by ipam
I smile at his face. “Your nieces are going to have a terrific birthday party with their new pretty fancy party dresses. So, we pierce the barrier wall with the three magnets, again and then we venture into Montag for the first and last time. We go shopping, which is Jara’s specialty.” I wink at her. “Then, we come home with all the pretty and paid merchandise. Yay hay!”
Jara nods and smiles. She enters the kitchen, looking for some bags.
Buffo frowns. “How do we explain the new merchandise, without it being a holiday or ordering from the supply shipment, which has already come and went, this afternoon?”
Jara returns, scooping up handful of aluminum chips.
I exhale. “Good question. Okay. I can fib, that I found them on the supply shipment.”
“Naw.”
“Okay, I can fib, that I found them in the attic of this old house.”
“Pretty good.”
“Okay. I can fib, that…”
Jara wraps the bags. “Forget it! Girls love clothes. They’re Ketona’s old dresses. Believe or not, we can receive packages from our parents. Sometimes, the packages are damaged or get lost. Ketona’s parents sent her the dresses. How old are the girls?”
“Thirteen years old, first year teens…”
Jara nods and smiles, standing with the bags. “They’re about Ketona’s height and weight, too. They’ll love any fancy dress received for their party. I got my bags filled. Let’s go shopping. Should we purchase shoes?”
I lead towards the rear door. “Alright! We go and collect three dresses. That’s all. Now, everyone wear your jumpsuit, cowboy hat, both gloves, and smelly scarf, as we jump through the barrier wall.”
“Naw, they have plenty of shoes from their other cousins.” Buffo says, walking towards the garage.
I drag out the fliers for our travels, giggling and laughing.
Buffo’s grandparents’ farm and the northeastern orange colored barrier wall corner
I land my flier, first then scoot from the equipment. I jog to the wall. I kneel, dressed in my farmer gear for both disguise and protection. I shove the first magnet in the lower northwestern portion of my geometric right angle design upon the wall.
Hatch says. “Wait a minute, here, Ketona! I know that anything else, but the same invisible charged ions, traveling through an e-field is safe. How are you going to get three physical fabric dresses with ruffles and bows through the e-field, without them, burning up into ash?”
I giggle and stab the second magnet into the northeastern corner. “Three bodies are going to drape the fancy party dress underneath their jumpsuits. Are ya are not naked underneath your uniform, Hatch?” I giggle with Jara. Buffo laughs.
Hatch frowns, shaking his head. “What about the aluminum chips?”
Jara says. “They’re inside my jumpsuit, save and cozy.”
The wall quickly scatters, revealing a dark blue object of solid metal.
I gasp with shock. “Okay! This is a bad spot. Something’s leaning against the wall big, blue and metal, not growling. No growling sound is always a good sign.” I exhale and jerk the two magnets from the barrier wall. I stand, two stepping twenty feet sideways then kneel. I stab the wall with the first and second magnets.
The wall scatters, revealing a purplish sunset to my eyelashes and a nasty stench to my nose holes.
I giggle. “Okay. Who farted? Who had baked beans for lunch, Hatch?”
“Not me!” Hatch holds his nostrils, too. “But, someone has a nervous stomach.” He looks at Jara.
She frowns, shaking the bag of chips at him.
I stab the third magnet into the wall.
The wall nicely scatters, revealing an open flat level ground of dirt.
I frown with confusion. “Something smells really bad in there, inside Montag and not in here, inside Burrville.”
Jara stands behind Ketona, shoving her inside. “Get moving, Ketona! We don’t have all night. My mama told me that some of the shops stay open, during the nighttime, working on their merchandise. We need to find one or two of those shops, quickly and quietly.”
I stand, back stepping then dive forward, using my arms and straight legs, going through the wall.
Jara follows Ketona, diving inside, too. She slides onto the dirt, giggling with the fun activity.
Hatch frowns, back stepping and punching on Buffo inside the farm crop. “Do we really need to go with them? I don’t like shopping…”
Buffo shoves Hatch towards the opening. “I go to protect Ketona. Get inside, Hatch!”
