By G.R. Nanda
Nickel was more than happy to give Steve and Farrul a tour of the Eagle. They followed him sheepishly and were awestruck. He showed them the control room and took them to the lower level storage “basement,” explaining where everything was located and what was inside each chamber. Steve and Farrul’s eyes widened in surprise when Nickel opened his sleeping chamber. They were shocked at the comfort that was palpable in the sight of Nickel’s mattress, his pillows and his blankets. It was a sight of white cotton and fleece. It was a sight that promised warmth to them after sleeping in the cold of their withered tents for so long.
Nickel’s sleeping chamber was a far cry from the comforts Nickel knew when he lived in civilization many months ago, but he knew why it would seem so appealing to Steve and Farrul. In fact, they looked too attracted by the sleeping chamber, so Nickel chose to spend less time there. He hurriedly closed the door and guided them up the elevator shaft to the control room.
As soon as they were up, they could see a windstorm raging outside the windows.
“Spent too much time,” said Nickel.
“You know what?” he suddenly said, “let’s just stay here.” He sighed in relief. “Just for a while.” He turned to face Steve and Farrul. They were the most haggard and exhausted they’d looked to Nickel since he’d met them. However, they were probably too tired to admit that they were wearing thin. Their bodies were hunched over and drooping. Their eyelids opened and closed erratically over glazed eyeballs. “We don’t need to acht-chi ourselves back to camp. Let’s just rest. I have some food.”
Nickel brought Steve and Farrul back down to the basement and grabbed blankets and pillows from a storage chamber. Setting the items on the ground, they slept soundlessly under the strips of fluorescent lights encircling the roof.
Nickel dreamed of many hazy images and murky places. He saw the Statue of Liberty, grey and looming against a red sky and above a sea of sloshing dark water. He saw the large blue domed roof of Hedonim. He saw himself on an island of rock jutting out of a cavern of darkness. On the island was himself, Steve and Farrul hanging out in their camp. This slumber of his was not vivid. There was no singing sorceress to pull him into the depths of a world beyond his own mind.
Nickel was standing in a small room illuminated by an overhanging chandelier of electric light bulbs. In front of him was a large armchair. The person sitting in it gave a hearty laugh. Nickel moved in front and could see a short middle-aged man sporting a black goatee and reading a paperback book seated in the chair. This man was Nickel’s dad. Dad smiled at Nickel, showing small white teeth. There were footsteps in an adjacent room. Sounds of clattering plates and silverware came from there too. It was his mom in the kitchen. The bulbs in the chandelier slowly dimmed. Shadows played across dad’s face. He still smiled and his eyes twinkled in the coming darkness.
“Time to go to bed, would you say so, Nickel?” he said.
That was the last scene Nickel remembered when he was awoken by Farrul rummaging his pillows and blankets. It was a world long gone. It wasn’t exactly what his household looked like, but he recognized the essence. Instead of feeling loss or regret, Nickel felt satisfaction and warmth.
Farrul squinted at Nickel. He was still sleepy eyed.
“What’s up?” said Farrul. “What are we gonna do?”
“I don’t know,” said Nickel. He rolled over and stuffed his face in his pillow. “I just woke up. I haven’t had time to think about anything.”
“What if we just lived here?” asked Farrul.
“No!” said Nickel into his pillow. He turned his head and spoke into the open air. “The Eagle’s out of fuel I’ll run out of food soon. I haven’t restocked at a sky-sport in like a month.” He exhaled sharply. “Let’s wake up Steve.”
“Why?” asked Farrul.
“I don’t know what to do. He probably does.” Nickel felt a sinking in his chest. He didn’t want to get up from under his blankets. The mood of tranquility he had awoken to was now being replaced by a begrudging anticipation of the confusion he would have to work through in the waking day. His eyes opened wide as his reality sunk in. A knot twisted in his chest as he realized that if the Eagle didn’t start moving soon, he’d run out of food and die. Or would he? Nicke got up on his knees.
“How long have we been sleeping?” he asked.
