language. Gestures, facial expressions and stuff. It’s simple, but it gets the job done.

Day 34

I’ve decided. I’m going to stay here. With the three of them. This place, I’ve started calling the Vital Valley, is just…more than anything I could’ve imagined. There’s nothing for me back home. Not really. More dull work at a job I hate? Talking with friends who I either don’t really care about or don’t really care about me? Watching the same basic shows with different twists? Nah. I can’t, not after all I’ve seen here. I’m feeling better than I ever have, the company is so much better, and even though I don’t exactly have the internet here, I’ve stopped missing it. In fact, going back actually scares me now. I’ll still write in this journal from time to time, but I don’t think it’ll be very often. There’s just too much life to live here to worry about writing it all down.

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 Sounds like a nice place, right? Well, unless you're a guy like me who pretty much lives on the internet. Then that transition might be...difficult.

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