Resolutions

I like eating ice cream in the winter. There are no lines and no blazing sun melting my frozen treat. Only problem is with less customers that means there are also less options. Supply and demand I guess. That's alright though. I'm going with a classic, Strawberry. I didn't always like Strawberry, but it grew on me. With each lick I can feel myself escaping, or at least attempting to. "Any ideas?" Olivia asks, breaking the silence. I look at her perplexed. "It's New Years Eve. Surely you must have some resolutions." She continues. I shake my head no. "I don't buy that." She says. "I don't want to be so angry." I tell her. "You're angry?" She asks. I nod. "You don't seem mad." She says. "I hide it well I guess." "What are you angry about?" She asks. "Mostly myself for letting the wrong people get in my head. Telling me what I can and can't do. And I'm angry at myself for not having the courage to make positive changes." I finish talking. My heart is racing. It feels as if I could burst into flames at any moment. Olivia puts her hand on my face. "That's who you were. It doesn't have to be who you are." I turn away slightly and bite my lip. "Hey, you want to be less angry? That's good. That's a good starting point, but how are you gonna do it?" She asks. "I don't know. The idea of letting things go is easier said then done." "That it is, but I think that rather than focusing on who you are, you think about who you want to be." She explains. " I know I want to have the courage to live the life that I want to live." I tell her. Olivia smiles. "Then think about that and what it means to you, and one more thing... enjoy today."

No Evidence

The SWAT team stayed longer than expected. It was ridiculous, I didn't think it was necessary bringing in a full force to begin with. That's me though. Night fell, that's when the cops decided to call it a day. That's when Olivia and I searched for clues. We're normally good at this sort of thing. However, this time we could not find a shred of evidence. Even the scattered garbage held no clues. Just fast food bags. I hold up my yellow shield. " If it wasn't for this, I would have doubted this whole experience happened." "I'm not sure if that is even prof anymore." Olivia says. "I see no need to go back to the hospital." I tell her. Olivia nods in agreement. "Nope, I don't think there would be much if anything for us to do there." "What do you want to do?" I ask. " Let's go on a vacation." I half smile. "My life is a vacation." "What is that supposed to mean?" She asks. "It's nothing." I say, trying to brush it off. "It's obviously something." I see the remnant of sugar cone on the ground. "Hey, let's get ice cream." I announce, trying to change the subject. Olivia grins and shakes her head. "Ok, but you're not getting out of this that easily." "Getting out of what?" I ask. Olivia walks in front of me. "We'll get ice cream. Just remember though. New Years is coming up, and it is a very magical time."

The Disappearing Factory

Here we are, across the street from the factory. Or at least where it was. Where it used to be not too long ago. A swat team toils away in search of any clue of what might have been. All that remains is a vacant parking lot with grass growing between the cracks. Jay is behind this somehow. I have no doubt in my mind. I have no idea how he did it, but it is the only explanation I can think of. I wonder if the factory imploded like the haunted house at the end of Poltergeist. That would have been a spectacle to watch. Not that seeing a dozen trained SWAT members scratch their heads isn't amusing. Still I can't help but feel bad for the officer at the hospital. Despite all he has been through, and his weird medical condition, no one will believe him anymore. Not with out any evidence. Most likely his illness with be written off as "something weird that happens." Or it will be explained away tirelessly. The doctor's know they have little, if anything to cling to with this case. The one piece of "logical" evidence that they find, they will use, and that will be that. It is a dirty trick Jay played, but he's gotta cover his tracks somehow.

Down the Street

The bus dropped us off about a block away from the factory. Apparently that's as far as it could take us. It's strange. Very strange. Usually one would want the workers to get to and from work quickly and easily. But I guess when you think about it they aren't really human anymore so they would probably want to keep this factory as secret as possible. We've been told the factory is only a few blocks away. A few city blocks. As we walk we see less and less green grass and more more mud and garbage. Usually, but not always, a sign of a rougher neighborhood. I am not afraid though. "Must really want to keep this place secret." I tell Olivia. "What do you mean?" "Well, there's no bus stop to the factory." "That doesn't mean they're trying to be secretive." "Oh no?" I say, confused. "No, they're most likely just cheap. I mean they use robotic workers who they don't have to pay." Olivia explains. I nod in agreement. "We did see them marching out in broad daylight. But I don't get it, if we saw them that means that someone else must have at some point." I say. " Who knows? Maybe someone is being payed off?" Olivia suggests. "But I thought they were cheap." Olivia sighs. "I don't know." She looks ahead. "Shall we?" She says, knowing we still have a hike. I look down at the sample. "Could you make a bubble?" I ask. "Sure, I guess." Olivia cuffs her hands together, and slowly a pink bubble emerges from her palms. "Like this?" She asks. "Bigger. As big as my body." I proclaim. Olivia concentrates and makes the bubble expand. It takes some time, but eventually it is the size of my body. I remove the sample lid and toss the substance onto the pink bubble. Immediately Olivia darts out of the way and throws down her shield, but not before a good amount of the substance spreads over it. "What the hell are you doing?!" She shouts as I glance at the now semi hardened object. Its shape remsembles a saucer with a slight curve. The center is still wet. I take a stick off the ground and poke the center of the saucer. The substance attaches itself to the stick. I quickly pull my hand away before it attacks me. Before I know it, the substance hardens creating a handle. "Did you make a shield?" Olivia asks. I grab the handle and hold the shield in front of me. It is bright yellow and round. "How did you think to do that?" She wonders. I smile. "The substance takes on whatever form it attaches itself to. We just have to use it to our advantage."

Bus Ride

We sit in the back of a city bus. No one bat's any eye at the sight of us in our costumes, holding a sample of God only knows what. I suppose they have all seen stranger things on public transportation. That or everyone is too preoccupied with their own inner dialogues. Not necessarily even any dramas per se, but rather a list of things they have to do for the day. You go to most grocery stores and you can see this. The overly focused, zoned out look on people's faces. You can almost hear them say "Soup, soup, I gotta get soup." Sometimes I think it is amusing. Sometimes I think it is sad. The one's who are so bad, so caught up with their "To do" list, you don't see them make eye contact,let alone say "Hello" to strangers. I'm not talking about a full conversation, but just saying "Hello." Sometimes that's everything. Perhaps I look too into this. At any rate we are on the bus on our way to the factory. Hopefully we can can get a hold of the rest of that stuff before the cops. What we'll do with it once we have it in our possession is another question. We're not really sure of a safe place to put it. It's not exactly like we can dump it down the drain either. Most likely it would create some sort of environmental disaster. We'll figure it out though.

For Employees Only

"May I help you?" She asks again. This time sounding more stern than the last. I think for a moment and answer in the only way that I know. "No." I say, defiantly. The doctor sighs. "What are you doing down here? What are you holding?" I look down and glance at the sample. "Urine" I say, without hesitating. The doctor winces, but believes me. "Who is your doctor? Who sent you here?" She asks. "Dr. Benson." I tell her. "Dr. Besnon told you to go down to the basement by yourself and produce a urine sample?" "Not exactly." "Then why are you here by yourself?" "He's not by himself. I'm here." Olivia chimes in. The doctor shoots her a nasty look. "This is a restricted area. Unless you are accompanied by someone such as myself, you can not be here." "We're sorry, it's just he can't go in public places. " Olivia explains. "Really?" "Yeah, he has to be secluded in order to go." I am slightly embarrassed, but the lie is getting us out of trouble. I see the doctor's face becoming less and less red. "My cousin used to be like that, but why are you wearing gloves?" She asks. I furrow my brow. "Because I'm holding urine." The doctor smiles. "Fair enough." She walks past us with the boy and his mother. "But you might want to drink more water." She adds. "What?" I ask, confused. "Urine isn't supposed to be that bright. You need to drink more water." I take the advice and we head to the elevator. Now to get the hell out of here.

Candyland

The elevator doors open to a brightly lit lab. So bright that I can not detect my shadow. I guess it is so they can take blood easier, but damn. There are no doctors or technicians in sight. A little odd, but it will make our job slightly easier. We rummage through the drawers. Nothing to be found. Just tubes of blood and medical equipment. "Remind me to sanitize my hands." Olivia says, cringing. "I think you'll be fine." "I don't care. I'm still getting sanitizer." I smile and open a drawer. There on top of the shelf, I see a yellow substance in a petri dish. " Ah ha!" I shout. Olivia walks over to me and stares up at it. "Somehow, I thought it would be more of a challenge to find it." She says. "Eh, I'm not complaining." "Oh no, me either. It's just kind of weird." She assures me. " I know. Guess they didn't expect us to steal it." Olivia chuckles. I grab a chair and stand on it. I can see the label and it reads SAMPLE XK1. "What do you think XK1 means?" I ask. "Who knows? They probably just had to name it something." "So they chose letters and numbers?" "Let's face it, not everyone would name it WEIRDASS THING like we would." She shouts out. I reach for the sample. Olivia stops me. "Wait!" I turn around. "I don't think we should touch it with our hands." She warns. Olivia opens a drawer and finds a box of latex gloves. She hands me a pair and I slip them on. "One more thing." She tells me. "What is it?" I ask. "Hold it away from you." I carefully grab the sample and step off the chair. I walk slowly to the elevator. "This is gonna take forever." I say. "That's ok. We just have to get out of the hospital and then we can figure out how to get rid of it." We walk to the elevator. Right as we're about to hit the up button the doors slide open. We are greeted by a shorter doctor with a lab coat. She is with a ten year old boy and his mother. "May I help you?" She asks in her most intimidating tone.

Elevator to the Lab

Luckily for us, the lab was clearly labeled on the hospital elevator. It's all the way in the basement, and the elevator is slower than molasses. That's ok though. It'll give me some time to mentally prepare. "Are you feeling better?" Or answer questions about my well being. I turn to Olivia and nod. "Are you?" She asks again. She sees right through me. I think for a moment and then respond. "When you were a kid, did you ever have hopes, dreams, and wishes?" "Of course I did." She replies. "I did to, but I can't seem to remember them lately." Olivia laughs to herself. "I'm sorry, but why would it matter if you wanted to fly or become Superman?" She asks. "No, I mean the more realistic, tangible ones." I explain. "Oh, those ones." "Yeah, and I know shit happens. Life throws you curve balls." "But?" She says, trying to pull the words out of my mouth. "But, it would be nice if I could remember some of that. Keep that excitement alive." "You don't feel excited?" She asks, worriedly. "Not like that." Olivia wraps her arms around me and gives me a hug. "Maybe you need a vacation." She suggests. "Yeah, away from myself." I quip. The elevator doors open. Olivia presses the close button. "We are making a difference in the world." She tells me. "You think so?" Olivia nods. "Maybe not on a large scale, but we are." I smile slightly. " That feels nice to hear." "Yeah?" She asks. "Yeah." The elevator doors open. "Here we are." Olivia says. I take a deep breath. "Just one foot in front of the other." She assures me. I nod and prepare. "Think of this as us breaking in to Candyland. Think of it as fulfilling a childhood fantasy." She continues. I stand up straight and get ready for the journey into Candyland.

