Different Worlds

We unapologetically make our way to the graffiti stairway. Spike chases after us. "Wait!" He pants. "Why did you invite is here?" I ask. "I told you, humble beginnings." Olivia sighs. "You don't know us." Spike looks down. "No, but maybe I would like to." I shake my head. "Right now, what you need to know is that this is not us." Spike appears perplexed. "You don't like the gallery?" He asks. "There are some nice parts." Olivia assures him. "Like the apple?" He asks. I grin. "Yeah, like the apple." Spike folds his arms. "You guys upset with me?" "I was , but I think I'm over it. This isn't my scene." I explain. Spike is dumbfounded. "What's not to like?" He wonders. I pause , reflecting on the question. "This is not how I view art. I don't think there should be a gap between high class and low class. I think art should be easily accessible to everybody." "You think we're creating gaps?" He asks. "I do." I say. He looks to Olivia. "You think that too?" "Kind of." She replies. Spike runs his hands through his hair. " I don't quite understand, but I'm not mad either." He shoots us a knowing smile. "But check out the Met, it's a good museum."

Speech

Spike clears his throat before addressing the audience. " I suppose dreams do come true." He chuckles to himself. The crowd cheers. "My name is Spike. Or as some of you like to call me "The Spike" He says, eyeing the Flapper. " This is the kind of thing I would dream about,but never thought for a moment it would become reality." I lean over to Olivia. "You think he'll say anything about the 1700's man?" "I highly doubt it." "Where do you think Mr. Bones is anyways?" I ask. "Don't know, you wanna go look for him?" I nod. We try to slink away, but Spike see's our attempted escape. "May I help you with something?" Spike asks us in his most intimidating voice. "We were just looking for something." I say. Spike squints his eyes. "Do I know you?" "Yeah, you invited us." Olivia explains. Spike smiles, a big, fake movie star smile. " Oh my goodness. Ladies and gentlemen. These kind folks are from my home town." The crowd applauds for us. " How about you come on stage with me?" "I couldn't do that." I insist. "Sure, you can." He says , trying to pull us on stage. Spike addresses the audience. "Wouldn't you all like to see them up here with me?" The crowd cheers once more. "I'm sorry, but they've spoken." He tells us. We begrudgingly accept his offer. The crowd parts as we make our way to the stage. The flapper rejoins the crowd. We stand on the stage next to Spike not knowing what to say. "Wouldn't you like to say something?" He asks us. "We don't know what to say." Olivia tells him. "Tell them what it was like growing up with me." "We don't know you." The crowd gasps. Spike nervously laughs. "That's just their dry sense of humor." "Why are we here?" I ask. "What do you mean? I'm doing the right thing. Once you make it, you don't forget about your humble beginnings." He informs us. Olivia rolls her eyes. "Whatever. Glad you made it. Where's Mr. Bones?" "Who?" He asks. " Oh, sorry, The 1700's man. That's just our funny nickname for him." I say. "He's not here!" The Flapper shouts out. "Where is he?" I ask. "The Met." She responds in a bored tone. "What's the Met?" I ask. The Flapper sighs. "The Metropolitan Museum of Art?" Spike takes a breath. " They didn't think it was right that I should have sole custody of it." The Flapper jumps in. "But what do they know?" "Who cares what they know. This is something that belongs to the world." I state. The Flapper laughs at me. "Let the Met have him. They'll never understand him like we do. We're the true artists." I look her dead in the eyes. "No, you're not." I then turn to Olivia. "Ready to leave?"

