Work Text:
I’d awoken in the near middle of the night from a strange, dark, and science fiction-esque dream on a school night. My head felt like it was going to explode into bits around me in my cold, stuffy dorm room—though spring was making its very light entrance, it never achieved the same effect in the mostly-cold-all-the-time island country of Foggyland.
Was someone speaking to me? My thoughts scrambled as my leg painfully cramped, and my heart beat erratically. Exclamations that sounded akin to a prayer were spoken to me, though asleep, within a dream. Seemingly abstract now, I heard a girl's voice.
"Jeff! Jeff!"
"We need your help!"
"I am Paula, and I am with another friend, Ness..."
"We are trying to contact you... If you hear me, please wake up and head south!"
"Only you, though far away, can save us, Jeff!"
Against my own will, I peeled the covers of my warm bed from myself and rolled out of bed, completely lost and dumbfounded from the moments before. My body decided I got up too fast, so I stumbled across the cold floor of my dorm room with half of it obscured from vision, and on top of everything being a fuzzy blur, I miserably struggled to find where I’d put my specs just a few hours ago. I felt that gravity was working even more against me that morning than usual on a regular school day.
Of course, my specs were right on the desk, where I put them every night, as a painful reminder of what calamity happened in the past—more specifically, the morning I woke up to an abnormally crunchy and sharp floor when I was much too lazy the night before to put them somewhere else than on the floor tiles of the dorm, on the side where I have gotten up out of bed every morning since I was small.
I took off my pajamas and slipped on my white button-down, trousers, and suit coat laid on the couch, which I carefully settled last night, so as to not let it wrinkle along with the rest of everything else. Tony also did the same whenever we got ready for bed, as we did every night.
Tony was still slouching in his bed as I tied a dark piece of fabric into a bow to complete my uniform, which many view as the signature symbol of Snow Wood, mumbling something unintelligible at first, but it became clearer. He did that often, but this time, it was okay, because he said I was in his dream. I thought it was endearing. We were taking a walk.
After that, I did the tedious job of combing through the knots in my hair, but that soon proved to be useless, much later. The second I inched towards the door, all of a sudden, he sprang out of bed, rushed to put his hat on, and fixed his curls all at once. How he did that, I’m not sure, but he was quickly on me, asking me why I was awake, and telling me of how I’d be punished if I was caught up at this hour.
It was difficult to describe to him—I wasn’t sure if I should tell anybody about it, even though he’s my best friend, because maybe it was meant for only me, and it was so odd and out-of-the-blue—but he looked to have understood. He always did, and I liked that about him. I’ve never had to explain things to him; he reads me like a book, although I generally don’t say much, but I take into account that I have known Tony all my life.
I didn’t forget to take the small toolbox that I got for Christmas several years ago, with my trusty protractor and ruler, because you never know when you might need them. It was from my Dad, Dr. Andonuts, one of the very few presents I had ever received from him alone, but counting the little handmade gifts from Tony, which were always so painstakingly meticulous, it would need more than both of my hands to count on. Tony had a knack for those sorts of things, being creative.
I often find him writing poems when he has the time, and though I’ve only peeked at some, they’re good. I never understood poetry, but maybe, just maybe, I’ll try to learn something about it next summer—I tell myself things like that, but they never end up happening. I could ask Tony about these things, but then he would know I’ve read his poems—one thing leads to another. Some of them were quite romantic. He was getting his uniform on when I gathered everything to put in my toolbox.
This very journal was given to me by Tony. I have never considered myself a writer, but eventually, I must write about my scientific findings, so perhaps this is good practice. Someday, I will find the time to pick out a typewriter for him, or even a personal computer, but they are mighty expensive.
Tony, helpful Tony, as I knew he would, offered to help me get out of the boarding house as he tied his shoes. He suggested getting some things in the locker room, and I nodded. We walked out of our room together to find some older boys nearby, loitering by the couches in the hall. They talked about various things you’d expect a student at Snow Wood to talk about, like Tessie and Stonehenge, near Dr. Andonuts' (or who I may refer to as my father's) lab.
Tony and I made our way to the dorm next to us as well, and several gifts stood before us. I asked a fellow student what was inside, and they were Tony’s birthday presents for tomorrow—hand-decorated cookies! It was extremely tempting to want to look at them… so I caved, and told Tony to look in another direction for a second, but assured him nothing would happen. They looked amazing, being handcrafted, of course, and delicious… but I didn’t take any.
