(GE Copy)

Chapter 22: The Slothful Guard (Part 2)

“...What one thinks of themselves and what they do, may also be false.”

“The spring, it’s full co-ed!” Aaron called out.

“Well, there goes my hopes and dreams...” Zack dismayed, “Everyone knows that means no one gets naked at all. You need privacy to start peeling. It’s probably filled with nothing but old men and rug rats pissing in the pond. Both of them.” Having a child run out, flinging his toy. It slipped from his hands, landing between Zack’s feet. The child butted his way in, trying to retrieve the wooden carving, nearly tripping Zack with his impertinence. “Wow,” Zack regarded as the kid finally made like a hoser and took off, “I sure haven’t used the word cr*tin in a while... What are you still giddy about?” Widening his eyes upon the feast that sprawled across the outdoor spa.

There were at least half a dozen woman soaked in their clothes. The tan dyed gravity weighed cloth clung to the skin as they moved. Even their dresses clung to their legs like it were nothing at all, and the two boys were invigorated. They reached into the bag and retrieved their new toy to... Um, wait, “It’s already open...” Aaron admit.

“Oh...” Sliding the size changer back into his bag. “Guess... Guess you’re right... Huh...” Zack remarked, “No real use in it, then... Oh yeah! Let’s get in there!”

Sliding out the front door on their asses, not even two minutes later, the two boys rubbed the backs of their heads. “You know,” Aaron retort, “I could have been the bad friend and left you there; pretended not to know you, and slipped in on my own, but no...”

“Like they couldn’t tell by our short sleeve cotton shirts and matching blue jeans,”

“So what was that brilliant idea of yours anyway?” Aaron squinted his eyes, “Using the light sizer to expand the crack in the change room?”

“How was I supposed to know the thing would pass through walls and freak everyone out on the other side?... It did work though, looked like I could fit my fist in the damned thing.”

“Nearly knocked us both out again with the radius... And after all that, I still couldn’t see the girl’s changing quarters... How many times do you suppose we could slip in past security before they finally figured out how we did it?” Aaron schemed.

“Probably a couple...” Zack relished, “She didn’t even notice the distortions when we walked past the front desk the first time. Could just walk in through the back as well... I’d like to give it a day or two until everyone forgets, rework the plan a little. It’ll still be there tomorrow. You ever think about those plastic tubs? Their clear, you can place them anywhere... Could snag a peek in or around just about anywhere, and behind just about any crack.”

“Could also get your head cut off in one, too... I like the way you think though...” Aaron commended, “Never took you for much of a fourth dimensional thinker and never gave you much credit for it, but... This idea of yours... Heck, this gadget too, worked out pretty well. Kinda wish I asked for one now.”

“Patch things up a little with the guy, you might be able to ask for one after all...” Zack enticed.

“I feel like that ship has sailed already, right off the plate, butter side down... Window cleaner in the fish bowl...”

“That’s the thing. Either admit your pride and work things out, or hold onto it and have to do everything from scratch; there isn’t really a middle of the road on that one... Besides, how many space geniuses owe you a second glance, let alone a cheap favour. You got two options, and they both require sucking it up and doing something unpleasant with no in between. It won’t fall into your lap for nothing.” Seeing the shale silence from Aaron’s end, “Aaron... We all need a little heart to heart some times, hard as it is to take. Sometimes we need hear it from someone else, coz... I don’t know, we just do. I can’t do anything if you won’t let me in, so all I can do is give you the best advice I got. You’re a passionate person, and it’s hard to see you loose that...”

“What, am I all of the sudden lame?” Aaron defended rapidly, “You’ve seen all the progress I’ve made, the places I’ve been, it’s all I think about. That’s not passion?”

“You can do all the things in the world, Aaron, and still look like you never enjoyed a single moment of it. There’s a difference between expressing joy and counting your solaces. I’ve seen you talk about the lines between specks on your ceiling with more life than you’ve boasted about your travels. Wasn’t there a joy in it all? A reason for something so insignificant to seemed breath taking?” Seeing a swift disconnection between him and Aaron. “If I start getting on your nerves, just let me know...”

