Fiction: Trudy Fine's Very Short Journey Through Space (3)

This month's Words for Wednesday is hosted by Elephant's Child. This week's prompts are common phrases with links to food. Feel free to mix and match - or to add ones of your own. They are: 1. He had a chip on his shoulder; 2. Best thing since sliced bread; 3. With a cherry on top; 4. She wants to have her cake and eat it too; 5. Everything but the kitchen sink; 6. Bringing home the bacon. You can find more participants at Elephant's Child's blog over here.
    I didn't use any these phrases, they just didn't fit so I decided to make up one - 'An egg a day keeps the doctor from going back in time to hand you a bill.' It sounds a bit silly but I like it. Maybe I wasn't so clear-minded when I thought this up.

Photo by Ray Bilcliff Photography, link here

Fiction: Trudy Fine's Very Short Journey Through Space — Part 3 of 4  (Read part 1 here, part 2 here)

Ben stopped and stretched out a hand. "We're here." They were in a empty field with flat grounds. There was nothing in sight except for the fallen ferris wheel which was far away and was the size of one of Trudy's fingers. How did they get so far so fast? Her leg throbbed every step she took but at least the pain had lessened. She stopped beside Ben.
    "No need to think too deeply. I moved us forward a bit because you were too slow." Ben smiled. There was that hint of laughter in his voice again. "Look up there." He tilted his chin upward. She lifted her head and looked up. 
    A light appeared in the air high above them. It grew bigger and wider and sent light outward like a pinwheel. The structure was about twelve meters high and was about four meters wide. The light came from the dome at the top of the structure.
    "Is this your ship?" There were no doors or windows aside from the various openings spaced out one above the other which Trudy could only see darkness in them.
    "Of course not. Don't you know it's a lighthouse? It's a cover to keep the tourist away."
    Trudy wondered why he would need to do that when it was Ben's planet. She turned to him. He was grinning with his hands in his trenchcoat pockets. "What do you think? Too old fashioned?"
    She shrugged. "Maybe but I like it." She had never seen a lighthouse but she had read books on how they were used to light the way for ships at night. 
    He snapped his fingers and a door opened in the lower part of the lighthouse."Let's go." The moon sphere light began to dim and shrink and fall into Ben's opened hand. He entered the opening and left Trudy in the half dark. The light from the dome gave off a lot of light but it was rather too high up to light where Trudy stood. She followed him, half wobbling, half walking.
    Inside, Ben's sphere lit the small space. The opening closed with a low click. They started to move upward. "Where are we?"
    "It's a lift. Haven't you heard of it? I guess I should start naming things for you since you haven't seen anything in over twenty years." He raised his left eyebrow which has a slash through it in the middle. The white tshirt underneath his trenchcoat had the word 'Daydream' in orange with a rainbow above it.
    "Yes, please do. There are many things that are familiar to me but I don't always know what to call them." Trudy smiled. It was tiring not knowing things she should know.
    They stopped with a slight jolt. A door opened in front of them. Ben exited first. Trudy's leg was aching again painfully as she moved. A low click sounded behind her. She glanced behind her to see the lift's door closing and then it disappeared as if it had never been there. She turned away.
    They were in the dome of the lighthouse. In the center of the space was a sphere hovering just a few inches off the ground. It was slightly taller than Trudy but tripled her width. Its light had dimmed to a soft, yellowish hue. The sphere had a smooth exterior with light gray squiggly patterns. Trudy could see nothing else in the small space. The lower wall was solid and top part was glass panels which looked out to the darkness. "Where is your ship?"
    "In there." Ben pointed at the sphere. The moon sphere was gone from his hand.
    "In there? Isn't it a little too small to hold a ship?"
    He shook his head. "No." He snapped his fingers. The sphere cracked and split open. "Come in." He walked toward it and seemed to shrink while the opening was increasing. Trudy followed him and before she knew it, they were inside in a large space with bright lights coming from a large sphere hovering near the ceiling. "Did we shrink?"
    "Not one bit. It's a perception thing," said Ben. "Welcome to my ship. What do you think?"
    Trudy turned away from Ben and looked around. The walls were white and smooth, same for the floor. Gray contour lines etched the walls. Her eyes landed on the control panel or so she thought as there were no buttons or dials, only a smooth, white surface with a chair in front and above it was a large view screen that currently shown only blackness. The air was cool with an antiseptic scent. "It's beautiful."
    "Have a seat." He waved a hand. A chair that was in the corner moved and stopped just before Trudy. She sank down on the chair. When had she had time to just pause and rest?
