{"id":897,"date":"2022-08-23T00:43:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-23T00:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/?p=897"},"modified":"2023-11-20T03:02:58","modified_gmt":"2023-11-20T03:02:58","slug":"the-tozer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/?p=897","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"_3d-flip-book  fb3d-fullscreen-mode full-size\" data-id=\"1356\" data-mode=\"fullscreen\" data-title=\"false\" data-template=\"short-white-book-view\" data-lightbox=\"dark-shadow\" data-urlparam=\"fb3d-page\" data-page-n=\"0\" data-pdf=\"\" data-tax=\"null\" data-thumbnail=\"\" data-cols=\"3\" data-book-template=\"default\"><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\">window.FB3D_CLIENT_DATA = window.FB3D_CLIENT_DATA || [];window.FB3D_CLIENT_DATA.push('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');window.FB3D_CLIENT_LOCALE && window.FB3D_CLIENT_LOCALE.render();<\/script>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Tozer<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Chapter Five, Summer 2037<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles\u2019s first dream on the floating planet rolled into action like an abstract slap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was with Langley sitting around a campfire. Color was there too, smiling and laughing along with Marshall who had a blindfold on and was next to a different girl he\u2019d never seen before. And Mariah! They were just missing Pretty and Blink, their Leader and their Pilot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The dream had life to it, unlike the feeble, swimming dreams he had in the past. \u201cLangley?\u201d He asked, knowing Langley couldn\u2019t hear him. \u201cWhere\u2019s Pretty?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re just going to ignore me?\u201d Mariah said, offended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles was startled; he thought the dream, though dipped in reality, was inanimate.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMariah? You\u2019re in my dream and awake?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat are you talking about? This is my dream,\u201d Mariah said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou lived through the mirror right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOf course!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMariah, we made it!\u201d Myles stood from the log he was on and ran over to her. \u201cMariah!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMyles, is that really you?\u201d She asked as she was bowled over by Myles\u2019s hug.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYes! Holy shit, I didn\u2019t know when I would see you next!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAtlas is teaching me dreamscoping and it looks like, after a bunch of experimenting, it finally worked,\u201d She looked behind her. \u201cI thought he was going to join us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI did,\u201d A voice said from the campfire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>` Myles turned his head and saw that boyish face with the wise, sparkling eyes. Atlas. The name struck him like he\u2019d heard it many times before. Like returning to school after all summer; the same school, same area, but somehow new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re Atlas?\u201d Myles said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAre you Myles Willis?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDid Mariah tell you about me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cShe did, but I believe we met before that,\u201d Atlas said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t looking for you, but we met all the same.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was younger. Why did you find me, anyway? I\u2019m thinking it wasn\u2019t random.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI need your help,\u201d Atlas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhy didn&#8217;t you contact Pretty?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWho is Pretty?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Leader,\u201d Myles said. \u201cHow much do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOnly your name, your fraise, and that you can help me. Help all of us, really,\u201d Atlas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIs that right?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMyles, these dreams are scant. The connection could break at any instant. You\u2019re the only way any of us can leave this planet and in return for helping you adapt to this planet, I am wanting you to include me in your crusade to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou helping us?\u201d Myles said, looking at Mariah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m teaching and protecting Langley and Mariah until you arrive at Stablefield. That\u2019s where we are now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles\u2019s face brightened. \u201cWe\u2019re close-!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The dream flickered,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles was awakened to Color\u2019s tarp rattling and shuffling. She looked over at him and smiled, \u201cMorning; You snore loudly when you\u2019re on your back, and you were muttering.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo! No, no!\u201d Myles said, scrambling to his knees. His head went dizzy, \u201cFuck! No!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She had stopped folding the tarp and looked at him strangely. \u201cMyles?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;He stood, his face so stoic it could have been carved into Mount Rushmore. \u201cI saw Mariah, our Clairvoyant, in a dream. Do you know a guy named Atlas?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Color shook her head. Her eyes shone as round and bright as a doe, waiting for him to keep talking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFuck, when will I get used to being this high up?\u201d He grabbed his water and took a drink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMyles, what happened? What did you see? What was she doing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI saw her, talked with her, and she\u2019s alive!\u201d His eyes were watering, but he knew he wouldn\u2019t cry. \u201cShe\u2019s at Stablefield. So is Langley. Marshall looks like he made a friend and was wearing some blindfold for some reason. It might be a metaphor or some weird dream shit. Color, I didn\u2019t see Pretty or Blink. Are they dead?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt doesn\u2019t sound like it. You wouldn\u2019t have asked like that if you thought they were dead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe need to go now.