Where'd You Park Your Spaceship?, page 22
Whew.
That smell.
It’s awful.
It could wake a person from the dead.
Which is what it just did to me.
Not dead.
But out.
I passed out?
I look around.
Dill Tudd is gone.
He asked me that question.
I heard him ask that question.
And then I was out.
The sheer horror of it.
My chest collapses.
I smell the chunk.
Wide awake.
Again.
He knows?
I’ve never been found out.
This is the original SERIES 5 nightmare.
To be discovered.
For someone to know.
I replay every interaction with him.
Was there a tell?
A give away?
Some reveal I wasn’t aware of?
I go full conspiracy: Was he sent by the CHAIRS to see if I
can be broken?
Is this a test?
A trial?
Is that why he’s so peculiar?
Is he playing a character-is he a Randy? A Heen? Sent to
see if Heen can hold up?
Do the CHAIRS collect DATA on the ones who collect DATA
for the CHAIRS?
It doesn’t surprise me I passed out.
The shock of that question.
No one has ever asked me that before.
I literally couldn’t deal with it.
It blew all my fuses.
He must have put this chunk in my hand.
And then he left me?
I stand up.
I’m a little woozy.
I was walking home from work?
I turned left here on this trail?
BORNS!
I’m going to be late for dinner.
I start running.
Gotta clean up.
Gotta get to Borns’ place.
*
Borns' house looks exactly like it looked in my mind when
he first invited me over. Only it’s even more Borns than I
could have imagined. It’s on a flat spot, several hundred
yards up a hill. There are seven miniature houses in a half circle looking out and down the hill. Trees surround the houses. There are treehouses in the trees, there are toys
everywhere-balls and trampolines and swings and a zip
line and a sand lot and a pond and a slide that starts on
the roof of one of the buildings and ends in the pond.
There’s a wooden plaque on a pole.
It reads: PEEBLE IS IN RESIDENCE.
In Borns’ handwriting.
There’s a fire pit in the middle of the houses. On the side
of one of the buildings someone has painted a giant pig
with a gold ring in its nose and the word GLORIA
scrawled on its forehead.
Next to the fire pit is a huge table.
The table is full of food.
There is no one around.
A few of the doors to the houses are open.
It’s quiet.
Not peaceful quiet.
Or nature quiet.
Eerie quiet.
I step into the closest building.
It’s got two beds, a dresser between them.
A hammock.
A stack of books on an end table.
Kids clothes of every color hanging from hooks on the
wall on the left.
I look in the next building.
A big bed.
A jacket I’ve seen Borns wear hangs on a stand.
A painting of a volcano above the bed.
A rack of women’s shoes.
Peeble shoes.
The next building has the words READING ROOM written
in scratchy paint above the door.
The walls are lined with books.
There are 10 chairs in a circle.
Comfortable chairs.
Lived in chairs.
This doesn’t feel right, nosing around.
There’s a presence in absence here, a sense that this
place was full of life just moments ago.
It feels ominous.
But I have nothing to point to-
only this absence.
I sit down in a chair by the fire pit.
I look out.
Down the hill.
Over to the lake.
It’s a breathtaking view.
I could sit here for days.
I notice that my breathing is short and shallow.
Some dread is tugging at my sleeve.
I take a long inhale.
I count to five. Then six.
I exhale. Five. Then Six.
I do this again.
This view is beautiful and this dread is terrifying.
I sit in the grip of both.
HEY!!!
I hear footsteps. Small ones. Light ones. Two sets.
Out of the trees come two kids.
With blond hair.
The smaller one yells
HEY!!! ARE YOU HEEN WHO GROWS BEARS???
They arrive in front of me.
Their faces are red and they’re sweating and huffing and
puffing.
I grab glasses off the table.
I pour them water from a pitcher.
Yes, I am. Not actual bears, I don’t grow actual-
Our dad told us to come get you!
Terror in his eyes.
Same terror I feel.
I see it in him.
You guys okay?
Lines is missing!
Lines?
Yeah, our brother Lines-
We can’t find him!!!-
We split up-
Everyone is searching in different directions-
The two of them are talking over each other, frantic. Like
any brothers would be.
I pour some more water.
Keep drinking.
They each take a swig.
I’m Nooji the smaller one says, And he’s-
The bigger one interrupts I can introduce myself, thank you!
He collects himself.
I’m Florent.
Florent. A rush of memory. I love that name.
