I wrote this short story because I was inspired by my JP fellows to think about a childhood memory.
The Dungeon
There once was a family who owned a beauty supply store. There was dad, mom, boy, and Jango - who was the father's assistant. Everyday the four tended to visitors from around the land. Father would monitored the well-being of the store while mother would run the cash register. The
real responsibility was with the boy and Jango.
While father and mother stayed comfortably behind the walls of the front desk, the boy and Jango would venture off into the aisles and the back of the store. Many customers came and left with many supplies. So the boy and Jango had to make sure every aisle was filled. They carefully watched each aisle and resupplied the moment an item disappeared (just like how a farmer tends to his rows of crops every day).
As the days went on, the boy began to feel discouraged. He questioned his own ability to be excellent at his duty. So he asked Jango, "Will I ever become brave and strong? I can't lift those boxes, and I'm scared of those mannequin heads in the storage room. Maybe I'll never be quite good enough."
Jango chuckled and smiled. He replied, "It may seem like you'll never reach that goal. But it requires patience and time. Until then, let me help you practice your bravery and strength." The boy felt glad and agreed to the proposal.
From then on, the boy trained. While Jango carried the larger boxes, the boy followed him with smaller ones. When the boxes were emptied onto the shelves, the boy broke them with kicks and punches he learned from his martial arts class. Jango, of course, was there holding each box. Like a trainer, he was saying
good job's and
well done's. Occasionally, the boy dropped boxes and missed kicks/punches. However, Jango's encouragement kept the boy determined to grow and improve.
After many months, the boy gained confidence and became stronger and more brave. He said to Jango, "I feel much braver and stronger now. It was all thanks to your help!" Jango seemed quite pleased and happy that he could help the boy. He told him, "
You're brave!" But a new task was added to their duty that same day.
Father had left his desk to come out to the aisles. He approached Jango and whispered something into his ear and departed. The boy could not hear what had been said, so he asked Jango, "What did father say?" Jango replied, "There is another task we have to do. It will require a lot of bravery. Do you think you can do it?" The boy, without hesitation, nodded with confidence.
The boy and Jango traveled to a distant part of the store. It was always abandoned and left empty. Jango approached a large wooden board, lifted it, and pushed it aside. As the board moved away from the wall, the boy saw what was behind the board. Complete darkness - black. It was as if the darkness could swallow you up, like a black hole. To the boy, it felt like a dungeon.
This
dungeon was the entrance to a shaft that led down to an abandoned storage room. But the bottom was not visible without a flashlight. Jango and the boy stood there for a moment. All they heard was a deep echo coming from the, seemingly, bottomless shaft. You could even hear the howling of the wind coming from below. Jango began to board the lift, but the boy stopped him.
"I can't go down there," said the boy. "I'm not brave enough for this duty." Jango turned to face the boy and said to him, "Okay then. We'll train like we did these past few months!" The boy was a doubtful, but agreed.
The two began training as before for a few weeks, but something unexpected occurred. On a random day, Jango approached the boy with a troubled look. He said, "I won't be able to work here anymore. I'm moving away." The boy replied, "How am I going to become brave enough to fulfill my duty?"
Jango kelt down and told the the boy, "You don't need my help to achieve your bravery. I've only been encouraging you, but you've done all the work yourself. You only need to encourage yourself, and then you will achieve it." Just like that, Jango left. And the boy was by himself.
A month went by, and the boy trained alone during that time. Finally, he felt ready to fulfill his duty. He slowly approached the entrance to the
dungeon. With each step, he felt his heart race faster and faster. When he stood at the foot of the darkness, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. He proceeded to tell himself, "
You're brave." With that, he took a step into the darkness.
If you've reached the end, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed this random story.