Hors d'oeuvres

Many of the walls are torn down, allowing open space for installation pieces. As odd as it appears, I can appreciate a gigantic red apple at the center of the warehouse. At least it doesn't yell at me. All I'm saying is that performance art gets old fast. There are kids wearing tuxedos, carrying around trays with appetizers. Most of them don't look like they could be any older than sixteen or seventeen. All of them are nervous. Most likely their first time in a big event. I'm guessing they were art students looking for extra credit. A pimply kid offers us something I have never before seen. "What is that?" Olivia asks. He looks down at the tray. "It's a beet , and it's wrapped in .. um.. I don't remember." Olivia smiles politely and grabs two of the appetizers. He walks away from us. I take a bite of mine and cringe. Olivia tries to be more accepting as she takes a bite of hers, but her face looks even more repulsed than mine did. She spits it into her hand. "Did you like that?" She asks. "Not one bit." "You wanna get Mcdonalds after this?" "I have never loved you more than I do at this moment." I declare. Olivia smiles. "Where is the man of the hour?" I wonder. "Who knows? Who cares?" The Flapper woman tings her champagne glass. Everyone in the room turns to her. "Thank you, Now if you could all raise your champagne glasses." The crowd collectively lift their glasses into the air. Olivia and I stare at each other, wondering how we missed drinks. I raise my hand. The flapper looks tired/ annoyed as she calls on me. "Yes?" She asks. "We didn't get any champagne. We somehow missed that tray." I say. "Just pretend you are holding them." She instructs us. Olivia and I raise our hands in the air, pretending we are holding glasses with our pinkies out. The flapper continues her speech. " To a man who's potential knows no bounds. To a man we should all aspire to." I chuckle. Olivia elbows me. "You're embarrassing me." Spike shouts out from the crowd. "It's well deserved praise, my friend. Come up here. Let the people she your face." She says to him. " No, I couldn't do that." He replies. "I don't know, I think the people would love to see your face. What do you think?" She asks the crowd. The crowd cheers, encouraging him to get on stage with her. He reluctantly joins her. He's wearing the same Armani suit from the interview. Can't say I blame him, those suits are expensive. Still, he could probably afford a new one now. I don't think anyone cares or notices though. They all clap and cheer. They eventually quiet down only to chant "Speech, speech, speech" a moment later. "What do you think he's gonna say?" Olivia asks me. " I don't know, but it's gonna be good."

Inhabitants

Don't be so harsh. Don't be so critical. Go with the flow, enjoy the ride. A pep talk I give myself, as we enter the Warehouse. The stairway is littered with graffiti. I'll take that as a good sign. I'll view it as them paying homage to street art of the 1980's. That feels better. Maybe they are an intelligent group who know a thing or two about art. Maybe the rest is more original. As we ascend the stairs, the ambient music grows louder. It sounds like a pulsating heart, beating rapidly. It's nerve racking. I wish it would stop. I don't like it one bit. We reach the top. A woman with a bob haircut, and a flapper dress glares at us. "They know Spike." The bouncer informs her. She turns with an air of arrogance and heads to the room where the pulsating heart emanates. The three of us follow her into the room. The heart beat is so loud that I can not hear myself think at this point. That might be a good thing. My brain does not need to over analyze this ridiculousness. It is a dimly lit room. The flapper woman stands against a pink wall. She smokes from a long cigarette holder. In the center of the room there is a man in his mid twenties. He has a scruffy beard and looks as though he has not slept in days. He picks tomatoes out of a barrel and hurls them at the wall. "Greetings!" The flapper woman shouts. The heart beat is so loud, she is practically screaming. She continues. "We are the dreamers, the schemers. The mischief makers. We are the the one's who question authority and push boundaries. We are the one's who will not be silenced. We are the Inhabitants and we are here to stay. We are the Inhabitants and we welcome you into our abode." The flapper woman finishes her speech, and the man halts throwing tomatoes. They both look to us for approval. The bouncer whispers to us. "You can applaud now." Olivia and I reluctantly applaud. The flapper bows. The man stands, motionless. " Thank you. As I said,we are the Inhabitants. That is only a small taste of what you can look forward to tonight." Just what I was looking forward to, an evening of pretentiousness. I hope I can find the food soon.

The Bouncer

A huge man in his mid thirties blocks our entrance to the Warehouse. He has a square jaw. He almost looks like a classic drawing of Superman, except minus the blue hair and high moral standards. "Who are you?" He says , in a gruff tone. "You treat all your guests like this?" Olivia asks. He stares hard into her eyes. "We weren't expecting guests." His inflection becoming deeper. He's obviously trying to intimidate us. "Sure you were. Spike invited is." I respond. The man relaxes his stare. "The Spike?" He asks. Olivia giggles to herself. I try to keep a straight face. "What's so funny?" He demands. The words slightly muffled through his jaw. "Come on, the Spike? Is that really necessary?" I snicker. The man..the bouncer...whatever he is, stands intensely in silence. "He is a very important man." "Taking credit for other's discoveries is important." I mutter under my breath. He snaps his head. "Excuse me?" Olivia whispers in my ear. "You still wanna do this?" "They have free food, right?" I ask, in my normal voice. The bouncer jumps in our conversation. "There are hors d'oeuvres." I nudge Olivia. "You hear that? They have hors d' oeuvres?" The bouncer rolls his eyes. "Does that mean you'll be joining us?" I look to Olivia. "It's up to you." She says. "Well, if it's up to me, Hell yeah! Free food!" I reply. The bouncer steps aside, allowing us entrance.

