The Hubby Hold (IQ Testing Book 2)

by ipam

  I exhale, slowly walking then stop at the pond. I see the bottom then locate the first watery stepping stone. I march one slick watery stone, at a time, across the shallow water pond, extending my arms for balance. I don’t wanna get wet, again. I walk to the next sunflower then stand beside Duchie, touching the petal. “Soft and big and bright yellow, the center is not a center. It’s a pod of seeds…”

  Duchie smiles, touching the flower. “This is a sunflower field full of healthy and tall upright stalks of big yellow daisy-like flower with big yellow petals and brown flower head. They grow taller than most floras. These stalks stand at two and half feet, half of our height,” she giggles. “The stem is rough and hairy. The leaves are sticky and heart-shaped, a beautiful flower and they always face east.”

  I frown with puzzlement then swing around, seeing the yellow sun. “The flowers always face east. Hmm, that’s interesting. I thought the park places were computer generations of the first me-chee chair, within the teenage mind.”

  Duchie nods, touching the flower. “The park places are the images of the teen, who lands, first, into the room of mirrors, but the park place is a real place, somewhere on the planet. I don’t know where, either. However, this particular park place is located south.”

  I frown at the sun, covering my eyelashes with my hands. “How da ya know that?”

  She says, spinning in a circle. “The flowers are facing east on my right, so ya finger the eastern skyline then twirl around the landscape in a geographical direction. The trees are north, facing ahead. The valley is west, on my left. And, the little creek water is flowing south, behind my butt.”

  I swing to the flower, touching it. “The petals are soft. The center has a pod of brown seeds.”

  She picks the seeds. “Sunflower seeds are, also, a healthy food source, so we are to eat the seeds from the flower.”

  “Eat the seed!?” I frown with annoyance, picking one seed from the flower head. “It is a black shell with black and white stripes.” I press the seed. “It is firm feeling. This is going to break my tooth.”

  She nods, chewing on the seed. “Naw, you separate the shell from the seed. You’re holding the sunflower shell, not the seed. The seed is inside, like an apple seed is located, inside the apple core, city slicker. This is ‘the thing,’ here to do to re-activate our me-chee chairs. Ya eat and get one of the sunflower seeds, then we get back into the me-chee chairs and advance into the blue color tone.”

  I shake my curls. “I don’t know.”

  “The seeds taste, like nuts. Enjoy, sugar!” She winks, tossing the whole shells into her mouth.

  I frown with annoyance. “Can’t I break, or bust it open?”

  “Naw, this is art form, eating sunflower seeds.”

  I smell the shell, inhaling a fresh odor.

  Duchie laughs. “Don’t sniff it, like a dog! Eat it, like a girl!”

  I touch the shell. “This is not hard, but firm. Are you certain, Duchie?”

  “Look around ya, what’da’ya see? I will answer my own question, lots and lots of sunflower stalks, which contain zillions of sunflower seeds. Ya eat the seed then we leave,” she giggles. “I rhymed, like a dime, within our limited time,” she giggles, also. “Eat the freaking seed, Ketona. I wanna go and rub my victory into Marsilla’s me-chee chair seating position,” she laughs.

  I tap the hard shell. “I cannot possible eat this firm outer smooth shell, coming from a sunflower plant, but I will consume the seedling inside. So, how do I get to the seedling, inside the shell?

  Duchie exhales then laughs, holding her hands in the air filled with fresh batch of sunflower shells. “Okay, I’m going to narrate, while ya do it, all at the same time. One, place the shell into your mouth…”

  I frown with annoyance then place the shell onto my tongue. “Yuck!” I spit the shell onto the ground.

  She laughs. “Okay, go back to step one, place the shell into your mouth.”

  I frown. “It tastes salty and yucky. I can’t do this.”

  “Please, we survived both slithering snakes, and growling cougars. Now, you can’t crack one soft shell for the meat…”

  I toss my hands, picking another seed. “Okay, placing the shell onto my tongue.” I place the shell onto my tongue, when my mouth salvia drools from both sides of my lips.

