Strange Yarns

The Corn Field

"It's only an hour drive and apparently it's breathtaking." He promised.

I had my reservations. My idea of starting the year of right was spending the last few days of summer vacay in bed with Gale. But Gale liked the road trip idea. She liked all of Stevo's ideas, because woman, and men for that matter, liked what ever came out of Stevo's mouth.

I didn't like the fact that my best friend and my girlfriend were making plans without me, even if I was included. I imagine he sauntered over to her in the library, his stampede of lazy curls held at bay with his Bruce Springsteen bandana and said, Hey, lets go to a hole filled with e.coli infested water so you can see my rock hard abs. Bring your boyfriend because he has a car, maybe he'll be kind enough to wait in it while I fuck you in a waterfall.

"Stevo, hate to dampen the mood, but we've been driving past cornfield's for the past twenty minutes and there's tons of trees beside the side of the road." The directions were simple... as in simply idiotic. Drive an hour west on Side Road 8 until you see two massive beech trees that meet together at the top. It's will look like a gateway. Follow that straight through a cornfield until the grotto opens up beneath you.

See what I mean? Idiotic.  

"Chill Greggy, we'll find it." He laughed.

Of course as soon as he said that two massive beech trees appeared at the bend in the road. Their grey green crowns met at the top and tangled into one. An unmistakable landmark.

I pulled the car onto the gravel and parked. We unloaded our picnic basket. Gale and I had made sandwiches and packed fruit the night before. Stevo brought a fishing rod. He was going to catch a rainbow trout and forage for indigenous berries to make us lunch... no doubt it would be delicious.

The three of us stood in a row before the gate, the noon sun directly above our heads. I had never seen trees so old. They were so wide that even if the three of us held hands we wouldn't be able to encircle even one. Their smooth grey skin had rolls and lumps. A monstrously obese couple playing London Bridge.

Beyond the fatties stretched the cornfield. A great grassland topped with gold nugget tassels, swaying with the light September breeze. Gale said it looked like a calm day on a golden sea. I thought it looked like they were farming prison bars.

"Ready rocksteady?" Stevo sang as he marched into the corn, pushing the stalks out of his way. I smiled at Gale and she smiled back. Her emerald eyes glinted specks of sun. I grabbed her hand, but she let go and wiped her hands on her acid washed jeans.

"How are you already so sweaty, Greggy?"

She saw that her comment was a kick in the nuts, so she made up for it with a quick meaningless kiss, then followed Stevo into the corn. I shook my head and told myself to be cool and followed after them through the rows of yellowed prison bars.

#

We walked single file. The leaves nipped at our skin as we passed. Gale and Stevo didn't seem to mind, but I kept slapping my arms. The leaves kisses were sharp tickles that felt like being swarmed by mosquitos.

"How long are we supposed to walk for, exactly?"  I snapped after a stalk caught my foot and forced me to stumble forward.

"Exactly, I couldn't say, but shouldn't be too much further." Did I detect a slight seasoning of hostility in Stevo's mellow voice?

It must have been an hour of walking amongst the corn when Stevo's head began to swivel, left and right and even up. Like the Grotto might be just a few feet away in the sky.  I've followed him my entire life, so the view of the back of his head was familiar. I could tell he was getting frustrated.