Time Mishaps

𝕻𝖆𝖗𝖙 𝕿𝖜𝖔

"I dunno. You tell me. I'm one of the youngest in my family. And I like to skateboard and go to the arcade. A lot. I'm good at building games."

"What is an arcade?"

"Riiight. Totally forgot about that. Uhhh, well it's a place where people go to play video games."

Ædrie raised one of her eyebrows, indicating to explain further. Maxing clicked her tongue. "Electricity powers these box things, and they're connected to circuits or whatever—a motherboard that controls the whole thing—and it projects cool games you can control. There are characters you can move with joysticks and little achievements you complete and...oh, whatever. It's pointless now." Maxine waved her hand to forget the thought. "It's too complicated for you." She looked at her surroundings. "And we're living in a damn trillion year old forest with monsters."

Ædrie's expression widened. "You curse."

"Yeah, well, given the circumstances," Maxine gestured to the dark forest, "I'm giving exceptions."

Ædrie laughed. "You speak truth." She paused. "You never enlightened me about what a skateboarding competition was."

Maxine's eyes sparkled at the topic. "Ok, so basically there are these, like, pieces of wood that have wheels so you can ride them. And it's so fun! Like, you can do flips, and twists, and swoosh past other people, and the wind and everything just compliments each other to make this wicked experience. Means awesome," she added the last part when Ædrie looked at her in horror. "So, a skateboarding competition is when a whole bunch of people come to compete to see who's the best skateboarder. I was just about to go on my turn, but then...you know."

Ædrie's face scrunched in thought as her fingers held her chin. "Wait." She looked back towards Maxine, eyes wide. "Those wooden planks with circular wood pieces on the bottom? And kids push against the ground and then the wood thing moves them?" She took a stick and drew what she remembered on the dirt.

"YES! Yes, how'd you know?" Maxine bounced in excitement. "You're like, from the old days. After the da Vinci dude! Renaissance?"

"I suppose if 'Renaissance' is the term of my era in your history books, then yes, I am. We have always had these...skateboards as you call them. Our label for them is gliders! My five brothers share two."

"Dude! Gliders!? Gnarly name! When were they invented?"

"I do not know, but I can remember them ever since I experienced my first glimpse of the world."

Suddenly, a bush began shaking, and the girls backed up, grabbing rocks and big sticks to brace themselves for whatever would jump out. A small, harmless mouse crawled out, earning a sigh of relief from the scared teens.

Maxine laughed hysterically. "It's just a tinsy winsy mouse! Aren't you a cutie—AAAAAHHH!" The mouse leaped towards her with huge teeth and ears flared red.

"FOREWARNING! I WILL HIT IT!" Ædrie bashed the rodent, whose eyes became a fiery red like its ears.

"GET IT!" Maxine hurled rocks towards the mouse as it hissed and scurried away. "That's right! Go! Back off, you little...thing!" With their weapons still in their grasp, the girls returned to their places beside the fire. "Do you think we'll survive the night? Y'know, without being mutant rat food?" Maxine snickered, and surprisingly Ædrie joined her.

"I think I am beginning to understand your choice of words, Maxine."

"Dude. Just call me Max. Everyone does it."

"Well, it sounds informal. I prefer to be more formal when it comes to names."

"You need to lighten up." Maxine rolled her eyes as she threw a twig in the flames.

"That twig will not contribute to the fire." Ædrie placed a larger one in the fire.

"Yeah, yeah, and you also need to learn that not everything I do is to cOnTribUte to things." Maxine let a moment of silence set in before asking another question. "You have a British accent, but you live in Florence? Did you move there?"

Ædrie nodded. "I was sent there for my studies along with my brother." She stared at the glowing sparks flying above her. "At least he'll know I'm gone." 

Instantly, like a suffocating fog, the situation dawned on them deeper, the topic of family and silenced their conversation. The thought that they might never see their family again stabbed them like a knife. And on that note, the girls turned their backs and went to sleep. It took the girls a whole hour to finally rest because they both know that being conscious and aware are the only things that keeps them alive.

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