01-11-2019, 04:45 AM
"Mmmmm," he said, "Not long at all." Jude had been almost a week in traveling here, his destination as fixed as a star, certain that Near would be here. For a moment, he felt strange. He could not help it, even though it was just one small, strange thing atop a pile of much larger, much stranger things. He felt sudden relief, that there was no one there except the two of them, that he was saved both from loneliness and from the numerous, spider-like eyes of an audience. He wanted to be what Near had decided he was - just some weirdo, some loser, wandering through the woods and babbling mysterious things that meant nothing. Jude thought about how easy it would, to pretend that. It wouldn't take very much pretending.
How long could he make it last? A month, a few months? Even longer, if they moved around. Did Near have any friends? Jude entertained the whole thing in his mind, a dream with warm hues and soft lighting, as he handed the bottle back. "Can you show me what else there is? At the bar?"
It was a nice dream. Perhaps one day, or one night. Just not tonight.
How long could he make it last? A month, a few months? Even longer, if they moved around. Did Near have any friends? Jude entertained the whole thing in his mind, a dream with warm hues and soft lighting, as he handed the bottle back. "Can you show me what else there is? At the bar?"
It was a nice dream. Perhaps one day, or one night. Just not tonight.