- The Used – The Bird and the worm
It was an early June morning by the lake in the mountains. Peaceful and quiet as everybody was asleep dreaming sweet dreams, only gentle sounds of snoring and the soft rustles of a duvet as someone changes their position to sleep on the side could be heard...until the peace was interrupted by what appeared to be the slightly muffled sound of someone shouting "WAKE UP SUCKER!!" through a megaphone one floor down...
No visual recording of the event was made, but the sound was clear enough to be heard through the walls and the floor.. Samantha was awake and jolly. School was out for summer and it was time to have fun.. you can rest when you're dead!
Though Skip, the victim of Samanthas prank, might not agree.. early bird catches the worm they say, but in this case the bird thought it best to flee the scene before the worm got time to wake up properly and realise what just happened.. and start chasing the bird...
It wasn't even six in the morning, but Samantha didn't want her rush to fade away, so after running to hide from the worm behind a car on the parking lot outside, she rushed back in to find the juice keg and have a drink or two, before getting the brilliant idea..
..to leave her underwear in a pile next to the juice
keg and run outside to the same parking lot and jog a few rounds
around the house before sunrise. The worm eventually found the bird
and saw that it had shed all its feathers, yet it was flying high...
a very enjoyable sight for the worm. You go, bird, spread your
wings...
There are many ways to go fishing, I suppose...
Cheerful and energized by the juice and her recent shenanigans Samantha decides to, for once, clean up this place.. Exam period always takes a heavy toll on the students, leaving no time or energy left for cleaning. It's the same routine every semester... what university life is all about..
Inges notes:
I was on my way to the kitchen early this morning to check my report card in private (and to not wake up my Olli in case I couldn't hold it together if I got an A or an F...), when I found Samantha in our dining room already helping herself to a drink from the keg, already appearing a little juiced and cheerful. She's been my best friend here for some time now, but there are still things to be learnt I guess.. I'll just.. assume for now this is her after exam ritual or something, and hope she doesn't make a habit of it. I don't want to see this again.
Well, can I say it?
That I wasn't very surprised, I mean... getting my fifth A in a row!
And now that I have enough credits for a bachelor's degree, maybe
it's time to return to Sunset Valley, not just for the summer
holiday, but permanently.. I'm not sure if I need to study more
to
live the life that I dream of, though Olli will probably not agree..
and it's only gonna be two more years.. but wouldn't it be cool if he
could write his master thesis at the Landgraab Research institute...
as some decentralized thing? Well, I don't know, but its an idea..
that would cut the waiting time in half, so...
My
Olli was still sleeping after I had eaten, and I needed to paint
something this morning, so... if he wakes up and asks I'll just tell
him I'm painting a landscape or something, but yeah... maybe this is
a little creepy, it certainly feels a little.. wrong... but somehow..
through history there have been many famous paintings even of
sleeping people, so... I know, this isn't original or anything, but
it's true..
Oliver
Freddys notes:
Inge was painting something when I woke up, and
when I asked her about it she said she was painting a picture of a
landscape, of a home, and it did kind of look like it. I could see
the blue colour of what I can only assume is a lake or the ocean, and
the shape of mountains in the distance was clearly recognizable.
"Must be a picture of Sunset Valley" I said, since, well,
what else could it be, to which she nodded with a soft almost shy
"Mmm, something like that."
I am not at all surprised
that is what she is painting, really. I know all about her dream of
returning to our beloved home town and settling down, but I had to
seize this opportunity, and I have learnt so much during our time
here. I am very confident that in the end it will be worth it, and I
think, she will be duly rewarded with time. And from what I
understand, I am not the only one that has learnt alot and grown as a
person. I see the change in her, everyday, and it is very
admirable.
Even though I got an A on my exam this semester as well, one never really knows until the result is read there on the paper.. I always tell myself this is all to make my mother and my aunt and dad proud, and that disapointing them would be a disaster, though I know.. sometimes.. that in reality, they would not be crushed if got a B or even a C... but I would, and that's what makes checking this paper so nerve wrecking every time...
---
After having a bit of a late breakfast Inge was still upstairs working on her painting, I presume, so I thought I would practice a little bit of art myself. Now, I would never, of course, say this to anyone, but I am doing this in hopes that she will take note of my creation, though to be fair, I could probably do with a bit of practice.
I can already hear her subtly criticizing my lack of an actual colour palette, saying that my piece is to muted, or that my composition is interesting, but lacking an actual focal point, the smoothness is admirable, but there is to much negative space and so on so forth.. ok, so I may not be much of a painter, and I may not understand the full meaning of these words, but listening in on her and Samanthas conversations I have picked up on some of the lingo...
Well, nonetheless. Just in time for when I had finished my little piece, I received a party invitation from Ayana. They're hosting a party over at the sorority and she wants me, Inge and Samantha to join. Funny I'm always the one getting the invitatons, yet it was Inge whom she was doing a favour towards, by agreeing to switch places with Samantha. Oh yeah, and we must not forget to put on our swimsuits. It turns out then I was already in the correct outfit for a change, so all I had to do was find Inge and Samantha and we would be set to go.