\u201d Myles said, hastily folding his tarp. \u201cWe gotta go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe need to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat too. That first, probably,\u201d Myles agreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re on the clock now, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe want to get there as fast as possible if that\u2019s what you mean.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She tossed her backpack and tarp down, hanging on to her spear. She tossed it and caught it to inspect the tip. She gave him one look and darted into the woods. Myles had never seen someone sprint with as much finesse or speed as her; not forty seconds later, she was back with two \u201cConeys?\u201d She had them in her hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHow did you do that?\u201d Myles asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPart of it was luck, the other part was experience in the woods and knowing how to spot rabbits, and the last part was me being able to throw a spear and knives with perfect accuracy every single time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhy do you call them \u2018coneys\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>The Lord of the Rings<\/em>,\u201d she tossed them on the ground and grabbed several sticks, leaves, and tinderbox. \u201cI read the books and that was what Samwise Gamgee always called them. I know they\u2019re rabbits or bunnies, but \u2018coney\u2019 sounds so fitting when you\u2019re fixing to eat them.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSo you can read pretty well if you read all of the Lord of the Rings.\u201d Myles started looking for thicker sticks to make a spit and a stand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWell, I heard people read it to me more than I read it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYour Aunt?\u201d He found several pretty good ones. Ah, and there was a stick shaped just like a slingshot that could hold up the other end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYup, and the Elders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHuh,\u201d Myles shook his head. \u201cYou speared those two rabbits so fast. Still not over that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She chuckled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Between the two of them, they created the fire, cooked the rabbits, ate (these two were skinnier, drier), and were on the road looking for another spot to refill their water all under two hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOkay,\u201d Myles started when they began walking. \u201cWhat\u2019re all the fraisers? This is something I should probably have asked a while ago.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOh, my goodness, I never explained them to you. I feel so bad now. Okay.\u201d She took a deep breath and smoothed her white hairs back, knuckles tapping into the spear strapped to her back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere are four fraiser types; you already know two: prophets, who have cool mental powers and can see the future and stuff, and hushes, who have complete muscular control. Then there are minders and hangers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cStart with hangers,\u201d Myles said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOkay, hangers can fly. They swoop around and can carry things while they fly too. Hannah used to carry us around for fun which is part of why I don\u2019t get scared of the Ledge. I\u2019ve jumped off a couple times with Hannah down below to catch me. The last time I did it, I fell probably halfway to the water because Hannah kept missing my hands. We got in trouble for doing that once her parents found out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles furrowed his brow. \u201cSpeaking of flying\u2026 When I first got here, I saw this massive floating bubble of water above the trees. What was that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Color\u2019s jaw dropped, just like when Myles told her he was a prophet. \u201cA \u2018floating lake\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles shrugged. \u201cMore like a floating puddle; it was pretty small.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re water that picked itself up and started floating around. Usually it has to be really salty so that there are enough minerals to pick up all the water, but wow, those are really dangerous and easy to drown in. The water sucks you right to the center and doesn\u2019t let you swim outward and you die. Was there a dead person or two in the floating lake?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo, heavens no, just a few small rocks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOh,\u201d she said. \u201cYes, that was a floating lake. Alright, back to fraiser types\u2026 minders can move rocks with their mind. They\u2019re handy on the stone boats. Some of the older ones can move whole islands to different levels in the air. I heard that one fraiser killed a whole ton of Cavs by putting them on a rock and shooting them up into the air. Or he just made it drop to the ocean and they got eaten.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t people live on the surface?\u201d Myles played that question back in his head. \u201cHmm, like, do they live on the ocean down there?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe call it Below, and no, because of the struellas. Does your planet have struellas or call them by another name? Large snakes and turtles?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was Myles who was shocked now: \u201cThere are sea serpents and giant turtles?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBig enough to split entire seaborne ships,\u201d Color nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOh my gosh, they\u2019re down there right now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYup,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAmazing. Okay, minders, they control stuff with their mind.\u201d Myles was nodding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo, not just any stuff, only rocks. And when you\u2019re little, you really got to practice to get good. All minders can throw redrock really well, but not so much the others. You have to practice with other rocks like marble or sedimentary or\u2026 I don\u2019t know many rock names.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOkay\u2026 cool. That\u2019s all they can do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s pretty handy in this time since rocks are what we live on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cRight, right, I get that. Okay, the last fraiser type?