The Greenhouse

Chapter Nine, Summer 2037

Myles woke up shivering. “Sheesh.”

“Awake?” Color was standing off to his left thumbing her knives for sharpness, her tarp folded next to her. The air was foggy and moist.

Myles stood up. “Look at that, I didn’t see stars when I stood up just now.”

Color clapped her hands a few times as she walked over and they hugged a ‘good morning.’ Myles folded up his own tarp and placed it in his backpack.

“Do you want to put your tarp in my backpack?” He asked.

Color looked at hers for a moment and then handed it to him. “That would be great, thanks.”

Myles wasn’t in the mood for a rabbit; he wanted berries.

“Wait,” he said as he thought, “I know where some berries are. And… something else… wait…” He hopped on his bike and pedaled away, Color following him along the path. He led them offroad several hundred feet along and arrived at another house, abandoned in the middle of the forest, obviously from a much larger rock. The entire house was tilted a few degrees because of the boulder’s placement, but mostly upright.

“What’s in there?”

“Nothing in there,” Myles said, “but in the greenhouse behind it there are strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. And I think there are mushrooms.”

“Mushrooms? You’re going to eat mushrooms?” Color asked as they put their kickstands up and walked to the backyard.

“These are the mushrooms that are the drug kind,” Myles said.

Color stopped walking. “You’re going to eat those?”

Myles looked back, still walking. “After I eat some berries, yeah.”

“So early?”

“In an hour or something. We’re only a few hours from Stablefield with our bikes,” Myles said. “There’s not much of a rush.”

“I don’t know why you’d do that.” Color shook her head and started walking with him. “I don’t think you should.”

Myles cocked his head. “Why’s that?”

“Well, why would you?”

He thought, then said, “I think it’s going to speed up my fraise.”

“You shouldn’t be taking drugs,” Color said.

Myles shook his head. “It’s not like that; I’m feeling called to take them. Not so much for you, but for me, yes. I’m a prophet, but not a good one yet. These will connect the dots for me much faster than just waiting for my fraise to catch up to me.”

“They could also ruin you.”

“How so?”

“I don’t know much about drugs, but don’t people overdose on them all the time?”

“Maybe with drugs like heroin,” Myles said. “I don’t think this is like those drugs. I’m getting a strangely positive feeling toward this one.”

Color shook her head. “I still don’t think you should take them.”

“Why don’t we take some together?”

“No way!”

“Have you taken any before?”

She took a breath and admitted, “No.”

Myles threw his hands up, “So what’s your argument? How can you say what’s wrong about them?”

Color shrugged, clearly uncomfortable. “I don’t see the point.”

“Do you believe in God?”

“Yes,” Color said.

“And everything He created is Good?”

“Yes.”

“Color,” Myles started, “What if some of the things that are bad for you in your eyes aren’t bad for me in my eyes? Why would God make something like that if it wasn’t Good in His eyes?”

“They’re…” Color faltered. “Okay, I won’t stop you, but know that I think it’s a bad idea and I’m not happy that you’re doing this.”

They both went quiet and opened the door to the greenhouse. The air here was a steady eighty to ninety degrees and almost maximum humidity. Both fraisers took off their coats the moment they walked in.

“Jeepers.” Myles looked at the plants. The berries had really taken over, spreading growth and tiny fruit all over the walls and floor. There were no more pathways and the thorny branches were everywhere.

Color didn’t have to move far to find many berries to eat, but Myles, on the hunt for the mushrooms, ate berries as he explored. He knew generally where to look, but…

There they were, like mini dead atomic explosions, moist and soft. He didn’t want to eat them now, he just wanted to save as many as he could find. Glancing up, he could see that there were many, many more.

“Gracious,” he started picking them gently and packing them into the smaller pocket on his backpack. Once he had about a half-pound of them, he started eating berries. Eventually, he made his way over to Color. 

“When will you eat them?” Color asked, not looking at him.

“After I eat some of these berries and we go for a french walk.” 

They ate in silence.

There was a tub of rainwater outside that they filled their water bottles in and then  walked back to their bikes.

“I’ve been thinking about your title for the club. It has to be something you’re good at, like your specialty. Pretty’s the Leader, I’m the Sage, Langley’s the Bug, Mariah is Clairvoyant, Marshall’s the Guru, and Blink’s the Pilot. Man, if it weren’t for Blink driving that car, we’d probably all be dead.”

“Hm,” Color said.

“You’re still annoyed that I’m going to take these mushrooms.”

“Have you taken mushrooms before?” Color asked.

Myles shook his head.

“What if you take too many?”

“You can’t,” Myles said.

Color narrowed her eyes. “How do you know that?”

Myles shrugged. “I’m a prophet. I wouldn’t know about the greenhouse at all if it weren’t for my prophecy powers.”

Color didn’t answer.

