Chapter Four
by A.E. Albert
What if you discovered an amazing secret, a secret that led you on an adventure to save the world and perhaps...yourself?
Chapter 4
The next morning dawned bright and sunny, perfect for exploring the French Quarter. Billy ran downstairs and was immediately struck with the pleasant aroma of pancakes and sausages. Every Saturday morning, Sandy made the house a big breakfast, and he always looked forward to this weekend ritual.
“Good morning, Sweetheart!’” drawled Sandy, as she flipped one of her famous buttermilk pancakes. Billy smiled as she wiped her hands on her apron, completely unaware of the flour all over her face.
“Hey, Sandy, breakfast smells great. Um, are you cool if I head out after breakfast and wander around the Quarter?” asked Billy, as he stuck a sausage in his mouth.
“Just make sure your room is clean and vacuum the carpets before you go.” Saturday morning always meant a great breakfast, but it also meant weekly chores.
As Billy dragged the vacuum into the living room, he stopped in his tracks. Toby was sitting on the floor, and what seemed to be half a bag of marshmallows were stuffed into his tiny mouth. He eagerly waved to Billy, who had to stop himself from laughing because the kid had white goop smeared all over his face and saliva dripping down his chin and onto the carpet.
“Toby, what are you doing?” Billy asked with laughter in his voice.
“Arugh rugh,” Toby grunted.
Just then Robbie came into the living room and pulled a marshmallow out of the bag. “Okay, Tobe, I know you can do one more,” Robbie said, as Toby clapped his hands and his eyes danced with glee.
As Robbie pushed the last marshmallow into Toby’s overflowing mouth, a shout came from behind. “What are you doing? He could choke, Robbie! Toby, spit those out, now!” Sandy commanded.
Toby looked at Robbie, then Sandy, and he shook his head. “Now, Toby!” Sandy stated in a tone that meant time in his room if he didn’t relent. Finally, he spit the gunk all over the table.
“Ahhh, come on, Sandy! We’re on the verge of breaking a world record, aren’t we, Tobe!”
Sandy stared down at Robbie. “Clean that up, sir,” she stated in a clipped tone. “And you, young man,” she said to Toby, “put your coat on; Joe’s taking you to the store.” She walked back into the kitchen, her face a slight shade of red.
“That was awesome, buddy.” Robbie laughed, as he gave Toby a high-five.
Billy could hear Sandy say something to Joe in the kitchen, and they both suddenly burst out laughing. He couldn’t help but smile. The truth was, Robbie was actually trying to be a nice guy.
Later, as Billy was finishing his breakfast, Joe and Toby walked through the front door holding a bag of groceries.
“My thanks, gentlemen,” called Sandy from the kitchen. “Joe, do you mind putting the fruit in the fridge? Oh, and, Toby, get ready, your mom will be here soon.” At this announcement, Toby jumped for joy and ran upstairs to get ready for the focal point of his week.
Finally, Aaron decided to grace everyone with his presence. As he plunked himself down, Billy stared at him in amazement. The boy was sitting groggily at the kitchen table, his hair the usual mess, and he was wearing what appeared to be clothes that were three sizes too small.
Joe walked into the room, stopped to stare at Aaron, and began laughing so hard he had to lean against the wall to support himself. “Oh my God, I love my job! Sandy! You need to see this!”
Sandy walked in while wiping her hands on a towel. At seeing Aaron, she just rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. “Seriously, Aaron, how does this happen?”
“What?” he said sleepily, as he looked down at himself. He didn’t seem to notice that his shirt sleeves only covered his arms at the elbow and his pants just below the knee.
“Where did you get those clothes?” Sandy demanded.
“From the basket in the hall; you didn’t finish my laundry.”
“Actually, I did. Your clothes are in your dresser. Those,” she said, as she gestured up and down, “are Toby’s clothes.” At that, everyone began to laugh, even Sandy. Billy knew that Aaron was definitely thin for his age, but this was ridiculous.
Aaron’s expression of confusion changed to one of understanding. “So that’s why my underwear were too tight. I was wondering why I had a perma-wedgie.” He smiled as if all was right in the world, pushed up his glasses, and began piling pancakes onto his plate.
Billy shook his head and laughed. He definitely had to mentally bookmark that as a group home moment.
A few minutes later, Robbie came waltzing into the kitchen, slumped into a chair, and proceeded to place three sausages in his mouth at once.
“Robbie, I’m not in the mood to do the Heimlich maneuver today,” stated Joe darkly, as he dug into his own plate of breakfast.
“Yeah, leave some for everybody else, please and thank you,” added Aaron primly, watching with disgust as Robbie slowly attempted to chew his food.
Robbie responded by opening his mouth and grinning so that Aaron got a glimpse of his food in the pre-digestive state. He made sure to do it when Joe wasn’t looking, but of course, Sandy caught him.
“Excuse me! You can now wait until everyone else is done eating before you finish your own, mister. Go start cleaning your room, thank you very much! I’ll call you down when we’re done!”
At this command, Robbie grabbed a piece of fruit from the fruit bowl. He then stomped up the stairs using only his heels so that everyone would know exactly how he felt about Sandy’s request.