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMinders can also control metals if they\u2019re really good,\u201d Color said. \u201cI\u2019ve never met one yet, but they sound awesome. They can shape it with their bare hands and into really intricate shapes and delicate structures. They can make a handful of arrowheads just by holding them and thinking about it; the metal listens to them. Kind of like how hushes\u2019 bodies listen to them, the air listens to hangers\u2026 I don\u2019t know what listens to prophets.\u201d She laughed. \u201cOh, but minders can\u2019t shape or meld silver or copper. Enichi told me that copper was too electric or interacted with electricity and was like holding fire to a minder, and then silver has always been a mystical metal to them. But that\u2019s all the fraisers. You understand them better when you meet \u2018em.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHm,\u201d Myles listened to every word, thinking. \u201cInteresting. I wonder what the rest of the Astronomers are?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The two fraisers continued chatting, mostly Myles making dumb jokes, Color laughing, and both watching the scenery change around them. Their walk was as hurried as Myles could manage without starting to breathe like a bellows. Eventually the trees stopped and opened to a large overgrown field.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles and Color stopped as they stood along the field, gazing at the anomaly before them. Rocks, boulders, some as big as sheds, others the size of cows, some, just pebbles. They bumped slowly into themselves like giants sluggishly bludgeoning each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHuh,\u201d Myles said, shrugging his shoulders. \u201cThese rocks float.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a tozer,\u201d Color said through a grin. \u201cWanna go check it out?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles looked at her, unsure. \u201cYou see how they\u2019re colliding with each other? Isn\u2019t that dangerous?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNot if you\u2019re with me. Watch!\u201d She tossed her backpack and spear aside and <em>swishh<\/em> was in the field.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles craned his neck, watching the white hair bob through the tall grass toward the tozer. He looked back at the rocks, floating peacefully but powerfully along through the air, most of them large enough to crush a whole school bus. He swallowed, grabbing Color\u2019s spear and backpack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cColor!\u201d He trudged through the grass with less grace than the hush and stopped a dozen yards from the foot of the tozer. There was Color, jumping, flipping, laughing, among the rocks. Though her movements were far quicker, she always had to be alert; danger literally surrounded her from every angle. She could float around the tozer just like the rocks. Soon she was fifty feet in the air, riding the smaller rocks above.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMyles, do you see how it works?\u201d Color said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles took another look. What was he missing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey all spin in a circle, even though they run into each other. They only collide when they\u2019re going up or when one is moving around the circle faster. They don\u2019t collide in the center, so you can float up without being in danger of getting squished as long as you\u2019re smart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cStill looks dangerous as hell,\u201d Myles called up to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOh, it is; people die in these. They\u2019re like super slow-moving rock tornadoes that take a while to die down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOh,\u201d Myles put down her backpack, spear, and his own backpack.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Color floated down to the ground again surrounded by swirling rocks. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to come in; it\u2019s pretty dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cJust for a few seconds, maybe. What\u2019s it like at the top?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Color grinned, \u201cIt\u2019s really amazing. You can see for miles up there. Wanna see?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHell yeah,\u201d he stepped into the gravitational hiccup and felt his arms float up, weightless, to shoulder-height.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhoa, easy there. And if you start to feel motion-sickness right here, step out and throw up, don\u2019t go up there. It\u2019s not fun to float around with the puke.\u201d Color said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNah, I don\u2019t get motion-sickness. I don\u2019t puke easy.\u201d He was fascinated with his arms. He looked up at the rocks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhoa,\u201d the stones were swirling around like he was at the bottom of a tube looking out. There was an almost perfect circle of sky directly overhead. He and Color stood watching, staring like they were on an excellent hallucinogenic trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI want to jump straight up, but I don\u2019t want to kill myself,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then he felt Color grab him around the waist, coil her legs, and spring straight up into the center of the rocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhaaAAAA,\u201d was all he managed to say before giddy laughter involuntarily left his mouth. He was flying! His body was weightless! Look, the trees! He was at eye-level with them now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Color let go and they floated around the rocks, falling as fast as feathers. He was slightly aware of her chin locked over his shoulder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhy do we fall slightly, but not the rocks?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMust have something to do with us not <em>being<\/em> rocks.\u201d He could feel Color\u2019s mouth move on his shoulder as she spoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles couldn\u2019t stop smiling. He looked below him at the long drop, \u201cOh, jeepers and creepers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLaughers and weepers,\u201d Color finished, looking down with him. \u201cWhat a fun thing to say.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles looked around again, putting his hands on some of the rocks surrounding them. \u201cThis isn\u2019t too hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNope. This is a calm tozer too; some of the rougher ones are wider and fling rocks around faster and not in as good a circle as this one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAnd then they just drop all at once?