The Warehouse

During the 1960's Andy Warhol had The Factory. A Caligula of its time. Various "artists " would show up for drugs and orgies. Andy was the artist, but no one was there to see him. They were there to see each other. Instead of finding their own way, I think many new artists try to recreate history. Even if history may have been chaotic. The gala we are going to is called "The Warehouse." It might not be a direct reference to the Factory. I highly doubt it though as I gaze up at the old, brick building. I see silver balloons tied to the fire escape. Loud, ambient music blasts from the windows. The only way to get into The Warehouse is a steel door on the side of the building. We have to walk in an alley to get there. It's a narrow passage way. Luckily, it's broad daylight. Hopefully we can leave before sunset.I have to admit, I'm more concerned about the puddles. It rained recently, so there's standing water here and there. I'm trying to be careful where I step. I don't want to dirty up my suit. I have a feeling we may be overdressed for this. We approach the steel door. I make a fist, preparing to knock. I turn to Olivia. "You ready for this?"

The Big Apple

New York City! Home of Seinfeld, the Yankees, Spider - Man, and all sorts of iconic gems. I have never been. Never thought I'd have the chance to go. I assumed it was one of those places I'd imagine myself visiting, but never get the opportunity to. Fate is strange like that. We were going to leave that small town and wander aimlessly. Before we had the chance to make our escape Spike invited us to a Gala in Manhattan. It could be guilt, or he's attempting to rub it further in our faces. I honestly don't care whatever his motivation was. I'm in New York! I'm in a yellow cab , staring out my window, marveling at the skyscrapers. The taxi driver can tell I'm an out of towner. I see him roll his eyes in the rear view mirror. Why should I care though? I'm the one with his hair neatly combed. I'm the one wearing a spiffy suit, and I'm the one with my girl by my side ready to take this town.

Outside the Bar

The outside of the bar is sketchier than the inside. It's unlit and there are broken bottles galore. Olivia runs up to me. "What's your problem?" She demands. "My problem is that the man we were watching is being seen as a hero by the whole country, and perhaps the world now." "So?" She says with a blank stare. I am taken aback by her apathetic statement. "So, the man is not giving credit where credit is due." I inform her. "Is this about money?" She asks. "No." "Accolades?" I don't respond, but my silence is confirmation enough for her. "You want to be famous?" She continues. I shake my head no. "It's not so much that." "Then what is it?" I bite my lip. "That should have been us on T.V." Olivia sighs. "I think that is wanting to be famous." She says. "Ok, maybe it is a little bit." I admit. Olivia comforts me. "There's nothing wrong with wanting that. I too am a bit jealous of Spike, but it's both our faults. We didn't step up when we had the chance." "It's deeper than that." I explain. "What do you mean?" "Spike is feeding the media lies, and they're eating it up." "That's their problem." She says. I squint my eyes. "What?" "You shouldn't believe everything you read or see. Learn to discern." She proclaims. " I agree, but it is difficult for the average person to do that when they told one thing constantly." Olivia pauses for a moment then continues. "You really think it would be better if the public knew the 1700's man was a magical, talking skeleton?" "Maybe." I say. "What would change?" "Are you kidding me? It would change everything." "What would it change?" Olivia repeats. The funny thing is, I know this revelation would transform reality, but I can't explain specifically how. Olivia jumps in. "Most would not believe it." "So cynical." I criticize. "That may be, but the fact is most people wouldn't believe it because they wouldn't want to." "What if they saw him talk themselves?" I ask, thinking I threw a curve ball. "Doesn't matter, they'd find a way to write it off." She insists. I let out a deep breath. "I guess you're right." Olivia pulls me closer. "It can be like our own joke." I half smile. "Let's go back in, get a couple drinks,and take off." "Where?" I ask. "Anywhere we want."

