I look around. “Kind of hard to see much through these trees.” I say.
“That can be fixed.” Mitchell says, and let’s go of me and begins to open the large tool chest.
Because Mitchell is so big and broad shouldered, I hadn’t realized just how big the tool chest is. It’s about forty-five inches long, and at least fifteen inches deep. The chest is locked using two padlocks, which Mitchell now unlocks with a small key.
“Where did you get that beast?” Paul asks.
“It’s my dad’s. I thought I’d borrow it.” Mitchell replies. “It’s not like he’s using it anymore.” He mutters quietly under his breath.
Once unlocked, he put the locks into his black Chicago Bulls backpack, and laid it on the dirt.
He flipped the long metal lid open, and it clangs against the back of the container.
“Cool.” Paul murmurs in approval as he looks inside.
Mitchell reaches in, and brings out two long handled axes. He passes one to Stuart, and the other one to Paul.
“Look after it. Got it?” Mitchell says with a hint of a warning in his voice.
“Sure thing, buddy.” Paul says and takes the axe, and rests it on his shoulder.
Mitchell then pulls out two long-toothed saws, and a regular-sized tool chest and lays them on the brown dirt next to his backpack. He removes his brown leather jacket and puts it inside the tool chest. The other two follow suit, and both put their coats inside the box.
“Okay, boys.” Mitchell says, as he stands up to his full height.
“I want a clearing. One square mile.” Mitchell says as he also reaches down and grabs a long handled axe.
“What are they gonna do?” Paul asks, and nods towards me and Beth.
“We’ll be taking care of the food. Come on children, off you go and play.” Beth says, and smacks Paul’s butt playfully, but loudly.
Paul chuckles darkly as he takes his axe, and walks to the nearest tree. Then there’s a flurry of hacking, and wood chips and bark begin flying everywhere.
“Damn. Let’s go and get some air.” Beth complains, and grabs my arm and leads me up the hill.
We gain the summit, and sit down on the long grass. We giggle as we see what’s happening below. It’s like watching a time-lapse video in fast forward. Trees are falling left and right, then they become a heap of logs, then after a blizzard of woodchips, they become stacks of pale wooden planks. All of this happens in seconds. It’s hilarious to see. Then more trees vanish before our eyes amidst laughter, and some cursing from Paul.
Mitchell has already dealt with ten trees before Paul has finished his fifth. Stuart isn’t far behind, he’s on tree number six. Beth and I chuckle as we watch our boys at work.
“So, tell me about Paul?” I ask as a tree falls on Paul’s head, causing him to curse and kick the felled tree.
“Not much to tell, really.” Beth replies. “We fool around a bit. He makes me laugh.”
“Yeah?” I say and chuckle as one of Stuart’s trees falls near Paul, making him jump.
“Nothing serious. I don’t think. Not like you and Mr Hunkypants.” Beth replies.
“Why do you guys keep saying these things? There’s nothing going on between us.” I say and stare at Mitchell as he blurs from one tree to the next.
The air is filled with the sound of hacking, cracking, and then the dull thud as the tree hits the ground. But it all happens so quickly, one after the other, that the noise is constant. Mitchell fells one tree with only a few swipes, and casts it behind him, and moves on to the next one in seconds.
“Everyone can see the chemistry between you two. Why can’t you?” Beth asks.
“It’s not that I don’t like him. I really like him. But….” I flounder.
“But, nothing, girl. You like him, he likes you. It’s simple. Why are you making it complicated?”
“I’m not. It’s just….”
“Look, I gave you that book for good reason. Haven’t you read it yet?”
“I’ve looked at a few pages..” I say cautiously. But I haven’t actually read it yet. It’s on my to do list.
“What? You haven’t even opened the damn book?” Beth complains.
“Hey, no reading my mind without permission.” I grumble.
“Can’t you see the way he looks at you? I notice.” Beth says. “And I notice the way you look at him, too.” She adds.
“Hey, I don’t look at him..”
“Don’t lie to me. Or I’ll know.” Beth warns me, and taps her temple.
“I mean…I don’t look at him, quite like that..” I begin hesitantly. “He’s gorgeous, yes. No doubt about that. But we’ve been friends, like, forever.” I add.
“Don’t you want to be more than just friends?” Beth asks.
Mitchell’s very words that he said to me.
“Aah, so he does want to get serious? So, why don’t you?” Beth says.
“I’m just afraid I’ll lose him.” I admit finally.
“Girl. You can’t lose what you never had. Do you think he’s just gonna wait forever?”
I hope he does.
“What if something….happens?” I ask her.
“If you don’t make a move, nothing will ever happen.”
I can’t think about this right now.
I slip off my backpack and open it up. I reach in, and pull out the cold chicken wrapped in foil, and hand one to Beth.
“Thanks.” Beth says and takes it.
I reach back inside and pull out a can of Diet Coke, and pass one to Beth.
“Thanks. This sure is thirsty work.” Beth says and pops it open.
I take out a can of Cherry Coke and open it, and take a big gulp. The running and the flying has made me so thirsty, I down the can in seconds. Mitchell blurs from the trees far away, and materializes in front of us. His hair and clothes are covered in woodchips and sawdust. I almost laugh as he beams down at me.