Pep Talk

Olivia clenches her teeth and prepares for the next epic adventure. I, however, stand listless. Less than enthusiastic, less than caring, less than anything right now. Her back is turned to me, but she knows without knowing my lack of optimism. She turns to me. "What's the problem?" "What's the point?" I say, answering her question with a question. "Maybe I put the pieces together wrong, but don't you think we should get to the factory before the thing falls into the wrong hands?" She explains. "Who's to say we are the right hands?" Olivia taps her foot impatiently. "What do you suggest we do?" She asks. I shrug. "I don't know." "I think we should go to the factory and take it ourselves." I sigh. "Yeah, that sounds good." I say, still less than enthusiastic. "What? What is your problem?" She questions. I shrug again. " Just feel blue today I guess." Olivia grabs me by the shoulders and shakes me. "Snap out of it." I take a deep breath and nod. Olivia looks me deep in the eyes. " I don't know what goes on in your inner world sometimes. I don't know why you feel so defeated out of no where, but you have to pull yourself together. Find a little bit of hope and hold onto it because that is the most precious, empowering thing." Olivia finishes her speech and smiles slightly. Her smile is disarming, and I feel warmer. "Ok?" She asks gingerly. I nod in agreement. "Ok." I say. She turns around and we start walking down the brightly lit hospital hallway. "I do have one suggestion though." I explain. "What is that?" She asks. "I think first we should break into the lab and take the sample that they have."

Lab Results

The doctor greets us as Dr. Benson and shakes our hands. His handshake shows confidence, but his face reveals confusion. Olivia offers her chair to Dr. Benson. He smiles and sits down. " Now, before I begin, is it alright that I read this information with our visitors present?" "It's not embarrassing? Is it?" The officer asks. "No, but it is puzzling." "What is it?" Dr. Benson takes a deep breath. "First of all, we're not sure how to identify the substance we took from you." "You're acting like it's an alien." I interrupt. Dr. Benson smirks. "You might not be far off." The officer sits up slightly. "What the hell is it?" "We don't know. It certainly is not like anything that I have come across." He states. "What makes it unique?" Olivia asks. "At first we thought it was some sort of virus, but there is no complex organism. At least none that we could identify with a microscope." "But you have super microscopes that can see atoms." The officer jumps in. Dr. Benson nods in agreement. "Which brings me to my next point. Under surveillance of our "super microscope" we realized that this substance functions entirely as one complete unit." "Does that ever happen?" Olivia asks. "Not like this. We couldn't even identify its properties on the periodic table." He says. Olivia and I gasp. The officer stares blankly. "That's great, but what does it mean for me?" He asks. "Once the subject was removed from your body, you began to heal. I have no doubt in my mind that you will be fine." Dr. Benson assures him. "How can you be sure? You said you didn't know what it was." The officer asks with fire in his eyes. "If it would ease your mind we could run more tests but -" "Do it!" The officer shouts, cutting him off. "The only problem is we have just a small amount. I really would like to get more of this to run a thorough test." Dr. Benson says. "I know where I found it. I'll make some calls and issue a warrant." "What are you doing?" I ask the officer. "I'm finding out what's wrong with me." The officer explains. "You're fine. You're not sick anymore." I try to tell him. "We don't know that for sure." He insists. "Plus, I would like to know more about it." Dr. Benson adds. "I don't know if that's a good idea." Olivia pleads. "This isn't a Sci Fi movie. Everything will be fine." Dr. Benson says, brushing off our concerns. The officer shits and sits up all the way. "And we're gonna do it. Get me the phone."

The Officer Rests

In a way I'm jealous of the officer. His room is spacious and far away from the operating rooms. He can sleep as long as he wants, and he can refuse guests. I wouldn't trade places with him, but I have not known quiet like that. I have not known peace like that. Not in a long time. There is a galaxy full of worries and fears that attach themselves to me. Most of which are not mine. In that case it is hard for me to decipher the real me among the sea of sadness and despair in my periphery. That's enough lamenting for one day. We're in the officer's room, sitting by his bed. I'm surprised they let us stay. Usually, it's only friends or family allowed in. I'm not sure if we would qualify for either category. The officer slowly opens his eyes. "Good morning." Olivia says. The officer rubs his eyes. "Guess I was wrong about you guys." Olivia smiles. "A lot of people are." "I take it you're the good guys then?" He asks. "That's the thing, you'll notice that there isn't a clear line between good and bad and -" Olivia jabs me with her elbow before I can finish. " Yes, we're the good guys." She says, finishing my thought. "Alright, so what exactly are you then?" Olivia and I glance at each other. "Well, we don't want to hurt anybody." She continues. "Yeah, and say if there were a war to break out, we'd probably just want to stay at home and eat Cheetos." I add. The officer squints in confusion. "So, you're like cosmic slackers?" Olivia sighs. "That sounds harsh, but it's probably the closets label we've gotten so far." The door swings open and a small doctor holding a clip board enters. He smiles slightly upon seeing us all. "Oh good, you're all here. I have the lab results"

After the Operation

While the substance was being analyzed at the lab, we noticed that the officer's body was going back to normal where the hole was made. The doctors saw that as a sign to continue their endeavors. Little by little they made tiny cuts here and there with the laser. He looked like a balloon being deflated. When it was all over with, he appeared as he had before the incident. He was back to his regular size and complexion. His body went through a tremendous deal of trauma though. As a result he is currently resting and has been for the past few hours. Despite that, everything else seems to be fine. The officer looks to be in top shape. Right now the doctors are just writing off this event as "Something weird that happens sometimes."

The Officer's Condition

The officer's strange condition seemed to baffle everybody. Neither the Doctors nor the nurses had ever seen such a sight. No one knew what to do. That is until one young med student thought to make a small insert into the body. See if we could fit a camera in there, poke around a bit and figure out the problem. Initially, the project was a bust. As soon as the surgical tools would meet his metallic skin the blades would curl and bend. It was at that point that we decided to use a laser. The laser pierced the skin, creating a small hole. Then the yellow liquid flowed out of the opening. One of the doctor's carefully put the liquid into a pitri dish. It is currently on it's way to the lab. After that, hopefully we'll know what exactly this thing is and how to deal with it.

Continuing the Process

We've been staring at the cop for so long that my eyes begin to water. Jay notices me wiping my eyes and makes a sny remark. "Don't cry. He was just a cop." " This was all your doing." I inform him. " I know." He says, simply. "And I don't care." Jay steps closer to us. " If it wasn't him, it would have been you." "I have a sneaking suspicion that the pink hearts finally wore off." I tell Olivia. " Good thing I know exactly what to do." Olivia throws out her hands and blasts a pink bubble at Jay that quickly surrounds him. The officer moves his head to the side like a confused puppy. It's subtle, but I notice right away. " I know exactly what we have to do. Hold up the bubble." I shout to Olivia. While Olivia concentrates on maintaining the bubble, I make as much noise as I can. I stomp my feet, slam drawers and doors, and bang on the tables with my fist. Eventually the excessive noise pays off. The officer gnashes his teeth. The innocent puppy has now grown into a wild dog. With clenched fists, the officer inches closer to me. " Looks like your plan backfired." Jays says, mocking me. "Or has it?" I reply, picking up the mason jar of the yellow substance. I hold up the jar. The officer stops dead in his tracks. "That doesn't mean anything to him." Jay tells me. " Yes it does. Come on, the man over there used this on you." I say while pointing to Jay. The officer looks at Jay then back to the mason jar. It is almost like you could see the cartoon light bulb above his head. The officer squints his eyes and walks to Jay. Olivia throws down the bubble and steps out of the way. The officer grabs Jay by the shirt and holds him in the air. " I think our work here is down." Olivia says while watching Jay struggle to escape. We begin to leave when all the sudden we hear the officer yell and fall to the floor. " What the hell happened?" I ask. "Beats me." Jay responds, and like a worm he starts to escape. Olivia holds our her arm. "Where do you think you're going?" "Listen, I'm not sure whats wrong with him, but he needs medical attention." "But you're not going anywhere." Olivia warns. "Yes I am. And you could try and stop me but I think your conscience wants you to help that man." " We could split up. I can make sure you don't escape." Olivia explains. " You could do that, but I don't think you two operate like that." I interrupt the conversation. " Just let him go, I have a feeling we'll run into him again."

Bringing Him Back

Nothing is working. Nothing I show the officer is registering. Is all hope lost? I'm certainly staring to believe that. "You're not going to get through to him." Jay says to us behind a protective pink bubble. The pink hearts have not worn off on him. However, we can not be too cautious ,so Olivia is currently using all her energy to imprison him. "What makes you so sure we can't bring him back?" I ask. Jay shrugs. " I just know." I ignore him and continue. His skepticism only pushes me further in my efforts of bringing the officer back. I hold up the Map of Main. The officer stares blankly with his unblinking eyes. "Come on! This is the state you live in." I shout to him. I point to a few circled areas on the map. "You did this. It has to mean something." "You're going about it all wrong." Jay chimes in. I pay no attention to his two cents. I pick up an old receipt and place it in front of the officer's face. "You bought a burger and fries two days ago." "You really expect him to remember mundane things?" I finally turn to Jay. "What is your big plan?" I ask. "Well, if I were you I wouldn't waste my time with trivial things that are easily forgettable." "We know how you feel." Olivia quips. Jay rolls his eyes. "You two are quite out of the ordinary. I don't think you realize that." "Maybe we are, but how does that help us?" I ask. Jay laughs. "You still don't get it. Just the sight of you two could bring back memories if you concentrate hard enough." "The only thing is, the last thing he probably remembers is arresting us right after and unpleasant encounter." Olivia explains. Jay's eyes light up. "Even better. If you can link that memory to an emotion then you have a greater chance of bringing him back." "But what will happen to us?" Olivia asks. " I don't know." Olivia and I look at each other. "You don't have to do this." Jay says. "Yeah, but we probably should." I say. Olivia weakens the pink bubble and shifts her focus to the officer. We gaze at the golden cop and begin our process of bringing him back once more.