Spike's Interview

When word got out about the 1700's man, the quiet New England town was a buzz. Everyone and their mother wanted to be a part of history. It was wall to wall people everywhere you looked. Before we knew it, the roads were blocked off. We couldn't leave if we wanted to, and we really wanted to. At the heart of the phenomena was Spike. He took all the credit for the miraculous find. I guess you say that was our fault. We were too dumbfounded by everything. By the time we had realized what was happening around us, it was too late. No one would believe us. Olivia and I are at a local bar. We're waiting for Spike's latest interview. It's jam packed. I overhear the sea of customers. Many of them tell stories about how they knew him before he was famous. I hear women claiming to be former loves. Men telling tales of getting into trouble with him during their younger days. I even hear from teachers and neighbors. The bartender orders us all to quiet down as the show starts. I am in a seedy dive bar surrounded by strangers, but there is an eerie calm. This is the shining moment for this town. Because Spike made it, it is as if they all made it. I stare at the T.V. screen. It opens up with Spike strolling down a suburban sidewalk. He has his hair slicked back and wears a nice Armani suit. The interview is a joke. It has virtually nothing to do with the "historic find" , but rather his humble beginnings. No one in the bar seems to care. They eat it up. Everyone, including the bartender. When they go past his old high school, or a favorite burger joint, the crowd cheers. It takes time, but the interviewer does ask about Mr. Bones. She asks how he knew to dig in that precise location. Spike is a deer in the headlights. He takes his time answering. When he is ready, he replies " I just knew." The interviewer approvingly smiles. In her eyes, this man trusted his intuition and was ultimately rewarded. The crowd cheers even harder than before. Someone shouts out " I always knew there was something special about him." I angrily storm out of the bar. I want to be accepting of this. I want to be ok with this, but it annoys me to no end that this man is being put higher and higher on a pedestal.

The Results

Some days the world moves so fast. Events gather momentum at the speed of light. Expert scientists and archaeologists flew in to carbon date the bones. According the tests, Mr. Bones is approximately three hundred years old. Not the oldest find by far, and it was a slight disappointment at first. Spike, as well as the team of team of scientists and archaeologists were expecting another prehistoric ice man. The remains of a man from the 1700's is still huge, but a blow to all of their egos was taken. They all wanted to be famous as a result of this discovery. He would, no doubt be placed in a museum. They might even enjoy a brief moment in the sun on the national news circuit. However, in the scientific world, they would just be a small fish in the big ocean. That is until, it was revealed that there was no logical explanation why he was there. The cave was buried under layers of Earth. The last time the cave would have been exposed, and thus easily accessible would have been over a thousand years ago. The question was, how did this man enter this cave when the technology at the time was simply not available? Even more interesting, knick knacks of all sorts were discovered from matchbooks to a harmonica. The question evolved once more. Why was there modern devices with him, and how did they get there? Mr. Bones has been dubbed the 1700's man from the Mystery Spot. Not the most catchy title, but publicity wasn't my job.

Excavating

A team of excavators tear through the snowy hilltop. A sad sight if you ask me. We're destroying a natural wonder just to unearth treasure. Maybe I'm looking too into this. Olivia and I stand a few feet away and watch it all unfold. " You think Douglass and Sheri know about this?" I ask. " I have a feeling we're not on their property anymore." "Or it's out of their hands." I add. Our "friend" with the durag and days stubble walks towards us. " Mind if I join you?" He asks. "Be my guest." I say. He stands next to me. He is massive. His biceps are about the size of my face. He could snap me like a twig if he wished. "Names Spike by the way." He says to us. We shake his hand and continue to watch the digging. "When I was in fifth grade, I learned about these boys from France or some sort of European country. Anyways they liked to go out exploring. One day, one them stumbled into a cave. Turns out that cave was centuries old. We're talking B.C. old." Spike pauses and looks admiringly at the sight. " That cave became a museum. Ever since I heard that story, I wanted to find my own cave." "Then why are you doing this?" I ask. Spike turns to me, puzzled. " I don't understand." He tells me. "You're destroying the cave." I inform him. " No, I'm not. I had to do this." He insists. "Why would you?" Olivia asks. Spike sighs. Our questions are tiring him. " This would be the only way to get in and out of there safely. I already called the local news. Hopefully we can get someone to carbon date bones soon, and air lift him out of here." "Then what?" Olivia asks. Spike grins. "Then the real fun begins."

