Fiction: Trudy Fine's Very Short Journey Through Space (4)

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

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 01 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Hold on tight but don't fuss. It's going to get a little bumpy!" said Ben.
    Trudy turned about in her chair. Where was she to hold on to? Every surface of the ship was smooth and the chair she sat on didn't have seat belts nor was it bolted to the floor. She tucked the uneaten egg into her pants pocket and held onto the edge of her seat with death grips.
    Ben's eyes, full of shadows beneath them, were down at the control panel with his hands hovering over it. He wore the same black trenchcoat but his tshirt was dark blue with a yellow smily face and 'Have a nice day' in yellow around it. Had he slept? He didn't seem like he would like mindless conversations about one's well being much like Steven. Being alive was always enough for him. "We're going into hyperspeed in three, two, one!" said Ben.
    Trudy was jolted forward and then back, paused and began to shake violently. Everything she saw was doubled. A sudden realization that she was in a spaceship with a manic driver made her want to laugh and maybe freak out a little.
    "Don't worry. The chairs are magnetic, you won't be thrown about." Ben said without looking at her. "Did you have a weird dream? We did a few planet jumps while you were sleeping. I heard such travels even on a ship, make humans have strange dreams."
    Her dream was strange but very real, almost as if she was reliving it. It was a long forgotten memory or she had thought - the day her mother sold Trudy's eyes for drug money. But it was the memory of Steven that made her ached.
    "Like I said before, it's much easier to travel when you're unconscious," said Ben.
    "When did you said that?" Trudy had no memory of him telling her anything of the sort.
    "Oh. I guess I forgot. Hyperspeed travel can sort of be a little harsh on your brain. But it's not worse than time travel. Now time travel can really scramble your brain and it's not very enthusiastic in re-scrambling it back either."
    Trudy stared at the floor to steady her eyes. Her head ached. It could be because of hyperspeed or just hearing Ben talk science. Maybe her mind was a little too weak in absorbing information at the moment.
    They stopped shaking. "And we're out of hyperspeed. But we've got company," said Ben. His eyes were on the screen.
    Trudy looked up. There was something out there — a shiny, towering something. "What is that?" Trudy wasn't sure she wanted to know.
    "A Cimmerian ship. Rather too tall for my taste." Ben said. "Incoming." He pressed a spot on the right side on the control panel which lit up and then dimmed. There was a jolt. Then it was complete stillness.
    Trudy opened her eyes to the sight of a metal, two-prong instrument coming toward her. She tried to move away but she was held down by her arms. "Let me go!" But whomever was holding her had serious strength. The two-prong instrument was inches away. "I say, let me go!" she screamed.
    "Bugg Mumm! Bugg Mumm!" The voices chanted. "Bugg Mumm! Bugg Mumm!"
    She leaned her head back but the instrument kept coming. A hand appeared and stopped it from moving toward her. The chanting stopped. The grips on her arms loosened. She turned a little to the left of her. The hand that held the instrument back extended out from her left shoulder. It even wore the same pink sweater sleeve she was wearing. She stifled a giggle. There was probably a really good explanation for this. Maybe she was dreaming. But she could feel the strain from the third hand gripping the instrument.
    The creature holding the instrument stepped away. It was one long dark blue body with a single black eye. Its arm with the instrument shrunk back into its smooth body. Cimmerians. The two creatures behind her had removed their hands from her. Her third hand fell to her side. Even with little light, she was certain she was not on Ben's ship. Everything here was a miserable gray hue.
    "Gaaa somm. Gaaa somm." The voice was calm and emotionless. Quiet steps approached. The woman stopped a few feet from Trudy. The light from above fell on the dark gray-purple skinned woman. She was regal and tall dressed in one long light blue gown that accentuated every part of her curvy body. Her single, colorless eye in the center of her forehead stared down at Trudy. "Human, keep still." The woman's voice was monotonous. A row of Cimmerians were behind her with guns. They were at least a feet shorter than the woman.
    "Why am I here?" said Trudy. By the corner of her eyes, she noted that her third arm was gone. Had she dreamt it?
    The woman smiled but it was cold. "Do not worry. We are in the middle of a negotiation with your guardian. You will not be harmed until the matter is settled. It would be your best interest to keep silent." The woman turned and walked away followed by the Cimmerians.