Inge came along straight away, no hassle. I suppose her painting was finished as when I found her she was complaining about doing laundry and said she needed a break. Samantha was a little more reluctant to go, even though this was her old dorm. One could almost get the impression that there was some bad blood there, which I find to be a little silly, but what do I know? I hoped she would make up her mind and show up a little later, but Inge was totally on board, and I was not ready to spend the afternoon trying to convince someone, so there was only one thing to do.
Inges notes:
As much as I loved the idea of a pool party, I was also
disappointed that Samantha didn't come along with us.. and I know she
didn't get along to well with some of her old dorm mates, and I still
remember the first time I came here..
Inside spoiler: Excerpt from Chapter
3.1 - August 2022 - We're not gonna be
friends..
I didn't feel very welcome at first, as nobody would let me in even though I was just invited to a party there.. which made me boo at everyone there, even Samantha, which to me at the time was just a part of this 'mean girl' group like the rest of them.. I'm ashamed of this now, as she turned out to be one of the best, but there's still someone here whom I didn't have a pleasant first encounter with, and who has lived up to their first impression and then some since then, and it's that awful Hannah Germanotta..
Yeah, I didn't feel like meeting her again, so I just silently
retreated down to this bedroom in the basement to watch my favourite
reruns on the cooking channel...
Samanthas notes:
I had to go since I used to live here, and me, Inge and Oliver Freddy, we're a group now, so I couldn't let them down by not joining. I was a little reluctant though, there were some arguments before I left, and not everyone took it to well either that I wanted to switch dorms... Ashley doing her best to pretend I wasn't there. Yeah, that was expected.
I
did bring my swimsuit, just in case, but before deciding if I should
actually stay or not I had to run up to the pool to see who was
there and who wasn't... No sign of Hannah, so the coast was clear and
I could jump in... she would always have "something to say"
and it was never anything nice. I wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't
even told there was a party, nobody really likes her...
Oliver Freddys notes:
It was duly noted in my invitation that this was a pool party, so I did what I think what one does at a pool party – I went for a swim. Unfortunately, as has been the case for as long as I can remember, submerging myself partly or fully in any body of water larger than your average hot tub has always made me feel at unease – it's as if the water becomes an entity of it's own and I can see the black shadows gliding around beneath like oily stains of octopus ink, or something worse, whispering to me from the depths, just waiting and baiting for me to join them, so they can drag me down to the dark abyss and swallow me whole...
I know my dear mother has told me so
many times, it's not real, but it certainly does not seem like it.
When I'm out swimming, I know it's there, and this always sets a
limit for how long I can subject myself to this.
I feel much more at ease with solid ground under my feet or just resting on a sunbed as soon as one becomes available. Inge wasn't there at the pool, but atleast sitting down next to Liz gave me a familiar face to somewhat ground myself and calm me down. I just wish she hadn't decided to talk about clowns hiding in the sewer and the storm drains.
---
It's
regrettable that I am sometimes unable to be a better
conversationalist, but as it is my worries of all the various
unknowns that surrounds does on occasion get the better of me. So I
do understand that Liz didn't find my company to be very exciting and
decided to head over to hang out with Ashley by the bonfire as a
replacement.
I was just
about to get up from my chair to head inside, or maybe brave it again
in the swimming pool, when my eyes discovered that Inge was finally
showing up and appeared to be heading in my direction. It was just
what I needed, something known and familiar to anchor me in what is
most likely to be the real world.
It is of almost no importance what she says, I could listen to her trash talk all day...
Inges notes:
I don't believe in playing games or tricks on people, I believe that a good relationship is founded on honesty and speaking the truth.. and your mind, but at the same time.. well, what can I say. I'm a woman, and sometimes a woman has her needs... So I was hoping that now when our semester is over, that I could pull Ollis mind away from his scientific plant experiments and on to more... how shall I put it, intimate matters...
Starting carefully
by suggesting we take a picture, you know, to keep as a memory of
this moment when we were at a pool party at Samanthas old dorm and
had successfully completed enough credits to get our bachelor
degrees..
This is the time of our life, right? A good picture to show our future grandkids and to tell stories about when grandma and grandpa were young... I hope...
If only he could take a hint. I didn't kiss him for him to test my reflexes.. atleast not by throwing rubber ducks at me, if you know what I mean.. oh..
So clearly I had to try again to take his mind off of the science..
..again, and harder. I swear this guy is breaking
my heart...
..but what did I get for my efforts? Another damn duck thrown at me! When did he get this clueless!?
Oliver Freddys notes:
I am without a doubt blessed to have a girlfriend such as Inge. She really knows how to take my mind away from the anxiety of the unknown. Her soothing whispers in my ear is a force of light and warmth to chase away the haunting whispers of the shadows – to keep them at bay and their powers in check, so that their whispers do not evolve into mumbling, then talking and eventually if it goes on for long enough, that dreadful commanding, berating shouting and screaming, giving me orders and telling me how useless I am if I won't do as it says...
