Caden and His Own

Caden was a simple boy in the town of Hamden, on the Island of Yorn, but he didn’t feel simple inside. He loved wandering and had a free spirit that took him to the water’s edge often where he dreamed about exploring other lands. His mother would often warn him; “Caden, your mind is a wandering, and you dream of things you don’t understand. You aren’t as special as you think. People aren’t like you everywhere and they might not be as eager to share the days with you as I. Now you stop your daydreaming and stick close to the ones who love and understand you.”

Caden didn’t understand this. He had faith that people were intrinsically good, and would appreciate him almost as much as as his mother did, or more because he had so much to offer the whole world.

There were said to be other islands, but no one spoke of them openly. He would mutter under his breath the names of other Islands that were rumored to exist by his band of misfit friends while walking the shoreline. His days were filled with imagined futures of possibilities for art, adventure, love and recognition. He would regularly fantasize about journeys to far off lands where he could find adventure and bring what he had to offer to new and interesting people. Finally he would be appreciated for what he had to offer the world.

On Caden’s 18th birthday he got into a terrible fight with his mother. Every time he talked about going to the other islands she would fly into a rage. “Why would you entertain such nonsense? Why do you seek out suffering?” This infuriated Caden, and he stormed off with stompy footsteps and heavy sighs for an evening walk next to the shoreline where he could get away in his mind from the mundane nature of his life in Hamden. He deserved more from his life. He was special.