    "You can't keep me here!" Trudy stood up but the two Cimmerians pushed her down and she fell to the floor. Before she got up, the two Cimmerians were already positioned at the threshold with their backs turned to her.
    She rushed forward but a shock went through her hand. "Ou!"  She fell to the floor. Moving slower, she reached out toward the space just above the low threshold. Another shock went through her. She was trapped. The floor jolted lightly reminding her when she was on Ben's ship.
    She sat on the only thing in the room - a gray bench. The cell she was in was small with smooth gray walls with a high ceiling. She got up and paced the space - eight steps back and forth. The bits of light that fell into the cell came from the other side of the threshold.
    "Hello Trudy." Ben's voice was calm and clear.
    Trudy turned about looking this way and that but there was no Ben. "Ben, where are you?"
    "I'm communicating through, well, you. Don't worry, Trudy, I'll get you out of there as soon as I can. In the meantime, I advice you not to go anywhere."
    "Do I have a choice? Whatever you're doing, do it quick. And another thing. Did you turned me into an alien?"
    "I don't understand you, Trudy. Please explain."
    "Well, I grew a third arm just now, just like the Cimmerians."
    Silence.
    "Ben! Did you hear me? I grew an extra arm!"
    "Trudy, really? That's nothing to fuss about. I think we should start calling them Cimms. It's tiring to say Cimmerians, don't you think?
     "I don't care what we call them. You've turned me into an alien!"
    "Isn't that another word for eccentric? I hear humans love being eccentric. I wouldn't worry about that. When you start to repeat yourself twice every word, then I would start to fuss."
    "Why?"
    "Then that might indicate your mind is becoming like a Cimm which is very worrying. If that happens, you'll be too dumb to be human."
    "This is no time for jokes."
    "I'm very serious. But I can't talk right now. Stay put. Later, Trudy."
    "Ben!" No reply. "Ben!" Did he just hung up on her? The two Cimms weren't even looking her way. She sat down on the bench again. Her stomach gurgled. The egg! She dug it out of her pants pocket. It was cold but she knocked it against the bench and started peeling.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 02 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

An hour or more passed. Trudy woke up with a Cimm on either side of her pulling her along down a long corridor. "Where are you taking me?" said Trudy. Neither Cimms looked at her. She tried to pull away but their grips on her arms were too great. They just kept pulling her along, passed tall doorways after doorways. It seemed a long while before they stopped, turned a corner and then down a short corridor where they again stopped in front of a door marked Gottog Gottog in black letters. It slid open upward. The two Cimms threw her out the opening.
    She screamed and reached out for something to hold but her hand touched nothing. Suddenly, she stopped falling and started to float. Behind her the Cimms ship began to move away. Surrounding her were the gaseous clouds, a blue planet a few distances away and black space. "Ben! Help me!" Her voice was small and thin. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. Her chest was tight and she couldn't breathe. Was she to die here? It wasn't the worst way to go. At least, she got to see again, rode in a spaceship, visited some planets briefly though she would have preferred to not experience the jumping around or getting shot in the leg.
    Her view suddenly started to blur. A layer of semi-transparent film was enveloping her. She wanted to scream but then the film completed its enclosure and she was suddenly able to breathe again. Then another layer of film was coating over the first layer. Both layers disappeared. She reached out and felt the soft surface. It must be one of Ben's bubble.
    Something dark grabbed her by the waist and they started moving before she could even try to protest. Even though Trudy had ate only one egg, she could feel her stomach turning about as if trying to lose it. Before that happened, she was dropped onto solid ground but she didn't fall or throw up. They were surrounded by tall buildings that branched out like trees with odd-shaped windows. Beside her, Ben was straightening his trenchcoat. He glanced at her. His eyes were a dark green with no hint of laughter.
    "Ben, what's going on?" said Trudy.
    Ben didn't smile. "You're safe, Trudy. That's all you need to know right now."
    She started to respond but he held up a hand. "Shhh. We'll talk later."
    The same tall woman with the single eye with Cimms behind her walked toward them.
    "Cim tuu cim tuu. Hello!" said Ben.
    The woman glanced at him, eyes unblinking. "I am Cim Gu. Why have you interfered with our business?"
    "What? No hello?" Ben smiled with a lot of teeth. He snapped his fingers once and then again. The Cimms standing behind Cim Gu and the surface beneath them started to froze over. Trudy felt the temperature going down a few degrees under her feet. "It really is hard to make a decent snap with two fingers, you know. My name is Ben, by the way, and that is Trudy." Trudy smiled at the woman but she was not looking at Trudy.
    Cim Gu's eye was on Ben. "What have you done?"
    "Just keeping them where they are so we may have a quiet conversation." Ben tucked his hands into his trenchcoat pocket.
    Cim Gu's eye narrowed slightly. "What is it you want?"
    "I'm here to get what is mine. As you already know, you Cimms are a bit too— How should I put it? Greedy? Annoying? Loud? Let's say all of the above. I had a contract with you and you broke it which is allowed but what is not allowed is taking back Trudy's eyes. For that, I get the planet and the inhabitants in return. And the deal stands even if you have a new leader. I'm guessing someone forgot to tell you about that bit. I must admit, I have no good opinions of the Cimms. I might just keep them frozen for a few years or sell them to someone who likes little green hot dogs." Ben smiled.
    "Free my people at once and fight us fairly," said Cim Gu.
    "Fairly? Is that not a contradiction for you Cimms? Everyone in the galaxy knows the Cimms do not fight fair. By freezing your people I am trying to avoid a war. Or do you need another demonstration?" Ben kept his eyes on Cim Gu.
    Cim Gu returned the stare but did not reply.
    Ben nodded. "Very well." He pressed his hands together palm to palm and then slid them apart. A ring of light was between his palms. It grew and grew until it surrounded the three of them and then all the Cimms behind Cim Gu, then beyond. Trudy couldn't see where it went but she imagined it went around the whole planet.
    "Cim Gu, reach out to your people. Can you feel what they are feeling?" Ben's hands were at his side. His lips were in a straight line. He was calm and almost emotionless. Trudy had never seen him this way.
    Cim Gu closed her eye. Then she moaned and staggered to the ground. Her lips were twisted and lines appeared around her face. "Bugg mumm! Bugg mumm! Stop!" she shouted. Arms stretched out from her dress and wrapped around her.
    Ben clapped his hands and a flash of light appeared around them and then it faded away.
    Cim Gu's face smoothed out and she opened her eye. Her arms retracted back into her body with two remaining. She stood up and smoothed her dress. "I see your point." After a pause, she said, "How could you, a human, froze every Cimmerians all at once?"
    "Do I look human to you?" Ben leaned closer to the woman. Their eyes met and for a moment, neither one spoke. Cim Gu didn't blink and neither did Ben. The woman averted her gaze first. "I was mistaken."
    "Do you need a third demonstration?" Ben asked.
    Cim Gu blinked once. "It is not needed. You have the power to destroy us but you choose not to. Why?"
    "I like to do things with fairness and good manners. I believe your people did not mean to harm us and I do not wish to kill any being even for a good reason."
    Cim Gu nodded. "It is very kind of you but some of us do not always listen well."
    Ben laughed lightly. "I have learned that many times over."
    Cim Gu pursed her purple lips into a smile or what looked like a smile. Trudy could not say for certain. Cim Gu turned to look at her. "And this one? Is she worth all of this?"
    Ben glanced at Trudy and the back to Cim Gu. "She is not any one individual. But I'm not here to explain things to you. Have we come to an agreement?"
    Cim Gu nodded. "Yes. We will no longer intrude on your people. Now, unfroze my people and leave our planet."
    "With pleasure. And goodbye. I hope we will never meet again." Ben smiled. "Come along Trudy." Ben snapped his fingers and they were back in space. They started moving at lightening speed and only stopped in front of an egg-shaped object in space. A large opening appeared in the smooth surface and Ben pushed Trudy forward into the opening. It closed behind her. The layers of protection on her disappeared and she collapsed onto the ship's floor. She was back on the bridge with the buttonless control panel and a screen that looked out toward a sunrise horizon with a lighthouse. For a moment, she was surprised her head wasn't completely hazy.
    Then she noticed black sneakers with white shoelaces in front of her. She looked up into Ben's face. He was bended halfway. "Oh good, you're conscious. I had to planet-hopped a few times before finding the Cimms' ship. They sure know how to do a quick getaway." Ben straightened up and went to sit down in front of the control panel. "Let's get going before the Cimms changed their minds. That Cim Gu was beautiful but she didn't have a single ounce of spirit in her."