    Ben sat down in front of the control panel. "I don't know if the Cimmerian are still lingering around so I'll prep the ship for takeoff right now. If you want to freshen up and take a few minutes to rest, just walk through the archway. First door to your left. You'll find everything you'll need there." He gave her a nod and turned back to the control panel.
    Trudy looked toward the archway behind Ben just a few feet away. It led to a hallway. "Alright. I really like to get out of these clothes." She stood up and walked toward the archway but then she stopped and turned around. Ben was looking down while his hands hovered over the control panel where various lights blinked in and out. He looked happier than she had seen him. She turned and walked through the archway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It took fifteen steps to get to this room. Trudy didn't have to count anymore but her mind just started the moment she started walking.
    There was nothing special about the room but it didn't look like it belonged inside a slick spaceship. The walls were damask patterns in light pink and the curtains was a dark pink through windows that were just flat walls. A sphere lit the room from above. The walls to the left and right of the small bed, hung shelves that held paperbacks, hardcovers and antique looking books all the way up to the ceiling.
    Trudy ran forward, placed her walking stick against shelves and picked up a book: Le Tour du monde en quatre-vingt jours. She flipped to the first page. On it, someone had scribbled in blue ink, 'To: Ben, from Jesse, 1939.' He must be the same Jesse Ben has been talking about but this was written 82 years ago. That would mean... She yawned. Later. She put the book back on the shelves. Another yawn escaped her. She needed to get out of these clothes and take a nap.
    Looking around, she spotted the contour line similar to the ones on the bridge. These were in the shape of a tall rectangle on the wall opposite the bed. She rushed toward it bit awkwardly and ended up pressing a hand on the wall to stop from bumping against it. It clicked and opened. Inside was a bathroom with a sink, a bath tub and a toilet. She laughed. Covering up another yawn, she wondered if she have time to take a bath.
    After freshening up without a bath, she ate two supplement bars that she found in one of the wall panels. They tasted like glue but with a hint of blueberry. She threw away her dirty clothes in the receptacle in the bathroom. Her new clothes fit her perfectly. Her boots, she just cleaned and put back on even though there were many new pairs in the closet in the bathroom. Steven had saved and brought them for her. He even made her a walking stick though she seldom go out to actually use it.
    She rubbed her eyes and dropped down on the bed. How long it had been since she first woke up on the Cimmerian ship? Had it been a day or a week? She couldn't say. She picked up the watch off the dresser and put it back on her wrist. One press on the glass and it flipped up. It was a regular watch that Steven had altered for her. Her fingers slid over the hands and the embossed numbers. The hands had stopped at 12 and 3. She covered a yawn. Just a few minutes, that's all. She lay down and closed her eyes.
    It was dark though Trudy could discerned the various darkness. She missed her old pineapple-shaped night light. Her mother had said she was too old for night lights. Trudy shifted slightly to avoid a bump in the bed. She kicked aside the quilt. It was too warm to sleep. Why her mother always chose to work at night, she couldn't understand. She let out a long breath.
    Something soft pressed at her mouth and nose. It was mildly sweet with a hint of alcohol, like one of her mother's perfumes. Above her, the hanging lamp blinked on. Trudy struck at hands that tried to grab her but she was getting drowsy. The lamp swung and sent light back and forth over the double image of her mother wearing a red dress. She said, 'Girly, Mama's really sorry for this.' Her vision faded into darkness.
    When Trudy woke, the pain started to gnaw at the back of her eyes. She reached out and felt around her face until they reached her eyes. Quickly, she pulled her hands away. The pain increased. Lethargy took her over.
    When she woke a second time, solid ground was beneath her.The pain from before had faded to a dull ache. A cold wind was passing back and forth and the faint warmth of the sun was on her face. The scent of trash and car oils hung in the air. There was a junkyard near their house that her mother often complained about. Trudy was certain she was there now. But she could not see. Everywhere she looked, there was only darkness. She reached up and touched where her eyes should be but she pulled her hand away immediately. Her eyes were gone. What good was it to touch what wasn't there?
    For a while, she sat surrounded by what she imagined were dilapidated vehicles and torn out parts. Should she wait for her mother? For someone? The temperature dropped sharply. Her sweater, corduroy pants and thick boots blocked out the winds a bit. She had always wore her clothes to bed as often, she and her mother would have to leave their home at any moment.
    Eight might not be a smart age but Trudy knew her mother had abandoned her. She had done it many times before but she would always returned for Trudy but this time Trudy was certain she would not come back. She lay down and closed her eyes though it was strange to go from darkness to more darkness. Just as she was about to fall asleep, a deep and horsed voice shouted, "What are you doing here, child?"
