Today is a big day for the old man Gray. His youngest grandson is turning 22. Young Robert is becoming a man, and his first adult decision is to tread a noble, yet a highly treacherous path.
In order to help his young descendant, old man Gray decided to help him as much as he can. The old man is aware that that the burden of the journey called life is Robert's alone, but a noble-hearted child like Robert deserves a push in the right direction.
So the old man put on his gray raincoat and an old worn out hat, grabbed his walking stick and he set off to the "Three-legged horse"
"Three-legged horse" was a classic English pub, in fact, it was 350 years old, and it was the old man's favorite place in the world. The smell of shepherd's pie and spilled beer dominated the pub. Dim lights and a noisy crowd is what was so appealing to the old man in this place because every conversation that takes part here seems of the greatest importance.
The old man opened the doors and he slowly entered the "Three-legged horse". The noise level in the pub dropped to a minimum when the old man's walking stick hit the wooden floor. All of the pub's patrons turned their attention to the entrance. Here, the old man was well known and renowned. As the old man Gray passed through the pub, people acknowledged the powerful presence that was passing by them. In this establishment, everyone knows the legend of the old man, the legend of the mighty defender. The legend that will soon be known to young Robert also.
The old man slowly walked to the only empty table in the pub. The table was situated next to the old-fashioned fireplace and under an old picture of a man with a bloodied head, a man that highly resembled Mr. Gray itself.
In a moments notice, a wooden pitcher of his favorite beer was right in front of the old man. When he finished half of his pitcher, young Robert entered the place. When Robert sat next to the old man he provoked many envious looks.
"Well, hello Robert, how are you lad?"- Mr. Gray warmly welcomed the young man.
"I am doing great grandpa. Why do you keep calling me Robert, when everyone else calls me Bob, I told you that million times?"
"I am not everyone else, Robert. Besides you wear a name fit for a king, you should be proud of it. I assure you, young Robert, that no king born so far, or yet to be born has ever worn or will ever wear the name Bob."
Robert, who knew that it is impossible to change his grandfather's mind shrugged his shoulders and continued the conversation -
"I am a just glad grandpa, we got to sit together like this before I leave." When Robert finished the sentence in front of him appeared an exact same pitcher as his grandfather's. Because he didn't order anything, Robert was taken a bit by surprise but he raised the pitcher to honor his grandfather and took a sip.
With a sense of pride, Mr. Gray looked at Robert who grew up into a man worthy of the Grey name- "Indeed Robert. This meeting was necessary. I understand you are going on a perilous journey overseas to the Amazon rainforest. "
"That's right grandpa, I am going to the Amazon rainforest to document the life of the tiger-monkey, if I can make public more sensitive to the tiger-monkey, maybe they stand the chance in a fight against extinction."
"A noble cause indeed, worthy of your family name. I feel a bit responsible for you undertaking this endeavor. If you remember, I was the one that always told you stories of strange faraway lands and exciting worlds outside our own."
"I remember grandpa, but this decision is mine alone."
Fire from the nearby fireplace shone on the old man's wrinkled face and gray beard. Even now, to Robert, it seemed that his grandfather came directly from some medieval story. His blueish eyes contained wisdom, his deep voice contained power, and a scar over his left eye was a mark of experience. An invisible shadow of greatness always followed his grandfather around.
In his mighty appearance, Mr. Gray continued "Dear boy, the decision may be yours alone, yet I still cannot let you go on this journey so unprepared as you are now. I cannot accompany you, but I can give you a piece of advice. The quest on which you are about to partake is filled with many dangers, but one is greater than all of them combined. Animals, local tribes, high humidity or landslides is not what I am talking about. I am talking about self-doubt."
Fully engulfed in his grandfather's words, Robert just nodded his head and listened to every word coming from the opposite side of the table.
"Never doubt yourself, Robert. You are a Grey. Your ancestors did great things, deeds of great valor and heroism. Grey blood runs through your veins, and there are no boundaries to what you can accomplish. Surround yourselves with people you can trust and on whom you can rely upon. Remember this, Robert and you will succeed."
The old man paused to take the last sip from the pitcher. When he finished his beer he grabbed his grandson's hand an inside of it Mr. Gray put an old medal.
"This is the medal I won in season 1973 when we won the FA Cup. We were a lower division team and we played against, probably one of the best teams ever, Leeds United. We were victorious against all odds. Their midfielder cracked my skull halfway through the game, yet I continued jumping, making tackles and headers without a seconds thought, thus earning the nickname Bloody Wall. For us, impossible is but a challenge.You are a Grey, son. I hope this medal will always remind you of this. "
Robert wasn't a big football fan, and his father never told him that his own grandfather is the Bloody Wall, the most legendary defenders of all times. He looked at the picture of a bloodied guy above the old man, and then aat his grandfather's scar. It was so obvious.
"I am Robert Gray. Impossible is but a challenge. Thank you grandfather."
This is my entry for the #constrainedwriting contest hosted by @svashta . In this post I tried to accomplish a LOTR Gandalf 'feel' in a modern ambiance. Please tell me how successful was I?
Image sources:
https://www.shutterstock.com/video/clip-29385505-stock-footage-the-old-man-in-old-clothes-and-hat-is-chewing-while-leaning-on-his-cane-in-the-rain.html
https://spacebetweensociety.org/home/membership/
http://moziru.com/explore/Gandalf%20clipart/