    Trudy's whole body ached. A yawn escaped before she could cover her mouth. "What just happened?"
    "What just happened? Must we have this conversation again, Trudy?" said Ben.
    "Yes, we must. I was kidnapped and grew an extra arm. Explain to me how that happened." Trudy wasn't angry, she was frustrated. "And also, what did you do to the Cimms?"
    "Sit down or if you prefer to slide around on the floor, that's fine with me."
    Trudy pulled herself up and sat on the chair. "Why or how did the Cimms kidnapped me and my—third arm - how could that happened??"
    There was a jolt and then they were moving fairy quick but steady. Trudy didn't see anything in double vision.
    "You might want to get answers for your first question before asking more questions." He raised an eyebrow at her.
    She shrugged. "Just answer any of my questions."
    "First question: What just happened? Well, you have already answered that. You got kidnapped, grew an extra arm, got un-kidnapped and here you are." He laughed lightly. "But I must apologized for forgetting to put up the ship's shield but we were in a hurry. As for your third arm, we did use Cimms technology to get your eyes so maybe you accidentally acquired some of their genetics. They are a regenerative species. I'm still wondering why they choose to have one eye. That didn't seem very efficient. What if they can't use their eye? They don't have a backup, well, they would regenerate a new eye but it still isn't— nevermind. Think on the bright side, a third arm might come in handy. Lots of humans worry about losing a limb but you gained one, isn't that good?"
    She leaned back in her chair. Her head was pounding now. "Not really."
    "But perhaps it was only temporary since you are now back to two arms. And anyway, you're alive and that is the most important bit, yes? And what's the other question? Oh yes, I froze the Cimm's whole planet and their inhabitants. The leader, Cim Gu, could feel every single emotion of her people. If one dies, she would know. While frozen, most of them probably have more fears than they can handle and Cim Gu suffered their fears which is not an easy thing to endure, not for a new leader. And no, I didn't trade a planet for you. It's part of the negotiation penalty for backing out. And what kind of guardian would I be if I let them take your eyes?"
    "You're my guardian? I supposed that meant your title isn't just a title but something more?" Was Ben obligated to save her?
    "To put it more broadly, I'm earth's guardian. Your planet is under my protection and that included the inhabitants which you are one of them."
    "Is that what you do? You're a planet guardian?"
    "Not exactly." He turned to face her. "Frankly, this whole guardian thing is all new to me. I'm more of a trader. Mostly planets, moons, black holes, that sort of thing. Anything that's original. And occasionally, relics from this and that place." He grinned.
    "How new are you to being a guardian?" Trudy liked the idea of someone protecting the earth even if they are a bit chaotic.
    Ben turned away. "You know, some things we need to learn in a slow manner and I think I'm doing that. But time is peculiar. The more you try to gain it, the less time you have."   
    "What does that mean?" Trudy's head ached.    
    "Don't worry, you have plenty of time to think about it once you're home."
    Home. Trudy had not thought about home in a while. Will she like it better now that she can see? And what about Ben? And all the new things she had learned? If she stayed with him longer, would she learned more? "Can I stay with you a bit more?"    
    "No. For one, I travel alone and two, I'm too used to myself that I don't think another person can adjust to my ways or perhaps I'm too stubborn that I can't let others have their ways." Ben laughed, light and hesitant. "Jesse did said I was the worst roommate he ever had."
    "I'm perfectly fine with a bad roommate."
    "And are you fine with traveling to odd worlds and dealing with people who wants to kill you? Or that you can sometimes gets thrown out to space without a clue how you are going to survive? It's not as simple as any of that. Besides, you are meant to live your life on earth - a place where you don't have to worry, well, you do but not as much if you're with me." Ben sighed. "Steven said you would like to teach when you get your eyes back. Now you can do that."
    "But I'll be alone." Trudy had been alone for three years now since Steven's passing. She didn't exactly have people skills. Most of her life had been spent at the junkyard with Steven.
    "No, you will not. It is human nature to gravitate toward each other. One day, you'll meet someone who will understand you and even love you. I know you hope staying with me will make you happy but you're wrong." Ben turned to face her. He smiled, small and somewhat sad. "Perhaps, I can come and visit you now and then."