  Duchies laughs, shaking her curls. “That has to be the most disgusting eyeball vision, ever. Okay, second, move the seed inside the cheek of your mouth. This is the easiest way to crack the seed, inside the cheek, rather than with your front teeth. I will wait for that maneuver…”

  Using my tongue, I maneuver the shell towards my cheek, inside my mouth then my tongue flips the shell down my throat. I gag then cough, then gag, and finally spit the shell out of my mouth. I drool from the awful choke.

  Duchie laughs. “Girl, you are so disgustingly ugly and entertainingly amusing. Okay, I feel bad for ya, but I can’t eat your seed from the sunflower. We will stand, right here, all night, until you eat that seed.”

  I exhale, picking my third sunflower shell. I don’t bother with a narrative. I place the shell into my mouth then my tongue holds it against my cheek.

  She nods. “Three, place the seed between your teeth. Use your tongue to place the shell between your molars. I, personally, prefer the vertical pose, but it your preference.”

  I drop my jaw open, when my tongue maneuvers the shell between the top and bottom row of molars.

  Duchie laughs, without instructions.

  My mouth salvia drools and drops over the sides of my lips.

  Duchie laughs then calms her giggling. “Now, crack the shell with your molars. Apply a firm and steady pressure onto the seed, until it cracks open. The hull is going to resist, so apply more pressure. Don’t…”

  “Ugh,” I spit the cracked shell and white seed onto the grass.

  Duchie eye rolls, frowns then laughs. “Dang, I just told ya. Do not bite the shell, so hard, that you crack it. Now, start all over from step number one, again, Ketona.”

  I exhale, picking a fourth shell. I place it into my mouth with my fingers then shove it into my cheekbone, not bothering with my useless tongue. My mouth is open with the shell, standing vertical between the top and bottom rows of molars. I slightly apply pressure from both rows of molars, hearing nothing. Then, I slightly apply more pressure to the shell from my molars, hearing a tiny crack. Then, I slightly apply some more pressure to the shell between my molars, hearing a big crack.

  The shell breaks in two pieces.

  I frown with disgust, feeling the slightly touch with my tongue tip of three foreign objects inside my mouth. My drool falls over my lips then down the sides of my neck and then into my collar of my cat suit.

  Duchie claps and smiles. “Good, ya cracked the shell in two halves, which look like a clam shell, but you can’t see. Anyways, now, free the little seed from its warm home by letting it fall onto your tongue.”

  I stand with my mouth open, showing a split shell, exposing the seed. My lips are flowing with stingy mouth salvia down both sides of my neck. I can’t talk, so I stomp my feet.

  Duchie laughs. “Free the seed, now, Ketona. You’re almost done!”

  I wiggle my tongue sideways, trying to separate the seed from the shell. Both food items are getting wet and soft inside my mouth, while my salvia is drowning my lips and my neck. I am trying to separate the seed from the shell, feeling the smooth seed. I shift the rough shell to the other side of my cheek, when I gag.

  The seed flips from my other cheekbone then slides down my throat.

  She grins. “The shell is rough. The seed is smooth. That’s the difference between the two textures to your tongue. Use your tongue and your teeth to pull shell and the seed apart.”

  I gag then cough and then gag with mouth spit. Only spit comes from my drooling mouth and pink tongue, I have swallowed the seed whole.

  She laughs. “Okay, ya, sorta, ate the seed. Last step, spit out the shell, before choking…I mean ch
ewing it. Now, you’re a mistress seeder, so let’s go back into the Cubby Hole and finish the other thing, inside the blue color tone.”

  I spit out the soft shell then cough, slapping my breasts, trying to breathe more air molecules. I swing from the sunflowers, slowly stomping and slapping my chest.

  Duchie swings around, walking towards the fence.

  “I…” cannot talk. I scan the landscape, clearing my throat. “Duchie, where’s the fear factor?”

  “There ain’t one.” She climbs over the fence then stomps towards the pond.

  I slowly climb over the fence post. “Yeah, there’s a fear factor. Remember, Rincon said, each park place has one fear factor associated with a love factor. This is your love question. You love sunflower. So, where is the fear factor attached to the love factor?”

