Boats and Birds
Eddy had no idea how he had gotten here but, somehow, he was in a crowded hallway jostling to get out. The crowd seemed moved with only intent, to smother him to death.
"Hey, cut it out!" Eddy snapped as someone's pointy elbow found its way into his side. He attempted to turn around and confront the offender but all he saw was a flood of faceless people all moving in the exact same way in the exact same direction.
Suddenly seized with a sense of panic, Eddy began to move steadily against the flow of people. Unfortunately, the featureless beings seemed to sense the resistance and he immediately felt them snatching at his clothes and body, united in their intent. He felt some of them firmly grab his arms and legs and he desperately tried to fight them off but there were too many of them.
Now that they all had a firm grip on his limbs, they began to drag him toward their original destination. As they neared the end of the hallway, Eddy felt his anxiety increase until he was in a frenzied state. When the crowds finally dropped, he realized why.
Standing right in front of him, and wearing a grotesque smirk, was his older brother.
"Hey, Pipsqueak," he murmured.
Just those two words and Eddy began to shake uncontrollably. Begging for mercy was useless, a executioner would be more sympathetic. And it was obvious that he wasn't going to be released by these faceless prisoners. No matter how much he squirmed and twisted, their grip was steely and growing even stronger as his brother leaned forward and began to sadistically cackle as he reached for Eddy.
"Eddy? Eddy?"
Double-D tapped Eddy on his shoulder but only received a whimper in response.
After a few more attempts to rouse his friend from his sleep, he decided to use a more abrasive strategy.
"Ed, kindly wake Eddy so our day can commence."
Ed, mouth full of Chunky Puffs, waddled over to Eddy, picked him up, and began shaking him like a rattle.
"EDDY! OH, EDDY!" he screamed, cereal pieces flying everywhere "WAKE UP, EDDY!"
No response.
Ed scratched his chin and tried a different tactic.
Still rocketing his friend back and forth, he shout, "EDDY THERE IS A TWO-HEADED, uh, SCALY, MUTANT…CHICKEN GIRL OUTSIDE. IT IS MADE OF MONEY AND, uh…"
Ed thought for a bit before screaming, "IT IS WEARING A BIKINI!"
Turning aside to Double-D, he added slyly, "Eddy loves bikinis."
Eddy was roused from his sleep, not from the promise of a scantily clad mutant but from the combination of the shaking and Ed screaming in his ears.
"WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" he screamed just as loudly.
"There is a two-headed, scaly, mutant…"
"Thank you, Ed but I believe Eddy is quite awake now," Double-D interrupted his rant and pleasantly turned to Eddy, "Have you forgotten what today is?"
Rubbing his neck, Eddy thought for a little bit then shook his head.
"Oh, Eddy, this is the last day of summer and childhood for us! We enter the illustrious 7th grade tomorrow!"
Double-D clasped his hands together and continued, "Just imagine it, Gentlemen! We are on the precipice of entering a completely new period in our lives!"
Eddy snorted and quipped, "You said period."
A quick frown was bestowed upon him for his ill-mannered remark before Double-D added, "Entering into the wonderful world of adolescence is considered a stepping-stone into adulthood."
As he paused for breath, the revelation of his words hit Eddy in full. They weren't going to be kids anymore. Sleepovers, romps at the junkyard, and having their usual adventures were going to be frowned upon when they entered into their teen years.
Another realization entered his mind and caused Eddy's stomach to twist uncomfortably. What if entering 7th grade caused them to fall away from each other?
Since their escapade with his brother, they had been suddenly and whole-heartedly welcomed into cul-de-sac. And, because of this, it seemed that each of the Eds were discovering their own kindred spirits among the group. Sometimes it seemed as if they were spending more time with their newfound friends then with each other and this was starting to bother Eddy. Now that there was going to be yet another change in their lives, one that might possibly break them up for good, he felt an overwhelming wave of depression flood his thoughts.
Double-D was now looking at him strangely and Eddy quickly shook his to rid himself of those melancholy recollections.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, Sockhead I remember," he said "Enough blabbing about…" his voice became squeaky as he attempted to imitate his friend's voice "'Being on the precipitous of adulthood' or whatever."
Double-D glared at him before responding, "Well, you did not seem to recall that we were going to spend this day in bliss, Eddy. Now, let's see, what shall we do first? Research the interesting habits of the native arthropods in the forest? Watching our favorite movies? Or perhaps building the world's largest papier-mâché' building?"
Eddy glanced at his two friends and decided that if this was going to be the last day they spent together, then it was going to be one that they were all going to remember.
"Naw, I got a better idea," he replied, sporting a large grin.
Double-D looked at him skeptically before finally saying, "Alright, Eddy, but please keep your wits about you. I want to survive this day."
Ed winked at him and added, "And Eddy wants to see mutant chicken girls in bikinis!"
Eddy stared at him blankly before deciding that it was fruitless to bother asking and made his way to the door. Kicking it open, he strutted outside to greet the warm, pleasant day with style.
Every one of Eddy's plans were fraught with reckless abandon and could very well end in a serious injury. At least, that's what Double-D proclaimed during each and every one of them. Not that he tried to wheedle them out of any of their escapades; the comment was usually stated as the scheme was carried out.
Personally, Eddy thought that his ideas for the day were genius. From riding a bike down the neighborhood's highest rooftop into the pool below; to being thrown in the air to "catch" clouds (one of Double-D's inventions was monumentally useful for this), everything they did gave Eddy an adrenaline rush that temporarily shoved out his depression. Of course once they were finished, the emptiness found its way back into his stomach and even seemed to increase with its absence.
For almost the whole day the cycle continued, Eddy trying to squelch his melancholy with an impossible stunt, only to experience a letdown right after. By the end of the afternoon, even Ed was beginning to dread what horrific plan might leave his lips this time. As Eddy opened his mouth to suggest goodness-knows-what, Double-D spoke up.
"Eddy, this has gone on for long enough! Lord knows Ed and I have tried to be patient with you and your harebrained ideas but a proverbial line must be drawn."
Eddy blew a raspberry in disgust and snapped, "Sheesh, Sockhead, I thought this day was supposed to be fun!"
"Yes, Eddy. But the day was meant to spent in merriment NOT in trying to kill ourselves!"
"Then I guess you're too chicken for my next plan!"
"Next plan?! You have made all of the decisions thus far for, may I remind you, our perfect day and I will have no more of it!"
Ed, quietly suffering from hearing his dearest friends fight, suddenly stood up and said, "Eddy, you are our chum! And when chums are sad, chums are there to help you!"
"What the heck are ya talkin' about!?" Eddy snapped in outrage "I ain't sad!"
"Eddy listen to what Ed is telling you," