Whisk-pey turned her head in surprise as her bright, yellow eyes traveled around Olen’s small bedroom while stuffing her hand in her satchel.
“What’s wrong, Whisk-pey?”
“I thought I heard something. Where is the enemy?”
“The enemy? What are you talking about, Whisk-pey?” Olen asked.
“The enemy, like the Wolf-people or the land beast?”
“I don’t know anything like that, Whisk-pey. I think you need to get some rest. You had a long day, so if you would just try and lay down in my bed for a little while, you will feel better.”
“I guess you are right but if you have some rice and pecan leaves I would be very happy. I am so very hungry, Olen!”
Well, don’t look like that, Olen. You allowed her to come here, so get her the rice and pecan leaves.
Olen didn’t have any rice. Well, not the cooked rice Whisk-pey was speaking about, nor did he have any pecan leaves. But he had plenty of other food that Whisk-pey and Ento had not tried but that he was sure she would like. He pushed his double as far out of his mind as he could and focused on the food and what would happen next with the two strange people in his room.
His parents walked through the front door as Olen got up the second flight of stairs. He shook his head in disgust then hung over the railing.
“Olen, Olen dear, are you here?”
“Of course he’s here, Martha. Look at the mess he made and didn’t clean it up!” Olen’s father said.
“Oh dear, stop it. He’s just a boy.”
“Yeah and I’m just a man. So what does that mean? Men clean up and boys don’t?”
“Oh, Walter, cut it out!”
“I’m just saying, Martha. I have no problem with it. I’m not the one who has to clean up behind him. And to be honest if I did have to clean up after him, Martha, I wouldn’t. He’s already going through boy stuff, so, I guess, I would add ‘not cleaning up after himself’ to the list.”
“Are those bad people…? Should I…?”
“No, you should not do anything, Whisk-pey. Those people are my mother and father. My dad is a real prick sometimes, but he is still my father. I got you guys some food coming.”
“Honey, your dad and I are home and we got your favorite meal: teriyaki chicken and brown rice!”
“Go in my room fast,” Olen urged. “I think my mom is coming up here to bring my dinner. I wouldn’t want her to see you guys.”
“What’s wrong with us? I’m sure your mom would like us. We aren’t bad, are we?” Ento said.
“No, you aren’t bad.” The look that Whisk-pey gave Olen was a look that, if Olen didn’t know any better, he would have thought Whisk-pey would smack him.
“I believe you are right, Ento. Very well. I think she would like not just you but Whisk-pey too. But right now I need you both in my room, and here is the food. I will explain later.”
“Olen, are you here? I see that your bike is back in the closet.”
“Yes, Mom, I am here. What is it?” Olen yelled from over the banister.
“Did you hear me? I got your favorite dinner. Your father and I went out to a fantastic dinner at the Chinese restaurant and I thought about you, so I got you Teriyaki chicken.”
“Thanks, Mom. I’m on my way down. You don’t have to make a trip up here!”
Her smile turned down as she said: “Okay then. I’m going back to the kitchen.”
Whisk-pey and Ento looked from the opened door – just a crack – as Olen hurried down the steps.
Chapter 14
The next morning was a school morning, a morning when Olen woke and found bedroom guests, not just bedroom guests but guests that weren’t from the world called Earth in his bedroom. One of them was a guests that looked like a frog of a very beautiful dark purple color and talked well.
Olen found more than a little time to think about their long night that consisted of a conversation, on varied subjects and who was going to take the floor for the night.
“I was so tired of my life in the Land of Make Believe, I wanted to go. I wanted to be somewhere different, away from my life there. My dad, he is my dad, and I love him, but he wanted to protect me when I didn’t need protection. He wanted to keep me in the house as if I was not fit for the world outside my city.”
“So, how did you get here from your world of Make Believe to my world which is called Earth?”
“Earth, what kind of name is that?”
“I don’t know. I tried to figure that one out myself, I just live here, Whisk-pey.”
