My eyes fluttered open and I realized I was not in a familiar place. The soft dirt and fallen debris from the trees surrounding me created a spongy cushion beneath my body. I slowly sat up, looking around, trying to figure out where I was. I pushed myself up into a crouched position and carefully extended my legs until I was standing. Pine needles crackled as I shifted my weight. The crisp air nipped at my face, my cheeks turned red, and my breath left a cloud in front of my face every time I exhaled. All around me were dense woods consisting of extremely old pine, fir, and spruce trees, which towered over me like skyscrapers, and whose needles and sap filled the air with a sharp scent. The mix of matter on the ground was soaked due to the recently melted snow, and gave off a musty smell. Squirrels scurried across the forest floor, and back up the rough bark of nearby trees, birds singing and chirping on the higher branches. Various colours of mushrooms, other fungi, and saplings lived on the ground amongst the trees. There were bushes in patches containing saskatoon berries, honeysuckles, and thimbleberries, bringing colour to the otherwise seemingly colourless and gloomy forest. The flowers that did grow were very few and far between, and only a small amount of grass inhibited the area.

I must have fallen. I found a small backpack a few feet away from me and opened the largest pocket. Inside, I found a large stash of food, a blanket, an oversized leather bound book, a pencil, an extra pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I looked down at my torn running shoes, the laces frayed, then up to my blue jeans, streaked with mud. My jacket was damp from the morning dew, and my shirt smelled of sweat. My memories came flooding back to me. I saw myself running, running faster than I’d ever run before. Footsteps crashed behind me on the streets, sending me through the city, faster and faster with every step. I couldn’t be caught. I wouldn’t allow myself. Not after what everyone back home did for me, anyway. Shouts followed me; some threatening, others attempting to negotiate, but there was no way I would fall for that. City lights gleamed off of other buildings and TV screens flashed through the dark windows of apartment buildings and houses. My backpack slammed against my back with every step I took, slowing me down just enough to worry me, but not enough to be caught.
Just before, my mother gave me a backpack and told me to run to the hospital, where someone would meet me at the door. “You need to go. Now”, she told me. She seemed worried, and I did as she said without hesitation. She never asked me for favours, so the least I could do was this one thing. After arriving at my destination, almost immediately, I was grabbed by the arm and dragged aside, into a small office. I asked what was going on. The room was silent, and only a dim light shone on the desk in front of me. “Who are you”, they asked. There was no face to match the voice, only a silhouette. “Xander. Xander Flynn”, I managed to say. There was a long silence before the voice asked me to take a seat in front of the desk. Following the dim glow of the lamp, I slowly made my way over and lowered myself into the chair, the leather cool against my bare arms. Heavy footsteps carried behind me, and a body appeared in the light. The body pulled over a chair and sat down across from me, behind the massive desk, which only had a lamp and a leather bound book, which seemed to weigh forty-five pounds. The man placed his hands atop the book and I raised my head to meet his eyes. I’d never seen this man in my life, and that’s really saying something because everyone knows everyone else here in my town.
“Have you been told why you are here?” His voice snapped me back from my daze.
“Um… no,” I replied.
“I need you to… run an errand, let’s say, for me.”
“Well, what do you need me to do?”
“I need you to deliver this book here to a, uh, friend a couple of towns over.”
“You mean… You’re asking me to… Leave the town? I thought we couldn’t leave…”
“That is why I brought you here. You cannot tell anyone. Only your mother knows. It’s very important that you don’t let anyone catch you leaving. If you get caught, the message will never get to the other towns. Delivering this book could save many lives. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I understand. But why did you choose me? I don’t even know who you are.”
“We’ve been documenting your actions and behaviours for over a year now, along with many other boys your age. We decided that you would be the best one for this job.”
“Who exactly is ‘we’?”
“I cannot tell you that. We cannot have any information about it to be spread whatsoever. You cannot speak a word of this.”
“Okay, sir. I won’t say anything.”
