Chapter 13 – Part 3
The sky had turned a deep and sullen gray after they crossed into Utah. The sun attempted to shine through, but only appeared as a small, dim flashlight behind a curtain. The landscape had that eerie ambient light where shadows pooled at the bottom of things like a grime, but the things themselves appeared nakedly bright, completely surrounded by light. So open as to be surreal and fantastic, hardly a real thing at all. The landscape itself whispered foothills where soon the Rocky mountains would be roaring.
Kyle pulled the car into a gas station outside Richfield and climbed out into the frigid cold. Even though the air was dead still, it bit hard at Kyle’s skin as he moved through it. He stood shivering while he held on to the frigid pump.
“Huh,” he said aloud, but to no one in particular, “What day is it?” He had to think back considering how long he’d been awake after he left. Thursday was my last day of school. I left… Friday morning and really last night was still Friday. It just doesn’t count unless you sleep! Of course that means today is Saturday, because I did sleep. But not much, no wonder I’m so sleepy. He yawned. ”I’m sleepy and it looks like I’m wandering through a fairy tale with the light all wonky like this.” He chuckled, “I guess it makes sense. Once we hit the mountains, it really is all fairy tale business then. Mountains and forests. I wonder if it’ll still be all gray and misty in Denver…” He yawned again, “But Saturday. Definitely Saturday.”
He started humming to himself a different Cure song and sang, “Saturday, Wait. Sunday always comes to late. But, Friday never hesitate…” He laughed there was a part of that song he’d always thought went “Now look at this dog!” It didn’t say that, but he didn’t care. His version seemed funnier, “You get can never get enough. Now look at this dog! It’s Friday I’m love.” It made him think of a poor magician, using a random dog as a distraction to pull of a trick.
What do you think about random dogs, duder?
Of course not! Always respect your audience! Even bad magicians know that much! Besides, some of the best tricks are when the audience is in on it. They can see it coming, but they want to see how it plays out. They get to enjoy the reactions of everyone else. Perhaps even, they were appalled with you to start. But now you share a secret, you and they. So, now you are confidants. And they want to see where you’re going with it next.
Duder, it’s obvious. Next, I’m getting back in the car. The lever popped against Kyle’s fingers, and he pulled the gas pump out and put it back in the holster.
What if there never was a trick? That’s a good question. What is a magician who doesn’t perform tricks? Is he a real wizard with real magic? Or is he some ordinary guy who in the end is just standing there holding an ordinary, empty hat?