“No...” Aaron admit, “You’re right. I’ve just been so heavy minded lately. Maybe you’re right about the cloud hanging over me too. I just feel... No, all I do is just talk about how unfair everything is, how it’s too much of a bother... It’s getting old, even to me. What do you think Zack? Here’s my pride laid bare: What if I can’t open myself up? What if I won’t allow myself to?... Even to me?”

“Sweet frick all, that’s what I think.” Zack admit. “I don’t know, and that’s the cold hard fact of it. I’m learning, at the same time you are... But we’re not learning together. Maybe we’ll never know. All I know, is that I wish I knew, and that someone got me out of my slump when I was down...”

“Yeah,” Aaron chuckled cynically, “Didn’t happen, did it?... All we get is life’s irony’s lately.”

“But you did... It was you that pulled me out of my comforts... Away from only hurting myself. Shit we’ve seen would have bottled me away, like what I saw in you when we started this whole thing...”

Aaron stopped, stunned, thinking about it, “I guess... I guess you did for me too, didn’t you. Originally.” Sighing guiltily, “Don’t know why everything's gotten so far out of hand all of the sudden, but; just another mystery of life I suppose. We still need to move forward, always feels like someone’s at my back. The further into these Infinates I go, the safer I’m gonna feel.” Walking on. Aaron turned his head to meet Zack, where their eyes could confirm, “If I don’t say it enough... Thank you Zack. It’s nice to hear it cold and hard some times. Might be the only thing that reaches me these days... If it’s all gonna suck, might as well rip the bandaid off while I got the nerve to do so.”

“My guy... When was I cold about it?” Catching up

Rocks tumbled under his feet, slipping upon the steep incline towards another hunch. Aaron looked behind him, piecing together his trail through the treetops. Another obstacle, another detour, until eventually making the resting level. The sharp edge smoothed into a spacious plateau. A line of bushes outcropped the overlook. They could spot the running glacial creek along the valley floor, below the quiet little town, and out along it’s steep rocky edges. They sat two thirds down from the mountaintop, sucking in the finest aged mountain air that money could never purchase and gazed upon the open fields. In the distance, across the creek on the rocky cliffside strode a herd of mountain goats making little of the landslide between them and their next grassy meal. Aaron tilted his head back, hanging it there and recuperated. “This is a nice peace...” He relieved with lax windpipes. “It always feels like it’s been forever since I’ve felt it...”

“Dude!” Zack exclaimed, looking really happy about it. “You can totally see into the hot spring from here! We need to come back with a telescope or something...”

“It’s already open... They’re all clothed, remember?”

“Oh...” Smacking his lips, “Still, nice view...”

“Ain’t it though?” Aaron relieved. “Forgot how nice it is. We’re always running away from something, hard to remember the freedom that comes with it. Over there, down the step where the creek falls into a pool and whirls around: There are two people mucking about. It’s cold, and they got a hot spring just up from them... I’d call them crazy, but they’re actually enjoying it. You can hear it in their voice, even all the way up here. Don’t see any other reason to be out there.”

“It’s passion, ain’t it?”

“It is, isn’t it?...” Sitting himself up straight. “I always made due with what I wasn’t able to do yet. Made things to dream about tomorrow. Playing in mud puddles wishing I were old enough to go down to the beach on my own. Toy trucks and go carts. They have the choice, unlike I did... And they chose the cold running water of a glacial stream. I envy that desire. If it’s not entertaining, I don’t do it... We lost that, didn’t we? That, right there, as a society. If they had a TV, they’d be watching the same shit Dad and Felicity are watching right now. No one says, ‘Oh wow! You’re watching TV? That’s so cool!’ and here we are admiring two happy fools. I am anyway,”

“I am too... Just, trying to determine the A.S.L. on the two splashing around in there. Might head down, work my old ‘look at me, I’m crazy’ pickup line. You think they’d fall for me if I had a heavy accent?”