Montag
sunset. purple sky. red clouds. cool. 3 mph winds. 25% humidity. 58°F
The outer township of Montag holds all the warehouse and shops for merchandise, purchased by the Colfaxians and the outer township people.
Buffo dives through the hole, sliding down the sloped hill, without stopping. He doesn’t yell from both fright and fear, alarming the true citizens of Montag.
Hatch crouches at the bottom of the slope, catching Buffo.
They tumble then fall backwards, chuckling.
I frown with annoyance at the silly boys, dropping my cowgirl hat over my hair roots and eyeballs. I wrap the scarf around my throat, mouth, and nose, breathing through my mouth. I scan the ugly landscape.
The sky is purple from the sunset.
The city of Montag is a series of gray dull hills of concrete. I don’t see any tall brown bark trees or colorful patches of wildflowers or, low green plants. The single gray road goes up and down along the outline of the hills, leading somewhere into the darkness.
I look behind my collar bone, gasping. “We rolled down a dirt hill, which is the garbage dump. That’s the smelly smell, tickling my sinuses. They toss all the garbage along the barrier wall. Why would they do that?”
Jara walks with Ketona up the hill. “So, the garbage me-chees can collect the nasty filled trash bags. No human nostrils could withstand this foul odor, including me.”
I halt, swinging around and studying the hill. “Me-chee garbage machines.” I giggle. “I never thought of them, doing that nasty job.” I swing around, walking. “I believe, the me-chee machines should do all the nasty jobs, even digging for the radiation pits for something radiated. What do the radiation pits do for the people of Colfax? I don’t know. Well, then, no person would ever die from radiation. Don’t ya agree, Jara?”
Jara nods, fingering. “There’re a set of tall apartment buildings of gray white on our left for the residents of Montag. At least, in Dandine, we got a small house, freshly painted in pretty white. The shops are on our right. I don’t see many illuminated interior lights. I hope we aren’t too late, in the evening. Ya know, folks go to bed and sleep for work, tomorrow.”
I exhale, nodding. “I know the feeling. I was exhausted, this morning, from last night’s adventure of saving ya’ll. I don’t really do my farm work, today. Now, I’m going to be doubly exhausted, tomorrow morning, trying to finish my farm work…”
Jara walks towards the fourth store, halting on the steps. She scans Ketona. “Okay. You’re blue and I’m blue.” She scans the males, removing her hat, gloves, and scarf. “They’re blue, too. Leave the hats, gloves, and scarf,” she gags then coughs. “Okay. Wear the scarf. It really stinks, here, like pookie, dookie.”
I drop my hat and gloves, giggling behind the scarf, walking into the small shop.
Montag shop
The door bell rings.
We stand in a row, surveying the window display.
Hatch and Buffo both advance towards the window, smearing the glass with their nasty smelly blue gloves. Hatch says. “Cookies.”
Buffo says. “Cupcakes.”
Jara exhales. “This is a bakery. We need a dress shop. Let’s go, Hatch!”
Hatch two steps, surveying the cookie trays. “I wanna cookie. I, just, can’t decide, if I wanna chocolate cookie, or a peanut butter cookie, or a lemon cookie, or an oatmeal cookie…”
Buffo studies the trays. “I wanna c
upcake. I, just, can’t decide on a vanilla, or a chocolate, or a colored one…”
I giggle, swinging around. “Okay. Ya’ll stay here and eat your cookie. Let’s walk down to the next store with more illuminated interior lights. If we don’t find a dress, tonight, maybe, you can come back tomorrow, during the daytime.”
Jara frowns. “I don’t know, if I should do that, without…”
“Good evening, sirs! Can I help you with something special?” The nice bakery clerk smiles and says.
I swing around, frowning with disgust.
The bakery clerk wears a blue jumpsuit covered in white flour and colorful frostings from decorating the cupcakes. Her face looks odd, wearing a pair of weird blue eyeglasses, covering her pupils, which is attached to the blue mask around her nostrils.
I giggle with amusement.
Buffo fingers the object. “I wanna vanilla cupcake and a glass of milk.”
Hatch fingers the object. “I wanna oatmeal cookie with two glasses of milk…”
Buffo slaps the glass with his dirty blue smelly gloves, saying. “I wanna both a vanilla and a chocolate cupcake with three glasses of milk.”