Searching for Memories

He left his car door unlocked. Can you believe that? In this day and age, a police officer leaving his car doors unlocked? It's insane. He must be the most naive man. I have to admit though, I am glad he is absent minded when it comes to matters of automobile security. It makes my job a hell of a lot easier. No breaking glass or anything like that. Just use the handle. I open the door and search for anything that could jot his memory of his former life. The very first thing I see : a pack of Doublemint gum. I snatch it right away. It could have been the last thing he bought before he came for us. This pack of gum could spark a memory. You never know. Plus, I want a stick of gum for myself because I deserve it, damn it. The car is relatively clean. The pack of gum was the only thing in sight. I open the glove compartment. A stack of papers and a map of Main falls out. I sort through the stack of papers. No wallet or pictures. That was smart, I'll give him that. Most of the papers seem to be receipts and bills. I grab them anyways. It's worth a shot. I sure hope this works.

The Ajustment

Unfortunately, we were unable to save the officer. The substance spread so quickly that we could not even humor the idea of cutting off his limbs. He stands motionless in the center of the room now. Like a yellow statue. Olivia gazes at the officer. " So that's it?" She says. " I'm afraid so." Jay replies. "Why isn't he moving?" I ask. "He is waiting." "Waiting for what?" Olivia asks. "My command." Jay says, simply. "And you're not gonna give it so him?" I question. Jay crosses his arms. "Normally, I would tell him to get to work, but I don't feel myself at the moment." Olivia grins, knowing that her hearts where the result of his current state. I stare into the officer's unblinking eyes. " I wonder what he's thinking." I muse out loud. "He's most likely adjusting to his current state." "What are you talking about?" Olivia asks. Jay sighs, somewhat annoyed, as if we should automatically know what he is talking about. "His body may be different, but his mind is the same. At least right now." I look deeper into the officer's eyes. " You mean he's still in there?" Jay nods. "For now." "What do mean for now?" Olivia demands. " All his memories are still intact in his mind, but they're trapped in a new body. Once the shock of a new body wears away so will his memories and the officer will be no more." "You're a bastard." Olivia declares. "It's the only way I could assemble the most productive team." Jay explains. "But he's a human being." "Not anymore." I can hear Olivia and Jay bickering, but it's just white noise right now. I focus deeply on the problem and idea hits him. I snap my fingers. "What if we don't let him forget who he is?" "In theory if you were able to get him to keep his memories we might be able to save him. But you don't know a thing about him." I smile. " I can do research." I walk over to Olivia. " Can you stay here and watch Jay? I'm gonna go to the cop car, see if I can find any pictures or anything from his former life."

Transformation

" I don't trust you. Either of you." Jay says to us while pacing back and forth in the break room. " How can we change your mind?" I ask. "Work for me." He replies, sternly. "That doesn't sound so bad" Olivia says. Jay laughs to himself. He opens the refrigerator door. " It does sound wonderful, doesn't it?" He pulls a mason jar out of the refrigerator. It is filled with a yellow liquid. "Do you know what this is?" "Urine?" I reply. Jay smiles. " I want you all to sit down." Olivia and I sit with Jay at an open table. Jay looks up at the officer, still guarding the exit. " That means you too." The officer complies and sits with us. " Now, officer, may I have your hand?" "Are you proposing to me?" He asks, sarcastically. "Officer, please." The officer reluctantly places his hand out. Jay removes the mason jar lid and pours the yellow liquid onto the officer's hand. The officer immediately jumps up. "What are you doing? That shit burns." "I'm demonstrating. Watch." Jay instructs us. The yellow liquid spreads and starts to harden. "What's happening? My hand feels metallic." The officer cries out. "This has to stop." Olivia shouts as she shoots hearts into Jay's chest. Jay takes a deep breath and his posture becomes more relaxed. "I'm sorry, but I had to show you what this product was capable of." He says calmly. "Yeah that's great. Now turn him back." Olivia responds. "I'm afraid this process is irreversible." He tells us. "What did he say?" The officer asks while staring at the yellow that has now spread to his wrist. "I'm afraid there is nothing we can do." Jay informs the officer. "There has to be something we could do." Olivia says. "Well, we could severe his arm. That could decrease any further infection." "Fuck that." The officer shouts out. "What will happen to him if we don't figure this out?" I ask. Jay pauses for a moment. "He'll be in agonizing pain for a while." "And then what?" I ask. "Nothing." "Nothing?" Olivia questions. "Nothing. He'll just be one of my workers."

Back in Jay's Office

The officer takes us to the break room. Or should I say the office? Jay's office. Jay stands in center of the room with a stern look upon his face and his arms crossed. The officer blocks the doorway. " Here we are again." Jay says to us. " Here we are again." Olivia replies. "What do you know?" He asks us. " About what?" I respond, trying to play dumb. Jay inches closer to us. " How much do you know?"  "Why did you let us escape?" Olivia asks, changing the subject. Jay chuckles to himself. " I must be a trusting guy." He says. "Or a dumb guy." Olivia responds. "If I were in your position, I wouldn't make comments like that." Jay warns. " We don't know anything." I tell him. "Why should I believe you? Who do you work for?"  Olivia and I turn and look at each other in puzzlement. "Nobody." I respond. "You don't work for anybody? I find that hard to believe because people don't just go poking around factories. " I shrug. "Maybe we do." Jay clenches his fists in frustration. " This looks like industrial espionage." "It's not." I try to assure him. Jay pauses to think for a moment. " I don't know what to do." He says. "You could let us go." Olivia tells him. Jay shake his head. "No, I have something better in mind."

Riding in the Cop Car

It seems that everywhere we go we are met with opposition. It would be ignorance on my part to assume that it would always be smooth sailing. That everyone would  wholeheartedly embrace us and our ideas, but I can't help but wonder if after all this,after all these conflicts if we truly are the good guys. If what we are doing is right. We are currently in the backseat of the cop car. Olivia is fast asleep with her head resting against the window.  The car ride has been silent for a few miles. All I can think of is my escape, which ironically hinders my ability to escape the more I think about it. The officer breaks the silence. " Jay Bowman is not happy." "Who the hell is Jay Bowman?" I ask. " You should know, you stole his car." The officer replies. " I asked him myself what I should do with you. He said he wanted to see you. So we're gonna pay Mr. Bowman a visit." I slink back into my seat with a slight grin on my face. I was looking for an exit. As odd as it may sound, being delivered into the hands of an enemy may be a good thing.

Standoff

We are in the middle of a standoff. Neither side is willing to back down. The officer's head begins to nod as we enter hour five of our showdown. He catches himself before he falls asleep though. "Getting sleepy, officer." Olivia taunts. "It was a test." He says. "Sure." Olivia replies, unbelieving. "It was, but it doesn't matter because I know you could only have so much energy left at this point." "Way ahead of you, officer." I say as I pour a cup of coffee. The officer eyes me handing Olivia the coffee mug. " I see you have it all figured out." He says to me. "You bet I do." I reply. "But what you gonna do when she has to use the washroom?" He questions. "You'll be long gone before that could be considered a problem." Olivia says, confidently. The officer stands. " Ok, looks like I have to take this up a notch." The officer walks into the living room. He turns the T.V. up as loud as it can go. We hear a man screaming at us to buy a car. "What are you doing?" I shout. The officer casually strolls back into sight. "Nothing, just breaking her concentration." I notice our bubble is flickering. "Olivia, don't listen to the T.V. Put it out of your mind somehow." "Can you also put this out of your mind?" The officer asks while knocking loudly on the doorway. "Stop it." I demand. "Just doing my job." He informs me. The officer sees that the bubble has stopped flickering and is becoming less faint. He takes off his police radio, turns it up, and sets it on the floor by the bubble. The bubble begins to flicker once more. " You have to ignore it somehow." I tell Olivia. "Ignore this." The officer says as he stomps his feet, knocks on the doorway, and sings loudly and out of key. Olivia collapses, taking our pink bubble defense with her. "It's too much going on." She cries out. The officer calmly grabs his radio and announces "Game over."

Wall off the Kitchen

" I don't feel comfortable letting you into my home without a warrant." A nervous Rosie tells the officer. "I was afraid you'd say that. So I brought one with me." Overhearing this brief conversation, Olivia and I search for an exit. "Where do we go?" I ask. " I don't know." "Any idea what we should do?" "Yes." Olivia replies as calmly as she can. Olivia opens her hands and holds them up in the doorway to the kitchen. A pink stream emerges from her palms. It slowly turns into a bubble that covers the whole kitchen. The officer walks into the doorway. He takes off his aviator sunglasses and stares at the pink bubble in awe. " What is that? Some kind of electromagnetic force field?" He asks. "Something like that." Olivia says. "I've heard about those. Never actually seen once close up." He says. "What do you want?" I ask, impatiently. "So quick to jump the gun. You guys don't trust authority, do you? Can't say I blame you I guess." The officer leans against the wall. " Only problem is you two fit the description of two suspects I'm looking for. " There is a brief silence. "Gonna give me the silent treatment, eh? That's ok because I know a few other things about electromagnetic force fields." Olivia's eyes widen. " That's right, I know that if the subject is tired the force field will weaken." He continues. The officer momentarily walks out of sight. He comes back with an unopened box and sits down on it. " With that being said, I'm willing to wait."

Flashing Lights

Blue and red lights flash through Rosie's living room window just as we are on the verge of understanding what this new element means. " They're on to me!" Rosie cries out. "How would they know?" Olivia asks. " I have no clue how they work, but they know that I have been talking." Rosie ushers us to move out of the room. "Where should we go?" I ask. "Any room. As long as it is out of sight. Go, I'll take care of this." Olivia and I scatter into her cluttered kitchen. There is not much space. If one were to open the oven or dishwasher, the door would crash into the island. A faulty design, and a wonder how any one could do any cooking or anything in here. But as it is the closest room without any windows, it works as a safe haven for us. We hear a loud knock on the door. " Just a moment." Rosie replies. The squeaky front door opens and Rosie is greeted by an officer with a New England accent. " Afternoon ma'am, I'm responding to a report about a stolen car." "I don't know anything about a stolen car." She responds innocently. " I'm afraid the convertible in your driveway matches what we're looking for. Do you mind if I step inside?"