Persuading Mr. Bones

A harmonica plays in the distance. In an area that is smaller than the smallest apartment, distance is an abstract term. Yet somewhere blues emanates from one of the many shadows. "Are you depressed?" I ask, not sure where the tunes are coming from. The Blues music abruptly stops. "Why would you ask that?" "Because you're playing the blues." Mr. Bones steps out of the shadows. "You don't have to be depressed to play the blues. Besides, what else am I gonna play on the harmonica?" "Good point." "So, why did you come back?" He asks me. "There's trouble." Mr. Bones brushes it off. "There always is. Where's your girl?" I point my head towards the surface. "She didn't wanna come with?" He questions. I shake my head no. " It was too dangerous." Mr. Bones laughs to himself. "What?" I demand. "She's a grown woman. She can take care of herself." He informs me. "But I don't trust that guy up there." "So, you left her up there with someone you think is dangerous? You're all over the place." Mr. Bones continues to chuckle. "Can I tell you why I came back?" I ask, annoyed. "Yeah, sure. Why did you come back?" I gesture to the hole in the ceiling. "The man who drilled the hole wants to take everything from the cave." Mr. Bones stands motionless. Even though he has no eyes, I can tell he looks bewildered. He eventually says "So?" I can't believe this is not registering in his skull. Something that is so obvious to me is beyond him. "So? That means they'll take you. You'll spend the rest of your days in a museum." I say frantically, trying to get some sort of emotional response out of him. His mouth opens wide. The idea pleases him. "Me? In a museum?" He gasps. "You don't want that." "How do you know what I want?" He snaps. "You'll be stuck behind thick glass." I rationalize. "How is that any different than being in a cave?" Suddenly, I am at a lack for words. "I'll have adoring fans." He says with wonderment. "You won't be able to interact with them." "I know, but I'll see so many glowing smiles. This is what I want." "Are you sure?" I ask. "Yes. Go to the surface, tell him what you found."

Cave Fall

Entering the cave proved to be trickier than exiting. When you're exiting, you can see everything ahead of you. Not so much when you are entering. There is a narrow space between the drill and the opening. You can't use the drill to climb down. It will slice your hands and feet. All you can do is swing your body away from the drill and hope the fall doesn't hurt. I had seen monkeys do similar feats at the zoo dozens of times. They fly from trees with ease. Looked like a piece of cake. I should have known. Anything that appears easy, usually isn't. I was cocky as I entered. I plopped into the hole. My cape was immediately snagged on the drill. I didn't mind though. What was another rip? I tried to let go and drop, but I was tethered good. Fortunately, ( or unfortunately depending how you view it) that stuck feeling didn't last. I heard a tearing noise. My cape separated itself from the drill. I dropped straight down. My feet weren't positioned right, so I fell, hitting the ground hard. "Are you ok?" Olivia asks from the surface. "Yeah." I respond with a groan. I was on my back and could see Olivia attempting to enter. "No, don't!" I yell. "But you're hurt.""I know, but it's too dangerous." "I can handle myself. I must take care of you." "I'll be fine. You should keep an eye on that guy. I don't trust him." Olivia sighs. " I guess we both don't need to be down there. But talk to Mr. Bones. Figure a way out of this mess."

The Find

"What find?" I ask the man driving the nightmare machine. "That hole you just crawled out of? That's dollar signs for me." He replies. "There's nothing there." Olivia tells him. The man spits a wad of tobacco. Its disgusting blackish texture leaves a mark on the otherwise pristine snow. "Bullshit." He says wiping his lips. "No, it's true. There's nothing down there." I explain. "You came out of there, didn't you?" He asks. "Yes." I respond,not sure where he is going with this. "Then there must be something down there." He reasons. "We were simply trapped, and now you saved us. There's no reason to go in." I elaborate. The man shakes his head. "You're liars! I don't like liars." He opens his door. "I'm going in myself." He continues. I put my hands out. "Stop! We'll go ourselves." I shout. "You'll go down there?" He says, with one foot on the monstrous tire. "Yes, we will." Olivia confirms. "Why would you want to do that?" "I'm taking a stab in the dark, but I'm guessing you don't care much for going in and out of that thing more than you have to." I explain. "Yeah, so we go down there, collect whatever we find, and you bring us back." Olivia adds. He steps back into his vehicle without saying a word. He shuts the door and stares at us for a moment. He then shoos us away,saying "Go on."

On the Surface

Mr. Bones gives us both a boost. We have to be careful pulling ourselves up. Making sure not to touch the blades. Not an easy task. The opening in the ceiling is just wide enough to squeeze through one at a time. I attempt to use the drill as a ladder at first. It's menacing appearance proved more intimidating than I had anticipated. I relied solely on any upper body strength I might have. It was daunting. There wasn't anything to grab hold of. I made it though, and when I arrived at the top, I pulled Olivia up. On the surface we were confronted by a large charcoal grey construction vehicle. The vehicle itself looked like it could be the villain from an animated movie about deforestation. Behind the massive drill were leering headlights and a grill that resembled a grin. The vehicle had four colossal tires. The kind that are used for monster trucks. The operator of the machine peeks out from his window. He's far away , but I can tell he has days stubble and is wearing a durag. He shouts to us. "Thanks for the find."

Drill!