  Duchie smiles and swings around, standing on top of the single stone, surrounded by water, inside the pond. “Yeah, I agree. There’s a fear factor, the fear of ya chocking to death, which you almost did from one tiny little sunflower seed.” She extends her arms outwards, shaking her hands. “Move your boot toes, Ketona. We’re almost finished, here,” when a tiny splatter of white liquid lands upon her collar bone.

  I fall over the fence post then stop, narrowing my eyelashes at the big gray circle in the sky.

  Duchie frowns, examine the white liquid. She gasps. “Ugh! It’s bird s…”

  “South, there’s a swarm of birds coming at us, due south,” I finger the birds then run towards the pond.

  Duchie stands on the stone, frowning at the white spot as it slides off her collar bone then down her arm of her cat suit. “It’s bird pookie…”

  I stomp onto each stone then fling my body at Duchie. I connect to Duchie, sliding us into the pond water, when the swarm of birds swoops down upon her former standing position.

  We dive into the water then emerge upon the surface, coughing and gasping for air molecules.

  The birds attack the sunflower pod of seeds.

  I exhale. “There’s the fear factor.”

  She coughs, dog pedaling towards the grassy shore. “Good, it’s done, too. Let’s leave, here!”

  I follow behind Duchie, scanning the blue sky. Then, I see a second swarm of birds.

  Duchie swims ahead of me, when the birds swoop down, again, firing their white splatters of liquid, specifically at her.

  I gasp then stands on my knees.

  Numerous white bird pookie drops hit and splash onto her cat suit, her hair, and her face. She wipes the pookie from her face, “Uoo! Yuck-o! This is both disgusting and unsanitary.” She dives into the pond.

  I frown with puzzlement, whispering. “How did the birds know to attack, only, Duchie, not me?” I see a third swarm of birds coming from the south. They are flying directly towards Duchie.

  She swims under the water, holding her breathe from another attack and cleaning the pookie off her face and hair roots.

  I gasp, watching the swarm drop towards the tree tops then target Duchie, again. I stand, running towards the fence post. I sail over the fence post then rip off four of the sunflower stems. I swing around, running back to the fence post then tumble over the railing onto my face, without feeling pain, only fury.

  I stomp over the slick wet steeping stones inside the pond, batting the sunflower stems in the air. The pod of seeds pops then flies into the air, also.

  The swarm of birds targets the flying seeds, instead of Duchie. I yell. “Run, get into the room. I’m holding them off, temporarily.”

  Duchie stands then scoots up onto the stones, running and jumping each one then lands on the grass. She runs into the room for safe protection.

  I bat the birds, popping more sunflower shells into the air then toss the stems into the air. I turn then jump over each stone, landing on the grass. I glide into the room, panting and sweating.

  Duchie stands, in front of her me-chee chair, draining water from her ponytail and face. She pants, growling. “I hate Citizenship Day.”

  I giggle, wiping the sweat and clinging seeds from my face and neck then frown with worry. “Why did the birds target, only you, Duchie?”

  She snarls. “Naw, they targeted both of us. I was the unlucky victim, first, getting wet, only. Let’s get outta, here.”

  I nod then exhale. “Wait! Snakes versus knives?”

  She nods, saying. “Yeah, we both have exhausted our love answers. Now, we start over, again. I do not want to fight with any more snakes, even baby ones. So, you answer the questions then drop, first. I’ll lag behind, using the first question and waiting for thirteen seconds, before answering. Our superb method worked, wonderfully, inside the green color tone.”

  I nod, exhaling with great fear. My fear is a knife.

  Chapter 16

  Blue

  I emerge into the blue colored auditorium for the first and last time, not smiling.

  Duchie floats from the darkness, without fanfare, too.

  The room is empty, except for us.

  I do not have time to blink an eyelash.

  The me-chee stands and raises his arms. “Welcome back to the Cubby Hole, teens! I hope you have enjoyed your fun in the sun. There is more fun to have inside the rest of the color tones. The respite has completed. Please sit back and relax into your assigned me-chee chair!” The green shields blink, covering the teens for the next round. The me-chee says. “Close your eyelids! I will present the next series of academic questions for your individual answers. The time limit is fifteen seconds for each posed question. To remind, each schooler, again, for clarity of a proper verbal response, please state, my answer is…then your vocal response. If you answer three-fourths, or more, of the academic questions, correctly, you will advance to the next color of blue. If you answer one-fourth, or less, you will remain stationary, inside the color tone of green. If you, incorrectly, answer two-fourths of the academic questions, then you will slip back into the color of red. The first question, what is the color tone of the me-chee, inside the Cubby Hole, presently?”

