T is for Time

  Chapter Forty Three

  One of a billion droplets of water cascaded towards the ground, disheartened with the experience of falling. Since the beginning of its existence it had been told riding a waterfall was the ultimate. ‘You’ll never be the same again’, they’d said. Maybe it had been built up too much, but for him it was no better than riding a decently paced river, only with less control and more pushing and shoving. The droplet didn’t want to face the anti climax of the crash at the bottom and opted out of the whole affair.

  Fighting its way to the edge of the vertical rapid, the droplet allowed the passing air to take hold and pull it free. Momentarily floating, gravity quickly resumed control, reeling the splash towards the ground. As he fell, the droplet felt pleased he’d taken charge of his own destiny. He wasn’t a fool, following the crowd for an over hyped experience that was ultimately false. He was a renegade, a lone soldier in the wastelands of life. He was…..

  “My eye.” Brick recoiled from peering upwards.

  “What’s wrong with you now?” Spiritwind enquired as he tucked in to a serving of cheese and crackers.

  “A drop of water just went right in the centre of me eye.” He dabbed it with the back of his hand. The grimace was to let the world see his pain rather than any physiological response.

  “You seem surprised.” Spiritwind continued to be stunned by the sight before him. “And I suppose you have every right. Who’d expect a drop of water to fall in their eye when staring upwards at a waterfall not five feet away?”

  “I know. It’s ridiculous.” Brick missed the sarcasm once more.

  Zarg had led the duo in to the stairway that served as a fire escape. In Jefferian fashion it also housed a tubular waterfall around twelve feet in diameter. The walls offered the essence of cave, a cave far removed from the reality of creatures and dankness. The surroundings had been plucked directly from the kind used to sell shampoo. Shimmering rocks supported strategically placed vines, and plants held flowers that inspired romance. Leaves reached in to the vertical stream, diverting droplets with their playful resistance, while beams of sunlight skipped happily throughout, adding sheen without blinding. The trio had been heading steadily up the stairs that were carved in to the rocks. They had paused on a platform to appreciate their surroundings, when Brick had suffered his misfortune.

  “Is it much further?” Spiritwind asked out of curiosity rather than petulance.

  “Only a few more floors. From what I remember there’s an emergency exit in the fun room.”

  “Did you say fun room?” Brick’s eye irritation became nothing more than an irregular blink.

  “Yes. Everyone has a fun room don’t they?”

  “A room for fun? It’s not an inappropriately named room like the drawing room?” Brick had never been so serious about the topic of fun.

  “Shall I presume that people don’t draw in the dra…”

  “No never. The fun room though?” Brick’s blinking eye made his excitement appear closer to lunacy.

  “Oh the fun room lives up to all expectation. Come on.” Zarg led the way as Spiritwind brought up a question. The sunlight within a sealed corridor had sparked his curiosity.

  “Where does the light come from, because there aren’t any windows and I can’t see any bulbs anywhere?”

  “Particle lighting.” Zarg explained on the ascent. Brick dipped his hand in and out of the waterfall whilst listening. “Each molecule of air is fitted with an atomic sized torch. A mirror controlled by pulleys can be directed to reflect the light in any direction or intensity you wish.”

  Brick tried to focus on a single molecule. Zarg misinterpreted the squint. “Why are you pulling faces at me?” Zarg fancied a strop. His hormones suddenly realised they were nearing their goodbye. Unable to show the fact he would miss Brick’s stupidity it came out as a rebuke.

  “I wasn’t, I was….” The moment to explain had passed.

  “First you tie me to a chair and threaten to punch me, and now this.”

  “Now I explained that. It was all in the rules. You really should have dealt with this resentment by now.” Brick considered rubbing the top of Zarg’s head but was unsure of the etiquette concerning antennae and the touching of.

  “Honestly, I don’t know why I bother.” Zarg stormed up the stairs, mumbling to himself. Brick and Spiritwind shared a puzzled glance. After six flights the little alien had shifted back towards the more pleasant end of his erratic moods.

  “This is it. Through here.” Zarg opened a door in to another corridor and stepped through, checking for any passers by. Creeping along, he paused and waved at the wall. A panel slid open. Brick and Spiritwind could see Zarg waving them towards him. Only Brick responded with paranoia.