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo, gravity slowly puts the rocks down. We\u2019re safe right here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They were still falling slowly, Color\u2019s arms neatly around his waist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCan we sit on a rock?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Color grabbed Myles bicep and swung him around, then put her feet on a rock and sprang up again toward a boulder the size of a california-king bed. She grabbed the edge and Myles floated right next to her down onto the rock. As they sat, about as heavy as two sheets of paper, the rock lowered just slightly before continuing its slow, circular plight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Up here was like being on the Ledge as far as mighty views went. Clouds painted the sky and horizon, some were even fidgeting with the land a few miles off. The fraisers could see over most of the trees now; there were hills, valleys, plains, a parking lot wildly out of place, another neighborhood far to the left of where they were going,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He felt that tickle in his brain again and saw that little descriptive vision, though this one felt sturdier. Like he was incrementally learning how to read again; he could recognize the feeling and make more sense of it. \u201cWe need to go to that neighborhood,\u201d Myles pointed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Color looked at where he was pointing. \u201cThat\u2019s a little out of the way, don\u2019t you think?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think I had a vision of some bikes in someone\u2019s basement.\u201d He looked at her, grinning. \u201cKnow how to ride?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thirty minutes later, they\u2019d found the neighborhood, walked through the broken front door, located both the basement and bikes, and hauled them outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTires are really flat, shit.\u201d Myles said. \u201cLooks like the gears are working, and they have mountain tires so we won\u2019t have to worry about blowing any of them\u2026 fuck, these are dusty and gross. Man, I need to stop swearing.\u201d His brow furrowed, \u201cI don\u2019t know why I said that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHm,\u201d Color shrugged knowingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles acknowledged the look. \u201cWait what\u2019s that supposed to mean? I don\u2019t like that\u2026 little sound you just made.\u201d Then he looked down the neighborhood\u2019s street. \u201cWait, we\u2019ll probably need a bike pump\u2026 maybe I can find it with my prophesying.\u201d He tried to conjure some kind of outreach, some kind of image, but nothing showed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOh well,\u201d He said as they kept asking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The fraisers entered the basement, walked the bikes to the garage, and put the kickstands up.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHey, look. No prophesying required,\u201d Myles said as he spotted a bike pump behind a stack of adhesive rolls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat psychopath keeps a million white rolls of stickers?\u201d Myles said, working the pump onto Color\u2019s bike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once Color\u2019s bike tires were inflated, she jumped on and started biking. Myles began fixing the pump onto his bike tires. She was unbelievably good, spinning on one wheel, wheelies for as long as she wanted, standing on the front handlebars as it rolled, and she even knew how to use the front brakes properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles finally pumped both of his own tires up when the idea struck him. He stuck the pump into his backpack with the very top sticking out. Then he pedaled toward Color who was trying to go as slow as she could without using the handlebars. She grinned showing slightly yellowed teeth as wide as he\u2019d seen her grin yet. \u201cI\u2019ve never biked before! This is so much fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles shook his head in disbelief, \u201cYou\u2019ve never biked before?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNo, but I\u2019ve heard enough about them to know how they work. I\u2019m so happy I\u2019ve finally had the chance; I wouldn\u2019t have known how much having air in the tires affects the ride.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cUh, Color?\u201d Myles said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYeah, Myles?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He cleared his throat and took a deep breath, \u201cUh\u2026 on behalf of\u2026 the Astronomy Club of Winton, Pennsylvania, I, the Sage of said club, Myles Willis, would like to offer you a chance at initiation to become an Astronomer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Color\u2019s eyes popped like ping-pong balls and she rode right next to him. She hugged him laughing, \u201cI accept!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He hugged her back and chuckled, \u201cGreat. We\u2019ll do the first step now and the second one tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t believe it, I can actually become an Astronomer!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFollow me,\u201d Myles said, pedaling along the street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Color sidled up alongside him, her back facing the handlebars, but still pedaling forward.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cShow ooooofff,\u201d Myles said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cJealousssss,\u201d Color sneered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOkay, see that curb and how it\u2019s flat and really long?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Color easily passed all of the biking challenges Myles threw at her, no matter how difficult or long the curb she was to ride. Eventually, he was having her ride curbs that were twice as long, curved, and damn near impossible to ride, but she accomplished the tasks all the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re having too much fun. Alright, you pass that part of the initiation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s the other one?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll let you know tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOnce I\u2019m in, can I initiate people?