I love that name I say. I used to know a Florent. He was
brilliant.
This Florent is pleased with this. Well, it clearly comes with the name.
He is so charming.
They both are.
And free.
Even the way they move.
All rubbery elbows and watery angles and buzzy, kinetic energy. And fear.
Where was Lines-that’s his name? Did I get that right?-
Yeah come with us…
Let’s go!! I yell as I take off towards the trees.
NO!!! they both shout. This way!!! They point in the
opposite direction.
We begin running up the hill.
They are fast.
I am gasping.
When did you last see him?
This morning. He left for school but never went to school and then he never came home.
Where are your parents?
The thought of Borns right now searching for his boy puts
my heart in a vice. Nooji stops and points.
Our dad went towards the lake with our neighbors, our
mom went to the CENTER to get people to help us
search.
Florent is shaking.
I put my hand on his shoulder.
We’ll find him.
He stands up straight.
You think so?
His question is like a door to a room that I have no
interest in entering.
Yes I say with a conviction that I do not possess.
That’s all I have for this kid.
A Yes.
These aren’t matters I deal in.
It feels like trying on someone else’s sweater.
Nooji takes over. Our dad said to come get you and go up
the hill.
I nod knowingly.
That sounds like a good plan.
Up we go.
Through the trees.
Above the tree line.
They tell me about their school and their friends and their
sisters and the time their compost backed up and the
time a bear wandered in to one of their houses and the
time their dad hung one of them by their underwear in a
tree. We go up and up and up. We come around a bend and I realize that the hill is the front edge of a low-lying mountain range.
Does Lines ever come up here?
I know nothing about their brother.
He doesn’t really have any fear Florent says. Like one time
we were jumping off the roof onto a stack of mattresses.
Like you do I add.
Like you do Nooji repeats.
These kids are so cool.
Florent continues. There’s a precision to his speech I find
compelling. And we were taking turns thinking we were quite impressive when Lines comes out of his house and
without saying anything climbs up on the roof, jumps off,
does a flip and lands on his feet PAST THE MATTRESSES!!!
Nooji jumps in. And then he walks back into his house.
Florent nods. It’s like he’s missing a chip. One time, he
rode an ostrich.
You can ride an ostrich?
These boys are like mini Borns.
Of course.
Nooji is so thrilled to tell me the Ostrich story. We were
visiting this friend of my mom’s-her name is Roovie and she
has a mustache but our mom always tells us not to say
anything about it. Roovie has a huge piece of land and she
takes us out to the far corner and says she has a surprise
for us-I thought it was going to be a gold mine.
Oh please! Florent interrupts him. You and gold!
I point to Nooji. What’s your deal with gold?
This kid named Moole at our school thinks there’s gold on
Firdus because his dad knows this guy who’s a SECTION
6 who says he fell in a hole and there was gold at the
bottom-
Why didn’t he just take the gold and then he’d have proof?
Florent nods like he’s twice my age.
Exactly my point. But apparently by the time his friends
lowered a rope down, the hole was starting to collapse
and they just barely got him out before the walls caved in
and it was way too deep to dig-
Nooji interrupts. That was his TALE.
I love how these two step on each other's sentences. Like
they want to be the first one to break the news to me and
they just can’t let the other have that kind of joy.
I’m confused. His tail?
Florent clarifies TALE. As in STORY.
Nooji explains Every lap at the end of school every kid in
the school has to stand up in front OF THE WHOLE
SCHOOL AND TELL A TALE.
He says it like it’s thousands of people.
Florent clarifies again That’s 167 boys, for the record-
And you have to tell a story.
That’s it? Just tell a story? I never had to do that.
Yeah. But kids lose their marbles.
Florent nods. Fear of public speaking is one of the top three
human phobias.
I haven’t heard this.
Huh. What are the other two?
Snakes and tight spaces.
Nooji touches my arm. Once I had to give a speech in a
small wooden box filled with deadly cobras.
He looks me in the eyes gravely.
You did?
I almost fall for it.
He tilts his head back and laughs like he’s just punk’d me.
I’m just messin’ with you Heen Who Grows Bears.
We stop and turn around.
The view goes on forever.
The SUNS are crossing.
Only an hour or so until dark.
Did your dad say anything else about where we should
search?
No. Just UP.
Do you think Lines would come up this high?
They both shrug.
How about we go back and see if they’ve found him?
I give Florent a thumbs up.
Good plan, man.
