Highway Part 49

Highway Chapter 24

It was good to be out on the road again.

I poked and prodded at Matt endlessly, making sure he was fit to travel. I didn’t want another incident.

We said goodbye to Julian on the way out, and I gave him an almost tearful hug. I was going to miss the idiot that was my friend, and he had done so much for me. He told me not to worry about it too much, for I would always know where he was if I wanted to visit.

Matt and I had singing contests, but we also had duets. We laughed the entire way to camp, and I could feel the glow of happiness enshrouding us. When we reached our destination for the night, I made the fire.

 I told Matt he couldn’t help me, because he could end up hurt. He rolled his eyes, but sat down nonetheless.

We chased the fireflies through the night as we waited for our water to boil to make dinner; ramen. I landed in the middle of a patch of them, and they all flew upwards, bathing me in light.

After a while, Matt went to get firewood. I gave him an anxious glance, but he assured me he would be careful. Sighing, I reached down into my bag to retrieve Ozzie. He had been squished to the bottom, and as I reached for him my fingers brushed against something sharp. What was that?

 I extracted it carefully; worrying a shard of something had made its way into my bag. Oh! It was my memory box. I had forgotten I’d even had it, but I remembered when I grabbed it last minute before sprinting out the door to chase after Matt.

I smiled, wondering why I had wanted to bring it. I suppose I still wanted to hang onto just a little part of my past. Matt came back, asking me what I was holding. I told him, sitting next to him as I opened.

The first thing inside was the photo of my family and I when we went to a tropical island. It was our only big family trip, but it was a special one indeed. When I saw Matt’s quizzical face however, I remembered the top of the picture was damaged.

 I told him about the time I threw it into the river by my house. I had been so angry, and I wasn’t thinking straight. After I chucked it in, I realized that it was the only thing I had left, and so I dove in after it. Unfortunately, the space my mother occupied had been water damaged, and so I went home sopping wet for no reason. I still kept it because it had my brother in it, but she was still gone. I hadn’t opened this box in forever, and I wondered how everything was in such good condition.

 I had wondered why I knew that it was my brother in my dreams, but it was because I had this photo. I never understood what happened to them, until now, but I still kept it because it reminded me that I had a family once.

I told Matt that I couldn’t remember my mother’s face anymore, even after the memories started rushing in. How come I could remember my father and brother, but not my mother? I must have looked sad, for Matt put his arm around me. I leaned my head on his shoulder, trying to absorb his warmth. The rest of the things in the box only made me smile.

There was a friendship bracelet that my brother wove in one of his art classes. I remember making one of my own for him, even though he already had one. He took it happily, exchanging his for mine. It had been too big for me, but I had kept it safe.

There was a penny that had been run through one of those machines for tourists that we had gotten when we went to an amusement park. I always loved it there, for my brother would buy me ice cream and we would go on the Ferris wheel. At the bottom was a square of paper. Curious, I unfolded it carefully.

 It was a birthday card from my brother. This had been for my 7^th birthday, and he had made it himself. The front had a picture of stick figures. My brother hadn’t been the best artist ever, but it hadn’t mattered to me. The figures were holding hands, standing in front of a birthday cake. The inside had a scrawled message, the handwriting pretty but disorganized. As I looked over it, I read the message.

“Happy 7^th birthday to my favorite girl in the world!” it said, “I hope you have a good day! Wow, seven years old. Pretty soon you’ll need a cane just like old man smithy next door! Did you know you’re almost half my age now? That’s awesome, isn’t it? I just wanted to give you a card to document this important occasion in your life. After all, you only turn seven once. So, here it is. I love you very much vee-bee! Happy birthday my dearest Veronica, and here’s to many more. With lots of love, your (hopefully) favorite boy in the world. P.S. if not, it’s just your brother.”

As I read, it brought a smile to my face. I waited to be sad about his loss, but his card only made my heart swell up with affection. He had always been silly, but really only with those he cared about. Despite being a bit of a solemn teen, understandably, he always had a smile for me. I looked at Matt, who was searching my face in trepidation.

He expected me to cry, and his concern made me feel affection again, this time for him. Hoping to ease his worries, I closed the box and changed the subject.

 I asked him if he knew how to hijack a car, thinking of how much I could have used it the other day. He looked stunned at my question, but didn’t say anything. His lack of reaction told me that he did indeed know how to, but didn’t want to admit it. He must have picked it up in his not so noble days. I exclaimed in joy, asking him if he would teach me. He looked upset, and I was worried he was going to have an aneurysm. He quickly told me he wouldn’t, and I asked him why not.

What was the big deal? It’s not like I needed to steal cars a lot. I said that I needed to learn certain things to make it in the world. He told me that he would teach me things, but not if they were illegal. Pssh, what was up with him? He’s the one who knows how to do it in the first place. When he still refused, I turned away.