    "Yes, I would like that." She returned a smile. Then she remembered something else. "Why did the Cimms threw me out their ship like that? They haven't even gotten my eyes then."
    Ben turned toward the screen. "You know sometimes people are forced to do something harsh to correct a mistake and if that's a bit too much—"
    "It was you! You somehow got the Cimms to—to—" She wasn't sure what he did exactly.
    He turned around and held up both hands. "Fine. I made the Cimms threw you out. It was the only way I can get to you. They have severe ship shields and I wasn't able to get through it fast enough. And I had a plan— of sorts. You're alive and as you know, that is the most important bit. You forgive me, right?"   
    She should forgive him. After all, he was trying to save her. "Fine. I forgive you. Next time, can you tell me in advance if you were going to do something like that?"
    "Actually, I didn't know I was going to do that until later so I'm not sure I would have been able to tell you in advance. It's tricky enough to talk to you hundreds and hundreds of planets away." He turned back to the screen. After a pause, he said, "Remember when I said time travel scrambles your brain? And did you eat that egg I gave you?"
    "Yes to both, what about it?" Trudy didn't like his tone.
    "Jesse, my friend, the perpetual time traveler, although not like time maggots because Jesse likes to travel alone. He said eggs help him keep his equilibrium and also keeps his brain from scrambling too much during time travel."
    "Yes but I ask again, what about time travel?"
    "That is what we're going to do right now."   
    "I thought you're taking me back to earth."
    "I am. Look." He pointed to the screen which was now a view of the blue-brown globe.     Her home. It looked small to Trudy.
    "Trudy, I'm going have to take you back to the point when I took you so that time doesn't get screwed up." He peered at the watch on his wrist which had gray dots blinking in and out. "It had been three months, six days and two minutes since I took you."
    "What? That's— impossible. A few days, maybe." Trudy was certain it had not been that long.
    "It does feel like a few days but moving through the planets takes more than a few days each."
    "I don't know why I even bother. Every time I get an explanation, it makes sense and yet—" Trudy released a long breath.
    "Don't stress. It's not a big deal," said Ben.
    "Why would dropping me off at present time screw anything up?"
    "That's the same old question isn't it? Well, as far as I can understand, it's the whole grandfather paradox thing. You shouldn't even toy with the idea of changing anything in case you accidentally cause a catastrophe that can't be fixed."
    "Yes, well, what about getting my eyes back? Is that not changing something?"
    "Well, you see, that little bit is allowed." Ben grinned, the two long tooth at front were yellow-stained.
    "Why is that little bit allowed?" Trudy raised her eyebrows at him.
     "Some things are meant to be fixed and that if the universe allowed it to stay fixed, then it's perfectly fine. I've learned from Jesse it's best not to think too much on such things. You'll have to leave it up to fate."
    "I supposed." She wasn't so certain if she can trust fate but she remembered Steven believed everything evens out eventually.
    Ben turned back to the controls. "We don't want to waste more time than we have." The view screen turned black. "Should we go now?"
    "Yes, why not." Trudy had enough talking.
    He stood up and walked toward her. "Stand up."
    "Why?" She stood up.
    "I'm taking you on a little time trip." He took one of her hands.
    "I thought we're going to do that through your ship."
    "We're not."
    "Why not?"
    "You and your thousand questions, Trudy. I can't use the ship to send you back because then I also have to send the ship back and it takes a lot of energy to send a giant object back when it's unnecessary. And don't you think it's easier to just send you back instead? Understand?"
    She laughed. "Yes, I guess."
    "Would you like me to put you to sleep?"
    "No. I mean, shouldn't I be awake for this?'
    "As I said time travel can scramble your brain. Why do you think I put you to sleep the first time I took you?"
    "What? Do you mean you had travelled back to get me?"
    Ben averted his eyes for moment and then he met her eyes. "About that. I'm sorry to tell you this but the you now is not the present you. I've gone back three months get you."
    "That means I'm the past, right?"
    "Yes and no. I had no choice. The present you would never have accepted any of this. She was also a bit unavailable but it doesn't matter. This is the present you now."
    "What do you mean by unavailable?"
    Ben shrugged. "Just what the word means."
    She nodded even though he didn't really answer her question. "So if you have gone back three months to get me and now we're going back three months also... What does that mean?"