I don’t know where that came from.
They both look at me.
Nooji tilts his head and squints.
You’re a little different. But good different.
Florent agrees. Yeah. Good different. Where are you from?
We’re heading down the hill.
Lunlay.
Where?
Lunlay.
Blank looks from both of them.
You haven’t heard of Lunlay?
No.
No.
I stop.
Neither of you knows about Lunlay?
Florent looks at Nooji.
It doesn’t sounds like a planet.
Nooji nods. It sounds like a fruit-
Or a guy-
Who can’t run very fast-
And wears brown trousers…
They’re quite pleased with themselves for this riff.
I get a little defensive.
Of course it’s a planet. It’s where I grew up.
They haven’t heard of my home?
Backwater.
That’s the word Uncle Dir used for it.
Why hasn’t anyone ever told me they’ve never heard of
my planet?
Ahhhhhhhhh.
Walking down the slope with these boys whose brother is
missing I know why. Because I never tell anyone where I’m from.
What’s it like…Lunlay?
I can see Florent’s gears turning, that raw curiosity that’s
like the air they both breathe.
Well, it’s warm. Hot sometimes…
And away I go.
Nord, The Thiru, being a STAKER, f’rans.
Down the hill we go, me talking, them asking questions.
By the time we approach their place I’ve almost forgotten
that their brother is missing.
The area around their fire pit is full of people.
Ziga Mey comes over. Oh good Heen, I was hoping you’d
be here.
She hugs me.
Lan Zing appears to my right.
She pats me on the back.
I feel an arm on my shoulder.
Bobby Freelance says to me It’s good you’re here.
I don’t recognize anyone else.
I look for Nooji and Florent but they’re gone.
We all just stand around, talking quietly.
I hate it.
This feeling in the air.
I want to crawl out of my skin.
And yet.
Ziga Mey to my right.
Lan Zing and Bobby Freelance to my left-
Hold on.
Did he just put his arm around her and whisper something
in her ear? And then she whispered something back as
she put her hand on his shoulder?
Oh that is interesting.
Those two.
A noise from behind one of the little houses.
Borns and Peeble appear.
Followed by their kids.
Peeble has her arm in his.
They make their way into the center of all of us gathered here. Peeble looks everyone in the eyes as she walks
among us.
Total command this woman.
Borns is in shock.
Dear ones she says.
Just the way she says it.
So much love.
We’re there to help them and I already feel better.
We’re so grateful you’re willing to help us. Lines didn’t go
to school today. He left at the regular time and hasn’t
been seen since.
Borns speaks up.
He’s been known to wander now and then…
Peeble is wearing a bright yellow serape with matching
boots. Only she could wear this. Her hair is blue. Bright
blue. With streaks of red. Like her kids poured color on
her head to see what would happen.
Which is probably what did happen.
She continues He loves to explore but he always comes
home-
Always Borns interjects.
So we’re concerned that wherever he went he’s injured or
in trouble-
Murmurs among us.
No one wants to dwell on any of this.
Peeble forges on. So let’s divide up areas and continue the
search. Sound good?
A chorus of YESES.
A man stands on a stump and holds up a large map.
Oh Carl, Borns says with great affection, you brought a
map!!!
You bet I did!!! Carl is fired up. I really like Carl. Who wants
the area west of CIRCLE 4?
A couple raise their hands.
Carl keeps going. Pointing to his map. Calling out areas.
Borns comes over to me.
Heen.
He turns to the others.
My bread family.
We form a circle, with our arms around each other.
He chokes up.
This man.
The one who performs what he calls SEXY BREAD
DANCING for us every morning.
This bottomless explosion of love and life that happens
also to be a person.
Seeing him like this.
It wrecks me.
Just shreds me.
We stand there in a circle.
Borns, we love you. And we’re going to find your boy.
Bobby Freelance says this. Up until this moment he has
been an enigma to me, an elusive and evasive presence
who moves around the periphery without leaving
footprints.
Meeting people in the alley before work.
Up to something.
Inaccessible.
But now.
I see him.
Straight on.
Lan Zing backs him up. Borns we’ll search all night if
that’s what it takes. And then all day tomorrow. What is
more important than this?
Someone lifts my arm off Lan Zing’s shoulder.
Peeble.
She puts her left arm around me, her right around Lan
Zing.
Thank you.
That’s all she says.
I cannot hold back my tears. Whatever this is…it wakens