“I’d love a drink. What have you got?” He asks, and wipe some dust from his face with his hand.
“Coke. Regular, Diet or Cherry.” I say as I look in my backpack.
“Regular.” Mitchell replies and I toss him a can.
“Thanks.” He says and starts drinking.
“Making good progress?” Beth asks.
Mitchell just nods and continues drinking without stopping. The clouds have all but gone now, and the light has improved, so we can see around us much better. A cloud of sawdust hangs over the boys hard at work down below. They’ve cleared a large area already, and are still felling trees like dominoes, when a gunshot rings out from far away. Mitchell looks down at me as I stand up. He finishes his drink, drops the can and looks around.
“Which direction did it come from?” I ask.
“Not sure. Can you take us up?” Mitchell asks.
I point at the sawdust and woodchips that cover him.
“Oh. Just a second.” He says, and then runs over to the left, and then spins really fast on the spot.
Then he comes back and smooth’s down his black t-shirt. I wrap my arms around him and fly upwards. I can’t help but notice his rippling back muscles as I hold him. I stop at the top of a tree, and set him down on a branch. He grabs the thin trunk and looks around. Another gunshot rings out. It sounds like it’s coming from behind me. I turn and see a flock of black birds fly up from the mainland a few miles away.
“Must be hunters.” Mitchell says as he looks over my shoulder.
“They’re far away. But still. I’d feel a lot better if they stopped chopping for a few minutes.” I say.
Mitchell nods in agreement, and whistles to the boys. They stop and look up in our direction in puzzlement.
“Take a break, guys. Get some food and drink.” Mitchell says and points to Beth.
They shake off the sawdust, and carry their axes up the hill towards Beth, where she stands with some cold chicken and a can of Coke. There’s still a cloud of sawdust hanging in the air from where they were. And I can see p
ile after pile of long wooden planks, stacked six feet high.
“That’s a lot of wood.” I say to Mitchell, who’s still staring towards the mainland.
“We’ll need it. We got to make a cabin, and then some mock buildings. Corridors, pillars, walls.” He says.
“Wow. You’ve really thought about this, huh?” I say and rotate towards him.
“We need to be prepared for any situation.” He says in a serious tone.
“I agree.” I say and fly around behind him.
I drape my arms around his neck, and gaze out over the beautiful landscape. I can see the smaller island off to my right, and beyond the calm shimmering water, the dark green forest on the mainland that wraps around this side of the lake. I’m in a beautiful location with my best friends, and with Mitchell. It was a perfect moment. He turns his head, and looks at me with a surprised look on his dusty face. My lips yearn for his, and my head begins to move as if it has a mind of its own. I stop myself, and then I see the disappointment and yearning in his beautiful brown eyes. I try to resist, but I feel my resolve melting.
Oh, I give up.
I move my face closer to his, and the disappointment in his eyes turns to hunger. He pulls me to him, and our lips mash together. His warm soft lips send electricity coursing through me, and all I can hear is our breathing as it quickens.
“Get a room!” Paul shouts up at us.
Mitchell pulls away, and stares at me with the most amazing look. I can’t help but blush under that stare.
He blinks, and then almost robotically, he pulls out a folded piece of paper from his front jean pocket, and throws it down to Paul.
“Here. Make yourself useful.” Mitchell calls down to him.
Paul reaches up with his right hand, and the piece of paper flies towards him. He unfolds it, and then looks up at us.
“Are you for real?” Paul calls up to us.
“It’s not too complicated for you, is it?” Mitchell asks.
“Of course not. I rock in shop. It’s just a little…huntsman like.” Paul replies, and shows the paper to Stuart.
“The nails and plastic sheeting are in the tool chest.” Mitchell calls down to them, as Paul and Stuart discuss how best to tackle things.
“Best rip up the tree stumps first. Make the ground level.” Stuart says as he gazes around.
Paul passes the piece of paper to Stuart, and then links his fingers together and cracks his knuckles.
“Leave this to the pro.” Paul says, and begins reaching down with his hands.
He grabs empty air, and then pulls up with both arms. There’s a ripping sound, and then two tree stumps come up and float in the air. Dirt and insects fall from the long twisted roots as they hover in the air. Paul looks up at us.
“Where to, boss?” Paul asks.
“To your left. Stuart can turn them in to firewood.” Mitchell replies.
Stuart hefts his axe again and nods in agreement. Paul moves his arms in an arc over to his left and then opens his hands. The stumps fall to the dirt, where Stuart is waiting with his axe. A few seconds later and they’re a pile of kindling. I grab Mitchell and lift him from the tree, while the boys get on with clearing the area below. I fly us up a few hundred feet into the clear blue sky, and then stop to enjoy the view.
“It’s beautiful here.” I say absentmindedly, as I admire the trees and the shimmering water.
Further north, I can see that the water is becoming ice, and I notice that I can now see my breath. It’s turning cold again. But I can’t feel it.
“Nice to get out of the city, huh?” Mitchell asks wistfully.
“It’s so calm. Peaceful.” I reply.