I haven't heard them like that in a long time now,
thanks to Inge enabling me to focus on what's important – my
studies and my project to understand and map out the connections that
I hope to find between all living things. If only there was a way for
me to do something for her, right here, right now.
I am, of
course, not oblivious. I am well aware that in the long run she wants
a family, but now does not feel like the right time for it. I am sure
she would agree that a more stable environment is necessary first.
This life of being a student, living in a dorm and everything that
goes with it, is not the best foundation to raise a
family.
Unfortunately my rorschach tests does not provide me with particularly accurate description. Handcuffs, for instance. A weird association that I can't put into any meaningful perspective. None of us have any interest in pursuing a career enforcing the law, and we most certainly have no desire to be criminals. The closest we have to being arrested was in fact probably our very first date when we broke the curfew, as per her suggestion, by staying up late on the hillside by the mental hospital.. so maybe she does want to break the law!?
No,
I do not think so.. I can not imagine that someone as sweet as my
Inge could possibly have such a bad side, and even so, I am not
interested in doing that.. there has to be something else. The baddest thing I could
think of right now, that I thought would be entertaining for everyone
– and that did not doing anything that would leave me in handcuffs
– was to give them a scare by telling the most dreadful and
haunting story that I could possibly conjure up. Believe me, with
everything I have heard, I can come up with some truely terrifying
and otherworldly
things.
Inges notes:
I don't know what to say.. by the time he started to tell that creepy story about stains appearing on the walls of this seemingly average suburban family home every night, I realized that I couldn't do anything but give up. When he would tell a story about stains instead of making love... stains that couldn't be washed away until they disappeared by themselves, only to reappear in different spots the following night. Stains that, if one touched them, opened portals to 'a world beyond our imagination' home to the most terrifying unearthly creatures that no one had ever seen.
---
Well, I'll give him that – the way he told this story made it all sound like it actually was real, like it even was a place that could be visited, a place that he had been to himself on numerous occasions, a place that had the power to change someone for all eternity, a place that would make sure that nothing was ever the same ever again. He knew how to give us a scare and then some, and though it wasn't what I wanted, it was oddly mesmerizing. If I hadn't known any better, it was as if he was actually in touch with something evil that casted a spell on all of us.
Speaking of stories from other worlds.. it wasn't to be rude or anything, because my Ollis story was genuinely captivating, but my listening was interrupted when I was approached by this paparazzi that had read my romantic science fiction novel "The Gnorb from Demetris IV" and wanted to praise me for it.
It turns out this random paparazzi guy was of the talkative kind, but I was still listening to my Olli's tale until until its tragic and dreadful end. Getting praise for my writing was satisfying, I just wish he had picked a better moment.. and part of me hopes that this won't become a thing that happens to often. I mean, the self esteem boost is nice, but.. I think, honestly, I'm not comfortable getting to much attention either.
Then that lame paparazzi wanted to do a rorshach test on me.. as if I hadn't had enough of that today already. Oliver Freddy went back inside carrying one of his science books, so I already knew what he was up to, so yeah, no use to push forward with anything there anymore. Besides, it was getting late and I knew that it wouldn't be long until the moving van would be back at the dorm to take us back home..
...so I had to spend these last minutes wisely and have one last chat with Samantha to round off this semester before we had to go.
She actually suggested I could make it as a chef, a career I have never considered. Well, I don't know about that.. Just because I've spent hours watching the cooking channel, doesn't mean I know how to work at a restaurant. I've always pictured myself as more of a home cook, you know, but she kept insisting. It was almost as if she was hinting that I should have something to fall back on in case.. in case I didn't make it as a painter and writer, lets just say. Yeah. Hey, I know how to be self reliant. It's not that.
I wasn't angry with her. She's my best friend and I know she only wants the best for me, but it did make me a little upset. Either way, we promised to keep in touch as much as possible over summer, and... yeah, I must admit I was already looking forward to coming back... and for the first time I got this feeling that.. leaving this place for good when that time comes, it's going to be tough. I didn't tell her about these feelings, tried to push them away for now and do my best to be in the moment, but they will probably resurface later and I might shed a couple of tears thinking about it.. when nobody's watching.
Then came the time when we had to leave the party. Oliver Freddy had set an alarm on his phone to 40 minutes before the moving van was scheduled to take us back. That should give us enough time to make it to our dorm in time and say goodbye to everyone there. Our bags were of course packed in advance, I had made sure of that.
There was a slight disappointment that nobody except Samantha was there to wave us goodbye, but then again.. they were all probably out a party somewhere else, and I couldn't blame them. They were just out enjoying their time now when we're still young, and maybe that's just the right thing to do..
If I go along with Oliver Freddys plan it will only be two more years before we'll be starting a different life and they'll probably go by fast enough so I guess... there's no need to rush it, right?
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I'm still young and there's a long, long ride ahead of us...counting the roadside lamp posts along the way.. twenty-one, two, three, four....