Hatch slams the glass with his dirty blue smelly gloves, saying. “I wanna oatmeal cookie and peanut butter cookie and lemon bar cookie with three glasses of milk…”
Jara giggles then slaps Hatch on the collar bone. She views the clerk. “Please, give…”
“Hatch!?” The clerk frowns at him then studies the other customers. “Are you, Jara?” She removes her blue eyeglasses and nose mask, walking around the bakery counter.
I giggle, dashing and hugging her. I pull back, smiling. “Lamis, are you are the talented baker, here? Is this your bakery shop, too?”
Lamis: tall, plump, bronze colored skin, short blonde-hair. She giggles, shaking the flour from her blue jumpsuit around the air. “No. I’m an intern-in-training, like ya’ll. We go around to the different business shops, working with the shop owners, trying to decide, what we want to do for the rest of our lives. I like decorating, so I’m learning to decorate baking goods.” She walks around the counter, pulling the tray of cookies and cupcakes from the display shelf. She totes the two trays, two glasses, and a pitcher of cold milk to the small table, smiling and nodding. “Eat up, everyone! We bake a fresh batch of cookies and cupcake, ever morning. At least, I do.”
Buffo and Hatch sit at the table, devouring the food, like animals.
I view the sunset behind my collar bone then frown at her. “Why ya working, so late, here, in the bakery, at night? It’s passed sunset, out there.”
Lamis flings the cloth with the flour as it flutters in the air. “No big deal! I get to practice decorating on the baked goodies. During the day, we’re too busy baking and decorating and then toting the baked goodies inside the pretty wrapped boxes towards the transport, for the folks in Colfax.”
I growl. “The folks in Colfax come first, of course. Do you service the folks, here, in Montag?”
Lamis nods. “After the working shift, there’re hundreds of stores, thou. We get more little kids, rather than adults, since we produce both cookies and cupcakes. I’m here, late, catching any late comers for some sweets.” She frowns. “Hey, now! How’s it that you’re here, inside Montag, during the evening? You don’t live, here, in Montag. You and Buffo live in Burrville.”
I exhale, dropping my mouth. “Yeah! Well, we’re visiting with my parents in Colfax. Then, we came over on the travel car transport, made of nickel for traveling through the barrier wall. Ya seem that cool move. It’s really cool and fun, too. We’re, here, just, for a short trip, this evening. Ya know, I working on my wedding. Remember? We’re looking for some party dresses. Do ya know of a dress shop, close?”
Lamis frowns with puzzlement then smiles. “Yeah, we got dresses, too. The shop owner also makes dresses. We can walk through the baker floor then exit into the shop’s floor of clothing.”
Bakery floor
I follow behind Lamis, smelling the cake dough, flour, and flavored icing of strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate.
The bakery floor and working counters are covered in pots and pans, flour and sugar, and row of three tiered cakes.
I stop at the row of cakes, admiring the white icing and the pretty colored flowers. The flowers fan around the three tiers of cake, like a growing vine. I finger the cake, smiling. “Lamis, can I buy a cake?”
Lamis halts then spins around to Ketona, frowning with confusion “I beg your pardon.”
“Can I buy from you, this cake?” I finger and smile at the cake.
Lamis walks and stands next to Ketona, staring at the cake. “That’s a birthday cake, without the birthday name, of course. Why do ya wanna a birthday cake?”
I smile and nod. “Well, I love the cake design with the pink flowers. And, well, I’m working on my future wedding, but I really don’t know about anything, yet. And, well, I might like to have this particular design for my wedding. So, can I buy the cake from ya, now, tonight?”
Lamis frowns. “Don’t know!”
I punch Jara then say. “I have money.” Jara shows the chips.
Lamis drops her mouth. “Ya got real aluminum chips.”
I nod, smiling. “Yeah, I got real aluminum chips.”