The New Element

When we had enough of the cold we headed inside for hot chocolate. It was Swiss Miss, the instant kind. Many chocolate snobs don't care for this kind. While it most likely will never go down in history as one of the best chocolates in existence, I enjoy it. It reminds me of being ten. Going indoors after a day of sledding. I would reward myself with a little treat, and it was nice because I could do it myself. All I had to do was boil some hot water and pour it in a mug with the pack. It felt good. It gave me a sense of independence. It's not a bad taste either. Especially if you put cold milk or ice cream in it. I'm doing that right now. It'll cool it off and give it a nice, creamy taste. We sit on the couch in the living room, and blow on the beverages. We can still see the steam rising. " Sorry I don't have anywhere to sit in the kitchen." Rosie says to us.  " That's fine." Olivia assures her, while cupping her hot chocolate with both hands. " I suppose you guys want to see the picture I promised you?" We both nod. Rosie scratches her head. " It does exist. I wasn't fibbing. I'm just not sure where it is." She says, downtrodden. "That's fine. We can wait." Olivia tells her. " No, I don't want to do that to either of you. I'm sure you have places to be." " We have absolutely no where to be." Rosie chuckles slightly at my comment. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a tiny picture. "That's my husband." She says, handing Olivia the photo. Olivia studies the portrait of younger man with brown, shaggy hair. " What happened to him?" Olivia asks. Rosie shrugs. " There is much speculation. I personally think he knew too much." I set my mug down on the floor and sit on the arm of the couch beside Rosie. " What did he know?" "It was my fault. I saw the potentials. I pushed him further." "What was your fault?" I ask her. " You have to understand. He's not a man of science. I am not a woman of science. We didn't know what we were on to." She says, still not answering the question. " Rosie, what didn't you understand? What was happening.?" I ask.  She looks up at me. " They discovered a new element. They didn't want him to know about it." "That doesn't seem like that big a deal. Aren't there elements that have been discovered in the late 90's?" Olivia asks. " All the later elements are combinations of existing elements." Rosie states. "That's not what this is?" I question. "No, this was something otherworldly."

First Snowfall

Rosie bursts into the room with a string of expletives. She's not angry or upset. This is how she expresses herself. "Holy shit! Can you believe this?" She cries out with frosted hair. " Believe what?" Olivia asks. "It's snowing."  She exclaims with a child like whimsy. Olivia and I stare at each other for a moment. " I knew you two would understand. No one else does. Especially the people at the restaurant. They bitch and moan at the slightest snowflake. They're babies."  "The first snowfall is beautiful." Olivia tells her. " It sure is. So let's go." "Go where?" I ask. " Outside." Rosie says. "Now?" "It's snowing isn't it? What better time to look at the snow then now? In a couple of weeks we can complain, but now... this is magic."

Indeed the first snowfall is magic. We watch in silence as the snow blankets naked tree branches, rooftops, and street lights. The cold does not bother us at this point. We are too enthralled. "It's amazing. I always forget what winter looks like." She says while still admiring the falling snow.  "What do you mean?" Olivia asks. "It's like when I'm in the middle of summer , it's hard to remember what winter looks and feels like. I do the same with winter. It's like I can't wrap my head around the extreme opposite."  " But then it comes back." Olivia says with smile. " Then it comes back." Rosie says in agreement. We stand in silence once more and watch as the seasons change before our eyes. My bright red cape flaps against the white backdrop and I feel very much like a cardinal in winter.

Backlash of Niceness

We spent hours unearthing a lifetime of photos. Birthday parties, dances, school plays, weddings, her whole life was there in those boxes. We didn't finish either. We barely scratched the surface, and no we did not get to see the elusive Mapleville Factory photos. We passed out before we had a chance to come close. I'm not exactly sure when we feel asleep. I do remember my eyelids becoming heavy around two or three in the morning. Olivia and I feel asleep sitting up in the same exact spots we were in the night before. We found a half empty box at the foot of the couch with a post it note on it. It read : WENT TO WORK. WILL BE BACK THIS AFTERNOON - ROSIE. Olivia tosses the note to the side. " We didn't get to the Mapleville picture." She exclaims. "No, do you think we should go through the boxes on our own?" I ask. Olivia sighs. " I'd like to, but she's nice." "Meaning, it would be easier to rummage through her stuff if she were a jerk?" I inquire. Olivia nods. " Do you think she would notice if we looked through the boxes?" I ask. " I have a feeling she would." "What should we do?" " What time is it?" Olivia asks me. I glance at my wristwatch. "Almost ten." "The Price is Right should be on." She suggests. "Ok." I respond , less than enthusiastic. "What's the matter?" She asks sweetly. "It's just not the same without Bob Barker." Olivia looks me in the eye and says " I know it's not the same, but it's something at least."

Rosie's Flat

Rosie lives by herself in a two flat. She resides on the first floor. Occasionally she'll rent out the second floor to an out of towner. Or a college student. Luckily, we are out of towners and she is opening up her home to us. The only thing she asks in return is for us to spend a little time with her. Seems reasonable, she is helping us out after all. We sit in her living room on a burgundy couch that is falling apart. There are bits of electrical tape here and there holding it together. I sit on one end of the couch, Olivia on the other. Between us is a huge box filled to the top with pictures. There are even more boxes on floor. All of the them filled to the top with photos. Rosie enters the room carrying another box. She plops it on the floor, and then takes the box on the couch and finds a clear space on the floor to place it. Rosie takes a seat between us. " There are some more boxes in the closet, but I think this is a good start for now." "I think so. What box should we start with?" Olivia asks. Rosie leans forward and pulls the closest box toward her. " How about this one?" " Sounds like a plan to me." I say. Rosie attempts to take the first photo off the top of the pile, and then stops herself. " I know what you're thinking." She tells us. Olivia and I look at each other dumbfounded. " You're thinking, why does this old lady, in an age of computers have so many pictures?" Rosie continues. " We weren't thinking that." Olivia insists. " Really?" She says, eyeing both of us. " Really." I assure her. "It's just I like to hold onto things. I can't physically touch it if it's on the computer." She informs us with an almost exasperated tone. " I understand where you are coming from." Olivia says, sympathetically. Rosie takes the photo off the top of the pile. A warm glow comes over her as she holds the picture close to her heart.  "That's me." She says while handing the photograph to Olivia.
Olivia smiles and hands me the picture. It's a younger Rosie. She has Farrah Fawcett hair and stands beside her banana seat bicycle. " Oh look at that. Before I could drive and before I met Henry." She says with a beaming smile. She puts the picture down on the floor. " So many memories. And we're only just getting started. I hope neither of you have anywhere to be." Olivia and I shake our heads no. " Good, because this may take a while."

End of Shift

Winter is on it's way. There is no doubt about that. We stand outside the IHOP and chatter our teeth in anticipation of Rosie's arrival. I tense my muscles, attempting  to keep warm. "How long has it been?" I ask while rubbing my hands together. "About ten minuets." "Can we wait in the warm car for a while?" "I don't know. Do you think she'll be able to find us?" "We can sporadically check for her every few minuets." I tell her. Olivia watches me shaking. " Ok, let's go to the car." We begin to walk to the convertible. Rosie's voice calls out to us. " Where are you going?" She asks. We stop walking to the car and head back to Rosie. " Do you really think I'd tell you to meet me out here if my shift lasted all day?" She asks us. "I guess not, but we weren't sure when you'd be out." Olivia tells her. " I have the early shift. Six to three." " Is that a hard shift?" Olivia asks, sympathetically. "It's my shift, it's always my shift. But that's ok, those younger bitches can't handle it." I am slightly taken aback by Rosie's swearing. She notices the change in my expression. "What? I'm out of there. So I can cuss all I want." She informs me. " Yes, you sure can." I assure her.  " I can also do this.." She takes out a lighter and a pack of cigarettes from her apron pocket. " They want me to be sweet all the time." She says, fumbling to get the cigarette out of the packet. " You are sweet." Olivia tells her.  Rosie lights her cigarette, and takes a long drag. " I may be sweet, but I'm not corporate sweet. Then again I don't know anyone who is. At least not anyone who is real." I try and change the subject. " You said the town was being punished?" " Yeah, we're all being punished." "Even you?" I pry deeper. "Especially me! My hands are not clean." She shouts out. Olivia tries to comfort her. "Why would you say that?" Olivia questions.  "Because I was involved." Rosie throws her cigarette on\to the pavement and stomps it out. " You guys want to dig deeper?" She asks us. "We need to know what happened." Olivia explains. "Then follow me to my house. I have photos."

Whispers Over Pancakes

Here we are at the International House of Pancakes. Not exactly what I would call a quaint, Mom N' Pop store, but what are you gonna do? It wasn't a terrible meal. I did have some nice, fluffy, buttery pancakes with a side of hard boiled eggs. It's just when you are really looking forward to something, and then the outcome does not come close to how you pictured it in your mind. Our waitress, Rosie hovers over our table. She appears to be  roughly in her early fifties. She has graying hair that is pulled into a pony tail, and she wears tiny, rectangle shaped glasses. " Anything else for the two of you?" She asks, while placing the bill on the table. We both shake our heads no. " I'll just leave this here. You can fill it out when you're ready." She takes some of our empty plates. " Where can we get a homemade pie?" I ask her. " Excuse me?" She says. " A homemade pie. Do you know where we can find one?" I ask again. " We do serve pie, but I wouldn't exactly call it homemade."  " You'll have to excuse my friend, he's a bit distracted." Olivia explains. Rosie squints her eyes. " You two aren't from around here, are you?" "No. We're here to investigate." Olivia says. Rosie half smiles. " What could you possibly be investigating around here?" I lean back in my chair. " The Mapleville Factory."  Rosie puts the plates down and leans over the table. " How do you know about that?" She asks in a whisper. "So there is something going on!" I shout. Rosie shushes us. "Not so loud." She demands. " What is going on?" Olivia asks. " All I know is we're be punished." She explains. "Punished for what?" Olivia asks. " What went on wasn't right." Rosie tells us, in a scared, barely audible voice. " What wasn't right?" Olivia asks her. " I'll talk after my shift."  Rosie stands up and looks out to the table behind us. "Sir, would you like some more coffee?"