    He snickered. "Don't worry, we're right on time."
    Trudy didn't want to think about time anymore. "Let's just go. I'm sick of talking."
    "Is that so?" Ben widened his eyes.
    She nodded. "Let's go."
    "You might feel a little tingling here and there and then some fatigue but don't worry, it's all normal or I have heard from Jesse."
    "Is Jesse human?"
    "Yes, didn't I say?"
    Trudy shrugged. "I don't remember."
    "And if you feel a craving for cheeseburgers, that's normal too. Something about moving backward or forward in time makes you have strange cravings."
    Trudy laughed. "Really?"
    "That is what Jesse told me. He's the authority on human time travel. Count backwards from one hundred."
    "Why?"
    He narrowed his eyes.
    "Fine. Ninety-nine, ninety-eight, nighty-seven... Hey, can you drop me off at the beach?"
    "No. I'll have to drop you off where I took you."
    "At the graveyard?"
    "Yes or close to it as not everything is accurate when it comes to time travel. Keep counting."
    "Ninety-six, ninety-five, ninety-four..."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 03 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Trudy's head swirled with colors and lights. She was hungry. A cheeseburger would be just the thing but she didn't eat meat and yet, she remembered the scent from when Steven ate them.
    A flash of red crossed her vision. It was raining and someone came with a red umbrella for Trudy but water dripped through the hole in the back and soaked her shirt but she was delighted. Why was she so happy with this person whose face she could no longer recognized as her mother's? The image faded away. She was at the shore watching the horizon. There was a cold breeze. Something bright at the water's edge caught her eyes. She got up and ran toward it. The object was a marble with swirling blue hues. She climbed over some rocks and reached down into the water but the object was out of her reach. The rocks beneath her started to slide from side to side. Someone grabbed her outreached hand. She tried to pull away but it held her tight. "Let go!" she said. She struck at the hand with her free one.
    "Ou! That was not nice, Trudy." The voice sounded familiar. "Trudy, stop fighting me and open your eyes!"
    Hadn't her eyes been opened? She closed and then opened her eyes again. Ben was looking down at her with a slight frown. "Are you sensible now?" He was gripping her hand. She was lying on an incline ground. Just a few inches from her feet was the lake. Ben pulled her up and onto the wet grass. "What happened?"
    "Nothing to worry about." Ben swiped at the back of his hand where there was a cut that disappeared.
    Did Trudy struck him? Then she noticed the grave stones around them and the small lake that she almost fell in, surrounded part of the yard. "Are we back on earth? At the graveyard?" 
    "Yes to both." Ben straightened his coat but kept his eyes down.
    There was an iron gate not far from them. She walked toward the gate, stopped, turned around and took a left. Steven Fine was craved into the pale gray stone in neat, black letters. It was too expensive to add a line of text underneath. She kneeled and touched the stone. "Steven. I'm here with Ben." She turned around.
    Ben stepped beside Trudy. "Hello Steven. Of course, you're not really here as your soul would have gone to a much better place. At least, that was what you told me." Ben laughed lightly. He turned to Trudy. "What do you think? Is he there or somewhere else?"
    "I don't know. I have been coming here and talking to him so..." Trudy laughed and stood up.
    On the far left side, behind the graves, she could see the top of a pile of cars in the junkyard. They had put a graveyard next to a junkyard which made sense to Trudy as they each contained dilapidated and forgotten things. The elm trees that surrounded the graveyard still had some of their vivid orange and red leaves. She turned to the right. There was a small shed covered in dried flowers and leaves which she was not able to see before. A cold wind was gliding around them.
    Ben coughed. She turned to face him. "I guess this is goodbye," she said.
    "Not yet. I would like to visit the junkyard before I leave." Ben tucked his hands into his trenchcoat pockets. "If that is alright with you."
    "Why not?" she said. She started for the gate, turned a right and toward the junkyard. Ben was soon beside her. Surrounding the junkyard was a tall, dark wooden fence with a wide opening for an entrance where a wooden sign hung there with Steven's Yard painted in dark maroon.
    Ed's snore reached her ears. Ed was Steven's friend and the one who took over the junkyard after Steven's passing. Ed was sleeping in his chair beside a car with its hood up. He was holding half of a cheese sandwich in one hand and in the other a wrench.