“I think one of them’s a dude, kinda looks like a dad, but it might just be long hair instead of a beard I see...” Squinting rather heavily as the breeze caused his eyes to wet and blur. “Say, now who’s the sentimental one?” Turning to Zack.

“You’re a dude... Of course I’m sentimental, wouldn’t let a chick see me weak like that... Not til I’m in collage anyway.”

“I think I finally understand why you’re single...”

“Nah, I said ‘until I’m in collage’... Then they like it... You know, IF I do go. Girls our age are all plastic, falling for plastic guys with plastic cheesy pickup lines that they don’t like but think it’s cool so they pretend to give a shit. They laugh at passion, like it’s something to be grossed out by, even if they secretly want it... Same with guys that just want a one night stand...” Turning to Aaron with a smug look on his face, “Like me...” curdling his cheeks rather sour by the instant. “Aaron... Aaron, mind coming over here? Like this instant, real calm like, and don’t raise your voice?”

Instinctively looking towards the oncoming threat instead of Zack, Aaron’s eyes widened, sliding back on the ground. Zack pulled Aaron aside, away from the bush he was backing into, and they moved in behind the cover. With fattened paws, and a tall shallow skull, Aaron was getting tired of the many variation of predator that loomed the hillsides. With it’s distinct skinny braided rope like tail, and a furrowing mane, it should seem more docile; at least, it would when it didn’t smile with a massive row of sharpened cuspids along it’s two-foot muzzle. Sorry Europe, you can convert that to meters on your own. The creature seemed to have caught sight of them, and paced around the hill’s edge. It snuffed, and huffed, and seemed to separate itself all aloof, while deceptively following the circumference of their distance and slowly closing the circle tighter. Even the faint black and white of it’s greyish patchy coat was becoming distinguishable from behind their leafy cover.

Zack withdrew his device, activating it to shrink them out of sight as they peeked over the bush unseen. The prowling canine seemed confused, wiggling it’s elongated muzzle. It seemed to have a fix on them, following back to it’s source. The boys slid out of sight, but the ears of the tracker ditched the scented trail and followed opposite around the bush as it met with the two tiny figures. It wet it’s lips at the tiny tray sized morsels. Desperately, Zack flicked the size dial, standing tall above it, intimidating the creature with their massive size, threatening to kick it like a football or an unwanted pest. Being poor unlucky Zack, somehow it only became more aroused at the larger fulfilling meal. “What, is this thing not working?” Zack complained, making scary gestures that just made the beast more intrigued. “I’m big, Ooooo, I’m scary, Ooooo! I said I’m scary dammit! This is not how it works, you’re supposed to be scared! NOW RUN! I SAID RUN DAMMIT! Stop sniffing us you piece of shit, and bloody RUN!”

As the beast came nearer with it’s eyes drawn up, Zack slowly altered the radius around them, hoping to gain a few more inches away from death finding them but something peculiar happened when he did. It’s muscles spazzed out, flicking violently until it fell unconscious, and coughed up nothing but vile air and a foam fell out from it’s mouth. Aaron stood disturbed, “He looks worse than I did walking into that the last time.”

“I guess that’s what happens when it keeps moving with him. Saw his eyes oscillating like a pinball... Now that’s a force to be reckoned with... It’s... It’s FREAKING BEAUTIFUL!” Zack celebrated, “It’s practical, stealthy, pervy, AND A DEADLY WEAPON!” Kicking the vulnerable sleeping creature, until it suddenly awoke. “SHIT!” Setting the dial back as to confuse the staggering beast, but mixed up what dial did what and shrunk them instead, with Zack still frantically fidgeting blindly with the knobs. Slowly it waddled with a dazed panting and it’s head hung low towards their feet, where two tiny images stood, slowly getting bigger as it weaved beyond the barrier. It lifted it’s dizzy disoriented head, seeing a large fist emerge from the air above it, and rattled it firmly on the skull. “Aaand, stay down!” Zack cowered, walking gingerly around the body. “Everything in moderation, no gloating in excess... Just like my grandpa used to tell us after a wiping us at game of cribbage...”