“Take this book and stuff it in your pack,” he said, pushing the boom toward my side of the desk.
I slowly picked up the book, taking in the feel of the cool leather against my bare hands. I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about this mission, but I didn’t have much of a choice. I couldn’t let this man down, even if I don’t know who he is. I looked to my left, then to my right, then back to left. I looked once more to my right and bolted. I headed straight for the woods. I didn’t think anyone saw me, but even if they didn’t, from the sound of it, they’d be after me in a hurry. I crashed through the trees and shrubs, making more noise than I was comfortable with. Not long after I started running, I heard the unmistakable howls of dogs. Many dogs. I was completely exposed in the streets. There was no way I would let them catch me. Not this early in my journey, anyway.

I was exhausted. My legs burned, my stomach ached, and my head throbbed. Complaining wasn’t going to get me anywhere. I needed to start moving again. I tossed my bag up onto my back and started trudging through the muck that lay at my feet. I thought I heard the faint treading of footsteps in the distance and began to run. I ran as fast as I could and didn’t look back. When I stopped, I no longer heard a sound. The woods were silent and serene. For days, I heard nothing but the joyful songs of the various birds around me. I pushed myself to walk further each day, to move further. I needed to get to that town, and fast. As I continued on my journey, time seemed to drag on and on. I didn’t have a watch, or any way of telling the time, and I lost track of the days I had been gone.
The forest gained colour as I got further away from my own town. Fruit hung from trees, berries filled the shrubs, and flowers scattered themselves among the forest floor. I had never seen fruits like these before. They were all so perfectly ripe and full of flavour, and their outer skins contained not one bruise or blemish. There was no point in filling my bag with the fruits, as they could be seen anywhere I looked. For days, the beautiful fruits filled the trees on the path taking me to the town I was headed toward. Soon enough, I saw a clearing ahead of me. I began to walk faster, but I didn’t seem to be getting any closer, so I began to run, almost as fast as I did when I was being chased. Through the clearing, I was able to see the outlines of people, buildings, and some other things I’d never seen before. The forest gradually thinned out until there were no more trees ahead of me. I slowed myself to a walk, and carried on toward the largest building ahead of me: a hospital. The town looked exactly like mine, although the newer, cleaner and simply nicer. Once I reached the doors, I stood and waited. I was swiftly pulled inside the doorway and into a dark room. A small lamp illuminated the long wooden desk, which had no one sitting at it. Without a word, I pulled a chair up and took a seat at the desk, across from a tall, empty chair. I pulled my pack into my lap and began to open it. Suddenly, a large silhouette made its way behind the desk toward the chair. I reached inside my bag and felt the leather cover of the book I was sent to deliver. I lifted it up and lightly placed it on the desk, careful not to drop it and make a loud sound. The man took a seat, but didn’t reach for the book. I shoved it toward him, hoping he would take it. I looked at him closely. He looked exactly like the man, only older. Quite a bit older, actually. His hair was thinning and becoming gray. I could see wrinkles forming amongst his face and hands. After awhile, he finally spoke.
“Thank you for doing this. You have no idea how important this is to my town, as well as your own. One day, the man who sent you here will explain to you why you were sent on this mission, but please do not speak of it. No one must know.”
“I won’t say a word,” I said, as I stood to shake the man’s hand. “I’d better be on my way home now.”
He shook my hand, rose from his chair and walked toward the door. He opened it slightly, looking around carefully, then opened it just enough for me to slip through. I felt a pat on my back, and when I turned around, the door was already closed. Those things that I hadn’t seen before filled the streets. They seemed to be made of metal, and had wheels, made of rubber, I’d assume. A piece of paper landed at my feet. I threw my bag to the ground and dug around until I pulled out my pencil. I drew a picture of one of the moving metal devices. This was something my town could use. There was something odd about this whole situation, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I walked the opposite way I had come, excited to share my discovery of whatever machines the town I had visited had travelling their streets.