    Trudy looked around the yard. Piles of broken down vehicles and parts were here and there. On the far left side was a shed and a few feet from the shed was a one story house with a peaked roof and two windows. It was painted white with yellow trimmings. She turned to Ben. "What do you think?"
    "It's better than I had pictured it."
    "Do you mean you had pictured it badly or—"
    "It's a decent place to make a living. Steven was right not to sell."
    She nodded. "Mm-hm." There were talks about selling the yard to send her to college but she had always objected and Steven never tried to convince her otherwise.
    "Trudy!" Ed had woken. He shot up out of his chair. "Where have you been?" He took a bite of his sandwich and chewed. His thick black-gray mustache that covered his mouth slid from side to side.
    "Just around." She grinned. "It's so good to see you, Ed." She had thought Ed was overweight as Ellen, his wife, often complained about how much Ed ate but Ed was thin and boney.
    "Okay then." Ed shrugged. Then he sat down. But then his eyes widened and he stood up. "You can see me? Holy—" Ed tilted his head from side to side as he looked her face over. Then he turned to Ben. "Who's this?"
    "Oh this is—" Trudy stopped. It wasn't Ben standing beside her. It was a tall boy with one left arm. He was smiling at Ed. "I'm Quinn, the gravedigger. Well, assistant to the assistant gravedigger. How do you do." Ben or rather Quinn held out his left hand toward Ed.
    Ed put his wrench in his overall back pocket and shook Quinn's hand vigorously and let go. "Ed Madre. It's nice to meet a new fellow. Do you work for Wrinkles?"
    Quinn nodded. "Sure."
    "Good. Good." Ed turned to Trudy. "I gotta get home. Ellen will scold me if I'm late again. Trudy, you wanna come over for dinner? I'm sure Ellen made plenty."
    "Thank you Ed but I'll pass. Tell Ellen I say thank you." She pat him on his arm.
    "It was nice to meet you Quinn. I'll see you later, Trudy." Ed smiled at Trudy, gave Quinn a nod and turned and walked off.
    "Same here, Ed." Ben was grinning.
    Trudy watched Ed walked through the wooden fence and out of sight. She turned back. He was the old Ben again. She smiled. "How do I know—
    "The real me? This is the real me. At least, it represents what I want to look like. Can you say that's the real you now, with your wild hair and dirty clothes and looking like you've been through a hurricane?"
    "What?" Trudy touched her hair that was a bit oily and scattered. She could use a comb. With a small laugh, she said, "I guess I'm not presenting myself very well. I'm usually very well kept."
    "Me too. But I can't let Ed see me. He's a bit of a gossip."
    "And the boy that you were?"
    "Oh, he's the gravedigger's assistant over there in the graveyard we had just left. His name is really Quinn." Ben grinned. He took her hand and shook it, not too strong and not too light. "Good luck with your life, Trudy Fine. Let's not meet under unsuitable circumstances again."
    "And who created those unsuitable circumstances?" Trudy grinned.
    "I must admit, parts of it was my fault. Thank you for not scolding me."
    "Thank you for getting my eyes back. Do you think that arm issue will happen again?" Trudy didn't like to experience it again though it was awesome in a freaky way.
    He held out his hands, palms up. "Maybe. I'm no expert on Cimm genetics but I wouldn't worry about it. Goodbye." He turned and took a few steps from her but he stopped and turned around. "And Trudy, think of me as your friend, just like Steven." He smiled, subtle with his eyes sparkling.
    She nodded and returned a smile.
    He turned around and took more steps forward and disappeared.
    "Thank you!" she cried out. Was he really gone? Up in the sky, it had turned a bit dark.The wind had gotten colder. She started toward the house. Looking up at the white walls and the dusty windows, she smiled. It was exactly how she had imagined it. She had loved spending most of her life inside it and the yard but she didn't go out much. The fear of what people might think of her had kept her from going anywhere. It was time she changed that.
    A soft thud sounded behind her. On the ground was a small, rectangle brown case. She picked it up and unzipped it. There was a pair of sunglasses with a note. It said, 'Wear this during the day to keep your eyes from overworking. Ben.'
    She put the sunglasses on. They were tinted. Up at the sky, there was a white outline in the shape of a large oval but it faded away. She took off the glasses and tucked them back into the case. Taking one last look at the sky, she smiled and walked into the house.

The End.