by Jamie Ott
Chapter 9
“All you have to do is think of what you want,” he said, “and imagine it appearing.”
Jacko had successfully conjured a table with chairs, just like Althenio did. The younger ones, although they were technically older than Jacko, had a harder time commanding particles to make food. “Probably,” Brain hypothesized “because we haven’t come into our own abilities yet. Since gods age slower, we are less practiced at commanding powers.”
After a few tries, though, the older ones managed to call forth many of their favorite dishes which they shared with the younger, smaller siblings.
“WAIT!” shouted Jacko.
“Yeah?” they looked at him.
“The food here is kind of strange. Eat slowly, and if you feel like you begin to float, just stop.”
“What kind of nonsense are you babbling on about?” said Alica.
“Whatever! I’m hungry,” snobbed Dienla.
Jacko figured forget it. No one was gonna listen to him; especially after what they had just been through.
They all dug into a combination of burgers, pizza, and ice cream. He, himself, wished fondly for a basket of bread, like he had when he visited Althenio, but then remembered it made him the giddiest. Jacko put the bread back and, instead, wished for a bowl of sobering Brussels sprouts.
The bowl appeared in front of him on top of white rice. It was the most delicious Brussels sprouts and rice he’d ever had. Normally, Jacko hated bitter-tasting greens and plain rice, but in heaven, they were fantastic.
His mind started to whirl with ideas and thoughts. His eyes roved about the place. The food was getting to him, he told himself, but it was different. The more he ate, the more grounded and logical he became; almost as if they were making him smarter.
He looked to his right and left to see that the food had already begun to affect his siblings. Brain was talking a mile a minute about heavenly facts while Anle giggled hysterically at Dienla’s unfunny jokes. Machine was shoveling food, continuously, into his mouth the way Jacko had done.
Jacko took another bite of his Brussels sprouts and chewed thoughtfully for a few moments before having a major brainstorm! He would need Dog, he thought; and looked to see him sat at the end of the table eating an entire baked turkey while everyone stared and laughed at him.
After Dog finished his turkey, Jacko asked him to follow him outside. Momentarily, they were distracted by Bouncy who was doing back flips across the carpet while Brain, Forsi, and Truth were floating in the air.
“Now, Dog, remember when I first met you? Near that house with the pond?”
“Yes.”
“You said someone told you to tell me this was all in my head. Who told you that?”
“I don’t know. One day, I was lying on my master’s bed, bummed out because no one had come home to play with me or take me for a walk. I lied and I cried, and fell asleep. I dreamt of a white light telling me that it needed my help. Within an instant, I was there in the house with you. I lied with you for hours while you slept. When I went to take care of business, you had awakened. Upon my return, I saw you doing flips in the pond’s geyser. The light said to help you on journey and, when you needed to know, to tell you the pond is where it’s at.”
That was exactly what the Brussels sprouts helped Jacko to remember, that someone else was involved. He knew that the next step, after the orchard, was to find out who it was that gave Dog the message.
Thinking of the pond, Jacko remembered, when he was under the water, seeing a bright source of light coming from somewhere at the bottom of the surface.
“We need to get back to the house. Can you lead us there?”
Dog sat on his hind legs and thought for a moment. “I know where the pond is.”
“Let’s go.”
The gravel formed a trail that they followed for almost 30 minutes before entering the familiar bald spot. Upon coming within a few feet of the pond, the middle shot up like a geyser again, bringing a smile to Jacko’s face. One of the green gold fish poked its head above the geyser part of the water, “Hey! Jacko!” it said with a huge smile, “come to go swimming with us again?”
“Haha, not exactly. I wish I could but I’m looking for something.”
“Well, that doesn’t matter! Come for a swim!” it said.
“Listen, I’m looking for a special stone. Do you know what I mean?”
“Haven’t a clue! Well ok, bye!” and he dived back under the water.
“Wait!”
The fish had gone and Dog looked puzzled.
“Well,” said Jacko, “I’m gonna have to go in.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“I need you to watch, just in case something goes wrong. If anything strange happens, or if I’m under too long, I want you to get the others.”
Jacko pulled off his clothes and dived into the small pond. His body shrunk instantly as the water engulfed him.
Underneath it was dark and slimy at first, but then the deeper he fell into the pond, the lighter it became. He continued downward for some time. All the while, he heard a low thumping sound. Erroneously, he followed the sound, which led him to a close run in with a catfish, and then a moccasin.
Once he got away from them, Jacko noticed a low buzzing noise, sort of like the hum of a running generator.
Unsure of what he’d run into next, he took another chance and followed the noise; it lead him even further below the surface of water.
After a few moments of swimming, the water got lighter. Finally, it got too bright for him to look at. He squint his eyes and persisted, and eventually, closed his eyes as he continued in the same direction.
Moments later, Jacko slammed his head into a bright rock. “Aaaaah,” he screamed into the water, but kept his eyes closed because the light was still too bright.
Jacko didn’t know if it was what he was looking for, but then a voice whispered into his head; it said – take iiiit.
He reached his arms around the circumference of the rock and pulled with all his strength; the rock did not move. Jacko sunk to his knees to think, but as he hit the ground, he felt the rim of the rock at dirt point and realized it was halfway buried under the wet ground.
Once more, the whisper plugged itself into his head – use your gift!
Jacko stood back and concentrated. He focused his mind and energy on lifting the rock effortlessly from the ground. After a few moments, he heard a bubbling noise, felt the ground rumble, and he saw in his mind’s eye, the rock lifting itself while leaving behind a hole in the ground. Mentally, he sent it straight up to the surface of the pond; Jacko followed.
As his head broke the surface of the pond, Jacko resumed his normal size. He crawled onto the bank, and saw Dog there with the stone in his mouth. Jacko reached out for it and examined it in his hand.
They strolled back to Althenio’s house. In the front yard, he found that everyone had passed out; no doubt, they were crashed from the food effect. This was annoying him because he wanted to be on his way.
He sat on the grass in frustration and fell asleep with his head on Dog’s back.