“Thanks a lot Indiana Jones wannabe! Too bad you’re boring and you suck!” ranted Robbie, as he made his way to his bedroom.
Billy looked at Aaron from the corner of his eye. He could see a subtle blush form on his cheeks. But in true Aaron style, he just smiled, shook his head, and resumed eating his breakfast.
A typical morning in a not-so-typical household.
Billy put his coat and shoes on, yelled his goodbyes to everyone, and began his trek into the heart and soul of New Orleans.
He strolled aimlessly through the streets of the French Quarter. He enjoyed people watching and would immerse himself in the overall atmosphere of this exciting and sometimes chaotic section of town.
Of course, he had to stop in the local skateboard shop and drool over the newest boards. He didn’t have one of his own yet, but he was anticipating that his birthday in a few months would prove to be a fruitful one. He dropped hints to Sandy at least every other day. Although she pretended not to hear him, he continued to hope he’d get one.
Billy finally wandered into Jackson Square, and as he watched an artist draw a portrait for some tourists, he noticed his favorite tour group walk by. As usual, Billy was quickly caught up in a story about a local building that was supposedly haunted.
That was when Billy saw him for the first time.
He was short, just a few inches taller than Billy, and on the slender side. He had thinning white hair and was dressed like an old British man. He wore tailored tan slacks, a crisp white lawn shirt, and a tweed vest and coat. The look was completed with a pocket watch hanging from his jacket pocket and a dark mahogany cane at his side. But these things were not what drew Billy’s attention to him. He possessed a regal and confident bearing that was intriguing.
As Billy continued to stare at this odd but interesting old man, the man himself turned to meet his gaze. He was struck by the intensity of the man’s eyes, which were a startling and brilliant cobalt blue. Billy was immediately filled with the feeling that he knew this man, but he just shook his head and forced himself to focus on the tour guide.
Billy continued to follow the group; however, he couldn’t help but look at the man from the corner of his eye. The strange gentlemen appeared to be completely engrossed in what the guide was saying. He only moved when he would take out his pocket watch to check the time. Billy thought it was strange that he did this every few minutes.
The group continued to move down the street and listen to the stories and facts about the many buildings that lined it. Billy was particularly captivated by a story about two young lovers, which, of course, involved magic and an untimely death. He momentarily forgot the odd little man in the crowd.
Suddenly, he heard a voice with a sharp British accent, coming from behind him. “Oh, what rubbish!” it said, followed by a quiet and merry laugh. Billy quickly turned his head, only to stare at the very face he had been spying on for the past half hour.
“What stories! But I must say, I do enjoy them!” said the little man, the laughter still in his voice. He was looking at the guide when he said this, but was unmistakably talking to Billy. “How lucky you are to enjoy these tours regularly, and such cheap entertainment,” said the man, as he gave Billy a quick wink. He turned to meet the young boy’s gaze, again startling Billy with the intensity of his eyes. Yet, he saw no malice in their depths.
Billy began to blush due to the fact that he regularly tagged behind these tour groups without actually paying the fee to join them. He quickly replied, “Excuse me, sir. I have to go find my parents.”
Billy was already moving away as the little man spoke once again. “I have noticed you converse with no one. You live in this great city, I dare say, and make regular jaunts to this place on your own.”
Although Billy felt a familiarity with this man, rule number one was no talking to strangers. He again started to exit the crowd when he heard that clear and crisp voice say, “I have traveled far to see you, Billy Townsend. We have an appointment to keep.”
Billy again looked into the man’s eyes and saw that this was no joke. He was mesmerized by the steely will of purpose penetrating from his gaze. However, the man’s stare quickly reverted back to its original countenance of kindness and playfulness. Billy felt momentarily captured by those eyes, but forced himself to tear his gaze away and began to quickly rush through the crowd.
What the—? Billy thought as he stood at the entrance of an alleyway, watching the man continue with the tour as if nothing had happened.
He didn’t feel fear exactly, but he did feel confused and a little shaken up. How does that man know my name? Who is he? Billy decided that the man meant him no harm; he even felt an affinity toward him. He again wondered about the sure feeling that he knew him, almost like an uncle or a grandfather.
Billy began to walk in the opposite direction of the tour and decided he should avoid the little man. He was only allowed in the Quarter alone because Sandy trusted that he didn’t talk with strangers. And boy was this one strange!
Billy couldn’t help wondering again how the little man knew his name. He knew that bizarre things happen in the US capital of weird and forced himself to shrug it off. He decided to continue his walk and forget the whole thing. Of course, the memory nagged at the edges of his mind as he continued down the street.
Billy decided that the best distraction would be a visit to his favorite book shop located in the heart of the square. Yuri’s Used Book Store was owned by a short, round Lithuanian man, and his store was as chaotic as he was.
Billy walked through the front doors, once again amazed by how many books could be shoved into such a small space. There were bookcases everywhere. But that didn’t include the hundreds, maybe thousands of books that were stacked up on walls and spilling into the aisles. There were books of every shape and color piled on Yuri’s desk and all along its sides.