  I say, quickly. “My answer is…blue.”

  The me-chee says within my me-chee chair. “A game board has the color of blue, green, and red with two spinners. The probability of landing, the first spinner on the color of blue is 4/5. Within an independent event, the probability of landing, the second spinner on the color of blue is 1/7.

  What is the probability that the first spinner lands on blue and the second spinner does not land on blue?”

  I whisper. “The two events are independent. The product of the two probabilities is the answer. The first spinner is 4/5, provided in the question. The second spinner does not land on the color of blue is 1 – 1/7 = 6/7. Therefore, the probability equals the formula (4/5) times (6/7) = 24/35. My answer is…24/35.”

  The me-chee says within my me-chee chair. “A farm is producing three different grains of corn, X, Y, and Z, which are mixed in the ration of 2:3:5, respectively, by weight. How many pounds of colored grain Y are in a 42-pound weight bucket of this grain?”

  I exhale, sweating inside my palms, rubbing on my cat suit. I must finish answering my question, so I can drop, before Duchie, or we both face a forest of snakes, again.

  I whisper. “The amount of the colored grain B is 3a. So, the equation is 2a + 3a + 5a = 42. So, 10a = 42 is a =4.2. Therefore, Y = 3a, or the product 12.6. My answer is…12.6.”

  I view Duchie.

  She wiggles side to side with nervousness, anticipating the next question, before her time limit to drop into the blue color tone, like me.

  The me-chee says. “In a group of 27 teenagers, 65 percent possess brown eyes. Two teens are selected at random. What is the probability that neither teenager selected will have brown eyes?”

  I exhale. “Too long, too hard, and too late, buddy. I got my 75 percent passing score. My answer is…one.”

  I view Duchie.

  She is moving her lips, answering the third question, too.

  My me-chair turns blue within the shieldin
g, when I smile.

  The fabrics wrap around me then I drop into darkness, screaming.

  Chapter 17

  Blue room of mirrors

  I emerge inside the white smoke, flowing over my tired and aching body, but active and clicking mind. I sit inside the me-chee chair, staring at the blue color wall.

  I exhale with fear and relieve.

  I’m here, but I’m not finished. I have to complete and compete with the knives, behind that wall, inside the final color tone of blue.

  Duchie floats up from the floor, wiggling and giggling inside the chair. The fabric drops then she scoots out, dancing around her chair. “Get up and get out, Ketona! We are almost done! We made it into the blue color tone. I’m so excited and happy and…,” she frowns. “What’s wrong?”

  I exhale, staring at the glowing blue wall. “I’m scared. This is my fear, knives. Inside the pink color tone, the knives were hidden inside the bush plants. I cut my hand.” I lift my hand, blazing in red and pink scabs, without a proper healing.

  Duchie dances around Ketona and her me-chee chair. “I’ll protect ya. Get up, girl! Let’s end this thing, now, right here! I’m getting hungry and tired, too boot!” She giggles.

  I exhale, scooting out the chair then stand.

  Duchie slams the blue wall with her hand, giggling.

  I gasp with shock.

  The park place is an enclosed room of mirrors. The ceiling, the floor, and other three walls are all reflective mirrors.

  Duchie giggles, walking onto the floor. “Don’t see any knives! I see mirrors.” She waves at her reflection. “I see me. I don’t see ya, Ketona. Get inside, here! Let’s finish this, now. Will there be food trays of meats, vegetables, and cookies, inside the golden circle for our victory celebration? I hope so. I love chocolate things, like candy, cookies milkshakes…”

  In the center of the room, there is a square-shaped wooden counter, without a machine or a person.

  The room is quiet, without an animal sound or a ray of sun light.

  I cross my arms over my breasts, feeling sick to my stomach. My guts hate this park place.