“If you really want to know how I got here, like it is really that important, I got here by some sort of wishing well that is owned by a troll named Norvis.”
“A wishing well? Wow, that sounds wierd, but for some reason it doesn’t sound out of the ordinary!”
I have a friend named Gilma who I am really starting to miss. She brought me to Norvis. I wonder if she misses me and Ento.”
Olen closed out his thoughts as he got ready for school. Well, they sleep like humans and she actually looks like a girl while she sleeps.
“That’s what she is, dummy, she is a girl. The only thing that you can notice about her is that she isn’t from this world.”
“Anyway, enough about her. Go away, I have to get ready for school!” Olen said to his double.
“So you’re sending me away again. Is that what I am sensing, Olen?” his double replied.
“How about jail?” Olen said pretty loudly, loud enough for Whisk-pey to wake up. She blinked rapidly while her eyes tried to focus. Once they did, she saw Olen.
“Are you okay, Whisk-pey?”
“Yes, I am okay, thanks. Your bed felt good, by the way,” she replied.
“Glad you like it!”
“Where are you off to so early of a morning, Olen? I am sure that the sun isn’t at its highest yet, is it?” Whisk-pey asked.
“I’m going to school and I’m not sure what you mean by ‘the sun isn’t at its highest yet‘. I learn very slowly.”
“It means when the world’s light can’t get any lighter. In your case, Olen, it would be Earth,” Ento said from beneath the bed covers.
“Okay then, I think I like that. I know it was a long night last night but I thought I said to you guys that I am going to school, remember?” Olen asked.
“Now that you mention it, yes, you did say something about school.”
“I will be there until three. I’ll have breakfast for the both of you. Just stay here until I get home and I will figure out the next move!”
“The next move? What do you mean, the next move, Olen?” Whisk-pey looked sad.
“Don’t worry. I have to find the most suitable place for you to live. I don’t know if it is here in my room or somewhere else. I don’t know yet. Just stay here for a moment and I will be back with breakfast.”
On the ride to school Olen didn’t know if he was edgy because of the two aliens he had in his room or because he didn’t have the money that Charles Henry demanded of him. Upon reflection, he reckoned that both thoughts were worrisome ones.
“This seems too much like isolation,” Whisk-pey said.
“Well, it’s not like we can go back to Make Believe. We are stuck here. I know we can find somewhere else to stay, if we tried,” Ento said.
“Where else is there to go? For right now, Ento, I think we will be okay. I think we should thank the Gods who are looking down protecting and providing for us!”
“Yeah, but the fairies should have given us something that was more like home. This is more like a…, a…, a…, it’s more like the Dark Forest!” Ento said.
“This place, Earth, is nothing like Dark Forest. You and I know what Dark Forest is like and from this window; all I see is those metal things that Olen said were cars!” Whisk-pey remarked.
“I miss home, this doesn’t seem like home, Olen is nice and everything, but it just isn’t home that’s all, Whisk-pey. You don’t feel like something is missing here-right now
in this place that Olen calls a bedroom?” Ento asked.
“To be honest yes, yes, I do feel like something is missing right here in this place that Olen calls his bedroom, Ento!” Whisk-pey was smiling. “You want to know what it is, Ento?”
“Yes, I would like to know, Whisk-pey, and tell me the truth!”
“Okay I will tell you the honest truth since you asked, Ento. What’s missing is the cereal and milk in this bowl. That’s what I am missing, Ento, some more cereal and milk.”
Olen didn’t feel like running and dodging Charles. He was ready to face whatever he would have to face with Charles Henry.
Olen avoided the places of the school where he knew Charles Henry would be, but Olen was sure it would be only a matter of time before he would run across Charles before the last bell.
“Mr. Olen D. Stephens, I have called your name already four consecutive times and you have yet to answer. If you don’t want to take art-101, I suggest you don’t show up and you stay at home, or just skip the class it is your last class of the day anyway. And from what I’m seeing it doesn’t mean much to you.” The art teacher said, walking to where Olen was sitting (which was in the back of the class) and grabbing the clear white piece of drawing paper Olen was doodling on. “What is this?” the teacher demanded, looking down at Olen.