    Trudy sat up. She reached out to rub her eyes but she didn't want to feel the empty sockets so she dropped her hands on her lap. "I don't know."
    "Well, come with me if you don't want to freeze to death." A hand gripped her arm and pulled her along. The grip was firm but not tight.
    "My name is Steven Fine and this is my junkyard. I'm sure you can smell the stench by now. I'll allowed you to rest a bit but you can't stay here."
    His house or what she assumed was his house, was only twenty steps away. She wasn't sure why she started counting only that, it made her relaxed reciting the numbers in her head. He dropped her down on something soft. "Here's something to eat. Now you keep clean. I won't have any kind of mess in my house."
    She bit into the bread. It was soft with raisins in them. It was one of her favorite food.
    "There's more on your left and a hard-boiled egg if you're extra hungry. And here's something to drink." He tucked something into her hand. The straw struck her lower lips. Trudy's mother had always given Trudy juice boxes. She said it was so Trudy won't make a mess.
    "What's your name, child?"
    "Girly. Girly Copper." Trudy had not thought of her name much. The only person who had any reason to call her by name was her mother.
    "Girly? That's no name for a child." His voice sounded as if he was standing above her. Were there no other place to sit? He was silent and still for a moment. "I'll tell you what. I'll call you Gertrude. No, no, Trudy, yes, Trudy. That's what I'll call you. You're alright with that name?"
    Trudy nodded. "Yes, I like it very much." And she did liked it. Surely, anything was better than Girly.
    "I'm sorry if this offends you, Trudy, but what happened to your eyes?"
    She swallowed the bread she was chewing. "I don't know. Am I hideous?"
    "No." He paused. "Not really." His voice seemed to have floated down. He must have kneeled down. "But they're gone. You're alive and that's all that matters. Is there anyone I can call for you?"
    She shook her head. "No." Not now.
    "Mm-hm." She could hear him pacing around the place. He took ten steps and then repeat them. The house must not be very large.
    He stopped pacing. "You may sleep here for the night, right where you're sitting. The bathroom's behind you. I trust you know not to make a mess."
    "Yes. Thank you." She wanted to ask what would happen if she did make a mess but she didn't.
    He grunted and then took thirteen steps, slammed a door and then she was alone.
    After washing up, she lay down on the what she knew was now a sofa. She could hear Steven outside pacing again but his steps were light and he was whistling. He sounded contented. The whistling was soft but then it turned into a siren.
    Her eyes flicked open. The siren was muffled. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Then she noticed her surrounding. Oh, no, had she slept long?
    She ran out of the room and toward the bridge. Her leg was not aching.
    Ben was sitting in his chair as before. He turned around and smiled. "Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the moon."
    "The what? Nevermind. What's the siren for?" Trudy sank into the chair a few feet from Ben.
    "Oh, it's a reminder we are in danger. But don't worry, you're safe." He turned back to the controls.
    "How long had I been out?"
    "Just enough time to drink ten pots of coffee."
    "You drink coffee?" Trudy was surprised but then again, she had been surprised a lot lately.
    "I love that stuff. But I can't drink it. One cup can make I'm hyper for six years."
    She suppressed a laugh. He was hyper enough without coffee. "But you didn't answer the question."
    "Didn't I? Ten pots of coffee takes a lot of time to brew but you can drink them pretty quick, can't you?"
    "So about ten minutes?"
    He laughed. "It has been four hours."
    "How do you even figure these things out?" Was he making fun of her? But there was a playful tone in his voice.
    "Here." Ben threw something white at her.
    She caught it with both hands. The egg was still warm. She looked up, eyes wide.
    "What? Haven't you heard? An egg a day keeps the doctor from going back in time to hand you a bill." He grinned. "Isn't hard-boiled eggs one of your favorite food?"
    "What? Oh yes, I loved hard-boiled eggs." Trudy laughed. "But I've never heard of that egg expression. Where did it come from?"
    "I don't recall the originator but Jesse said it a lot." Ben smiled as he peered at the controls.
    Jesse from 82 years ago. Trudy should ask Ben when Jesse had died or perhaps when he saw Jesse last.
    The view screen turned into an orange sunset with a lighthouse in the shadows. They could have been back on earth. She had seen a lot of sunsets while waiting for her mother to come home.
    "If you're wondering about the screen, it's not real, just an image of the sunset in Oahu island on earth. I like looking at this when I'm flying instead of black space."
    Suddenly, they tilted forward. Trudy bounced slightly in her chair.
    "Hold on tight but don't fuss. It's going to get a little bumpy!"

~ Read Part 4 here ~