Another student in the room told us to go see Maxwell downstairs in the lab. Shortly after I peeked at one of the cookies, we went to the lab. Maxwell proceeded to tell us things of my father, all of which I’ve heard many times before. He's great... he's smarter than Einstein, or close to it... Yet not smart enough to visit his son every once in a while, I thought, but truthfully, I’m quite indifferent to him. Perhaps his recent findings in the past decade have been more important, and I should not disturb him—I know from personal experience that I can get engrossed with research. Maxwell gave us a key for use in the locker room, which I took back to him, and he subsequently gave me a new key machine. I opened every locker, one by one, until I found things of use, including a brand new pop gun!
I remembered the many times that I had helped Tony with schoolwork and projects of the sort. Without fail, he always reminded me of how smart I was. I’ve never been too fond of compliments, but he makes me reconsider things like that; I think it’s just the incontestable way he speaks. That Tony is a mastermind of persuasion; I think it's connected to his good marks in English class.
He makes me feel like I’m my own person, not my father, as I have been told for years, but smart in my way, as a student, a scientist…
I finally felt like it was time to leave. Perhaps for good, even, but now that I think about it, the idea of leaving Snow Wood was better than the real thing; but I followed the strange gut feeling to keep with the message I'd been given in my slumber. I led Tony with me to the entryway, but as we walked to the door, I wondered how I’d get out. Tony read my mind, as always, and ran to the gate. He got on his hands and knees, which struck me as odd at first, until I realized at once what he was doing. A strong gust of wind blew in my face, and it was hard to breathe for an instant.
“Now use me as a step, and climb over the gate,” he said, his hat slipping from his head. “I don’t know where you’re going or why, Jeff, but remember, we’re best friends forever.” Tony’s voice shook ever so slightly as I hesitantly stepped onto his back. I climbed over the fence, but he stayed behind the gate. I'm leaving him behind, I thought. He sniffled, and I wasn’t sure if it was because he was sad or if it was from the brutal weather.
“Tony?” I said. He looked back at me as he held his hat to keep the bitter Winters winds from taking it. It looked like a climactic scene from a movie, the way his curls blew in the wind, with snow sprinkled about in his hair. I paused for a moment and gathered my courage, which I don’t often do, and I’m not sure why I had to.
“Goodbye,” I said, over the fierce wind actively disheveling my neat hair. All of the words I’d meant to say suddenly felt like they’d run away from me, just as I was doing to Tony. Right before his birthday, too? “And, happy birthday, if I don’t get the chance to call you. I’m sorry.” I didn't feel like I deserved his friendship, kindness, or understanding he'd been giving to me so very generously since we were small.
He nodded and smiled benevolently, genuinely, like an act of forgiveness. Tony stood there like he was immune to the cold of Foggyland—which, with his shorts he put on no matter the conditions, had me convinced he was—as the snow started to fall more intensely, along with gusty winds, reminding me of a bittersweet Van Gogh painting—things like this have been on my mind recently from a school project. I could imagine the brush strokes across the canvas as each snowflake drifted down. The flakes fell on my suit coat and built up on the lenses of my specs. As I began to feel damp, so did my eyes. The remorse I felt towards myself crashed into me; I usually helped Tony with his schoolwork if he didn’t understand things fully… but perhaps Maxwell could also help. It was comforting to know that he cared about us underclassmen, especially Tony and I. He has the biggest heart out of everyone I know, and, frankly, I’d hate to see it broken.
I turned around, looking to the nearest paths, when I heard Tony again behind me. “It’s okay. I get it. Write letters and call me, alright? Don’t worry too much, Jeff." He inhaled and said the last words I'd probably hear from him for a while.
"Don't apologize. I know I'll see you again.”
My cheeks burned. He knows me much too well, so I took his word for it and returned to the gate, slipping my fingers through the gaps in between the bars and wrapping my hands around two. With a small, awkward smile, I let go, walked away from the gate, and Tony followed soon after, going back inside the boarding house. I hoped I wouldn’t be gone for long, and I started to contemplate whether I was entirely sure to leave, but it was much too late. This was the point of no return. I missed my best friend already.
I’m not sure how many times that scene of Tony and I replayed in my head as I walked towards Lake Tess later—or, really, the whole time I've been in Winters. All the different things I could’ve said came back to me, just as I knew they would, and how they always will. I have an awful habit of that.