“Look, Color,” Myles stopped and stood in front of her. “Just because you think it’s bad and I disagree and go against your wishes doesn’t mean you gotta have this little fit. Just because I don’t listen to something you say doesn’t mean we have to hate each other, alright? You’ve disagreed with a lot of stuff I’ve said and I didn’t have a problem with that and I didn’t get mad at you.”

“This is different. This is something that could change you permanently.”

“The fraise naturally protects you and keeps you alive. Did you know that? My prophecy wouldn’t have led me to them and given me the idea that I should try to eat these. And you said it yourself, you don’t know what these are going to do.”

She shrugged.

“Am I wrong about this?”

“No.”

He sighed. “Color?”

“What?”

“Are you still mad? That you were wrong?”

“I’m not mad that I’m wrong.”

“Ah, so you admit you’re wrong.”

“I’m not wrong, I just think… we have different opinions.”

“Yes, yes we do. And there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Okay,” she said.

Myles thought about the amount of mushrooms in his pack. It felt like a lot. “Do you want to take any with me?” he asked again.

“No.”

After some sitting around, Color said she wanted to go hunting and left. 

That’s alright, Myles thought, we could probably use some time away from each other.

Myles unzipped the small backpack pocket and took out a few pieces of the mushroom, still a little spongy, and studied them, wondering how many he should eat. “Fuck it,” he said and ate several of the spongy pieces. He decided after about two pieces that was enough to achieve whatever it was he was trying to accomplish here.

Nothing happened for ten minutes, so he decided to go for a walk with his backpack. The Ledge wasn’t far off and he decided it would be nice to watch the clouds. As he walked through the trees, they seemed much brighter. They were greener, more alive. Full of life, like they were packed with blood and sinew like Myles’s own body.

“Hmm,”

Before he made it to the Ledge, he’d become fascinated with the grass and ferns, the suckers on the trees and how the trees provided for both the suckers and itself. The entire life unit of all of these plants, just how strong the connection between all of the plants were. And all of the life happening in their own tiny worlds down there. The bacteria, the, the, the, the, the cells, the biology, biology. That was the word, mostly. That wasn’t everything he wanted to say about it, but it would have to do.

“Amazing,”

He sat down at a tree overlooking the Ledge and the clouds, wow. Huge ships of white, giant flat shapes of linen, pasted to the stratosphere. They started swirling in complex patterns, turning inside themselves and out, in a strange circle made of lines pointing to one focal point. The geometry he saw riveted him; he both wanted to move and didn’t want to move because part of him realized he was part of all of this. He was a blade of grass in a field of people. Though they weren’t physically around him, they were close to him spiritually. Everyone was close to him; every human was close to him.

His eyes could perceive the sun moving along the clouds, setting. He’d been sitting in one place, letting his mind wander, for almost three hours. It struck him that he had been thinking about Color and his relationship with her for nearly thirty minutes.

“Color,” he said, delighted. “Color. Color Color Color Color Color. I miss her; where is she?” 

He finally furrowed his brow, perceived Color’s location, and walked back. He perceived more Dragons’ Head and walked out of the way to get them. He could see everything now, all at once. It wasn’t a matter of trying to see things now; this was a matter of blocking it out and being able to focus on anything. He knew about the holes in the ground under his feet. He could almost hear the gravity and its intentions to keep the Great Hook afloat. He knew the route to Stablefield now, like he’d traveled there before.

He found Color wandering the forest looking for him. “Myles, where did you go?”

“Color!” he said, bounding over a few roots. He perceived the last root, but it registered in his mind too late; he fell forward onto his hands, letting the Dragon’s Head fly from his hand.

“Oh, no,” Myles said, raising his hand filled with flowers. “Oh, oh… no. That wasn’t supposed to happen.”

Color whisked over to him and helped him up. “Are you okay?”

“Color!” He threw his arms around her and gave her the strongest hug he could. “Color, I need to let you know you have a loving, pure soul and I cherish you.” That was the word he wanted to say. “I cherish you Color, more than I can say. And I dropped your flowers and I’m sad about that. More sad than I would usually be.”

He broke the hug and looked at Color. She had eyes like a quiet pond. 

“I missed you,” she said. “I checked up on you many times. You just sat next to the Ledge for the longest time and then disappeared and I got scared.”

“It’s not a different me, it was the quiet me. It was the stuff I didn’t want to say, but already knew all along.”

“You mean the part where you love me?” Color was clearly apprehensive.

“Well, I think to some extent I love everyone, but you… I don’t know. I think I just love you more than mostly anyone.”

“You’re on drugs.”

Myles shook his head. “Ignore that part. It isn’t changing what is in my heart. I can hear little wisps of what you’re saying. You’re wondering if I’ll be the same tomorrow and if I have changed permanently. The truth is yes, but I’m still me. I’m still Myles; I won’t be acting as crazy in a few hours, but I know that in a few hours my feelings won’t be as clear as they are now. But I was out there, next to the Ledge and I just missed you so badly.”

