[i]	It was not an unusual occurrence. These same people had taunted him ever since they discovered that his mother had died; even the occurrence of his mother's death had not been a surprise to the townspeople or for anyone else in the wasteland, for that matter. It was a harsh setting. Danger lurked behind every corner, manifesting itself as famine, disease, predators on the hunt--sometimes, even one's own shadow could take possession of their life. Basil had always been taught from both of his parents that death could strike at any moment, without sympathy or discrimination. So when his mother passed on three years prior, he accepted it. Perhaps it was his acceptance that scared the other children, which caused them to ostracize him. He also accepted that, for it was simply another form of loss. He was told not to mind the losses, only focusing on the endless possibilities of life; though there were millions of methods of death, there were trillions of methods in which one could live their life and enjoy it to the fullest. Balance was achieved through this because it was common for humans, in moments of extreme loss, to ignore and push away possibilities. His mother had not desired for him to let her death consume him, leading him to waste his own life. He had honored her wishes. It was because of this that he grieved quietly, unobtrusively, mourning as he moved further and further into the future that did not involve her. He did not regret his decision.
	However, he did wish that these idiots would leave him alone for once.
	"Do you even have emotions? What are you, a robot or something?"
	"Your mama would be real sad to hear that you're so happy to be rid of her."
	"What about your dad? Is he wanting to leave like she did?"
	He knew for a fact that his mother had never wanted to just leave; it'd been a freak accident, not suicide as the rumors suggested. His father claimed that as long as they knew the truth, what others thought didn't matter. His mother, however, had loved her life and her family more so--she would never deliberately take that all away from herself. It was the one way in which she'd always been selfish.
	He was just about to say something when he heard an unfamiliar voice. 
	 [/i]