I trudged through the fresh, heavy snow that had accumulated from the inclement weather we'd been having recently to the next-door drugstore, and I was surprised to find a monkey (in Winters, of all places?) lingering by the door. A woman was to the left of the counter with a distraught look and slumped posture. I approached her, and she took the harsh initiative, urging me to take the monkey, offering to give it for free along with the purchase of a pack of bubble gum. I had two quid, so I went with the logical conclusion to buy one and get one free.
The monkey demanded a piece of bubble gum, so I gave him some, and he chewed it vigorously—surprisingly, he blew a bubble as big as himself, and he was lifted into the air, relatively quickly at that. He followed behind me afterwards, moving erratically and spontaneously all over the place.
On the bright side, everything went smoothly when we made our way to Lake Tess. We ran into some wild animals ready to fight, but they were quite weak and easy to defeat. It was quite odd—the animals seemed to have an aggressive and dark aura, especially the goats, as they were quick to attack me. Luckily, my pop gun didn’t fail me this time (I didn't think it would), and I've had a bloody good aim for the past hour.
I wandered to Lake Tess with Tony on my mind until I nearly ran into a group of men, calling themselves the "Tessie-Watching Club" with binoculars glued to their faces, looking for the mythical Tessie. I heard some of the upperclassmen talk about her quite skeptically. I asked Tony about it once, but it was ambiguous to me whether he believed in her or not.
The so-called "Tessie-Watchers" had tents pitched sporadically around the shore of Lake Tess. I began to feel a bit tired, so I peeked in some of the tents until I found a nearly empty one—I normally would never do this, but I was desperate... On the bright side, the man inside offered some delicious stew, which I promptly sipped. Way back in my early days of primary school, we would sometimes camp out on Lake Tess. Tony would always, without fail, share a tent with me. Nostalgia and guilt aren't a good mix.
I was working on fixing up a broken spray can into one of my next projects—that of which being defense spray, increasing one's defense, as the name indicates—until I fell asleep. Then the dream came back again.
" Jeff..."
"Head south..."
"I am Paula..."
"If you hear this message, head south!"
"When the wind blows, watch for Tessie."
That's what the Tessie-Watchers say.
I wandered out of the tent, rubbed the sleep from my eyes, blinked rapidly, and leaves lightly scattered about in the cool air. It clicked for me in a few seconds—then where's Tessie? My eyes scattered their gaze to each end of Lake Tess, but to no avail. The monkey was still as spontaneous as ever, running and dashing away from behind me, like he didn't know where he was.
We both strolled towards a small peninsula with a very well-distinguished splotch of dirt at the end of it, in a round shape, almost like it was begging to be stood on. In front of us was a whirlpool-esque formation in the water. The monkey insisted I give him another piece of gum, which I didn't mind, because I'm not sure anyone in their right mind would want Winters-frozen gum. I pulled the package out of the pocket of my trousers and dropped a piece in his hand.
And so he chewed and chewed... The monkey soon blew his "balloon" of gum and levitated over the formation in the water, when a tall, purple figure emerged from the lake. I surveyed the area around me to find binoculars staring back at me everywhere I looked, which I knew would happen. He landed on Tessie's head, and it drifted towards me.
An uproar came from behind us. "Tessie! There it is!"
I warily stepped onto Tessie's back, and it began to maneuver across the lake. We were carried while going along with the wind to the southern shore, where Tessie let us off, and it promptly disappeared back into the water. The bubble monkey and I headed south until we found a strange opening in the cliffside, with an even stranger iron pencil statue blocking the way of a path that certainly wouldn't budge. Planted into the ground was a sign reading that there was no entrance fee to the dungeon. Truthfully, I was rather fearful and had second thoughts about going inside, but there was no choice or other path.
My previous thoughts would be voided soon after, because this sort of dungeon was not the one I would've guessed—it was just a maze. Though there were a few wild animals ready to fight, most were easy to get rid of. Wrapped with red ribbons were white present boxes with many goodies in them, like cookies and sprays. Since this is close to Dad's laboratory, maybe he made these inventions? Just something to think about, is what Tony would've said—until one of the presents approached me to initiate battle! A worthless protoplasm, they call it.
