Post by Duke on Apr 24, 2017 20:17:22 GMT -5
The biting spray of the Northern Atlantic had faded over hundreds of miles and been replaced with the lulling hum of the highway for Val. He studied the lines of houses, stacked on top of one another and criss crossing all over the landscape across the ravine as they crossed over a large bridge.
How can I return? Valiant Thor wondered.
I see this place I grew up in and for the first time in my life, it does not feel like home.
The whole scene took on a surreal, almost alien-like impression. Val felt he could no longer relate, what he had seen has shifted him forever. He was suddenly overcome with a grief and sadness at the thought that he may be forever out of sync with the world he knew. But there was also another feeling, a more uneasy one. This place no longer felt right. It no longer felt right to be back here.
Val closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat. His brother Jonathan was driving and Val trusted him more than anyone else in the world. Especially right now. John did not disappoint and kept the car and travel steady and soon Val was fast asleep as they made their way west.
When he awoke the sun had settled into a more relaxed position in the sky. It hung low and orange as the shadows grew longer. Val looked around and could not spot any signs and it was already too dim outside for him to recognize this stretch of highway. He instinctively looked at the digital clock on the dash, though he couldn't recall what time it was when he had drifted off.
"How long was I out?" Val asked his brother.
"Maybe an hour... maybe more," Jonathan answered plainly.
"Where are we?"
"East Bumfuck," John snickered.
"Yep, sounds about right," Val remarked. He felt a pang of hunger. It had been a long journey from Reykjavik and he couldn't remember eating, not on the boat to Nova Scotia and certainly not on the short plane ride to Newark.
"I'm hungry," he said to his brother.
"Yeah, me too. We've probably got about another hour before the next rest stop. You should get some more rest," John said, never taking his eyes off of the road. Val said nothing in response, he only leaned back in his head and closed his eyes. Before he knew it, he had drifted off to sleep again.
When he awoke a second time, the car was stopped. He looked around and noticed they had pulled into a parking space between a silver wagon and a large, red, pick-up.
"Well... we made it," John said.
"Our stomachs will be thanking us in a few minutes, though I'm not sure their approval will last for long. Screw it, I'm starving... I'm sure you are too and I've got to piss something fierce. Let's go." John opened the door and the dome light kicked on, Val squinted as his eyes tried to adjust to the sudden light.
Once inside, John hurried to the bathroom and Val got in line. The service was slow, but he didn't mind. He was in no hurry to get back on the road. Soon his brother joined him in line and they ordered. Two cheeseburgers, a large fry to share and two large sodas. They made their way over to a small table by a set of large windows looking out at the highway, though by this time of night there wasn't much to look at except for passing headlights.
They sat in silence and ate their food, much in the same way they sat in silence in the car. The food was OK, typical fast-food, but Val did not remember food like this ever tasting so dull.
"My brother, lost at sea..." John said, "...we were terrified that we might never see you again when we heard the news. What were you thinking when you hit the water?"
Val finished chewing his last bite, he looked out the window as he washed it down with a gulp of soda.
"Honestly, I don't remember," he answered before taking another bite of his burger.
"You don't remember anything?" John pressed on, wiping his hands with a napkin.
"Nope, nothing. I remember being on the fishing boat, reaching over to cut the net because it was stuck and that's it. The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital," Val said.
"How is that possible? How is it that you were out there in those dark, frigid waters for three weeks and not only didn't you drown or die from hypothermia, but you have no recollection of how you survived at all?"
"Look, I wish I could tell you... but I've been over this nearly a thousand times already. I really don't want to talk about it anymore," Val said sharply.
"That's fine, but you know you won't be able to duck these questions for much longer. Mom and Dad are going to be full of them when we get home."
"Well then I'm glad I didn't have the money to fly all the way home. This way I've got some time before the inquistion." Val shoved a handful of french fries into his mouth. Not very long though. Soon, they were back on the road with coffees in their hand and in no time they were inside the city limits of Syracuse, New York.
Though it was dark, nothing about Val's parents house changed to him. To him, it was a place outside of time. The house was dark, except for the light above the kitchen sink. The exact same way it was everytime Val stumbled in significantly past his curfew all those years back before he wandered off to become a fisherman.
Suddenly it hit him. The magnitude of his experience. He was going to have to live a lie for the remainder of his days. He told everyone, convinced doctors even that he had no recollection of the time he spent missing. After they scooped him out of the North Sea, thawed him out and woke him up. The official story was that the trauma of being stranded in such cold water triggered the memory loss.
The truth is, he hadn't forgotten and every time he's drifted off to sleep, he has relived almost every moment since.
"Wait, John listen... I can't go in there right now. I know you've been driving a long time now... so I won't ask for much. Can you just pull around the corner park and turn the engine off? There is something I need to tell you... " Val pleaded.
"Look man, I'm really tired... is there anyway this can wait until tomorrow? I just want to go inside and get some sleep and I'm sure Mom and Dad are waiting up and excited to see you," John said, killing the engine.
"That's kind of the issue man. I'm not sure I can go back in there and face them. Look, it's been years since I've been in that house. Years since I've stepped foot in this town. I just don't know if I am that person anymore," Val said as he tugged on his beard.
"C'mon Val, you sound crazy right now. This is where you grew up. Where we grew up man. How can you be afraid to go in there?"
"It's not that I'm afraid to go in there, John. It's just that well... I'm afraid that stepping in there will confirm just how much has changed. I'm afraid that once that happens, there won't be any turning back."