“It’s art, Ms. Forsite what else do you think it could be?” She folded the art paper and placed it under her arm.
“Is this what you call art, Olen? This hideous creature that you wasted time to draw?”
“Yes, Ms. Forsite, that is art – my art!”
Most everyone in the class laughed out and mocked Olen. He held his head down ashamed, hoping and wishing that his sixth-period class would be over, so he could put his new friends out of his bedroom, so that he could lay sad and hurt on his bed.
“Don’t you sash at me, young man. I am positive that if your father knew that you were sashing me and igging my class assignments to draw hideous characters that don’t exist and have nothing to do with art, he wouldn’t be too happy, would he, Olen?”
Olen held his head down, timid and embarrassed. He didn’t say anything. “Here, in my class, art-101, we don’t draw hideous creatures like this!” Mrs. Forsite said pulling Olen’s picture from underneath her left arm, opening it, and showing it to her class.
“The world in which we live is filled with thousands upon thousands of mean and disgusting people. We don’t need to add to it with this demonstration of disgusting art, Olen, we need art of life, peace and happiness. That is what art is all about, young man!”
Olen’s head was up with various looks. He couldn’t see his own expression but he could feel it. It felt like fury – a burning fury. He was surprised since he never felt it before, but he wasn’t going to let go of it, it felt good.
“Now, since we got that bit of befuddling out of the way we can go over ink outline before this class is dismissed, shall we class?”
Olen peered at his wrist watch then peered up at the classroom’s clock and saw they were both identical. Five minutes before dismissal. If you are going to do what I think you are going to do, Olen, you simply rock, dude. But make sure you stand up when you do it! Olen heard his double say from way deep in the crevices of his mind. “You ask me what art, Mrs. Forsite?” Olen said in a strong and loud voice, taking his double’s voice, standing up and walking beside his desk.
“Excuse me?”
“You ask me what art is and I said that picture that you took from me is art and you disagreed. I want to elaborate on it and make it more relevant to all of my classmates!
“Art in its rarest form is one creation. Mrs. Forsite. Who has the right to say that rarest form isn’t art just because they don’t like it?” Every one of Olen’s classmates’ faces and I eyes were fixated on him. “Many of my classmates have specific creation that everyone may not like and so do I. That was proven when you took my piece of creation and now it sits on your desk.”
There was some laughter and some smiles from a few of Olen’s classmates but for the most part he had their attention.
“I’m not trying to run your class room by any mean, Mrs. Forsite, but what I am trying to say, for art sake, please allow not just me but every student in here to have our piece of creativity. How good or how bad we think it is, just let us hold onto it and not be judge because of it!”
He stumbled, for once not out of fear, but because he was nervous and couldn’t believe he said what he said.
I just want to say you are one heck of a dude, Olen, and I am proud to say you are my best friend," Olen’s double said.
There was one clap, then two claps, the clap reached four singular claps when all twenty five students were clapping before a red face dumfounded teacher by the name of Mrs. Forsite. Shortly after that the bell sounded. Mrs. Forsite was left with her sunken pride and Olen’s sketch.
“What do you know, Olen? I am the teacher and you are the student you know absolutely nothing about art,” she said, then her words trailed off into a soft muttering cry.
The cheers and the congratulations spewed into the hallway. Olen didn’t know how to accept all of the praises, so he said thank you and made it clear that he had to go he didn’t want his mom to have to wait for him.
He took the short cut to get to the buses, he turned to go back to the car pick up area, when standing in his way all two hundred and ten pounds of him, was Charles Henry. “I heard the commotion in the hallway up in the art building, I started to walk off since I thought I would miss you and my candy and money that you owe me. Then I saw you and thought; there he is so now I need what belongs to me, Microscope Boy!”