Color stared at him with wide eyes, not knowing what to say.

How can I show her that what I’m saying is the truth? How can I explain just how much I care? His heart dropped a few notches, unsure of how to proceed. Then he had an idea.

“Take my hand.” He put his right hand out, palm up.

Color placed her right hand in his, her eyes filled with wonder and trust. Her hand lay in his, like he had just asked her to dance. Alright, now think. Think, think. He thought of his experiences and thought about what he’d seen, what he was feeling now. I’m transmitting my state of mind? Who’s the hippie now? As he smiled to himself, Color let out a small gasp and withdrew her hand reflexively. 

Then she put it back. “What was that?”

“Did you see something?”

“I felt something. Like when I dream and I see someone I know… and there’s that feeling of knowing something?”

Myles smiled, his eyes dilated. “It’s hard to explain, right?” He put his fingers around hers and looked down on their hands. There was something symbolic about this, but Myles didn’t know what.

He started considering her skin and his and how rough and smooth they were. How they were moving around and how he could feel her blood moving in his own hand. Staring for a ridiculous amount of time. He became aware that Color was staring at the same place as he was. “Wow,” she breathed without irony.

But, what about the love? Myles concentrated back on that. He concentrated on how utterly clear his whole perspective had become, not how strange he was behaving. 

He lowered to the ground, seating himself on the grass, and offered his other hand which Color immediately accepted. They were looking directly into each other’s eyes now.

In a few seconds Myles created a connection with her; they were sharing the same mental space, showing each other tricks and filling neurological gaps. Myles was granting her a dose of his current understanding of the world: The infinite connection between all of life and energy.

He deftly steered the moment to his understanding of love, of the love that he had for Color. Not the sexual love, but the unconditional love deep below the surface; the love that gives without expectation. Their love was ancient, older than themselves.

“What?” Color managed as she articulated all of this. “Who are you? Who are we?”

Myles let the connection fade like a riptide and they each took their hands back. “That’s what I was feeling.” He looked at the ground, noting that the grass was not as vibrant as it was a few hours ago. “Do you think I was telling the truth about love?”

“That’s what you were experiencing all of that time?”

“Except it was stronger and the colors were stronger and things were moving around a lot.”

“I love you,” Color said, her eyes still looking directly into his. “I’ve wanted to say that ever since we found the tarps, but I thought you’d find it a little forward. Since… you know, you were a little wary about the hugs and sleeping situations. It was never strange to me in my village, but since meeting you, I’ve been able to see your side a little better. And I ate a long time ago; I didn’t know you would still be… like this right now.”

Myles laughed, “I’m not that hungry anyway, just thirsty. And from here I can tell you where several spots to refill are.”

Myles lay back and rested, looking up at the trees and the light, falling through the leaves like a waterfall into his face. Color lay alongside him, her hands behind her head. She was smiling, enjoying the sun just like him.

You know? I could die right now knowing what I know… and I would be fine with it. Myles thought.

Without meaning to listen, Myles could hear the front of Color’s mind mumbling something. He knew it was private, but he was too curious to fully ignore it. 

She was thinking: I don’t want anything bad to happen. When things feel this good, it usually means they’ll be taken from me.

Myles didn’t want to think about that while he was in this state. Maybe he’d think about that tomorrow, because right now the answer was I most certainly do, Color. 

He rose to his feet. “I think we should go now.” He smiled as he watched her. “The Star.”

“Hm?”

“Your Astronomer name. The ‘Star’.”

Color put a hand to her mouth and smiled with pleasant surprise. “That’s my title? The Star?”

“Yeah, because you’re so happy and bright all the time. That’s your specialty.”

She smiled peacefully and said, “I love it,” and walked with him back to their bikes.

The fraisers chatted for a short period about plants and how long the few days they’d been together felt like. Myles was continually being sidetracked by the trees and their life, like viewing muscles moving inside of their skin.

Then he stopped his bike altogether. Color imagined it was another kind of distraction, but he put the kickstand on his bike and said, “Get your knives ready.”

Color dexterously swung her leg over the bike in an arc, landed on that same foot, and while still in the air, removed her knives from the sheaths. She lowered her other knee alongside her foot as her head darted around searching for danger.

“There are a ton of dead somethings out there,” Myles started walking into the woods.

“Dead whats?” Color said.

“I have no idea. I don’t think I’ve ever seen or heard of them before.”

They approached the area on which Myles was fixated and slowed when they saw an open-mouthed, decaying, strange-looking man. There was a small piece of metal sticking out of his head and blood had dried in a dripping pattern.

“A barrygang,” Color said. “Someone killed it with a knife it looks like.”

“Killed them, you mean.” Myles pointed.