"Alright..." John sighed, as he turned the key in the ignition and the engine turned over without much of a sound, "...fifteen-minutes and then we go in. Deal?"
"Alright, fifteen-minutes and then we go in."
How can I return? Valiant Thor wondered.
I see this place I grew up in and for the first time in my life, it does not feel like home.
The whole scene took on a surreal, almost alien-like impression. Val felt he could no longer relate, what he had seen has shifted him forever. He was suddenly overcome with a grief and sadness at the thought that he may be forever out of sync with the world he knew. But there was also another feeling, a more uneasy one. This place no longer felt right. It no longer felt right to be back here.
Val closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat. His brother Jonathan was driving and Val trusted him more than anyone else in the world. Especially right now. John did not disappoint and kept the car and travel steady and soon Val was fast asleep as they made their way west.
When he awoke the sun had settled into a more relaxed position in the sky. It hung low and orange as the shadows grew longer. Val looked around and could not spot any signs and it was already too dim outside for him to recognize this stretch of highway. He instinctively looked at the digital clock on the dash, though he couldn't recall what time it was when he had drifted off.
"How long was I out?" Val asked his brother.
"Maybe an hour... maybe more," Jonathan answered plainly.
"Where are we?"
"East Bumfuck," John snickered.
"Yep, sounds about right," Val remarked. He felt a pang of hunger. It had been a long journey from Reykjavik and he couldn't remember eating, not on the boat to Nova Scotia and certainly not on the short plane ride to Newark.
"I'm hungry," he said to his brother.
"Yeah, me too. We've probably got about another hour before the next rest stop. You should get some more rest," John said, never taking his eyes off of the road. Val said nothing in response, he only leaned back in his head and closed his eyes. Before he knew it, he had drifted off to sleep again.
When he awoke a second time, the car was stopped. He looked around and noticed they had pulled into a parking space between a silver wagon and a large, red, pick-up.
"Well... we made it," John said.
"Our stomachs will be thanking us in a few minutes, though I'm not sure their approval will last for long. Screw it, I'm starving... I'm sure you are too and I've got to piss something fierce. Let's go." John opened the door and the dome light kicked on, Val squinted as his eyes tried to adjust to the sudden light.
Once inside, John hurried to the bathroom and Val got in line. The service was slow, but he didn't mind. He was in no hurry to get back on the road. Soon his brother joined him in line and they ordered. Two cheeseburgers, a large fry to share and two large sodas. They made their way over to a small table by a set of large windows looking out at the highway, though by this time of night there wasn't much to look at except for passing headlights.
They sat in silence and ate their food, much in the same way they sat in silence in the car. The food was OK, typical fast-food, but Val did not remember food like this ever tasting so dull.
"My brother, lost at sea..." John said, "...we were terrified that we might never see you again when we heard the news. What were you thinking when you hit the water?"
Val finished chewing his last bite, he looked out the window as he washed it down with a gulp of soda.
"Honestly, I don't remember," he answered before taking another bite of his burger.
"You don't remember anything?" John pressed on, wiping his hands with a napkin.
"Nope, nothing. I remember being on the fishing boat, reaching over to cut the net because it was stuck and that's it. The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital," Val said.
"How is that possible? How is it that you were out there in those dark, frigid waters for three weeks and not only didn't you drown or die from hypothermia, but you have no recollection of how you survived at all?"
"Look, I wish I could tell you... but I've been over this nearly a thousand times already. I really don't want to talk about it anymore," Val said sharply.
"That's fine, but you know you won't be able to duck these questions for much longer. Mom and Dad are going to be full of them when we get home."
"Well then I'm glad I didn't have the money to fly all the way home. This way I've got some time before the inquistion." Val shoved a handful of french fries into his mouth. Not very long though. Soon, they were back on the road with coffees in their hand and in no time they were inside the city limits of Syracuse, New York.
Though it was dark, nothing about Val's parents house changed to him. To him, it was a place outside of time. The house was dark, except for the light above the kitchen sink. The exact same way it was everytime Val stumbled in significantly past his curfew all those years back before he wandered off to become a fisherman.
Suddenly it hit him. The magnitude of his experience. He was going to have to live a lie for the remainder of his days. He told everyone, convinced doctors even that he had no recollection of the time he spent missing. After they scooped him out of the North Sea, thawed him out and woke him up. The official story was that the trauma of being stranded in such cold water triggered the memory loss.
The truth is, he hadn't forgotten and every time he's drifted off to sleep, he has relived almost every moment since.
"Wait, John listen... I can't go in there right now. I know you've been driving a long time now... so I won't ask for much. Can you just pull around the corner park and turn the engine off? There is something I need to tell you... " Val pleaded.
"Look man, I'm really tired... is there anyway this can wait until tomorrow? I just want to go inside and get some sleep and I'm sure Mom and Dad are waiting up and excited to see you," John said, killing the engine.
"That's kind of the issue man. I'm not sure I can go back in there and face them. Look, it's been years since I've been in that house. Years since I've stepped foot in this town. I just don't know if I am that person anymore," Val said as he tugged on his beard.
"C'mon Val, you sound crazy right now. This is where you grew up. Where we grew up man. How can you be afraid to go in there?"
"It's not that I'm afraid to go in there, John. It's just that well... I'm afraid that stepping in there will confirm just how much has changed. I'm afraid that once that happens, there won't be any turning back."
"Alright..." John sighed, as he turned the key in the ignition and the engine turned over without much of a sound, "...fifteen-minutes and then we go in. Deal?"
"Alright, fifteen-minutes and then we go in."