The Mapleville Factory

Our voices echo in the Mapleville factory. It stretches on and on for miles and miles. Not a soul can be found, and no machines are in sight. It is just an empty factory. So empty that I can see all the way to the end of it. " I hate to say it, but he was right." I tell Olivia. My voice bouncing off the walls. "There definitely isn't anything to see here." She replies. "Nope, though I wouldn't call this a ghost town." "True, but the town is hardly thriving."  She's right. While there are businesses here, it seems like they are all struggling for air. Nothing is kept up to date. There are letters missing from signs. Not many people are walking around. There is no care put into these things, like everyone gave up years ago. Maybe our gas station friend was looking at Mapleville through kind of adolescent eye. Having the attitude of  "There is nothing here for me. I better get out while I'm young." "This is hardly a unique situation." Olivia says, snapping me out of my head. "What do you mean?" I ask. "This happens all the time. A town is basically surviving off of a factory or warehouse, and then someone buys them off. Take all their workers and industry. It is fine for short term, but eventually the town goes to ruins." I take a moment to process the information. "What about what the boss said? That they don't sleep or eat?" I ask. " He was probably exaggerating." "What about the workers? They were all yellow and had a weird shape." Olivia takes a deep breath. " That I don't know." "A ha!" I shout. " But it could have been adverse effects from years of work in the factory."  I look down. " That's something we should investigate."  "Maybe. I don't think we're going to find any clues here though. There's an IHOP down the street. I think we should get something to eat." "But we could find a clue." I insist. Olivia rests her hand on my shoulder. " Let's get something to eat, and then if you want, we can come back after." I nod in agreement and we head towards the door.

Getting Directions

" You want to go to Mapleville?" A gruff gas station attendant says to us with look of disdain. Almost as if it were a burden to help us. " Yes, please." Olivia responds, trying to cut through his tough facade. The gas station attendant pulls a map of Main out from under the counter. He runs his index finger along the intersections on the map. " There it is." He says, placing his index finger in the middle of the map. He looks up at us. "You're gonna wanna go south for about thee hours." "Thank you." I say to the attendant. We begin to turn to walk away. "Don't know why you'd wanna go though. Ain't nobody there." "We'll be there." Olivia replies. "And it will be just you and a land of broken dreams." He remarks. " What happened in Mapleville?" I ask him. "Theories." "Theories?" I reiterate. "That's all we have. That's all we know." "If we go down there will we be safe?" Olivia asks. The attendant shrugs. " You don't know?" Olivia asks in an irritated tone. "No one's dared to go down there. You're probably safe, but I don't see a reason to go." He says. " Well, we need to know what happened." Olivia snaps. The attendant nods slowly and folds the map. " Fair enough. Anything else you need?" I grab a couple packages of gummi sharks and toss them on the counter. " Just these."

On the Road

It's an unwritten rule that if you drive a convertible you have to have the top down. Even if it is below zero and you know you will be sick the next day. It just does not look right otherwise. So that's what we're doing. Driving on the open road with the top down. At least for a few miles ... or blocks. I raise both of my hands as if I were on a roller coaster. "Exciting, isn't it?" Olivia asks. " Yeah, so what's the name of the town we're going into?" "Mapleville." "Mapleville? That sounds quaint." Olivia smiles. " It does, doesn't it?" " Maybe we'll be able to get a home made pie." I suggest. " Or a warm sweater!" She shouts out excitedly. " Or a huge thing of maple syrup." There is a brief silence after my suggestion. " Yes, you can get a jar of maple syrup." She tries to say with a straight face. " At any rate, we should probably stop for directions." I tell her. "Are you kidding me? I'm not stopping." She insists.  "But we don't know where we're going." " We'll get there." I decide to try a different angle. " If we stop, we can get gummies." I say, hoping it might work. Olivia eases her grip on the steering wheel and looks at me briefly. " You sure know the way to my heart." I pump my fist in victory. " Just one thing. Can we put the top back?" She asks sweetly. " Yes, I was waiting for you to ask."

Hot-Wiring Fun

Yellow to red. That's the ticket. That sounds right. I test my theory on the now exposed wires below the steering wheel. Here goes nothing. I bite my lip in anticipation of the wires touching each other. I stay calm as best as I can, but my hands are a dead give away. They shake and tremble. Slowly, I move the wires towards each other. Eventually they touch, and as soon as they do, my body gets thrown a foot back. Olivia rushes over to me. She takes off her mask and I can see her worried face looking down on me. " You ok?" She asks. Before I have a chance to reply, a loud country song kicks in on the radio. I can't make out the words, but I recognize the twangy , southern voice. I sit up slightly. " I'll feel better once we can change the station." I reply in a lackadaisical tone. Olivia helps me off the ground. " Honestly, how is country always the one station the comes in the clearest?" I continue. Olivia ignores my question and looks me in the eyes. " Seriously, are you ok?" " Yeah, I'm fine." " Do you want to go to the hospital?" " No." "Are you sure?" I cough a little. "Yes." Olivia glares at me. " The car is running, we should get out of here." I tell her. Olivia continues to stare at me. " Come on, let's go before the boss comes out and / or I get an aneurysm from this country music." Olivia shakes her head and puts her mask back on. "Fine, but remember, I drive."

The Boss's Ride

There are certain times in which asking for permission is more of a hindrance than anything else. This is one of those times. We made a hasty exit out of the factory to find the boss's bright red convertible parked in the back. Something that flashy had to belong to him. The color, the leather uphostery, everything about this car screamed out "I'm important! Pay attention to me!" That and there were no other cars in the parking lot, so it was safe to assume it was his. Olivia rubs her hand along the driver's side door. "It's beautiful." She says in awe. " I know, I can't believe it belongs to him." "What do you mean?" Olivia asks. " It always seemed like a young person car to me." "No, young people dream of cars like this, but older people are the one's who can afford it." She exclaims. I smile in agreement. " Ok, you ready to take off?" I ask. "Just toss me the keys." I throw Olivia the key. She furrows her brow. " This is the key from the break room." She quips.  " Oh, you think it'll work?" "Not a chance."  I scratch my head. "What do you know about hot wiring?"

"Keep Digging"

If I had to be locked away anywhere for an indefinite period of time , it might as well be this break room. Sure there are no windows, and it is much warmer than I would like, but it has coffee, vending machines, and ample space. I snatch a Snickers bar out of the vending machine. Olivia stares at me while I unwrap the candy bar and take a huge bite. "What?" I ask with a mouthful of Snickers. "How could you eat at a time like this?" I take another big bite. " Let me ask you a question, do you think we're in any danger right now?" "No." Olivia replies. " And we don't have anywhere to be right?" " I don't believe so." "Then let's just hang out for a while." Olivia sighs and walks over to the tables. "He said to keep digging." She says. "That he did, what do you think it could mean?" Olivia shakes her head. " I would assume it would have to do with the origin of the workers." I open a cabinet by the sink. "One thing is certain, I need more coffee." "More coffee?" Olivia says in disbelief. " Yeah, it helps me think faster." " I don't know if that is true, but knock yourself out." I pull the coffee can out of the cabinet. " You want me to make you some?" I ask. "Sure, but not so strong this time."  I take the lid off the coffee can. I see the corner of a postcard on the top. "What if when he told us to keep digging, he meant it literally?" I shout out to Olivia. " What are you talking about?" She asks. I remove the postcard from the coffee can and hold it in the air. Olivia walks over to me and takes the postcard out of my hand. She examines it closely. " It looks like a nearby town." She tells me. " Maybe that's where we should go?" I suggest. " I would imagine. The only problem is we're still stuck in the break room." A brilliant idea comes to my mind. I dump the contents of the coffee on to the counter. I rummage through the mound of coffee grinds to find a tiny silver key. I hold up the key and grin. " I think we're free to go."

Coffee for Three

For me, drinking coffee is like playing Russian Roulette every time. Some days it will calm my nerves, others it will make me jittery and on edge. I don't quite get it myself, but that is how it is. Fortunately, today it is the former. "Where are they now?" Olivia asks after taking a sip of her coffee. "Another factory." The boss replies simply. " What's the name of the factory?" I pry. The boss smirks. " You really expect me to tell you that?" Olivia rolls her eyes and shoots another round of hearts into his chest. The boss stares off into space, as if his memory had just been erased. " I have to get back to work." He says. The  boss pushes his chair out from the table. "Wait, what is the name of the factory?" I ask again, hoping it will work this time. " I can't tell you that." "Why not?" Olivia asks, trying to block the doorway.  The boss gently moves her to the side and opens the door. " I don't know, but maybe if you keep digging you'll find what you're looking for." The boss exits the break room, and closes the door behind him. Olivia attempts to open the door only to find that this door, our one exit, is blocked.

Chat With the Boss

"See something interesting?" A grainy voice calls out to us. I look up to see a medium build boss. He wears a white, short sleeve work shirt with a tie. " Are you reporters?" He asks us. " We're nothing of the sort." I assure him. " You still don't have clearance to be here." He says as he attempts to yank us off the ground. Olivia quickly opens up her palm and fires a couple of hearts into his chest. The boss immediately unhands us. " I'm sorry, but it's just not safe for you to be here." He says warmly. "Where should we go?" Olivia asks. "I'll take you to my office. We can talk." The boss turns and ushers us to follow. I lean to Olivia. " Has that ever worked that well before?" "No, but I'm not complaining." She replies. The boss leads us down the catwalk and to a break room on the ground floor. "Ta da!" He shouts with his arms outstretched in the center of the room. Olivia and I look on in bewilderment. Maybe he is joking. I mean there are tables and a coffee maker. There's even a time clock. "This is your office?" Olivia asks. "Oh yeah. So much better than my dinky old office. Much more space." "Won't everyone be pissed?" I ask.  " I don't see why they would. They don't eat, they don't sleep, so I might as well take full advantage of this space." "Did you just say they don't eat or sleep?" I inquire. " Yeah or pretty much any other body function."  The boss walks over to the coffee maker. " You guys want coffee? I'm gonna make coffee." I rush over to the coffee maker. " How does the work?" I ask, trying to pry deeper. " It's easy. First you fill the pitcher with water then -" "No, I mean how do they survive without food or sleep?" The boss laughs to himself. "Fuck if I know." Olivia chimes in. " We're very confused. People need to sleep and eat."  "But they're not people." He says bluntly. The boss continues to fill the pitcher with water as if that was nothing. "Now, how do you guys want your coffee?"

