Man's Best Friend by Squalo DiTerra (web ebook reader .TXT) 📕

Our story begins in the small quaint town of Joensuu Finland where our friend lives with his loving parents in an old farm house that has long since seen any farming, save for the small garden in the back and some flowers in the front. A modest and happy home it certainly was. Our friend, a reserved but happy young man, always found solace in his home and in the company of his parents.

One day a letter arrived from one of the many universities he had applied to.

“You have a letter from the University of Helsinki” His mother yelled enthusiastically.

Our friend came running down the stairs excited with anticipation.

While opening the letter in front of his parents his mother asked “what does it say?” “is it good news?” “have you been accepted?”

“Calm down, you will only rile up the boy” his father said, sitting at the table. The father knew though in his heart what the outcome was.

“I have been accepted!” proclaimed our friend.

A family hug followed and tears of joy from his mother who went right to work preparing his favorite meal and his father to the cellar to grab a fine whiskey for just such an occasion. His father knew, though, that this was the beginning of a new life for all of them and things would no longer be the same.

Later in the evening, in his room, after the initial exuberance, our friend now realized too that things would never be the same but was excited nonetheless and eager to continue his path on this new adventure.

Weeks passed and it was now time to prepare for the journey ahead. Packing his things with the help of his parents was difficult for all involved. Since his birth it has always been just the three of them. Now their time together was limited as our friend’s best friend from childhood would be by to pick him up the following morning.

On that fateful day, with packed bags at the door it was hard to hold back the emotions. After a quick breakfast hugs were shared but now it was time to go as the friend arrived in the driveway.

The mother cried tears of joy, but really tears of sadness watching her only son leave home. The father had to be strong in this situation, but he too felt deep sadness.

An hour long drive to the train station provided plenty of reminiscing and laughs among the two friends. And now it was time to say goodbye.

“Now the party starts. Make sure you don’t forget your friends and send an invite from time to time”.

“Haha, I just hope I even have free time and not totally overwhelmed with this course”. “Plus, I plan to come back whenever I can”.

And with that, the two friends parted ways.

On this chilly and dark August morning our friend is the only one on the platform as the train arrives. He loads his luggage into the cabin and keeps his backpack that contains a novel and a hearty lunch that his parents had made for him. Boarding the train he is filled once again with excitement about his adventure and anticipating what will surely be great challenges and achievements ahead.

After a five hour trip our friend has arrived at Helsinki University. A majestic, beautiful campus buzzing with students all in a frenzy. He is in the courtyard with the other first year students for orientation. Some looked nervous, others were already in groups. Some seemed to know each other already, probably locals.

After his own orientation with his new classmates our friend heads to the book store for a while then to the cafeteria where he has a late lunch and makes a call to his parents assuring them of his safe arrival. The final task for the day is to find his dorm and get settled. Now, the courtyard is far more quiet than when he first arrived. Not another person in sight. He could see the beauty in this tranquility. The cold blue sky with scattered clouds. The fresh crisp air and the tall trees with their leaves rustling in the wind.

As tranquil as it was outside, the student residence was complete chaos. Once again students were scurrying around in a frenzy and some were even outright panicking. Our friend was enjoying every minute of this experience. He found it quite exhilerating. Once he got to his room he met his roommate Tuomo who had already unpacked. He seemed like a cool guy for sure.

The very next day classes started and that first week was a serious reality check for our friend. The sheer work load and lack of time to complete it were causing him concern. As the weeks passed he was never falling behind but he also wasn't eating often and wasn't sleeping as much as he should. This was all starting to take a toll on him mentally and physically. Calls to his parents became less frequent.

Numerous times Tuomo had invited our friend out for drinks with some others in the residence. Never one for partying our friend would always politely decline. But more and more our friend was confining himself to his room, leaving only for class and to the cafeteria. Prefering the solitude of his room to the crowded library and just preferring to be alone.

After a few weeks he knew he had become more reserved than his usual self but he also knew he had a goal to reach. It would all be worth it in the end, right?

Weeks turned to months and our friend is still in the same cycle of poor nutrition and lack of sleep. He is starting to really miss home and feels very lonely despite being around all these people. The stress of his studies certainly aren't making things any better.

One evening Tuomo entered their room, threw his knapsack on his bed and announced "keg party tonight, it will be epic, there will be plenty of girls. Let's go!"

"I know, I heard. I'm just not feelin' it. You go man, have a blast".

"Oh I most definitely will but I want you to join us. It will do you some good".

"Thanks for the invite but I'll pass".

"Ok bro, no problem. Just know that people are starting to ask about you. You are getting a bit of a reputation as a loner".

"Thats fine. Enjoy your evening".

"Cheers" replied Tuomo as he head to take a shower. Soon after he was dressed in his party clothes and out the door.

Our friend stayed in his room that night to study and to try to sleep early. He was in bed just before midnight and feeling burned out.

This was not an ordinary night, however. Unbeknownst to him he was visited by someone. Or, shall we say, something.

On that fateful night he was visited by the demon of loneliness. A hovering, cloaked shadow figure had made it's way into our friend's psyche.

Ironically enough, the demon of loneliness is never alone for long. His friends soon arrive. His friends are anxiety, anger, ocd and depression.

As time passes agitation and bouts of panic are becoming more frequent. So too are outbursts at his peers. He now has thoughts constantly racing around in his head. Negative thoughts that cause more panic. Obsessive compulsive thoughts and actions are now being applied to counter the constant negativity in his mind. These ocd techniques only created a cycle and caused a heavier burden on his mind. He soon became a slave to these thoughts.

The demons use this internal negativity to sustain themselves. They were well fed inside their new host and were becoming stronger and more powerful and would soon require more energy.

Our friend now took to alcohol to calm his nerves. Everytime the intoxication wore off his symptoms only became more severe. And the demons grew stronger.

These demons were taking charge of his mind to the detriment of his grades and overall mental and physical health. Rarely did he leave his room and even started missing classes. His sleep was not sound. His diet now even worse than before