Lamis smiles and nods. “Well, yeah, you can buy the cake. Normally, we take the order and then we get paid at the end of the month, electronically. My shop owner will be really pleased with the real money currency of chips…”
I wink at Jara. “Let’s go and see the party dresses, too. I feel, like shopping and spending some more of my money…”
Dress shop
I gasp, standing in the archway. The room is filled with rows of hanging short and long dresses. The dresses are arranged in colors from white to yellow to pink to orange to black to others shades. I exhale, walking towards the row of pink dresses.
I scan each dress, looking for an appropriated dress for a young teenager. I choose the pink one: sleeveless, ankle-length, rows of ruffles.
Lamis comes from the side, holding a white gown, frowning at the dress. “Why are ya getting one in pink? Aren’t you wearing the color of white at your wedding?”
I nod and smile, holding the dress next to my petite body. I am about the same height and weight as the three pre-teen girls, who will grow tall, like their mama and Buffo. “Yeah, white for the wedding. This is to wear at the after party of the wedding…”
Lamis frowns. “The after party of the wedding? I don’t know, there was an after party of the wedding.”
“Yeah, for, after the wedding, there’s a party, too.” I drape the dress over my arm, scooting into the new aisle of clothing. I select a yellow dress: long sleeves, v-neckline, a big bow on the waistband, plantation style skirt. I nod and smile at the pretty party dress.
Lamis frowns, standing in front of Ketona. “Do you want the pink or the yellow one, Ketona?”
I giggle. “Both of them, one for the, after the wedding party, and then one for the, before the wedding party.” I scoot into a new aisle of clothing. I select a baby blue dress: sleeveless and ruffles, too. I giggle, draping the dresses over my arm.
Lamis frowns at Ketona. “Why are ya getting a third dress, Ketona?”
I giggle. “For walking around, before, the before, wedding party.”
Jara laughs then whispers. “You should tell her what’s going on, here. She’s getting suspicious of you and her face is going to permanent scar with that ugly frown.”
I whisper. “Naw, this is our secret, not to share.”
Jara selects a long dress, holding up to her body. “I like the dress, too. Why are there so many pretty ankle-length dresses, Lamis? Who buys them from the shop owner?”
Lamis touches each dress, saying. “The majority of our merchandise is for the me-chee machines.”
Jara gasps. “What, the me-chee machines?”
Lamis nods. “Yeah, the me-chee machines are used, a lot, inside Colfax. I didn’t know that, eith
er. Apparently, the me-chee machines wear these pretty party dresses, all the time, during their work hours in all kinds of places, like the banks, the stores, and the restaurants…”
Jara nods, touching the dress. “I barely remembered, seeing the me-chee machines, when I lived inside Colfax as a teen and small child. They did dress very nice. They dress nicer than me, now,” she views her torn and re-patched blue jumpsuit from the used and abused farm clothes. She feels depressed.
Lamis says. “Yeah, they work as store clerks, banks clerks, waitresses, waiters, and other service friendly jobs, waiting on the folks in Colfax. So, we supply the pretty dresses for the female me-chee. There’s another store that supplies the male clothing for the boy me-chees. Are you getting your bridal dress, today, Ketona?”
I giggle, walking around the room. “Naw, I wanna lose some weight, before my wedding. I’ll come back, after I lose the weight.” Jara laughs, replacing the dress.
Lamis frowns at Jara. “Are you going to get a bridesmaid’s dress, too?”
Jara laughs. “Naw, I’m losing weight with Ketona, first.”
Lamis frowns, shaking her curls, replacing the white dress.
I giggle, nodding. “Okay. I be done with my dress shopping for the day. I’m ready to pay for all my nice merchandise. Your shop owner has lovely items. I will be certain to come back here for my wedding stuff.”
Lamis exhales, saying. “Okay. I need to ring up the dresses, over yonder, near the register.”
“Okay.” I prance to the counter with the dresses.
Lamis slowly rings up the dresses, punching the buttons.
Jara frowns. “How are we going to get all the cakes into the…transport, Ketona? We don’t have enough room for four teens, three cakes, and three party dresses. What are we going to do? Maybe, we should come back for the three cakes, tomorrow evening…”
Lamis says. “We provide to each customer a hover cart for the delicate cakes.”
Jara frowns. “How do we get it through the wall, without it exploding into ashes and flames?”