  “What if it’s a trap?”

  “You and your traps, come on.” Spiritwind stood without concern and strolled across to the little alien. Brick followed suit, only with more ducking and glancing. The corridor was still empty.

  Once they were all inside, Zarg closed the door. Brick and Spiritwind were paralysed with giddiness, awash with the delight of a child covered head to toe in chocolate. They stood motionless and grinning.

  A stadium sized room stretched out before them, the walls and floor made from inflated rubber, perfect for bouncing on or off. An Olympic sized swimming pool sat at the centre, filled with small plastic balls. Scattered across its entirety were a multitude of sponge and inflatable objects, some depicting oversized weapons, others caricatures of ferocious beasts, all promised enjoyment. A number of structures dotted the area, built from thick crash mats. Some were collapsible upon impact and suggested movement would take minimal effort, others were sturdy; all were perfect for jumping from and around. A stream of possibility rushed in to each hero’s mind as Zarg bounced effortlessly towards the far wall, ten feet at a time through technique alone.

  “Follow me.” The pair watched Zarg glide through the air. Both battled to stand, let alone skip. The alien reached the pool in a matter of seconds, flipping thirty feet upwards on arrival and performing a series of twists and spins so complex that describing them would sound like a lie. As Zarg hurtled towards the pool his body took on the quality of a well fired arrow, disappearing head first into the pool. A single ball bounced straight up in response to his entry.

  “Do you think that’s what we have to do to get out?” Brick panicked as his hands battled with stability.

  “If we do then we may as well get comfy, because we’re not going anywhere.” Spiritwind toyed with a few gentle bounces, the techniques of childhood slowly returning to his muscles. The resulting disruption was too much for Brick. He crashed to the floor and rebounded in to the wall. Looking up from his prone position, Brick saw Zarg bounce clear from the pool.

  “Come on.” Zarg encouraged the pair, continuing towards the far wall as Brick wrestled his body back to standing. Spiritwind had enough control to begin following the alien’s lead. The occasional error saw him bounce in unintended directions, but he had enough ability to feel confident of making it to the other side.

  “Come on Brick. You must have been on bouncy castles before.” Spiritwind offered verbal encouragement.

  “I have. Spent most of me time being bounced around by big kids. Don’t think I ever got to me feet for more than three bounces.” Brick slipped and fell again. “It’s alright. I’ve got a back up plan. I’ll see you there.”

  Spiritwind left his friend to his battle. His own childhood fluidity returned, increasing his bouncing stride with each passing moment. He couldn’t match the ten feet of Zarg, but slowly and surely he approached the wall. Zarg back flipped on the spot as he waited.

  As Spiritwind came within thirty feet of reaching his goal, a cry came from behind. The sound quickly turned in to Brick, bounding past in an accentuated running style. Unable to stop, he careered straight into the wall and bounced back fifteen feet. Spiritwind skipped past him.

  “Told you I’d work it out.” Brick clambere
d back up and attempted a more sedate walk over to Zarg. It quickly became a crawl.

  “Interesting technique.” Zarg commented as Brick arrived.

  “Cheers. It’s just something I invented.” Brick rubbed his nose in congratulation. Zarg stopped bouncing and walked to the wall with full stability. The little alien began searching with his fingertips. He paused at a specific point, reached in to the rubber covering and scrabbled around behind it. A click was followed by the appearance of a tear in the fabric, around three feet in diameter. Turning the circle, Zarg stepped back. The section of wall remained attached to his arm. He stumbled in battle with the weight as Brick and Spiritwind peered in to the darkness he’d revealed.

  “One emergency exit.” The door was clearly heavy.

  “We just jump down it do we?” Spiritwind clarified the procedure.

  “Pretty much.” Zarg huffed. The puff awaited its turn.

  “I guess we’ll leave you to it then.” Spiritwind turned to Brick to check he was ready to leave. Brick was wobbling uncontrollably, staring at the floor. The sound of the engines being fired up added a further rumble to the scene.

