DysFUNCTIOpia

by Jose Moreno

CHAPTER IX***

  After four minutes, all the teen-agers stood up from the table and walked randomly around the house. One reason for moving around the living room was to stretch their muscles: they had been seating for more than 42 minutes in those uncomfortable wooden chairs. The other reason was that they were feeling openly depressed about the Pandora’s Box that Nicholas had opened. Examining the objects around the living room was a convenient way to look aloof while they pulled themselves together again. Furthermore, the outdated objects from the living room were a perfect way to drive their attention away from thoughts that made them melancholic. The felt that they had to start suppressing again what had been disclosed to them by their chat with Nicholas. In just six minutes, they were absorbed by the outlandish electronic devices that were around the room. They had seen those items only in old movies.

  After those six minutes of silence, scouting the living room, Barón signaled everyone to come closer to him. In a low voice, so that Nicholas could not hear him, Barón said to all of them, “Ok. It is time to share your thoughts.”

  Mary said, “I trust him and I think he is telling us the truth.”

  Carl added, “Yes, and we should inquire more about ways to survive around here.”

  Barón, Mary, and Carl looked at Martin waiting for him to say something. Martin just remained silent looking alternatively at everyone in the eyes. After 9 seconds, he responded, “It is not like we have many options.”

  Then, they heard Nicholas snorting loud, indicating to them that they could carry out their conversation privately. They talked for a few minutes about the things they were going to do the next day: Their plan was to spend the night at Nicholas’ cabin and go back to their camp the next morning. Furthermore, they were going to try to catch fish from the river, hunt dears in the area, and look for starchy wild roots in order to learn survival in the area before they run out of their provisional food from the camp–They did not have the intension to depend on Nicholas willful servitude and massive food provisions stored in the cabin.

  They were still standing up in a circle, finishing their discussion about their plans for the next day, when Martin turned his head to the left and said to everyone, “hey! There is a computer we can use to check the news. Do you want to find out what is going back home?”

  Barón said, “Ok. Let’s find out what is going on at home so that we can make better decisions here: If they seem to know where we are then we are going to be extra careful; Otherwise…. We made it!”

  They all walked towards the computer. Martin, who was familiarized with old fashion computers because he read his grandfather’s book back home, knew how to operate early 21st century “computer software and hardware”; consequently, he felt free to sit on the chair next to the wooden desk where the computer was. He turned it on. He waited ten minutes before the operating system could be handled by means of something that Martin called “the mouse” and “the key board” –These were terms which the other members of the group had never heard before; they were used to verbal means of input. Then, Martin grabbed the mouse, moved it around, clicked on it several times, and said, “We will not be able to see much information. This computer is too slow. I think we are just going to read information.” He kept clicking and moving the mouse. Then, he bent down and looked under the table as if he was looking for something very important. Excited, he said to everyone, “Good! We have old fashion wireless connection!” He sat up straight on the chair again, and kept moving and clicking the mouse. “I almost there….I found it!”

  Carl asked, “What did you find?”

  “I found a functio-site where we can look at police information from Truxes,” Responded Martin. “Let’s see… Let’s see…”

  Barón said, “There it is!”

  The news flash read:

  “Four teen-agers missed school instruction by abandoning their homes. It is believed that Oliver Cortez, the brother of one of teen-agers, helped them. They are still missing. Their destination is unknown. It is believed that they may have gone towards the North of California. The vehicle was recovered. Oliver Cortez flew towards Mexico earlier today. Mexican authorities do not have a clue of his whereabouts. If you have any clues, contact the police department.”

  Excited, Barón said, “Oh! This looks good! It seems they have no idea where we are.”

  Mary said, “Yeah. Also, it is good that they do not know why we did it.”

  They were all feeling satisfied that their plans were becoming fruitful; on the other hand, they were trying to repress the fact that their parents were going to miss them very much. They were by now resolute about focusing on their plans and repressing their feelings about their parents.

  Martin stepped away from the computer and walked to the table. Everyone else followed him to the table. They all sat down again in the same places where they were sitting before. It was time to relax and begin to unwind. They were all tired.

