The fat man huffed and heaved as
he climbed the last few steps. He flung himself onto the bench and pulled out a
fine linen handkerchief to wipe his face. His companion sat silently, looking
out over the view.
“Why do you always choose such
faraway places? I could recommend a great restaurant in any city of the world,”
the fat man complained.
A smile may have ghosted across
his companion’s lips. “I’m sure you could. Next time, we will meet at a
location of your choosing.”
They sat together, looking at the
vista laid out before them. The fat man continued to wipe his face, his neck. He
looked out, but he did not see. His companion may have smiled again.
“You’ve been busy,” he said.
“Yeah, tis the season,” the fat
man grinned, folding up his damp handkerchief and tucking it into his pocket. “You
know I love this time of year.”
“Indeed.”
After a while, the fat man turned
to look at his companion. “What does that mean?”
“Where are we?”
“What? What do you mean? You
chose this godforsaken place! Are you out of your mind?”
“No, I mean, I want you to tell
me where we are. What do you see out there. Without looking.”
The fat man frowned. He looked
down at his hands. He started to turn his head out to the view, but ducked it
back down again. It wasn’t a good idea to ignore his companion’s questions…or
suggestions.
“I…I don’t know. I mean, I know
where you said to come, and I hauled my way all the way up here. But I guess I
was caught up still thinking about other things just now. I don’t know what I
was looking at.”
“Good. I like it when you’re
honest, at least. You have much to learn, my friend. And it’s time.”
Suddenly the fat man was alone on
the bench. But he wasn’t on a remote mountaintop anymore. He was in a city square.
He looked around. He knew this place.
Whatever his companion had been
on about, it was time to go home. He started to stand. Losing his balance, he fell back against the
bench. Two young women walking past looked alarmed and rushed toward him.
“Ma’am? Are you okay? Do you need
any help?”
Ma’am?
He looked down. He was wearing a
dress. And his belly was huge, but not fat. He felt something move inside him. “What
have you done?” he whispered.
Dogs in house:
|
Houdini, Brindle, Eggs
|
Time writing:
|
15 minutes
|
April word count:
|
8,004
|
No comments:
Post a Comment