The Factory

The sounds of the marching workers grow fainter. It' enough to drive us forward though, and if we can not catch up with them? No problem.  We would just be right back were we started. But we keep going along the old, gravel path kicking stones here and there as we walk. One can almost here the clop clop of horse hoofs.  An ancient memory that still seems nearby on this dusty trail. The trail makes a wide turn and goes up a steep hill. At the very top of this hill is a massive gothic factory.  It's color is charcoal black. All of the small windows are cracked and broken. There are several chimneys that puff thick, black smoke into the sky. " This looks like a welcoming place." I say to Olivia as I open the creaky gate leading up to the factory. We carefully open the front door. It's loud squeaking is hushed by the sounds of buzzing, sawing, and hammering. As soon as we step foot in the factory, there is a narrow, metal ladder. We climb to the top to find ourselves on a catwalk that overlooks all the workers. Some are welding, some are machinists. All are toiling away. " I don't think I could ever do that." I tell Olivia. " You mean you don't want to? Or you physically can't?" She asks. " Both. Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of respect for anyone who can do this day after day..." " But?" She says trying to pull words out of my mouth. " But its so physically demanding. I don't know. Maybe I'm just lazy." Olivia shakes me. "Snap out of if. You're right they probably are under appreciated, but that doesn't make you lazy because you would never consider doing that line of work." I nod my head and continue to stare at the workers. " Besides..." She continues. "If you really want to go down that road you could say we are under appreciated." I turn my head to Olivia. She smiles with her eyes, knowing that I have her full attention now. "We have seen a lot of weird shit. No one will ever be able to fully comprehend that. Even if we were to somehow fully explain everything." She states. "You're right." "But that's ok. You know why?" "Because in those situations I like to think of Christopher Walken's character in Seven Psychopaths. You know what line I'm thinking of?" I grin. "Yeah I do. "Fuck 'em."

Sounds of Marching

A loud stomping, marching noise can be heard  nearby. The parading sound of an invading army perhaps? "Do you think they're coming this way?" Olivia asks. "They're probably on a nearby road, but we should move anyways." We jolt up from the rock and take cover in the the thick of the forest. We soon find out that we are not running away from the marching sounds, but rather towards it. The forest thins out. We are now ahead of the marchers. I look down the trail and can faintly see the army. Out of time, and having now where to hide, Olivia and I lay down in the mud. We are pretty low to the ground, so as long as they don't look to the side, we are clear. The marching is ever so close now. I lift my head up slightly. Just enough that I can see. I realize they are not an army at all. They are some sort of workers. They all wear yellow safety vests. " What kind of union makes their workers march in unison?" Olivia whispers. " I don't know, but they're not human." "What?" "Look closely at them?" I tell her. The workers have square, box like figures. Almost as if they were made out of bricks, and their skin is bright yellow. After the workers pass us completely, I wait for a moment before picking myself and Olivia off the ground. I walk out onto the path, and look down the long trail road. I then turn to Olivia. "Let's see where they're going."

Muddy Shoes and Tired Feet

I rest on a rock and scrape the mud off my shoes. " I'm surprised they let us go." I say to Olivia. "What do you mean?" " They locked me up, but then they left. It was like something a cheesy villain does out of a B movie." Olivia sits down next to me. "You weren't a threat." She exclaims. I take a slight offense at that. "They knew the best way to get to you was to leave you alone for a while." She continues. " What about you? You could have been a threat?" Olivia shakes her head. "No, they knew I wouldn't follow because I would go back for you." I look down at my feet. My shoes are still caked in mud. " Did you figure this out yourself?" I ask. "Yep." Olivia rests her head on my shoulder. "What do you want to do now?" She asks. "Honestly, I just want to rest for a while." "I was hoping you'd say that."

The Guiding Light

It's a dewy morning out on the peninsula. Our boat is still crashed against the rocks. " You think it's fixable?" Olivia asks. " Probably, I wouldn't know the first thing about it though." The  light from the house shines through the fog. I squint my eyes. One could probably see that for miles. " Where did they go?" I ask. "They wanted to follow the guiding light."  "The guiding light?" Olivia points to the ocean. There, I faintly see the light stretching out into the horizon. I stare at the wreckage and wonder how we can get there. " I have no clue how to fix it." I reiterate. "That's ok." She says, looking out into the ocean. " Really?" Olivia nods, still looking off into the distance. " Yeah, maybe that path is not for us." Olivia turns and begins walking towards the land.  " Where you going?" I  shout out to her. "It's a place you'll like."  I carefully follow her along the rocky peninsula. Some of the stones start to shift under our feet. But we make it back to the land without any scrapes or bruises. All we have to do is walk slowly.  It was actually nice to go from the slimy, slippery rocks to the muddy soil. Never thought I would welcome mud so much. " Well, here it is." Olivia says in a melancholic tone. "What's wrong?" I ask. "This is the tree that brought us here." It is the same tree. It's branches still lean towards the ocean. Except now it is bare and dark black from the rain. There is but one leaf on the tree. I pick it off the branch and it crumbles in my palm immediately. Olivia looks down in disappointment. " All I wanted to do was show you something pretty." I lift her face gently and take off her mask. I look deep into her saddened eyes. "You did. You always do. Thank you."

Blinding Light

The main room of the lighthouse is fully illuminated. The light is so bright it appears white. Olivia and I cover our eyes and look away. "What is that?" I shout.  "I think they used the diamond for a light." "What?" "Yeah, they were talking about using it." The light is so bright that I have to turn my back completely. " Did they know it would be this bright?" I ask. " No, I think it was just something that they wanted to try." I feel for the stair railing. " I don't  think we should be in here." I say. " I agree. I feel like  my retinas will burst into flames." I extend my arm out to Olivia. " Take my hand."
"Where are you?" " Follow my voice." I instruct her. My eyes are closed tightly. I can hear her footsteps nearing.  "You're almost there." I shout to her. I feel a hand on my arm. I grab her tightly and pull her in. "I don't want to open my eyes till I'm at least halfway down the stairs." She insists. Ironically, that is most likely the safest advice right now.

Breakout

The bars don't exist, yet they do. They appear to me as transparent objects. Slightly more visible than a holographic image. I try and touch them. They are not solid objects, but an intense pressure keeps my hands from running through them. Olivia walks into the room. She holds a T.V. dinner plate. "I brought some food." She says to me. "What is it?" I ask. She cringes as she glances at the barely thawed food. " It's edible." She replies. She walks over to my cell and places the food on the floor. She pushes the tray and it slides under tiny opening in my cell. Unfortunately, she pushes the tray just a little too hard and it slides under the cot. "Sorry." She shouts out. I reach under the cot and grab a biscuit. " That's ok. I have a feeling this is the only thing on there that I should be eating." I take a bite out of the biscuit. " How does it taste?" Olivia asks. I shrug. " 'Bout what one would expect from a T.V. dinner." I take another bite and try to enjoy this cold biscuit as best I can. " So, you can see the bars ,right?" I ask. Olivia nods. "Barely."  " I can  barely see them too, but they're there." "You ready to leave?" She asks me. " I was ready the minuet I entered."  "Then let's go." "How?" " Just walk through," She says simply and casually. " I can't just do that." I insist, while staring at the bars. " Yes you can." "There is some sort of force field pushing me back."  Olivia looks me directly in the eye. "I'm sure there is, but you staying in your cell will only make the bars stronger." "Then what do I do?" I ask.  Olivia puts her arm through the bars. " Take my hand." She tells me. I stand in awestruck for a moment, admiring her ability to force her arm into my cell. "Hurry up. This kinda hurts." She shouts. I grab hold of her arm. It felt like time was slowing down as I began my exit. There was a pressure entering my body and pulling me to the floor. However, the more I was out, the better I began to feel. Until, eventually I was completely out of the cell, and the heavy pressure left my body. Olivia takes a deep breath. " I told you you could get out."

The Interview

As I pass by Olivia on my way to the interviewing room she holds up her hand and whispers " I got her."  This is a relief. It should make the process slightly less painful. However, depending on the subject's level of resistance to the hearts, the effects could last anywhere from a couple of days to a few moments. Meaning I can not push my luck with this. No snarky comments. Just go with the flow. "Have a seat." She says in a warm, welcoming voice. I sit on the only place I can. On a narrow, green cot. Pieces of wood jut out. It's hard to imagine Bernard sleeps on this nightly. It's not just the cot either. The whole room feels uncomfortable. It's a small room with no windows. The only light shines from desk lamp. Bernard's desk is literally only a matter of inches from his cot. If I were to stand up, my knees would bang into his desk. It was not easy or fun trying to fit two people into this dark, narrow, stone wall bedroom. But this is his home. Maybe he is just used to it. " Reason for visiting?" The farmer asks while sitting behind the desk with her hands folded. " To seek the unknown." I state. " You could have fooled me." " What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, feeling thrown off. " That's not the impression I got from you." " What impression did you get then?" The farmer leans back as best as she can. " You seem weak and timid. Not the kind of person who would take on a challenge." She says bluntly. "You're wrong." "Ok." She says not believing me. " You are." "Ok." She still doesn't believe me. The farmer opens a drawer and takes something out of it. " Moving on. Your comrade found this. Could you tell me more about it." She opens her hand and reveals the diamond. " It's a diamond." " I know that, but where was it found?" "We found it in the ocean." The farmer looks at me sternly. "What?" I ask. " Diamonds aren't found in the ocean." She tells me. " That's where we found this one." "What was it doing there?" She asks. " I don't know. It was attached to a helmet." The farmer shifts in her seat. " I want you to tell me more about this diamond."  "That's all I know." I insist. The farmer sighs and stares off into space. " Are you ok?" I ask her. " Yeah, just thinking. You can go now." I smile briefly and carefully stand up so as to not knock my knees into the desk. I hear the farmer quickly rummaging through drawers as I begin to turn my back to her. Somehow this does not deter me. As I'm about to exit, she grabs my cape and yanks me back into the room. She leaps over the desk, holds me tight, and sticks a syringe into my arm. Immediately I feel woozy and have to sit down. " What did you do to me?" I ask. " It's for your own good. Trust me." At that moment , I feel an uncontrollable urge to cry. " No, this isn't good." I say in a nervous tone. " What's not." She asks. " I want to cry, but I shouldn't." " Why can't you cry?"  "Because..." I start to explain myself not knowing how to justify my statement. I then take a look around and notice my surroundings have altered. Bars are now in front of me. " Because all the other inmates will beat me." The appearance of the farmer has also altered slightly. She wears a white lab coat and speaks into a tape recorder. "Subject displayed minimal resistance. We will keep a close eye on him. Release date shortly."