  “Even if there were any genuine sentiment to exchange we wouldn’t have time, so let’s just get on with things.” Zarg spoke, continuing to struggle. The door threw his balance somewhat askew. Brick and Spiritwind were relieved at any social formality being removed from their parting. Goodbyes were always awkward.

  “It’s been a pleasu…” Brick didn’t finish his sentence as he tripped and bounced down the hole.

  “Cheers again Zarg.” Spiritwind gave a thumb’s up and joined Brick.

  “Make sure you read the instructions.” Zarg shouted after the duo. It was advice that ideally should have been given before they entered the chute, but the weight of the door had distracted him. The little alien felt a pang in his chest. It suggested he would miss the pair in some odd way. Zarg burped and wrote the emotion off as wind before replacing the door to the secret exit.

  Brick slid head first at a worrying pace. The instructions he needed to heed passed above him. Gradually turning on to his back, the signs became easier to read. The last one was red and bold. Brick checked his subconscious to see if it had read it. It said, 'You Must Be Foetal At This Point'. The fact Brick had curled up suggested his subconscious had not only read the sign but implemented its advice. Before he had time to offer thanks his body was coated in a sticky film that inflated into a ball, leaving him spinning wildly inside.

  Inside the ball, Brick searched for his toes as something to focus on. Unable to find them he was convinced he’d lost his legs. The trauma was quickly diverted as an explosion of light filled the bubble, accompanied by several bumps and the introduction of flashing green and blue walls. Within seconds the bubble disintegrated, leaving Brick rolling across the grass of the basin outside the ship. Finally coming to a halt, he peered down to see his wiggling shoes. He gave himself a moment to recover and lay on his back, staring at the sky and thinking of cold floors and vomit. After a few moments, Spiritwind appeared above him with a choc ice.

  “How much fun was that?” No answer came as the ship they had left creaked in to action. The legs that supported it bent to lower the craft within an inch of the ground, before leaping into the air as gracefully as a ballerina. The cloaking device flickered on as the engine took control and powered the ship away into the sky. Brick’s head stopped spinning just in time to see a man running down the side of the hill towards them.

  “Did you see that? You must have seen it. Tell me you saw it. You must have you were right there. Did you see it?” The man oozed all the excitement of a hungry dog at meal times. The duo could only look at each other. “Tell me you saw it. Even if you’re lying….” The man continued.

  “What did we see?” Spiritwind took a sensible approach.

  “The spaceship that flew off, you saw it didn’t you? Didn’t you?”

  “Spaceship? That was my car.” Brick took the ridiculous route. “We’ve just been carjacked. Did you see which way they went?”

  “Erm….” The man didn’t know whether the joke was on him. He smiled nervously and pointed upwards in an effort to help. “That way.”

  “Right. We’d better go and get your car and follow them. Thanks for the assistance.” Brick pulled Spiritwind along as puzzlement parked itself across the man’s entirety.

  “What should I do?” He was prepared for any suggestion.

  “About what?” Brick turned back round.

  “The spaceship, I mean your car.”

  “Car?” Brick twisted the screw. “I can’t even drive why would I have a car?”

  “But you said…..I didn’t…..Who?......What’s going on again?” The man held his face in the hope it would help.

  “Are you feeling okay?”

  “I don’t know. Am I?”

  “We don’t know. We were just out collecting grass in our favourite basin when you came up and started asking lots of questions. Does this happen a lot?” Brick feigned concern.

  “Not that I know of.” Faces weren’t built to handle such confusion.

  “Maybe you should go to the doctors.” Brick offered a pat on the back. It usually helped on talk shows.

  “Maybe I should. Sorry to have bothered you.” The man started walking back up the hill, mumbling and shaking his head.

  “Don’t worry about it. You just get yourself seen to.” Brick waved over his shoulder as the duo walked off ahead.

  “I’m a bit peckish. Should we see if the baker’s open yet?” Spiritwind was pleased to have the affair behind him, and able to go home, with a few pastries of course.

  “Good idea. I wouldn’t mind a sausage roll actually.” Spiritwind reached in to his pocket and produced one for his friend. “A fresh one. At least fresh-ish.” The offer was retracted as they approached Puddleton’s bustling morning. For everyone else the day was only just beginning.

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