Picture yourself in the dentist's chair. Even if you did everything right(brushing, flossing etc.) there is still an amount of anxiety trapped inside you. It doesn't help any when he brings out the sharp, pointy tools and starts using them. The little tools scraping around in your mouth echoes in the otherwise quiet, brightly lit room. It feels as if you are standing next to an amplifier at a rock concert. Now,take that anxiety, take that utterly repulsive noise and magnify it. That's what it feels like waiting for this drill to come through. We are all huddled tightly against the walls. Mr. Bones fears not death, but he wishes not to be dismantled again. I can hear the drilling overhead. It's loud and aggressive. "It's getting closer." Mr. Bones shouts over the drilling. "I can hear it breaking the rocks." He continues. Mr. Bones realized what he had said. He grabs both our heads and forces us down. "What the hell are you doing?" I demand, trying to release myself from his hold. "It's here!" He shouts. I see the tip of the blade peek in from the ceiling. "Duck!" Mr. Bones commands. Just like in a grade school tornado drill, Olivia and I duck down against the wall. We didn't look up once to see the whirling blades or the rocks whizzing past us. I can't say the same for Mr. Bones. His skeletal body gave us extra protection. The rocks that were ground level, that would have hit us, he got directly in their path. They always knocked him back a few steps, but they never broke a bone. After what seemed like hours, the drill stopped. We didn't move till Mr. Bones tapped us on the shoulders and gave us the go ahead. We gradually stand up. We see at the center of our cave a massive, deadly, spiraling drill. Daylight shines in. "Guess this is your ticket out of here." Mr. Bones says to us. I nod. "Are you coming with?" I ask. "No." "You can join us." Olivia assures him. "People don't take to kindly to skeletons." He says, jokingly. I laugh. "Besides I'm in the business of collecting treasure." "That's right. Does that mean you have my shield?" I ask. Mr. Bones laughs and slaps me on the back. "That yellow thing?" "Yes." I say, eagerly. "It's not yours now." He informs me. "But I earned it." Mr. Bones pulls me in closer. "Trust me, you don't need it."

I Spy

I Spy is a great game. It's a fun way to pass the hours. Wonderful if you have a colorful setting to choose from many objects that catch your eye. Even better if all of the participants playing have a brain with working memory. I am in a dark, damp cave. Hardly the the setting for a grandiose game of I Spy. "I Spy something red." Mr. Bones announces. I groan as I rub my hands in my face. " Is it my cape?" I ask. "Yeah, how did you get that?" He asks. " Because you did that one 5 times. That and it's the only red thing here." I tell him. " No, what about the red rose in her hair?" He says pointing to Olivia's rose with his stumpy arm. "My turn." Olivia shouts. She earnestly views her surroundings. Trying to find something that will really make us think. " I spy with my little eye something that is black." Mr. Bones points behind Olivia. " Is it the shadow over there?" "No." He points to another area behind me. "Is it the shadow over there?" "No." "Is it the black in your dress?" I ask. "No, but that was a good one." She says. Mr. Bones points to me. "Is it his black shirt?" He asks, mirroring my question. "No." Mr. Bones snaps his fingers. "Rats. Ok, is it that shadow over there?" "No, do you guys give up?" She asks. Mr. Bones hangs his head. "Alas, I was not meant to win this round." He says. Olivia turns to me. "Do you give up?" "Yeah." I say. Olivia gazes deep into my eyes. Even though she is wearing her sugar skull mask , I know she is smiling. "It's your pupils." She tells me. Mr. Bones leans in, as if he is love struck as well. "Aw, ain't that romantic?" Olivia is about to give me a nice kiss when Mr. Bones' right hand enters. It jumps up and down. "I see you have good news." Mr. Bones says to his hand. The hand points its "neck" up to the ceiling. "Really?" The hand jumps up and down excitedly. " That's great. Now come back to me. I missed you." Mr. Bones says happily. He grabs the rouge hand and reattaches it to his wrist. "What did it say?" I ask. "He found someone to drill a hole and get us out of here." He says, casually. "What?" Olivia and I shout in unison. "Someone is gonna drill a hole and we'll be free." "Are you serious?" I ask. "Oh yeah, and you might want to get to sides as best yu can because I have a feeling he's gonna start any minuet."