“Pretty long,” said Farrul.
“Have you been keeping track?” said Nickel.
“I can tell from what I hear outside. I woke up a couple times and fell back asleep. The weather’s been on and off. I can hear how strong the winds are outside. It’ll storm and stop. Storm an’ stop. But I’ve been hearin’ a lot of storming. When the wind kicks up super loud at the beginning. That’s when I usually wake up.”
Steve mumbled softly, alerting Farrul and Nickel to his sleeping body.
“Who says we gotta listen to him?” said Farrul. Nickel looked at Farrul with eyes scrunched in uncertainty and suspicion. His mouth opened to retort back, but he didn’t know what to say. “Look, Nickel – look at him. If we didn’t listen to him, there’s really not much he could do about it. He’s pretty old and he’s been out here longer than I have, so he’s been getting sicker than me. Like – I’m pretty bad, but he’s way worse. He’s done the acht-chi way more than I have. And that last one he did really messed him up. I haven’t seen him this exhausted.”
Nickel shook his head.
“No!” he said, frowning. “He did that for me! He went into that trance for me! I’m not going to leave him behind. I’m not selfish like that – like……..” He firmly closed his mouth in scowl before he could say, “you.”
“I’ve been awake longer than you, Nickel,” said Farrul. “I just stayed in my blankets because this place is so warm. I finally have something to rely on for safety other than Steve. I was awake with him at camp when you passed out in the tent. He was crying! He was crying, Nickel! I’ve never seen him crying before. No wonder he got emotional after you told him your dream! He’s a wreck. This time he did the acht-chi might actually do him in for good!”
“Why are you excited about that?” scoffed Nickel. His frown deepened. He was really getting angry now.
“I’m not excited!” exclaimed Farrul. “I’m not excited about my best friend and the closest thing I’ve had to a dad almost dying – okay? I’m legitimately trying to work things out and plan. We have to be realistic about how long Steve’s gonna last and how he’d be now. I’ve known him way longer than you! He never told you about how much money he lost in Hedonim. He isn’t as wise as you think he is.” Now Farrul frowned. “Listen: nothing in my life has felt in my control! You’ve been able to control this hovercraft. Me? None of that! I’ve had to listen to Steve for everything because I had nothing better. Now I have you and the Eagle. You should teach me how to use it. I’ve never learned how to fly a hovercraft and if you taught me, I could get out in the world on my own.”
“I could teach you, fine. But if you left on a hovercraft on your own, you’d probably end up like me for the past couple months – wandering alone without a purpose and without friends. I don’t like anything you said about leaving Steve behind in the dust. He knows more about Hedonim and the Desolate Plains that I do.” Nickel stood up and walked around the basement, moving in a circle around the elevator while avoiding the chambers. His head was buzzing with thought and agitation. He felt better grounded in the motion of his legs. “Look, if Steve wants me to do something crazy, I won’t do it. But I don’t want to be alone anymore. I need people and I do want their help and guidance! He’s not only a father to you. He could be one for me until I can return back to dad. I thought flying alone in the Eagle could set me free. But it hasn’t. I really don’t know as much as I thought I did. I need a mentor.” Farrul got up and followed him around the basement. Nickel didn’t look behind him. “Look! I don’t know if that makes sense to you, but I need help!”
“Yeah, I think I made it clear that I’ll help you,” said Farrul.
“Not exactly,” said Nickel. He stopped walking and whirled to face Farrul. “You want to be rid of Steve. I can’t be rid of him!”
“Why not?” said Farrul.
“I just can’t,” said Nickel. “Not after everything he’s told me. He knows the most out of all of us. He’s probably lived to make more mistakes than either of us. We could learn from them.”
“Enough about me,” grumbled Steve, startling Nickel and Farrul. He stretched on the center of the floor. “Let’s talk more about food. There’s no use in arguing over an empty stomach. Hunger makes you stupid and angry. And I’m hungry!”
“Yeah, I am too,” said Nickel. He was glad he could end his conversation with Farrul.
G.R. Nanda 