A Rage for Revenge

53 Encounter

The gumdrop was a very pretty gumdrop. The door was open, so I went in.

I knew which room would be mine. I hoped I wasn't too late for dinner. The worms would be annoyed. I started down the tapioca tunnels.

The walls were covered with the finest blue fur I'd ever seen. It grew down in long, velvety strands. You could brush your hands through it as you spiraled downward. It tingled and twinkled and rang like little bells. When you touched it, it sparkled with bursts of pixie dust. Why hadn't I ever noticed that before? If you didn't touch it, it just glowed happily to itself.

There were big buttery nodules here too, all over the walls. They were thick and chewy looking, but I wasn't hungry yet. Two fat red-bellied millipedes slithered up the tunnel past me, chittering about their bellies; I said hello, but they were too busy to answer. They had to grow up big and fat first.

I was pleased to see that the circulation vines were spreading throughout the gumdrop. They were thick with moist red syrup. So sweet-smelling too. This was going to be one of the great gumdrops of the world.

Everything was here.

I hoped the worms would like me and would let me stay. I could tell them gumdrop stories.

The worms were in the big chamber of the left ventricle. I knew, because that's where all the circulation vines were pointing.

For now, anyway. Later, they would point toward the real main chamber. That would be much deeper. And much larger.

There were four worms here in the gumdrop. They were very beautiful worms. All of them were well striped. Their markings were very clear and clean. I was glad of that. I liked the certainty. Their sides were bright with fierce orange and gentle pink and then a bit of brooding dark purple.

I knew their names, even though I couldn't pronounce them, so I said hi the best way I could and just waited politely for them to notice me. They were communing. The big one was (Aristotle). He was the big one even though he wasn't the biggest. The worms always have a big one who does most of the knowing for the others, and being the big one isn't about size, it's about knowing. (Aristotle) had the most purple on his sides.

(Beelzebub) was only recently male and was still trumpeting and posturing; his orange stripes blazed. The others all thought he was very beautiful. (Aristotle) was very eager to mate with him. So was (Gargoyle); she kept flashing pink with her orange.

(Delta) was too young to have a personality yet; she just wanted to carry the eggs. She wanted to be rolled over on her back and tickled until she was fat with eggs. You could see it in her stripes, all proud and raspberry pink.

They were dancing.

It was the dance of (restlessness until we rest). They curled in and out of each other, sliding and stroking and tickling the sparks off each other's fur. I wanted to join them. I wanted to grow pink fur of my own. But I could wait. I knew that my own fur would come in time. And then I could link with the worms too.

There was so much they had to teach me. And I, them.

They had to know what to watch out for. The world outside the gumdrop was still too raw, too wild, not yet awakened.

They (rested). They (linked). They (sang).

The (song) included me. I could feel myself in the (music). I would descend into it like a well, deeper and deeper, and as I did, I stopped being me and began to become (myself).

I (hugged).

I (tingled). All over. (Linked).

"Come on, Jimbo."

"Huh?"

"l said, come on. It's time to go."

I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. We were still in the worm nest.

He put his hand on my shoulder. It reminded me of that time in the shower. I climbed to my feet. I was cold.

"Where are the worms?"

"They're gone," he said. "And now it's time for us to go too. Come on. We found out what we needed to. Let's get out of here."

"What did we find out?"

"You don't have the words for it any more. Come on." He sounded impatient.

"I'm cold."

"I know. This way. It'll be warmer in a minute." He grabbed me and started pushing me toward the tunnel. I staggered and fell; he said a bad word and helped me up again.

"Sorry."

"Just keep walking. I can't do this all myself. You're going to have to help me." He ducked under my shoulder and pulled my arm across his back. "Hang on," he said, and half-carried me up the tunnel. We were both naked. Why was that? There was something about a naked man--

The nest seemed a lot darker now. As if someone had turned out all the lights. The vines weren't pumping any more either. Was the nest dying? Or just turned off?

Outside, the sky was black and the ground was bright. The stars were pink. The sun was cold. The clouds were complete. They swirled and billowed upon themselves; they were a massive ceiling to the world.

"Where are we?"

"Same place. Just keep walking, Jimbo. It's very important. Just keep walking."

All the plants were flat and blasted. They glowed in death as if they were lit from the inside. The shadows floated upward. The dust drifted up and away. Our eyes were lit from within too. But I couldn't see the pixies any more.

"Easy boy-close your eyes if it helps."

"I wanted to go back to sleep."

"You will in a minute. First things first."

"Who are you?"

"Jim boy, you know me. I'm you. You're me. We're us. Now, just keep walking. Keep walking and I'll teach you how to flame."

"Uh-uh. You can't teach me how to flame. You said it can't be taught. "

"I lied."

I stumbled and fell. The ground was very hard. I decided to rest a bit. I could get up later.

"Jim-come on, get up!"

"Later. I need to sleep a bit first."

"No, Jim. Now!"

"No," I said and curled up.

"Poppies!" Someone was cackling over me. "Poppies."'

I opened my eyes in annoyance. "What? Are we that close to the Emerald City? I don't even have any ruby slippers. Leave me alone. That's somebody else's story. Why is that old bitch picking on me?"

"Because you're ugly and your mother undresses you funny. Good, Jim-come on. Hold onto my hand. Step into the light, you're out of the night-you know how it goes. One foot in front of the other."

"I don't want be crazy any more," I said. "I'd rather be dead. I'd rather be Ted. I'd rather be led-"

"Okay, I'll lead you." He pulled at my arm. "Come on. I'll be Peter Pan and you can be one of the lost boys-"

"Can we fly?"

"Yes, we can fly."

"Really? We can really fly?"

"Yes, we can."

"Then why do we have to walk. Let's fly-"

"You'll have to concentrate."

"I will. I wanna fly."

"Lift your arms. Hold onto my hand now. Up, up, and away-"

"Are you Superman, too?"

"I'm anyone you need me to be. Anyone you want me to be."

"Are we flying now?"

"Look down."

I looked. We were rising up gracefully, up over the field, the nest, the van--

I giggled.

"Good, Jimmy boy. That's real good. Keep it up. Just a little bit longer."

"This is hard work, flying."

"I told you, you'd have to concentrate. That's it, flap your arms. Move your legs a little too. Yeah, just like you're walking." We were drifting sideways. The glow across the ground was the reflection of our light. The van looked like it was melting. We were sinking toward it.

"I can't keep it up," I said.

"It's all right, we're almost there. Just lower your wheels for a safe landing and you'll be just fine."

"And put up the tray tables and bring your seat backs to a full upright position," I added. We bumped across the ground and collapsed against the door of the van. I slid it open and fell halfway in. He helped me lift my legs up. We closed the door together and climbed, staggered, fell into bed and rolled into each other's arms and held onto each other as hard as we could while the night roared around us with loud sweet purple noises.

He smelled so good.