Helping Hand

"How could we be stuck here?" I ponder out loud. "If you see a way out let me know." Mr. Bones informs us. "I mean, how could you be stuck here? If your body was able to get in here it should be able to get out." I state. " I don't get it either."He says. It does not make a lick of sense. To be fair though, he has no idea how his body got here. Olivia turns around. She examines the cracks in the walls. " The cracks aren't very big." She says. Mr. Bones nods his head in agreement. " Not at all. I have no meat on my bones, and I wouldn't be able to slink through." "Do you think a hand could fit through?" She asks. Mr. Bones scratches his skull. " I think so. Especially one of my hands." Olivia scoots closer to Mr. Bones. " Do you think you could send one of your hands through a crack?" She asks. Mr. Bones chuckles. " That's crazy, but I love it." He snaps his right hand off his wrist. It cracks as he removes it. He places his hand on the ground. It jumps and "walks" around like a puppy. Mr. Bones snaps his fingers with his left hand. His right hand immediately stops and looks up with its middle finger, using the other four fingers as legs. " Righty! I need you to do something very important." His right hand jumps up and down. Mr. Bones points to the hole in the wall. " I need you to go through that hole in the wall, and help us find a way out of here." He commands his right hand. His right eagerly runs towards the wall. "Hold on!" He shouts to the hand. " We need you to either find someone to help us out of here, or lead us to a path. Can you do that?" He asks. His hand jumps up and down. "Then go!" His right hand scurries to the wall and through the hole. Mr. Bones adjusts and makes himself more comfortable. "And now we wait."

Cave Dweling

We sit in a circle surrounded by the warm glowing pink bubble. It is inches from the cave walls. Mr. Bones plucks the cigarette from his mouth. He puts it out on the ground. "Close proximity. Thought I'd spare you the second hand smoke." "That was polite." I tell him. "I am a hermit, but I do have manners." He assures us. "What happened to your home?" Olivia asks. Mr. Bones slants his head. " You were there." "I know, but what was it like from your perspective?" She asks. Mr. Bones leans back. His spine nearly touching the pink wall. " I remember a loud boom." He says, waving his hands in the air. "Then there were all these cracks in the ground and ceiling. They were ity bity at first, but they became bigger and bigger." He motions with his hands, showing the growing gap. "Before I knew it, the cracks became holes. I got sucked into one of them." He does a falling motion. " I fell for what seemed like forever until I hit a slanty slope." He smacks his hands together. " All my bones came apart on impact. My head rolled down the hill. It eventually stopped and was buried under layers of snow." "Wow, that's incredible. How did you reunite yourself with your body?" I ask. "I'm not finished." He scowls. "Sorry, go on. " I say, sheepishly. " I could feel my body even though it was miles away. I guess that's what you would call phantom limb syndrome." Olivia and I glance at each other. Probably the oddest definition of phantom limb. However, we don't say anything. We let him continue. "My hand starts crawling." He does a crawling motion with his right hand. " It started sniffing everything." "It was sniffing?" Olivia asks. "Yeah, how else was it gonna find my body?" Mr. Bones continues the crawling motion. " It sniffed here and there and found my rib cage. It pulled with all its might and was able to unearth it. You know the problem with that though?" "The hand doesn't connect to the rib cage?" I respond as if it were a trick question. "It doesn't connect to the rib cage!" He shouts, pumping his fist in the air. "So what did you do?" Olivia asks. " That was a victory, but like we said, those bones don't connect, so he left it there. Luckily all the other bones have distinct scents. He was able to lock in on them and find them in the correct order." "I'm assuming your skull was the last thing it found?" I suggest. Mr. Bones nods. " I was a man without a head for a while. I don't know if my body was screwing with me at that point or if it was truly lost because I could hear it walking around." "What did you do?" I ask. "Only thing I knew how to do. I whistled dixie." "You whistled dixie?" Olivia repeats. "It was muffled,but he could hear it, or at least feel the vibrations." Mr. Bones lets out a sigh. "It dug me up. We were reunited, and I've been living in this swanky cave ever since." "You haven't left?" Olivia wonders. " Look around, there's no way out." He says as a matter of fact. Olivia and I scan the cave. Our chamber is barely big enough for the three of us. There are tiny cracks, nothing big enough to squeeze through though. Mr. Bones stretches. "It's not so bad. I'm a good roommate."