Waiting and wrapped up nicely at the very end of the maze for me was a new stun gun, which I fittingly started using straight away. Outside of the maze, while the snow blinded me, was a man who called himself Brickroad, the developer of the dungeon. He sounded slightly doubtful of his maze, questioning if it was too easy. Personally, it was quite alright.
"By combining my skills and Dr. Andonuts' intelligence," Brickroad explained, "I can become 'Dungeon Man', the first combination of human and dungeon in history." I'd like to see that, I thought to myself, not in a joking way, but to see what my father's been working on in the past decade.
We continued our journey through a cave system with fierce slugs and disgusting fungus growing in clusters on the cavern floor, and, yes, some mushrooms even came to fight the bubble monkey and I.
Up above us, I found a rolled-up rope at the top of a cliff I certainly couldn't reach in the cave. Then how should we get out, I asked myself, pacing to scour for ideas in all of the corners of my mind—until I figured it out. The bubble monkey can reach places up high with his gum, so why not give him some now? That's it! I gave him a piece, and he floated up top. I instructed him to unravel the rope. We climbed up, and at the top were two passageways: one with a peculiar sparkle blocking it, and one with nothing. I think it's obvious which opening we went through.
After a long, never-ending, and grueling trek of fighting organisms in the caves, we saw the light of day again, along with the man-made rock formation of Stonehenge. Made thousands of years ago, many speculate it was an ancient time system... Ah, the history days in primary. A girly-looking monkey with a red ribbon tied to her head ran right past us, interrupting my train of thought, and the bubble monkey was interested, to say the least!
"Now she's my type...", he said. "I think I'll ask her for a date!" He ran after her excitedly, leaving me behind.
A few cave boys lingered near, but I avoided them like the plague to get to my father's lab. When I walked in, Dr. Andonuts was at his desk, littered with flasks and beakers, and I approached him without delay. He spoke of Brickroad, whom I had met earlier. I introduced myself timidly as Jeff, his son. He stared for a moment in utter disbelief.
"... Who? My son?" Dr. Andonuts muttered. "I can't believe it... You're Jeff, my son. It's been maybe ten years since I last saw you."
I couldn't put together any early memories of him fondly.
I nodded, and he continued. "I'm so glad you're such a healthy boy. Those glasses look good on you." He was awkward, but the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and we haven't seen each other for a decade either. At least he didn't push me away.
Dad asked why I was here, and I briefly explained what had woken me up in the middle of the night. He mentioned Paula and a project called the Phase Distorter, further describing his creation. "The Phase Distorter can connect two points in space and time. It's still incomplete." Dad paused. "I'll let you use another invention I call the Sky Runner."
He waved goodbye to me and requested that we meet in another ten years or so. Oh well.
Without hesitation, I located and picked up the telephone on his desk and dialed Maxwell's number through Snow Wood with only one thing on my mind. It rang once, twice, thrice, and finally picked up. I held my breath.
A familiar, caring voice I've known all my life crackled through the speaker. "Maxwell's room, this is Tony."
"Tony?" I queried, a soft grin on my face. Sounds like he was helping Maxwell with something at lunch—it was about that time.
"Oh... Oh, Jeff!" I heard his smile through the phone. "Hi! How's your adventure?"
I imagined his face, beaming, and exhaled. "Good, so far. I'm at Dr. Andonuts' lab."
"That's great! Where are you headed to now?"
"All the way to Eagleland." I twirled the phone cord with my finger. "Threed."
"Really?" Tony said, surprised. "That sounds great!"
"By the way..." I whispered. "Happy birthday, Tony."
"Oh, Jeff, thank you! This is the best birthday yet... I wish you were here to celebrate with me..." He trailed off.
"What about those hand-decorated cookies? Have you tried those yet?"
He laughed. "They were so good!"
"I'm glad." I paused and felt content in the silence we shared.
"... Oh, huh?" I could tell he muffled the speaker, and I distantly overheard Maxwell. "Okay. I have to help Maxwell with some stuff now. I have to go."
"Okay."
"Be safe, okay? Don't get hurt. Call me when you get there, okay?"
"Bye, Tony. I will."
"Okay, bye!" He hung up, and the line beeped. I smiled to myself as I gently put the telephone back.
The interior of the Sky Runner is rather interesting; it's dated inside, some buttons are slightly rusted, but, oddly, I have no doubt the device will work fine. Here, I am writing down my experiences as an exercise for later scientific reasons. I just hope this machine won't crash, because Tony would be terribly worried.