Seperated

In an attempt to avoid any form of psychic communication, we were kept separate and interviewed one at a time. I guess they figured we could only communicate psychically if we were sitting next to each other in the same room. Regardless, they are in luck. Any alleged ability that I might have , I wouldn't have the faintest idea how to control. Olivia is being interviewed by the farmer now. I don't know the kind of questions she is being asked. I can only hope that at some point Olivia is able to shoot hearts her way. Turn the tables. I don't think that's far fetched at all. If anything, it is a fun scenario to picture while I sit quietly on the hardwood floor across from Bernard. "This is procedure." He assures me. "Will it be over soon?" I ask. Bernard leans back  in his chair. "I shouldn't say." "Why not?" "Because anything I say you could use to your advantage." Realizing what he had just said, Bernard clenches his fists and bites his lip. " I shouldn't have said that. No, it is much better if we sit in silence and wait."

Why We're Here

Bernard extends his time worn, fragile hands to us. "I'm sure you all know why we're here." He says as warmly as he can. "No, we have no clue." I butt in. The farmer rolls her eyes. "We have to spell out everything for them." " We went grocery shopping. What do you expect us to get out of that other than dinner?" Olivia snaps. "Dinner is nice, but there is a bigger picture." Bernard explains. "What is the bigger picture?" I ask. Bernard smiles with his eyes. "To put it simply, breaking down the barriers." "Metaphoric barriers?" I ask. "No." He responds simply, leaving us in quiet contemplation for a moment. " I don't understand. Do you mean walls?" Olivia asks. Bernard slowly nods. "Walls, monsters, police, anything blocking our path." The farmer whistles. Bernard looks up at her. " Don't you think we're saying a little too much?" Bernard stares blankly at the farmer. " How do you know for sure we can trust them?" Bernard grabs my face and stares deeply into my eyes. After a moment of soul gazing, he does the same thing with Olivia.  "They're fine." He declares after his inspection. " You really think so?" The farmer asks. Bernard  takes a breath. " Are you two hermits by nature?" He inquires. "We are explorers!" I say proudly. Bernard taps his fingers on his armchair. "What's the verdict?" The farmer asks impatiently. Bernard does not respond. " You know, I still don't feel good about them being here." Bernard sighs. "Take them to my office and conduct a test." The farmer rests her hands on our shoulders. "You heard the man." She says yanking us away. "Where are you taking us?" Olivia asks in a worried tone. The farmer eases her grip slightly and smiles menacingly. "Don't worry. We just need to know your backgrounds."

Errands

The world can be mean. At least that's the impression I get from these errands. When we first arrived outside the bank, my initial thought was that she wanted to rob it. I was quick to judge, but it felt logical. No, she was withdrawing from her own account. Not much in there. She only takes out a couple twenties. She lives mostly off the land. Whatever she can't grow or slaughter she's buys at a small town grocery store. They know her by name at the store, greeting her with warms smiles. They leer at Olivia and I though. I guess they don't take too kind to outsiders. This is the instance where the farmer is on our side. She cautions us to wait outside. However, it doesn't feel much better there. All the villagers passing by , stand and glare at us. We're not sure what they are capable of. We stand in anticipation. Praying there is no conflict, but preparing anyways. We stand with our fists clenched for what feels like an eternity. Eventually the farmer walks out to the street carrying a brown grocery bag. "The world can be mean." She says as a matter of fact. She places the groceries in her pick up truck. "Ready to visit our favorite lighthouse worker?"

Pickup Truck

We drive off in a rusted red pick up truck. Most of the paint is chipped away and the muffler sounds God awful. You could hear it from a block away. Olivia sits in the front seat while I ride in the back. That's the kind of guy I am. Letting my girlfriend sit next to someone who might be a homicidal maniac. Damn it! I'm sure she's fine though. She's tough. She can handle herself. Plus I can check in on her through the little window in the back. I try and relax a little bit and enjoy the ride. I find I have to hang on for dear life between the bumpy, gravely road, and all her sharp turns. Other than the massive amount of bruises I might have later, the only thing I can think about is how she could be right. Yes, she got into my head. It doesn't mean that there isn't at least the slightest chance that she could be right though. I mean I'm seeking information on a creepy old man for what? Will it really change anything? What if intuition doesn't really exist? What if it was just the product of someone's imagination at one point? We like to follow these hunches and say to ourselves "this feels right." or "This feels off." So we follow these hunches, or gut feelings , or whatever you want to call them and sometimes we are rewarded favorably. Sometimes it doesn't go well for us. In those instances we say to ourselves " that's because I was supposed to learn so and so." It seems impossible to prove or disprove that statement.  But what if that is just something we tell ourselves to feel better. As grim as it may be, intuition could  be nothing more than a choice, any choice that we make and then stick to... Damn I have stop thinking for a while. I need something to distract me. Fortunately this very sharp turn is making me feel my eggs from this morning. Thankfully, nothing comes up, but I don't feel so hot. The truck stops out side of the town bank. Our first errand.

Human Nature?

Olivia attempts to raise her hand to shoot little pink hearts. The farmer notices right away and fires a warning shot into the air. Debri from the ceiling sprinkles on our heads. " I ain't fooling around. Don't you move." She shouts. "We don't mean any harm." Olivia says. "Then what are you doing here?" " We just wanted to know if you had any information about Bernard."  I say as calmly as I can. " Bernard?"  She repeats back with puzzled look. I sigh. "He's  an older man who lives in a lighthouse." "You mean Charles?" She asks. " It's a long story. He thought Bernard was more fitting." Olivia says. The farmer lowers the shotgun slightly. " I guess that makes sense. A name like Charles don't fit a man like that." Olivia and I both chuckle in agreement. The farmer raises her gun again. "So what do you want to know about him?" "We were just curious." I say with a shaky voice. " Curious eh? Don't you know curiosity killed the cat?" Olivia smiles. "Yes, but knowledge brought it back." The farmer shakes her head and lowers her gun completely. " Not a lot of people know the second half of that saying. I like you know that." "Thank you." Olivia replies. The farmer still clutches the shotgun, but it is now positioned to the ground. " I don't know what you want to hear. It's not like a he's sage or anything. Even if he were it wouldn't make a difference." "Why would you say that?" I ask. The farmer rolls her eyes. "What?" I ask, still not getting it. She takes a deep breath. " Shit, even if he had all the answers to he universe, do you really think that would make a difference?" Olivia and I don't respond.  "I'm asking you, would it make a difference?" "I don't know." Olivia says shyly. "Well it wouldn't. You know why?" Olivia and I shake our heads no. " Because even if he told you how to live a happy, healthy, successful,  long life, you wouldn't heed his advice. People don't like to hear good advice." "Maybe we're not as cynical as you." I declare. The farmer smirks. " It ain't a matter of that. It's human nature. We rebel against everything. Even what's "good for us." "We're not like you though." Olivia says. "Shit, I know that. I'd have to be blind not to see that." She says with a biting jab. " Then what is your point?" I ask. " I already told you my point. It's just how people are. You don't have to have a Harvard education to know that." " I think you're wrong." I say defiantly. " That's fine. Suite yourself. But if you really want to know about him, you two should come with me while I go on errands this afternoon."

Red Barn

Everything is grey. The sky has been looking like it will rain for quite some time now. It probably won't, but it has been doing this will it won't it rain thing all day. It makes no difference to me one way or another if it does or doesn't. I just wish the sky made up it's mind and did something. I don't like this in between stuff. All the cows are still grazing. If I have learned anything from text books its that animals often know of significant weather changes before we do. There is a red barn with it's door slightly ajar. A good sign that the farmer may be near by. We knock first and wait for an answer. After a moment with no reply, we decide to walk in. " Wow, I'm glad I never grew up on a farm." Olivia exclaims pinching her nose. The strong aroma of manure is the first thing one notices. Once you get past that though, it's not so bad. It's just a regular barn. Meaning lots of hay, some horses, a loft for tools, and an angry farmer glaring at us while holding a double barrel shotgun. What? She blended in so seamlessly I didn't even notice at first with her dirty jeans, flannel jacket, and reddish grey hair pulled back into a pony tail. "Not so fast. I ought to blow your goddamn heads off."

In the Fields

My nose is running. I know, a fine time to be exploring the fields of main. Curiosity got the better of me though. It does sometimes. I had to find the farmers. Maybe they could give some insight about our new friend, Bernard. Who is he? What is he? Is there any gem of wisdom we can get from him? Another party might be able to answer these questions for us. The fields are deserted. Only a handful of cows are grazing. I don't see any crops. Then again, if they did have any they probably would be long gone by this point depending on what they were. My guess is that this isn't a commercial farm, but rather, a private, personal farm.

Name Game

When we were done witnessing the sunrise, the old man made us eggs. Turns out there is a nearby farm. The farmers stop by a couple of times a week to give him eggs, milk, or pretty much any odds and ends that he can not get himself. The eggs are over easy. There isn't any salt or seasoning. We do have orange juice, but it's tart. This here is the basics. That's alright though. It is nice to have some protein. We sit crossed legged and eat on the hard wooded floor. " So you want to know my name?" The old man asks with a mouthful of breakfast. "Yes. What is it?" Olivia asks. "Not so fast. You're gonna have to guess it." I throw out a random name. "Joe?" The old man scoffs. "I want you to think about it. Really think about it. What do I look like?" Olivia and I turn to each other. "What do you think?" I ask her. "Well, I have a feeling it is something unisex." "Warmer!" The old man shouts out. "So what do you think?" I ask again. "I don't know. Maybe Stacy?" "I am not a Stacy!" He shouts out angrily. " He doesn't look like an Aaron. " I say. "Wait a minuet." Olivia turns to the old man. "Is it only vaguely unisex?" The old man smiles in agreement to her question. Olivia takes off her mask and smiles big and bright. " Your name is Charlie." The old man claps. "Charles actually. Though that name is no longer fitting. I suppose Charlie isn't either." The old man taps his forehead. " You can call me C." I squint my eyes. "So? C-" " No scratch that.  I don't like the sound of that." "What should we call you then?" Olivia questions. "What name pops up when you look at me?"  I shrug. "Bernard?" The old man leans back in his arm chair. " Bernard." He says to himself. " Bernard." He says this time with a slightly different inflection. " Bernard!" He screams at the top of his lungs. "Yes, I like Bernard. Bernard could live at the sea. But not Bernie. Bernie would never live at the sea." He smiles wistfully. "Bernard." He says yet again. This time with an almost french accent. " Yes, from this day forward call me Bernard." I'm glad that was taken care of. Now we have a name to put to this face.

Wake Up!