  Blinking her eyes excessively, Mary said, “I am sleepy.” Then, she tilted her head and sustained it with her hand while her elbow was on the table.

  Martin sighed and said, “Yeah. I think it is time to go to sleep”

  Frowning, Carl turned his head towards the window on his right. He began to squint repeatedly while he moved his head from side to side slightly as if he was trying to look for something outside through the window.

  Barón noticed that Carl was looking at something through the window and asked, “What is going on Carl?”

  Carl responded, “I thought I saw a white luminous light on those hills”

  He stood up from the table and walked towards the window to be able to improve his perception of whatever was seeing. Once he was at the window, he was moving his head again to be able to distinguish the white light from the window glare. He did not feel confident trying to walk outside. He said to Barón, “That could be a nice white star”

  Barón stood up and walked also to the window. He noticed also a white light that seemed too bright to be one of the many stars. Barón, trying to find a rational explanation for the inert light, said, “Could be one of those small flying vehicles that have many lights. I have never seen one with white lights, but it could be that.”

  Meanwhile, Mary and Martin were sleeping by the table. Mary was sitting down. Her head was on the table. Her arms were spread on the surface of the table. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be snorting. In contrast, Martin was laying flat on his back on top of three chairs that he set in a row. He was crossing his arms on top of his chest and his eyes were close; however, he was not asleep and was paying attention to the conversation carried out by Barón and Carl. Occasionally, he wiped his nose and cleared his throat. Although he could hear what they were talking about, he considered ludicrous to be involved in what he thought was just a “common epistemological issue.”

  Carl, skeptical about Barón’s response and not wanting to share his real thoughts, said, “Whatever it is, it seems to be around the area where we set our camp…”

  Barón, concerned about his response, said, “Do you think someone found our camp?”

  “I do not know…I do not know…” Carl responded, “We do not even know what that is.”

  Suddenly, the white luminous light began to move quickly to the right. Then, it moved quickly to the left. Then, it began moving to the right steadily and slowly while oscillating up and down. Then, the intensity of the light increased and began to lift up quickly. In a flash it went so high up that they lost track of it. It seemed that in a matter of seconds it rose up above the hill and went up into the stratosphere.

  Scared, Barón said, “My god! What is that?”

  Carl tried not to say anything. He was scared not to be able to explain what he had observed in terms of anything he had seen before; however, trying to rationalize the situation, Carl responded to Barón, “Come on! It is just a visual effect. I think it was just a fire fly”

  Barón responded, “What??? That was not a firefly! That was somet
hing else. That was some kind of vehicle”

  Carl responded, “I do not know of a vehicle that can move like that. Look, I say that it was a fire fly: From here it looks like it was on the hills, but really it was a fire fly too close to the window that looked like it was on top of the hill.”

  “That could be true. However, how do you explain it did not move at first?”

  “I do not know. Maybe there are fireflies that do that.”

  “How do you explain it lifted up so quickly?”

  “Well, it looks from here that it lifted up quickly because it was close to us. It was just a visual effect.”

  “Ok…maybe you are right. I guess I was imagining something else.”

  “What else could it be? And if it is something else, it is something that can be understood by someone on this planet.”

  “Yeah… You are right. I guess, sometimes I let my imagination go wild.”

  “Well…yeah! You like poetry for a reason.”

  They kept discussing the phenomenon that they had observed in order to make each other feel less anxious about the unknown. The truth was that both were afraid of what they had witness and they did not dare to say each other what they thought they had seen. It was easier to try to explain the phenomenon in terms of something they were familiar in order to avoid reconstructing their entire lives around the possible fact there is something out there whose essence was beyond their grasp.

  Meanwhile, Martin, tired and lethargic, unable to go to sleep due to the conversation being carried out by Carl and Barón, said in a low voice, “Guys! We are trying to sleep here…do not worry about the things that you can NOT explain. Worry about the things that we can explain. If you observed something unexplainable out there, then, probably, it was not government vehicle.”

  Barón and Carl look at each other quickly realizing that Martin’s comment was more reasonable than explaining what they had observed. They both knew that they had to be on the lookout for possible G. eagles or any other government vehicle flying in the area, possibly looking for them due to the clues they might have figured out –They had to avoid being detected by any possible sophisticated ODFs or motion sensors when they were outside of Nicholas property; the cabin was registered as a private place; they could not look in the cabin. Thus, they thought, they should rather be looking for signs of vehicles that they can identify.

