Human Spines

Noticing Sickness-III

        I see the excitement growing in Emmeline as we approach the park. Confetti that bursts around her, leaving a trail of glitter for Lochlan to step on. The soles of his shoes now look like a young girl's arts and crafts project. But of course I am the only one who can see this.

        "Alright Emmeline." Still holding onto Dumaine, she hops beside me. "Stay where I can see you."

        Her eyes grow for a split second before turning to slits, her head tilting. "I don't know where you can't see me."

        "Just stay inside the park." My voice is a smile

        "You can see the whole park?" She breathes in, her body growing with air.

        I respond with a grin she throws brilliantly back at me as she finally exhales. It's a treat to see this side of her. Even if there is a light fear tickling the back of her throat.

        Taking Dumaine's case and shrugging her backpack off her shoulder, she sets them down by Lochlan's feet. And she's off. Dragging an unprepared Dumaine behind her. I could really go for some applesauce right about now.

        Looking around the park, I don't see just the lawns of grass. The umbriferous trees, the long walkways, the hill-like rocks, the puddles from the early morning showers. I see all that cannot possibly be seen. And it's almost sad how I cannot tell the others what I see because it is so indescribable. If the Opaque have vision half as precise as mine, I honestly cannot blame them for wanting to crawl to Earth. How horrible it must be to constantly be falling away from such... I cannot even find one word to begin to name the marvels I see.

        Lochlan stands stiffly beside me. I do believe he's remembering whatever it was he had been doing so well not remembering earlier. The poor boy is so uncomfortably still, small children are beginning to stare and the dogs bark at him as they pass.

        "Is there anything I can do to help you show off those teeth you're hiding?" I watch Dumaine climb a rock while Emmeline runs circles around it, laughing. Now she's joining him, taking his hand and leading him to the peak of the boulder.

        "Yeah, actually." Lochlan's voice is shaky but he's sure of his words. "Can you, at some point before you guys get to Nevada, tell Dumaine"—he pauses for a moment, almost giving me a smile—"'Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.'" His almost-smile blossoms for nearly a second, quickly fading. He backs away from me, turns, and begins walking toward his next destination. Goodbye, Lochlan.

        I watch Dumaine cautiously make his way back down the stone, careful not to go tumbling to the ground, while Emmeline tosses herself down headfirst, jumping, sprinting, bouncing, landing on the grass in a summersault. She grabs Dumaine's hand and takes off again. They stop beside another boulder and Dumaine points from one rock to another, about a hundred feet apart. I see his mouth form words but I don't hear them. Emmeline's spirit is enormous in her tiny body. A seven-year-old at the park with her best friend. Dumaine throws a hand in the air and Emmeline is off. She's sprinting from one rock to the other, her hair a black streak behind her.

        I glance around at the JIBBOO near me. One hangs from a tree, swinging back and forth, a bat with a turtle shell and fluffy toes. Another is almost a dog, barking and running, but with pink polka dots, three tongues, and a spine that bends in directions it should not. I do wonder if what I see are what the JIBBOO actually look like or if my mind is replacing them with the silly creatures I'm more used to looking at.

        A toddler-sized one is sitting under a tree. It reaches out, grasping for a fly that won't leave it alone. And it misses. The JIBBOO is moving so slowly it wouldn't be able to catch a caterpillar crawling up a tree. It brings its hands down beside it, pushing itself up off the ground. But it can't. It's slipping, falling back down.

        It's sick. Just like the first one I saw possess Emmeline. Looking around again, I can see the sick JIBBOO. There are so many. Some worse than others, but I can see it now. Dr. Fonsfvic must be very busy.

        For an hour, I watch the early risers of New York strolling along. Parents and their youngest children, artists with their sketchpads, fitness enthusiasts with their dogs, even some tourist. From my bench, I laugh at the way Emmeline drags Dumaine around. He does a fantastic job with her though. Giving her challenges no fifteen-year-old body should overcome. And not once does a JIBBOO try to possess her. They all seem distracted by the park itself. But now the two walk toward where I sit, not tired, but...

        "Hungry?" I ask.

        Dumaine shrugs his shoulders, watching Emmeline snatch her backpack from where I've set it beside me. She plunges her hand into it, digs around a second, then presents a bear-shaped bottle. Raising it above her head, she squeezes the honey into her mouth. "I think that's a yes." Dumaine grins.

        "Well how about a New York hotdog?"

Thank you all so much for reading! Don't forget to vote and comment! Have you ever been to Central Park?  What do you think is making the Demons/JIBBOO/Translucent sick?