Aaron exasperated, with wide fixed eyes, to pity what he just witnessed. “I can only imagine the shit it must have seen in that brief second or two... You definitely got the better of the two devices there, for sure...”

“So, we putting down that portal here like you wanted, or?...” Zack uttered, hopping around antsy, like he had just flicked a spider from his palm.

“Yeah, no, we’ll find some place else...” Aaron reflected, quaintly strolling down the impossibly steep slope, slipping out of his impatience to leave this place.

After a while, Aaron pushed through the leafs and vegetation, stumbling upon a hidden glade by the river side. The peaceful stream had merged many times into a roaring river, and the running water linked up at a bend. Their light was growing dim, and Aaron fixed himself on the spot before dusk turned to dark. Zack admired the fruits of their many hours of hiking, and sat to see the two rivers meet from his rocky shore. It was a lot better than the grassy escape behind a mosquito haven, and ten times more secure than the glade that neighboured the angry farm dog. They had inspected both mire and thorn patch, until finally arriving at a quaint little nook both quiet and quell. They were also just plainly tired of walking at this point.

“Hey...” Zack huffed, taking a well deserved rest, “If there are a bunch of ravenous blood thirsty bats or something living here, I don’t really care, as long as we hop out before they show up...”

“Still depressed about the device not working as intended on anything other than humans?”

“It puts a damper on things, yeah, but I’m chopping that one up to cockiness and bad sportsmanship. Was kinda hoping it would be universal though, but I still like it, even if I ain’t got a smell neutralizer to go with it. Thing is, even now, I’m still not in a full adventure, kit ready, kind of position, but it was fun. Guess you’re not either... I appreciated this trip. Gotta learn how to do that thing with the sight distortion again... So this has been life for you lately, huh? Walk, set up portal, walk, collect crystals, rinse repeat?”

“Pretty much...” Aaron admit, digging his tub into the ground under some driftwood, “Felicity’s tired of it all, apparently. That or it’s just a T.V. phase and he sucks at being subtle... Say, mind flashing a light around here? I need a good idea of what’s in the area if I plan on connecting back here afterwords...”

Zack withdrew his hip mounted light, wiping the dirt from it’s lens and gave a good scan of the area. In the darkness shone something back to them, notably many somethings. Aaron and Zack froze, regretting their once again easy red flag statement. It flickered ever slightly, and reflected onto the trees. As Aaron lowered himself to activate the emergency portal, he noticed something upon the driftwood he used to cover his container. It shone beside him too, and his transfixed eyes returned him to his feet. “Pass the torch here...” Aaron requested. Dawning it to the source, he investigated it, finding no animate source but many ground laden reflections. The tall figure standing crooked shined back with a twisted wooden arm, until fully illuminated as a fallen log. At their feet, within the dead fall was a shining yellow gemstone, like those beyond the bushes. Zack retrieved the second flashlight out of Aaron’s backpack, and they investigated the dim forest line.

Sure enough, in each fallen punky rotten wood spawned a hive coating of yellow gemstone. It fell apart as they touched it, despite it’s strong hexagonal crosshatching and seemed affected by itself. Aaron withdrew a small container to scrape the pieces into, finding his scraping knife to succumb to the same underlying fault as the rotten wood that the gemstones grew on. When he inspected it further, it seemed that it wasn’t actually deteriorating, but his metal knife seemed to be warping, and bending under pressure. The glass he stored it in seemed strong, but even that began to droop, and everything that touched it became rubberized. Aaron considered the risks of containing it, and filled his sagging jar only to leave it overnight and study what would become of the glass once the gems were finished with it. Wiping his hands, Aaron gave them a rinse and studied if anything had become of his bones. It was dangerous, but the aura that emanated appeared as benign. Surely, these strange gemstones would become a fascinating phenomenon. Looking down where Aaron was crouched, Zack joked,“Were all just looking for someone like our Mother, eh?” Taking the silent confused response to reword things, “Her name’s Crystal?... Eh? Eh?... No?... Not funny?... Okay...”