Color looked to where he was pointing. There were a half-dozen others, slain and lying in the short grass.

“It’s been a couple days since they were killed,” Myles said. Color moved the creature’s gray-skinned torso so she could see the underside and the gray was much darker on the parts that had come in contact with the ground.

“Dead bodies do that. The blood pools at the lowest parts of where they died. You see what I mean,” Color said.

Myles nodded slowly, feeling nauseous. “Think the cavs did this?”

“The cavs would have caught and sold them; I think a fraiser did this. Hush probably. All other fraisers wouldn’t have gone to the trouble with a knife unless they were terribly desperate.”

Myles was getting a strong feeling from these slaughtered beasts. A feeling of familiarity. “Marshall?” He started running toward the other dead barrygangs and began feeling visions of the area, of what happened here, just by wondering what really did happen.

“Marshall was here! Marshall killed these things!” Myles said to Color who had stayed close to him.

“Marshall is one of the Astronomers, right?” Color said, still eying the area for any sign of danger.

“He’s the Guru!” Myles reached the tree that all of the barrygangs seemed to have fallen under. He looked up at the tree’s branches about ten feet above him and said, “There was someone with him. A girl. I think he saved her.”

“Was the girl an Astronomer?” Color said.

“No… the only other girl Astronomer is Mariah, other than you, of course. I don’t recognize this girl.” Myles looked to his left, into the woods. Then he kept walking until he reached a small, charred, day-old campfire.

“Marshall,” Myles said. “He was here and the girl was there, lying down.” He pointed to a patch of grass that appeared flattened. “Only a day ago. And they were on foot… Color, we could catch up to them!”

“Race you back to the bikes?” Color grinned like an idiot.

“We both know you’re a way faster runner than me.”

“I’ll only use one leg. Or how about I have to run on my hands?”

Myles smiled at that thought. “Okay, hands only.”

Myles started off toward the bikes as Color rolled onto her hands and started the most hilarious run Myles had ever seen, to which he began laughing so hard he slowed his running. Color’s feet dangled at the knees and occasionally slapped her butt as her torso made the oddest turning motions and her arms acted in the place of her legs.

“What the fuck!” Myles managed through his laughter as Color passed him. What made the whole ordeal even funnier was the fact that she didn’t stop until she reached the bikes, a full ten seconds ahead of him.

“I win!” she said as she folded her body so her feet and hands were on the ground next to each other and she flipped her head up, bright red face brushed by the white hair.

Myles had no words, only smiles. “That was by far the weirdest thing I’ve seen you do.” He started laughing lightly again as he climbed onto his bike.

“Glad I could make you laugh,” Color said as they pedaled down the road.

Myles used his prophesying to follow Marshall’s trail. It led onto the regular trail and Myles could now pick out footprints on the slightly muddied ground. Small impressions, like a long-footed deer with the split hooves, and every now-and-again, cart wheels and horseshoes. Myles slowed as he began to pick up a different scent.

“Cavs,” he said. “Horses, guys with helmets… and a fraiser. A really strong fraiser, but I think he’s imprisoned.” There was another mental scent that he recognized all too well. “I think they have a novis. I don’t know how, but I can sense one just by these tracks. I don’t know if it’s the mushrooms helping me still, but…” The novis were in Langley’s basement while he and Langley were wrapped in those dumbass mexican blankets. Who knew a coke-bottle would be their rescuer?

Myles shuddered. “The cavs are somewhere ahead. Maybe a few hours on our bikes? But that’s the same way Marshall and that girl went, so we have to follow.” A terrible thought crossed his mind as he looked at Color. “What if they caught him?”

Color’s giant, wonderful eyes stared back at him with a mixture of shared fear and urgency. “Maybe we should check.”

Both Astronomers started pedaling faster, heading through the wilderness, on and on, until Myles drove into a mobile camper parking lot. He looked around and then toward a camper with its door wide open. On the side and in tan lettering, one word read: Denali. “They were here, but the cavaliers weren’t. They weren’t captured by the cavs at least yesterday. And knowing Marshall, he wouldn’t be stupid enough to let that happen if he could help it. At least, I don’t think. And if the girl was a local, like you, she would probably know a thing or two about the cavs, right?”

Color shrugged, leaning slightly over her handlebars. “It’s a good guess, but at this point, I would trust your guesses more than mine.”

Myles nodded. “Yeah, I’m a lot smarter.”

Color pulled a knife out of its sheath. “Lets see your smarts catch this when it’s thrown at your face.”

“Alright, alright. Don’t get your panties in a wad.”

“’Panties’?”

“Underwear. Girls’ underwear.”

“Bras?”

“Dummy, the stuff around your waist.”

Color nodded in understanding and said, “Then what do they call boys’ underwear?”

“We don’t wear any.”

Color made a disgusted face. Myles laughed.

They stopped here and camped.