The small shop had a slight moldy smell, but that didn’t bother Billy. These pungent aromas made him think of places and people he had never met, times that he had never experienced. He always felt this odd sense of expectation when he ventured over the little shop’s threshold, hoping to find a book into that world.
“Billy, my boy, haven’t seen you since, oh, I don’t know, three days ago?”
Yuri yelled this greeting while attempting to hold at least twenty books in his short and chubby arms. A few fell down, and the little shopkeeper bent over to retrieve them. Billy quickly rushed over, picked them up, and placed them on Yuri’s desk.
“Hi, Yuri, anything new come in?”
“Why, I’m holding a few gems right here in my arms!” Yuri replied enthusiastically, as he dumped the rest of the books on top of his desk.
His eyes immediately lit on one in particular. “Well, I just got in some Jules Verne. Now there’s a true visionary!” he said, while shaking the book in his hands. “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea! Every young lad has to read this one! What with giant squids and nuclear subs! What adventure!” Yuri was really getting started. He pulled a bandana out of his shirt pocket and began to wipe the sweat beading on his forehead.
“Oh, here’s one, The Count of Monte Cristo! Revenge, treasure, and a prison break! I just love these old stories. They don’t write them like they used to, I tell ya.” Yuri held these two books in his hands and gazed at them fondly. He seemed to be remembering the time he had read them himself as a young boy.
Billy took this moment to wander over to the science fiction section. That is, the giant mass of books that Yuri told him was the science fiction section. But he wasn’t really into this genre, and he was in the mood for fantasy today.
As Billy picked up a tattered copy of The Hobbit, he heard the little bell on top of the shop’s door jingle. He looked up, and none other than Trish walked through the door, accompanied by one of her girlfriends.
“I can’t believe I have to come in here. It smells.” She wrinkled her perfect little nose and waved a hand in front of her face.
Billy quickly hid behind a shelf, but peered in between the books so he could watch her walk through the store. His heart was thumping. He was torn between her seeing him and not seeing him, all at the same time.
“Hi, I’m here to pick up a book for Doris Abernathy, please,” she politely informed Yuri.
“Ah, yes.” He smiled, which quickly turned into a frown. “Oh, I forgot! Not to worry, though. Billy! Can you get me a copy of … what is it again?”
“Forgotten Love,” Trish said with a tight smile that expressed her annoyance.
“Oh, right, Forgotten Love. Can you get me that out of the Romance section?” he yelled.
“Sure, Yuri,” Billy nervously replied as he left his hiding spot. At that moment, he decided he would have preferred she didn’t see him.
“Hey,” he breathed, giving Trish a shy smile. “Um, who’s the author?” he asked, while walking down the aisle.
“Jennifer Donovan.”
Billy’s eyes scanned the shelves, but he was really just thinking about a way to start a conversation. He could ask her what she was doing later. No, that would sound like he was asking her on a date! he berated himself. How about her favorite book? That was pretty safe, he thought.
Finally, Billy located the book, and of course, it was three shelves above him. He stood on his tippy-toes and reached up for the book, all the while mentally chanting, be casual, be casual.
As he felt the spine of the book with his fingers, he started to ask, “So, Trish, do you like to read—” Unfortunately, that sentence went unfinished as about thirty books fell on his head.
As he bent to find her book in the heap on the floor, he could hear the two girls trying not to laugh above him. He felt a burning blush sear his cheeks as humiliation washed over him.
When Billy finally found the book, he stood up. “Ahh, here you go,” he said quickly, and he placed the book in her hands. He promptly walked away, so embarrassed that he didn’t even wait for her response.
As he left their line of sight, a loud eruption of girlish giggles filled the store. Billy decided to hide in the back room until they were gone. Finally, he heard the tinkle of the doorbell and felt it was safe to leave his hiding spot.
Billy decided that his day in the Quarter was over; he just needed to get his book and he was leaving. He decided he was going to read The Hobbit after all.
As he picked it up, he glimpsed a snatch of plaid out of the corner of his eye. Instinctively, Billy turned his head and found himself staring at the back of a very familiar white-headed man.
What’s going on? Did that old guy follow me here? That was Billy’s last thought as he began to slowly walk toward the exit. Although Billy was as quiet as a mouse, the man turned his head.
“Well, hello again, young man! What a strange coincidence to be meeting you here like this,” he said in his merry voice.
What are you talking about? thought Billy. I thought we had an appointment to keep! Instead, he replied, “Yeah, strange. Well, I gotta go. I’m late, and time goes by fast when you’re in the Quarter.” He turned around and began to walk out the door. But the sound of the man’s voice stopped him in his tracks.
“Yes, time is a funny creature, isn’t she?” he said as he polished his pocket watch. “‘Time heals all wounds.’ What an interesting saying, wouldn’t you agree?” added the little man. His eyes took on that brilliant cast, but only for a moment, and then it was gone.
Billy had no idea what to say. What a weirdo! Familiar or not, he needed to get out of there and avoid him at all costs. Billy decided to walk out the door and head straight home without looking back.
If you would like to continuing reading The Time Sphere, find it at: Amazon
Subscribe to email list:
No comments:
Post a Comment