You can’t run, he will only catch you even though he is big he will still catch you, and second you have accomplished a lot here lately Olen you have to stand up to him this time and show him that he isn’t going to bully you anymore!
“Hi, Charles I was just getting ready to…” That was as far as Olen got in his soon to be lie when Charles’s man size hand grabbed Olen by his collared shirt.
With the other hand he stuffed it inside Olen’s pocket. “I don’t feel anything!” Charles blurted.
That’s because nothing for you like the money and candy isn’t in there you fart face! Olen’s double said. “I don’t feel my candy and money in that pocket maybe it’s in other pocket right, Olen?”
“Umm, ummm, to be honest, Mr. Charles, my dog got hungry and he had a sweet tooth all at the same time!” Olen said, trying to hold on to his glasses and his lie.
“Hungry and a sweet tooth what does that mean?” Charles asked stupidly, now going into Olen’s back pockets before stopping completely when he didn’t find anything.
“My dog got hungry and he ate your 10 dollar bill then after he ate that he had a taste for something sweet and that explains why the bag of candy that I brought for you was all gone wrapper and all when I came back from the bathroom.”
“You must think I’m dumb, Olen, you Microscope Boy, your dog wasn’t that hungry and his teeth wasn’t that sweet, you never had my candy and money, you nerd!” Charles said. Olen backed away slowly when Charles let go of him. “You playing games with me aren’t you, Microscope boy?”
“Come on, Charles you don’t want to do what I think you want to do!” Olen replied.
Yes, he does Olen. It don’t hurt to run since today is going to be like any other day with him. The double said. “Oh, no you don’t, Microscope Boy. Come back here. I have a knuckle ball sandwich for you that you can eat!”
Whisk-pey couldn’t get a sense of comfort being alone in Olen’s room. She didn’t know Olen all that well, but with him being there, it gave her a sense of protection, a sense of peace to her somewhat suddenly confused life.
“What’s wrong, Whisk-pey? You seem a little edgy?” Ento said when Whisk-pey jumped up out of her sleep.
“I’m not sure, but I can hear something!”
“Hear what?” Ento queried.
She didn’t answ
er she just put her ear to the wall beside the bedroom door. “We’ve been here a pretty long time. How long does that school last I wonder.”
“Calm down, Whisk-pey. If it’s his parents that you are worried about then…”
“Quiet, Ento, and put your ear to the wall and tell me what you hear,” Whisk-pey suggested.
Whisk-pey was right there had been something going on downstairs. “I know I’m not hearing things. There is something up there in Olen’s room. I’ve been hearing it all day and whether he likes it or not, mother is going to have a look,” she said. “What Olen don’t know won’t hurt him!” She took off her shoes after she grabbed the broom from the kitchen. She held the bristle end and the broom shaft. “Whatever it is that’s up there, I’m going to get you; me and Mr. Broom Stick that is.”
“What do we do?” Ento asked.
Whisk-pey thought to down her with one quick aim and fire when she walked through the door.
“No, of course not, Whisk-pey. We can’t do that! That is Olen’s mother. Are you out of your mind?” Ento said when he saw her put a hand in her satchel.
“I wasn’t going to, Ento. Come on, we have to hide just until she leaves. We will be okay!”
Whisk-pey looked for a place, she thought under the bed, the ceiling and even outside Olen’s window before she decided on the room’s closet. “Come on, we can get in this place. I think we will be safe in here!” Whisk-pey told him.
Martha popped the locked on Olen’s door with one of her hair pin and like a kangaroo she jumped into his room.
“Ah-ha, I know something or someone is in here. I’ve been hearing some rambling all day up here. Now show your face and I may let you off easy, but if not, Mr. Broom is going to take care of you.”
Whisk-pey and Ento watched from the crack in the closet door. Ento panicked. “We are going to be alright I promise, Ento,” Whisk-pey whispered. Ento stayed planted on her shoulder.
Martha not only checked under the bed, she also checked on top of the bed-in-between Olen’s sheets and even under the pillows.
The Land of Make Believe Page 15