The old man let us stay the night. We weren't sure if we should trust this strange man we hadn't met. He could murder us in our sleep for all we knew. Then again, one could easily flip that statement. There was no rational reason for that man to trust us. We could be murderers. We could kill him in his sleep if that was our intent. Or course it wasn't , and it isn't. I wonder if this is how man is supposed to be? Hospitable? If it is then that would mean that one must be very trusting in order to be hospitable. I hate to say it, but I don't think I could be that trusting. Trust is hard. Even though we were not completely sold on this man, we didn't want to be exposed to the elements. So we stayed the night. We slept in shifts. One of us would stay awake for an hour while the other sleeps. As you probably guessed this did not work out. We crashed hard and woke at 5 a.m. to the old man's grainy voice. "You're gonna miss it." He shouts at us. I rub my eyes. "Miss what?" "The sunrise!" He replies eagerly like a child on Christmas morning. "We've seen it before." Olivia says half awake. She still wears her sugar skull mask as if it were a sleeping mask. "I know, but it's different. It's different each and every day." He says trying to make us feel alive. We are unresponsive. He snaps his fingers. "Cone on. Up. Up." We slowly get up and walk towards the window. All three of us stand in silence for a great deal of time and admire the way the sun wakes up the earth. I have always admired both sunsets and sunrises.  I admit I may have taken them for granted though. While the colors are amazing and beautiful, I think there is an even bigger picture especially when you are nearing the end and realize that your days are finite. One could always look at a sunrise and think "victory." It may seem trivial. It may seem small, but no matter who you are or where you are in life, you can always say to yourself that you made it to see another day. That itself is a victory.

The Old Man and the Lighthouse

Eventually the winding stairwell leads us to a dark, cold loft. We can hear the wind crashing against the walls. It is virtually impossible to see. If it weren't for a faint flicker of a candle we would be completely in the dark. "I feel like we should turn away. This is some one's house after all." I nervously say to her. " You're right, we probably shouldn't journey any further."  We attempt to walk back down the stairs. The floorboards on the loft are old and create a loud, creaky noise. "Why is it we're more afraid of the light than the dark?" A raspy, old man voice cries out. "Who said that?" Olivia asks, shaking. The white candle floats towards us. We can not see the body holding the candle just his silhouette. "You have nothing to fear." The old man raises the candle to his face. The light reveals long, thin grey hair, countless bags under his eyes and brown peg - like teeth in a weary mouth that hangs open. Olivia and I gasp in surprise. The old man is rightfully offended. "It's the ageing process. It'll happen to you. Maybe not like this, but it will." "We're sorry, we just weren't expecting to see you." Olivia says. "What you're suprised someone lives here?" He snarls. " A little. Why are you in the dark?" I ask. "I'm not." The old man walks over to the window. He places the candle on a stand. The candle shines through a prism which then illuminates the whole room. Olivia and I are awe struck. " Is this how all light houses work?" I ask him. " I don't know. I just know what I do." The old man wobbles to an  arm chair and plops down. " I'm afraid I don't have any more seats. But you can stay if you'd like."  Curious, we walk over to the old man. " Who are you?" Olivia asks him. " Funny, I felt I should ask you that." I begin to open my mouth, the old man stops me. "Stop. I don't want to know." "Aren't you curious?" Olivia chimes in. The old man shakes his head. "Not in the slightest." "Can we ask who you are?" I suggest. He half smiles to himself. "You can. It doesn't mean that I'll tell. you." Realizing that we're disappoited he tries to throw us a bone. "My name doesn't matter because I left that when I left my old life." Olivia and I look at each other. " What was your old life?" She asks. " It doesn't matter." He replies quickly. Figures, I knew he would say that. The old man leans forward. "This is who I am now. That's all that matters." The old man puts on a pair of slippers that were resting by the side of the arm chair. He then stands up and starts to shuffle away. " I grow tired and need my rest." He announces to us. "Ok, you want us to leave?" I ask. "No, you can stay if you like." He continues to shuffle away. Out of sight and into the shadows.

Spiral Staircase

I have mixed feelings when it comes to spiral stairways. Looking at it from a strictly aesthetic point of view, they are cool. Dare I say chic? However, if I were to look at it from a practical/ safety perspective they are fucking terrifying. There is barely any space to move, you can't see ahead of you, and it's dizzying. Every footstep creates a loud, metallic echo. "You think we are almost there?" I ask Olivia, trying to look down through the steps. "I don't know. I have no way of knowing." Did I mention the fact that you can't see ahead of you is a huge drawback?  Though I guess I shouldn't be too concerned. I mean it's a lighthouse.  What could we possibly find other than one lonely person. Or more accurately a computer. Still this does get frustrating climbing these stairs. Just when you think you are at the end.. nope more stairs. It's keeping me active at least, and we'll get there. It may take some time, but we'll get there.

Little Yellow Leaves

An oval shaped lemon color leaf floats my way. It is small enough that it rests safely in the palm of my hand with ample space. As I display the leaf on my palm, I can almost feel the autumnal sights and sounds. The pumpkins, the apples, the cool, crisp air. "Does this mean we're near land?" I say to Olivia while holding up my leaf. " I don't know." She replies, still concentrating on the distance ahead.  More little yellow leaves turn up. Not much at first. Just two or three, but they multiply quickly.  So fast that it looks as though rain is falling from the sky. Our vision becomes obstructed. All we can see is millions of tiny leaves. Olivia takes her foot off the petal. " We might as well stop here. I can't see anything." Before I have a chance to respond a faint beam of light catches my eye. "What is that?" I ask, pointing towards the light. "A lighthouse?" Olivia suggests. "You think we should drive towards it?" "It's worth a shot." Olivia continues driving. We're slow at first, but once the light is stronger she feels confident to pick up her speed. She drives practically at full force. I have to hold on tightly to my seat. " You think this is necessary?" I shout over the roar of the engin. "Come on, live a little. Besides I'm dying to know what is ahead of us." She screams in excitement as out yacht plows through a wave. I lean back and try to relax. I do this by closing my eyes and pretending I'm on a roller coaster. It actually works for a while. The boat goes up. It goes down. It zigs. It zags. It's a fun ride.... until it abruptly crashes into a rock. The crash causes me to jolt forward a little. "Sorry, guess I was just excited to get here." Olivia says to me while I rub my neck. I look up to see smoke coming out of the front of the boat. " We should probably get out." She cautions. We crawl out of the boat and on to a long , thin, rocky peninsula. At the very end of the peninsula is a lighthouse. On the opposite side ,on the sandy shore is one single tree. It leans toward the ocean. All of its leaves blow out to sea. It is as if it constantly regenerates new leaves just as the old ones blow out to sea.  I point to the tree. "Look! That's where the leaves must have come from." Olivia nods and points towards the lighthouse. "And that is where the light was from. Let's explore some more."

First of October

It’s the first of October. Where does time go? Out of my hands I suppose.  I have been piering over the side of the boat for a few hours now. On occasion I’ll see a fish flop out of the water. Mostly though I’m watching the ship cut through the water. It’s almost like when you are on an airplane and you want to look out the window, but all you can see is the wing. I'm memorized by the ship cutting though the water though. It causes little ripples. I focus on the ripples and I can see all sorts of pictures and patterns. It's the idea that when you stare at something for a long period of time, it suddenly becomes something else. Olivia is driving. Meaning I have plenty of time to see things.  Where is she taking us? I don't know, but I do trust her. A lot more than myself. Harsh words. I know, but I must be honest. The hardest thing for me is to open my mouth and say exactly what I want to say.She knows how I feel,  but uttering the words is different. I have never cared so much for any one. I could go on adventures with her until my dying days, and yet I can't say the words that I need to say. Courage, it is difficult to find at times, and it is something that is needed. Very needed. Otherwise the days will turn into weeks. The weeks to months. Months to years. Before I know it, I'll be an old man. I know what you're thinking. "What's the worst thing that could happen?" Wrong thing to say. To me at least. I'll produce a macabre scenario in my mind's eye of every possible thing that could go wrong.... It's the first of October. Cool winds are sweeping in, and ripples in the water remind me of angel Wings.

Change of Course

How does one cook a fish in the middle of the ocean? Great question. I'm glad you asked. First Olivia creates a bubble around the fish. She concentrates deeply until an electrical current runs through the bubble. This creates a microwave effect, and before you know it you have a fully cooked fish. Ready for lunch, or dinner or late night snack. Fish isn't exactly my cup of tea, but I'm hardly one to turn down free food. "It's ready!" Olivia shouts releasing the fish from their bubble prison. The fish sizzle, and I catch a whiff of our dinner. Also not my favorite scent. I try and keep an enthusiastic demeanor. Olivia sees right through it. "I know you're not thrilled, but at least it's something." She's right. I suck it up and sit down beside her. "Here is yours." She says to me while holding a grilled salmon on a gold plate. Yes, a good plate. We also have gold silverware. Complements of Norm. What a classy guy. I take a bite of the Salmon. It has an almost rubber texture, but I smile as best as I can while I choke it down. "Not bad?" Olivia asks me. I nod. " I was thinking, winter is coming. We should probably change our course." "I couldn't agree with you more." Olivia stares at me. "You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you? I pick a piece of salmon out of my teeth. "I can't hide anything from you can I?" She chuckles and points to the east. "A cold front is coming from that direction. I think it would be wise to change course." I gaze into a void. "What?" She asks me. " I don't understand how you know that." " You're just gonna have to trust me on this." " I do."  Olivia pushes her plate to the side and stands up. "Good. Now let's get ready to change course."

Storm of Salmon

Ting! Ting! The raindrops continue. Except this time the tings are more like thuds. Thud! Thud! Thud! Whack! Whoomp! What the hell is going on outside? Curious, I open the cabin door and walk to the deck. There I see Olivia standing over a pile of salmon. "Where did this come from?" I ask her. "I'm guessing the ocean." I snear. "But how did it get here?" Olivia shrugs. "There was a big wave and they all washed up." Suddenly, the pile of salmon shakes. Out of the pile emerges a six foot tall, light blue fish. It stands upright on its tail. "Wait a minuet. This looks familiar." I tell Olivia. The fish looks directly at me. "Your senses are getting stronger."  It says to me in a calm monotone. "Oh yeah! This was a dream of mine from a while back." I shout out in excitement as if I had just figured out a puzzle. "That's good. That means we can ask different questions now." I nod. "Knowing that my senses are improving, what am I to do with this information?" I ask the fish. The giant fish shrugs. It then leaps over board splashing us and causing the boat to rock back and forth in the process. We stand there dumbfounded. We were given what seemed to be important information and left with a pile of fish. At least we have plenty of food. There's the silver lining.