  They both suspended their inquiry after Martin made his remark. Barón and Carl walk towards the table where Mary and Martin were. They sat down again. They both realized they were tired like the other members of the group. They began to ponder where they were going to sleep given that there were not beds or couches around: They had left their sleep equipment back in the camp. Barón and Carl’s eyes were wondering around the room looking for a spot where they could throw their bones.

  Barón said, “Well, I think we are going to sleep on the floor. I hope there are no cockroaches” and stood up from the chair. Carl immediately followed. They both walked around the living room looking down at the floor.

  Carl said, “It seems like is all the same floor,” realizing that it was going to be very uncomfortable to sleep without the soft bed he was used to sleep on.

  Then, Barón dropped to the floor quickly and laid down flat on his back, extending his arms away from his body, saying, “We got no choice. Let’s do it”.

  Carl was still standing up not being satisfied with the spot he was looking at, “Well, before I sleep here I am going outside…nature’s call”.

  Barón looked at him and smiled, “I will go after you. There are supplies over there” pointing with his index finger.

  Carl walked in the direction where he had pointed making sure not to miss what he needed: He found a nice roll of tissue paper. Carl said “I am not used to this!” walking towards the door with a face that showed that he was disgusted.

  When Carl opened the door, Barón said jokingly, “Be careful with the goblins!”

  Carl responded, not finding his joke amusing, “Be careful”; then, walked outside the cabin, and slammed the door.

  The noise woke Mary. Mary lifted her head and chest slowly from the edge of the table using her arms. She opened one only eye with difficulty due the light and her dilated pupils. Then, say said, with a flinty voice, “Who slammed that door?”

  Martin, wiped his nose and said, “Barón, why did you have to make him upset?”

  Barón responded, “I apologize.”

  Mary with difficulty stood up, walked away from the chair, and dropped herself on the floor. Then, she said, “Ouch! My neck hurts. I think this floor is more comfortable than the table.”

  Barón said, “Really? This floor is not comfortable at all.”

  Mary asked, “Where is Carl?”

  Martin said, “He is having an adventure in the restroom,” and laughed.

  Barón responded, “Well, I am going to have my adventure too. I am waiting for Carl to come back”

  After a few minutes, Barón stood up and said to everyone, “He has been out there for several minutes. I am going to check.” Barón opened the door, took out his head and says, “Carl! Are you done?” there was no response and he saw no sign of Carl in the dark night: outside was illuminated just by a thin crescent moon. He tried again, “Carl! Carl!” Then, he walked 5 feet from the door. He stopped and moved his head around, scanning the area, and trying to see something in the darkness. Then, on his left, far away, among the trees, he saw a white light. It looked to Barón as the light from a powerful lamp that was twinkling at the ground level. The light did not seem to move at all. Barón thought that the light could be the group of the other man that Nicholas said that lived in the area. Suddenly, a bad feeling came to Barón which he did not dare to try to articulate. He walked back to the door, opened it up, and said to everyone, “Hey! There is something out here you have to check out.”

  Martin and Mary got up in seconds and walked to the door where Barón was standing. They all went outside to the spot where Barón was making his observation.

  He pointed with his index finger and said, “Look at that!”

  “It looks like a big lamp,” said Martin.

  Mary added, “Let’s go take a look.”

  “No!” screamed Martin. “Remember that we have to be as inconspicuous as possible for anyone in the area.”

  Barón responded, “Well, that big lamp is either good or bad. If it is good, we do not have to worry anymore. If it is something bad, then we want to take immediate action.”

  Mary said, “I agree. Let’s get closer and make sure that no one knows we are approaching.”

  Martin, being experienced with military tactics, said, “Ok…you win. Let’s dash slowly from tree to tree and as close to the ground as possible. I think that lamp is about half of a mile away, maybe a little more.”

  Barón responded, “Yeah. I get the feeling that Carl went to investigate himself without us. Let’s go there to find out.”

  ***