Reunion

"What are you doing here?" I ask. Mr. Bones lifts his cigarette and places it back in his mouth. "Smoking." He replies, casually. "We mean how did you get here?" Olivia asks. "How did you get here?" He answers our question with a question. "We rode a dinosaur." I inform him. "That so?" He asks. I shake my head yes. Mr. Bones leans against the wall. "That's nifty." "Are we in the mountain again?" Olivia wonders. "I highly doubt that. There isn't much of that left." He explains to us. "Sorry we destroyed your home." Olivia says, sweetly. Mr. Bones shrugs. "Eh, you did what you had to do. You did do it, right?" "Oh yeah." I say without batting an eye. Mr. Bones takes a long drag. He exhales a grey puff of smoke while saying "Splendid." Mr. Bones puts the cigarette out against the wall. It leaves us in the dark again. "Oh dear." He utters about our current situation. He strikes another match and lights a cigarette. It doesn't throw off much light. In fact it strains my eyes using it as a source of light, but it is nice to at least see outlines and images. "It's dim, but it will work." He tells us. "Wait, I'm remembering something." Olivia says. "Yeah? Was it where to get a good drink around here?" Olivia ignores Mr. Bones' comment and puts her hands out. A pink stream flows out of her palms. We are soon encompassed in a large pink bubble in our small quarters. Olivia concentrates further making an electrical current run through the bubble. It is not as strong as some she has done in the past. But it does illuminate the cave.Mr. Bones looks on in awe. "Oh yeah. I remember that trick." He claps his skeletal hands. "Thank you. I know it's not as bright as it could be. It takes a lot out of me doing that." Mr. Bones continues to admire the creation. "No, it's perfect. Perfect way to start a reunion."

Crawling Through

Reach for the light. Reach for something better. Crawl through. Dig! Dig! That's it, almost there. I can't see a thing , but the layers of snow seem to be loosening up. That can only mean one thing. One glorious thing. Freedom! I punch my hand through the top layer. To my surprise, no light shines in. Makes me wonder how long were we buried. Then again, it could just be a cloudy day. At any rate, I make the opening wider and crawl through. I pull Olivia in when I make it all the way through. I try to stand, but my head hits a rock. I hunch over while rubbing the back of my head. "We appear to be in a cave." "How do you think we go here?" Olivia asks. "Beats me." I hear a match strike behind me. I shift as best as I can in this tiny cave. To my surprise, I see the faint flicker of a cigarette illuminating the face( or lack there of ) of Mr. Bones. He takes the cigarette out of his mouth. " What? I'm just as surprised as you are."

Cocooned

There was no time leave the hilltop and escape the harsh snowfall. With the snap of a finger, it became a blizzard. It forced our bodies into a fetal position. It is as if we are trapped in cocoons. I can not see, but I hear Olivia breathing next to me. It makes me happy to know she is near by. We will emerge from our cocoons, and when we do we will be stronger than ever.

A Familiar Scene

"This looks familiar." I shout to Olivia while digging in the snow. "What do you mean?" She asks. "Remember a few months back? We were atop of a mountain looking for something?" Olivia stops digging and looks up to me. "How quickly you forget." She says. "What?" "We dug before we started climbing." "Tomato tomatoe." Olivia smiles and continues digging. "Makes you wonder though? Doesn't it?" I ask. "About what?" "It's a similar situation. What if we're back here because we still have more to learn?" Olivia slows her digging and slants her head. "Like what?" I shrug. "I don't know. But I'll be honest, I was expecting something big after." Olivia furrows her brow. "Something big did happen. We saw a giant floating head that you said was your guardian angel." She explains. "No, I mean something that would stay with us." Olivia has a blank expression. "That's something that will stay with me." "I mean something big." "I think that was big." "I mean...I don't know what I mean." Olivia walks over to my side and tries to comfort me. "You ok?" She asks. I look down at my hands. They are bright red. "My hands are cold." Olivia cups my hands. "I think we should stop." I look to the sky. The snow is picking up once more. If we don't stop now, we may go the way of the sled. Lost to time.

Snowy Hill

The snow is heavy. I feel every time I raise my foot, my energy depletes slightly. I remind myself that in the end it will be worth it. That my hard work will pay off. The slide will be worth it. I'll laugh all my cares and concerns away. Sliding into a higher realm. We stand now at the top of the hill. The snow goes up to our ankles. How it could have snowed this much is beyond me. Maybe we were just having that much fun. Lost in rolling down a hill. "Where do you think it is?" Olivia asks. "What do you mean?" She extends her arm. Pointing out the snow caped hill. No grass or anything out of the ordinary can be seen. Just fluffy, white snow as far as the eye can see. I bend down and scoop some snow away with my bare hands. "Might as well start here."

Practice, Practice , Practice

We spent the greater part of the afternoon perfecting the art of the roll. It's not nearly as difficult as one might assume. I like things that turn out to be easier than they look. Before I know it, I'm an expert. In my eyes at any rate. I guess that was the whole point of this exercise. To feel good, really good about something so simple. I'm so enthralled that I don't notice the snow picking up. We're practically in the middle of a blizzard. I shake my head and snap back to "real " time. Olivia witnesses my awareness. "Know what we can do now?" She asks. I nod yes and say "Time to sled."