“You’re such a killjoy. It wouldn’t have hurt.” I mumbled to myself.

He looked legitimately concerned, as if I were a troubled youth. I told him to chill out. It’s not like I was looking for a new pastime. He playfully gave me a doubtful look, so I shoved him. We settled in for the night,

Matt telling me a story about three sisters who found a way to fly up to the sky, only to be enamored by them which made them want to stay. The crickets and cicadas sang peacefully, and I relaxed as I heard their familiar tune.

 It’s funny, because I used to hate them together. They sounded so different to me back then, and I didn’t understand how nature could put them together. But now they were in perfect harmony. They lulled me to sleep, humming out a melody. But my sleep was restless, and I woke several times, an odd feeling in my stomach.

Each time I awoke, it had grown, a mass sunken to the bottom. Why did I feel so weird? Had I eaten something that distressed my stomach? But I ate normal food from the town today, and none of it could have given me food poisoning easily. Besides, I didn’t feel sick, just very off.

 I suddenly became hot, sweat breaking out on my forehead. The warmth was unbearable, and I felt almost as if I was feverish. Deciding a walk in the cool night air would help, I wriggled out of my sleeping bag. After a small walk I thought I should return to camp. But something was urging me to stay out, to keep going.

Why did I feel this way? Maybe I should tell Matt. Perhaps I’m sick from something. Maybe I had an infection in one of my wounds, but it was in my system. But again, that didn’t seem to be the case.

I kept walking, coming to the top of a flat boulder. The crickets sounded funny, and I wondered why. Each sound seemed to be distorted. My vision was off too, just a little bit fuzzy. My legs almost collapsed as I lowered myself onto the boulder, thinking I should sit down. What was happening? I didn’t seem to have much control over my body anymore, and it was frightening.

Matt, I thought, I should call him. Something here is not normal. But just as I raised my head from the boulder, I felt myself go weak. What if I was dying? I tried to move, but my limbs just didn’t respond. I could see and hear still, but my body didn’t move. I didn’t understand.

The noise of the crickets was getting louder now, an almost painful roar. They rose above the sound of the river below, the owl hooting. But even with their noise, I could suddenly hear everything. The hopping of the little rabbit down below, the squeak of the field mouse, even the fluttering of the butterflies across the valley’s wings. How was that possible?

To my relief, Matt suddenly popped into my view. Did he know what was wrong with me? He called to me, his voice nearly drowned out in the other noise. A look of understanding crossed his face, and he sat down. He pulled my head onto his leg, relieving me of the discomfort from the hard rock. Why wasn’t he doing anything? He looked as if this was normal. Didn’t he worry I couldn’t move? Suddenly, my brain burst out in pain.

The excruciating agony spread across my head, blooming outward like a flower. I was still frozen. I expected my body to be writhing around, not locked and rigid. The roar of the world around me increased, filling my ears. But as I was lost in the sound, individual ones began to call. Softly, at first, but then louder each time. Their unique noise expanded over the other sounds, until they were all I could hear.

First it was the owl, his various hoots. But then he was drowned out, covered by the crickets again. Over and over, the sounds made themselves known. Every species in the area created a connection between us using their sound. Then, they repeated the process, creating something else. I felt my brain connect with theirs, and I heard their thoughts. Some didn’t think about much, only focusing on their current task. But some had complex thought patterns, figuring out how to approach problems they were facing. Miraculously, I almost became them.

With the sparrow, I could feel the air swooshing against my face as I beat my wings. I moved in time with the ant, steadily carrying my load. I could feel the water rushing against my sides as I swam with the fish. I was feeling each animal, being each animal. Every second was another second of something else. It flashed by my eyes, waiting only long enough for me to understand their feelings. It was as if every molecule in my being belonged to something, to someone, even down to the pieces of algae.

I felt them all scatter, only to come back with more information. But just as I thought my brain would reach a range of area, it would expand. Each expansion caused waves of pain to flood my senses, and I wondered how I wasn’t screaming when it happened. But the pain would be quickly replaced with the soothing experiences. I could feel the plants sway in the breeze, the old willow tree sigh as it stretched its old muscles. The underwater plants relished the cool liquid around them, little bubbles sticking to their sides and making them laugh. Everything alive had a conscious, no matter how small.

I was nearing the last creature in the valley, and as I lived with it, my world stopped. I couldn’t see anything, for the world had gone black. But I was not unconscious, as I still had my vision and hearing. I couldn’t even see Matt anymore. I could see the blackness, but there was no connections happening around me. Suddenly, an orb of light flitted into my sights, lighting up the area around me.

The orb expanded, stretching out in front of me. It encompassed the entire area, engulfing me along with it. It was startlingly bright, and I had to shield my eyes to avoid being blinded. The light dimmed, being replaced with the soft glow of sunset. I looked around, surprised to see the little glade outside of my childhood house.

What was I doing here?