“What changed your mind?” He asks eagerly.
“The look in your eyes.” I reply.
“I’m that easy to read?”
“Don’t take it personally. You are a guy, after all.” I joke.
He chuckles, and reaches back and strokes my leg. We both look down as we start to hear banging, and cursing coming from our makeshift campsite.
“I’d better go help.” Mitchell says.
He pulls my hands away from him, and drops.
My instinct is to fly down and save him, and so I race down towards the forest. He looks up at me as he free-falls, and smiles.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.” He says, and so I slow down and watch as he plummets to the ground.
A cloud of brown dirt erupts when he hits the ground. I see him spring back up and walk over to Paul, who is banging nails into some planks with a hammer.
The boys have put together a wooden frame on the ground using the planks, and are now hammering more planks on top. It looks like they’re making a large square wooden floor. I swoop down lower, and hover near Beth, as she looks at the piece of paper which Mitchell threw to Paul. I land and walk over and peer over her shoulder.
“Hmm.” I murmur as I check the diagram that Mitchell has drawn.
It looks like a wooden hut. He’s drawn the complete hut, and also an exploded view, and other views, which shows two windows, and two doors, one for the front and one for the rear. He’s included measurements in the diagram. I look up, and see Mitchell talking quietly to Paul and Stuart. Paul nods at something Mitchell says, and then throws the hammer back towards the tool chest. Mitchell bends and scoops something from the ground near the tool chest, and holds up his hand. Paul nods and stares intently at Mitchell’s hand. Paul then reaches out with his left hand and points his index finger at Mitchell’s hand. Something thin and metallic rises up from Mitchell’s hand and hovers over to Paul. Mitchell folds his arms across his chest as Paul flicks his left hand downwards and points at a board.
The object is impaled in the wooden plank in an instant, silently. Paul grins, and Stuart and Mitchell clap their hands.
Mitchell blurs and then appears near us.
“That should quieten things down a bit.” Mitchell says.
“It’s about time he proved himself useful.” Beth says, which makes me snicker.
“Very useful. This should speed things up a bit, too.” Mitchell says.
I look over as Stuart and Paul work a few hundred yards away. Stuart’s collecting the planks, and holding them in place as Paul secures them with the nails, silently with his telekinesis. In a few minutes, they’ve erected the hut, and secured the roof. Mitchell blurs and appears near the tool chest, and reaches in and pulls out a long serrated hunting knife, and a pencil.
“What’s he going to do with that?” Beth asks as she turns to me.
I shrug, and watch as he walks up to the hut. Then using the pencil, he sketches a window frame and a door. He slips the pencil behind his right ear, and then positions the blade on top of his pencil mark. He pushes forward and the blade vanishes into the wood. Then using quick movements, he saws a large rectangle, and the wood falls away. One window done.
He does the same with both doors, and the other window. It’s starting to look more like a cabin now. He then picks up the piece of wood that he cut for the door, and lays it on the ground. In movements almost too fast for me to see, he’s fitted two hinges, a lock, and door handles to each door. He then has Paul fit the plastic sheeting to the window frames with some nails, while he fits the doors. And that’s it, done, all in a matter of minutes. We all head down and join Mitchell outside the front of the hut. He looks pleased with himself, and pats Stuart and Paul on the back.
“Well done.” He tells them. “Not bad at all.” He says and turns to survey the surrounding area.
I follow his gaze, and look out over the now treeless area. For a few hundred feet, the ground is churned up, and broken branches and leaves litter the ground. Big fat worms are wriggling there way all over. The ground looks like it’s moving there’re so many of them. It makes me shudder. Mitchell checks his watch, and then looks up at the slowly darkening sky.
“I think that’s enough for now. Next time, we make some targets and some other cool stuff.” Mitchell says.
&nb
sp; “Speaking of making cool things.” I say. “Can you make a raft?” I ask.
“Yeah, sure. What for?” Mitchell asks.
“So I can carry you all more easily.” I reply and shrug.
Mitchell looks at Paul. Paul nods, and begins to move some more planks on to the ground.
They complete the raft in a few seconds, and I lift it off the ground, and hold it above my head.
“Okay, all aboard.” I say cheerily.
They jump up one at a time, and I feel the weight shift above me. Once they settle down, I rise up slowly from the dirt. I ascend until I’m past the tree tops, and then I turn and look around.
“Umm, directions please?” I call out.
“Just a second. Waiting for a good signal.” Beth replies from above.
I decide to fly higher while I wait.
“Behind us. You’ll need to turn around.” Beth calls out.
I can then feel someone moving along the wood above me. Then I see a pale brown arm appear over the edge of the board.
“That way.” Beth says and her arm points towards some small islands in the distance.
“Thanks.” I reply, and then start flying in that direction.
It doesn’t take long to cover the distance, and soon I’m approaching the main shore. I fly over the forest and then begin to accelerate. I then make a wide turn to my left and follow the road back south. We encounter snow again, and I hear Paul grumble above me as it falls more heavily. I can feel my own clothing getting wet. I try to climb higher to get above the snow, but then I worry as visibility begins to get very poor.
Cosmic Girl Rising Up Page 20