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou can only recommend; Pretty and I are the ones who can initiate anyone because we\u2019re the leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI thought you said Pretty was the Leader? Are you a co-leader?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSecond in command.\u201d Myles nodded. \u201cWhenever Pretty doesn\u2019t know what to do, he looks to me. And if I don\u2019t know what to do, it goes to a vote, but that\u2019s only happened twice I think.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They traveled on their bikes, only stopping to refill their water-bottles and eat berries and even some apples from a hidden tree that Myles detected. The apples had a citrus aftertaste and a thicker peel. Once dusk was upon them, they decided to rest for the day.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ll make it there by tomorrow,\u201d Myles said. \u201cWe traveled so much further than walking today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Color nodded, \u201cThis is <em>so<\/em> much better than walking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They tossed their tarps down, Color hugged Myles goodnight, and they wrapped themselves up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A few minutes later Color asked: \u201cWait a second, what\u2019s the final part of the initiation?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles started laughing. \u201cWhoops. Uh,\u201d he looked up at the tree they were under. He was already wrapped up so nicely and didn\u2019t want to move. Then he started inching himself along in his tarp-roll until he was under the stars. \u201cCome on over here and look up at the stars.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Color followed Myles\u2019s method of movement and squirmed like a worm fresh out of the garnered soil, until she and Myles were adjacent to each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI see the stars now,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGreat. Do you like the stars?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYes, I love the stars.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHow many constellations do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI know the Big Dipper and Scorpion and the Orion Belt and where the North Star is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI know all of those, but do you know the Bees constellation?\u201d Myles asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s the B\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSee all the stars? It\u2019s one big swarm of bees and that\u2019s the whole constellation,\u201d Myles said this through a smile.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s a \u2018bee\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles dropped his smile. \u201cYou fucked it all up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Color rose partially to where her head was above his. She was smiling as usual. \u201cSeriously, what is it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a bug, like a mosquito or a fly, but they move in swarms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Color nodded for a few seconds and then began to laugh, \u201cThe Bees!\u201d And she laid back down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Myles smiled \u201cBut anyway, here\u2019s the last question for you: What do you like about the stars?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Color\u2019s eyes were on the stars, but Myles wanted to see how she\u2019d react. Her lips rubbed together; Myles noticed she did that when she was thinking. A few seconds later, she answered:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn my village the four of us, Mason, Flint, and Hannah and I, would sometimes get into a lot of trouble and get yelled at for not doing chores or not doing things well. Flint and Hannah especially, because they\u2019d get told off by their dads and by Enichi the elder. But it was usually all of us who got in trouble together. Sometimes Flint would cut himself and Mason and I would stop him if we found him in time, but usually on the days where we felt the worst, we would just\u2026 go to the Ledge at night because none of us could sleep, and sit watching the clouds and what stars we could see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI remember this one night in particular,\u201d she inhaled shakily, \u201cwe\u2019d gotten in trouble for not doing chores and instead were playing Hunter and Hunted in the woods and were going to have to make up for it somehow and we didn\u2019t know how. We were all stressed even though it was just Flint\u2019s and my fault mostly,\u201d She sniffed. \u201cBut that night, Hannah and Mason came to my Aunt\u2019s hut and snuck into my room. I didn\u2019t want to get up, I just wanted to be left alone. It was an awful day, and I was on my cycle, but Mason just gently picked me up anyway, blanket and all, and carried me all the way to the Ledge and we sat there all four of us and looked out at the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe sky was so clear and dark. Not a cloud or other landmass in sight, the only thing you could see was the water down Below and the stars like a million little pieces of broken glass. They were all sharp and just beautiful, all laid out there. I\u2019m not sure why, but being with them and just\u2026 watching the stars, not saying a word\u2026 it was one of the best feelings I\u2019ve ever had. I wish there was a word for a moment like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even though she still technically needed to play a few arcade games with them, he said, \u201cThat was the best answer I\u2019ve ever heard&#8230;Welcome to the Astronomy Club, Color.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Color sighed a happy sigh, \u201cI\u2019ve never been in a club before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn the next few days you should be meeting the rest of the Astronomers,\u201d was the last thing Myles said before he and Color fell asleep under the stars.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Tozer Chapter Five, Summer 2037 Myles\u2019s first dream on the floating planet rolled into action like an abstract slap. He was with Langley sitting around a campfire. Color was there too, smiling and laughing along with Marshall who had a blindfold on and was next to a different girl he\u2019d never seen before. And &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/?p=897\" class=\"more-link\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fraiser"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=897"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1358,"href":"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897\/revisions\/1358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blackbox.black\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}