A Much Larger World

By Harry Sober


Date: Tuesday, June 11, 2002 8:18 PM


Tavis Mayley stood silently at the cliffs edge of Point DoHuc looking down at 
majestic waves crashing over the rocky beach several hundred meters below.
The cool sea air nipping at him like millions it tiny insects raising bumps 
all over him a sudden breeze whipped his shoulder length dark brown hair to 
the left of his head as it seemed to take on a life of its own.

Several times over the past couple of years since his family moved here, he 
would come to this spot look down at the waves coming ashore and think of 
jumping.
 5 years ago when his fathers company had transferred to the sea side city of 
Arlyss the rest of Tavis's family instantly took to the new surroundings but 
Tavis never really adjusted.

He loved climbing in the mountains surrounding his old home where his family 
had moved from. There he had friends REAL friends who didn't care what type 
of clothes people wore or who they hung out with. No matter how hard to he 
tried to fit in he could never do enough.
The Only bright spot in the black hole he called his life, was his next door 
neighbor Tara Galanz, a lovely girl nearly as tall as he with waist length 
raven hair and piercing green eyes that seemed to look right through him 
every time he laid eyes on her.
Over the years their friendship blossomed into a budding romance, she was the 
only thing that seemed to make life there bearable for him.
 An excellent student Tara always got impeccable grades, whereas Tavis 
sometimes had trouble with his studies, Tara would always be there to help 
him encourage him to do better even when his parents would not.

Now. Here it was two days after graduation he had made it the galaxy was now 
at his feet but he had NO idea where to go or what he was going to do. The 
memories of the two previous days ate at him terribly playing back over and 
over again. The argument he had with his parents about not going to his 
graduation was bad enough. That but what hurt him dearly most of all when his 
father asked him why he didn't achieve top honors like his brother and sister.
Then telling him it wasn't worth the trouble of seeing him graduate he wasn't 
as good as his siblings so why even bother that truly hurt him. He could deal 
with that, he had become more and more distant with his family as he got 
older.

What he was not prepared for, was when Tara told him they were breaking up 
that hurt him worse and anything he could have felt.  Several months ago, 
Tara received word that she had been accepted to Anniston university a very 
prestigious school on Chandrilla.

When Tavis said he would try to come and visit as often as he could, she told 
him their live were going in two separate directions and she didn't think it 
was a good idea for them to be together any loner and that he should just 
forget about her.
That hurt him more than anything his father could have said to him, when he 
went to her house later that day to ask her to reconsider, Tara's father 
intervened saying she'd made her choice, she has a chance to better herself 
or she could stay here try and make a meager living wasting her talents being 
with him.

In all the years he had known Tara's family. Never had her father spoken to 
him in such a manner, but when he saw Tara being comforted by her mother 
tears flowing openly, he knew it was her father that had made her end this 
relationship not her though it still ate at him.

"Come on Tavis, one more step and all your troubles will be over" A tiny 
voice said in the back of his mind. as the thunderous sound of the waves 
crashing to the beach several hundred meters below filled his ears. Tavis 
pressed his eyes shut as tears streamed down his face "COME ON DO IT" the 
voice said much louder.

"NO!  He yelled as he jumped back from the edge of the cliff. "There's got to 
be something I can do" He said to himself as he turned back towards the city.
An hour later as he was walked through the many streets of Arlyss he stopped 
in front of an Imperial Army Recruitment center looking inside, he watched 
the recruitment video that played over and over again. After standing there 
for several minutes he took a deep breath then opened the door and went 
inside. 

 to be continued 



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