As they left through the portal, Aaron stared at the melting jar, wondering what weird melding he would find the next day, or even how he’d extract his lost glass container. He received a tug from the other side, and Aaron withdrew himself from the settling pond before it’s resistance captured him between space. He lit the portal once more for home, and waved Zack off from his room.

Sure enough the T.V. marathon continued somewhere around season three, or four, and would go well into the night. Still sitting there, laughing, even if a bit more cloyed and apathetic, Paul and Felicity continued as he left them. They sat with the TV dinner trays parked with empty plates, and soda empty cans. Aaron could hear them as he sat on the porcelain throne, and left the Bathroom in time to catch his Father pull a second can from the fridge. “You’re over twenty, yea?” Not to Aaron, of course, “It’s nineteen here in B.C., but who’s counting.” Placing the other in Felicity’s hand. “Gonna have to see some I.D. though...”

“I.D.?” Felicity questioned hesitantly, as Paul laughed, teasing. Cracking it’s seal, Felicity gave a concerned sniff, then tasted it, before spitting it out. “OH! That’s disgusting! What do you people do, ferment this shit?”

Paul laughed. “I said the same exact thing, when I tasted my first beer. Granny paddled my ass for an afternoon, since then I didn’t swear around her.”

“Sorry...”

“It’s fine...” Paul assured, taking the unopened can back to the fridge, while sipping the unwanted one. “Oh, you’re home...” Dryly welcoming his son upon the dark unlit kitchen

Returning in the same cold fashion, Aaron replied equally, “I figured you wouldn’t be sitting down with Felicity all that much after last night, especially on your last day off work...”

Guiltily veering his eyes, Paul admit, “I can’t blame a kid of being stupid, just as I can’t blame a teenager for acting up. Their not my kid, so I can’t put them over my knee. Best I can do is get to know them, and give you some pointers when I see something I recognize. Was hoping to get to understand the girl the best way I know how but I’m not pulling out the old bourbon unless it’s Thanksgiving. You however, I’m scared to ground, because you’ll probably just ignore it like I did back then. Funny thing about getting independence, it sure makes a wall between us and the people trying to steer us away from a cliff... So, what do you think is an apt punishment? Been gone all day, again... No more allowance? See what a real job is like? I know you can feed yourself, so cutting off your dinner plate won’t do nothing but make you feel unloved –Not that you’re ever around for it anyway. I’d like to get to sit down with you, talk, like two mature adults and straighten things out, that’d do the best job than punishing you... but you’re never around, always buggering off every time I see you, turning away when you are here. It’s Saturday, kinda wished I could spend some time around the tube with you, like the old days... So? What is it? What do you think will put some sense back into you? Because I can’t reach you, and the rest sure ain’t doing nothing so far.”

Pulling away, Aaron uttered some words that put his father at bay and walked into the garage with his gem collections to assure their safety. As always, they were still hidden, and he felt ashamed to have to constantly be checking it. “I don’t know why I keep figuring things’ll be fine when I return...” Soon, very soon, he wouldn’t have to return to such a reticent holding. No disappointment, no being tracked by his enemy, no guilty reminder of his dependence; soon, fully free and abroad.

Aaron offloaded his excess tools, finding his rubberized knife. Something was odd about it, still bent, appearing to still have the same lumpy texture as if it were melted; however, just as his scraping tool had deformed, it had hardened up again into a strong and deceptively warped blade that refused to fold back into it’s slot. The smooth texture of it’s sides gave the illusion of it’s wobbly consistency, but still hard, it entertained him as Aaron ran his thumb beside it for an hour until packing it in.

Aaron laid restless. Even in his bed, as he head laid plump in his pillow and his eyes drifted into the back of his head, Aaron realized that he still could not rest. His eyes closed, his lungs opened, but something refused to turn off all night as he slept. He woke up the next day just as he went to bed the night before. His dry morning mouth was exhausted, but it felt as though he simply awoke as he was, prepared with energy for the day... Yet never rested.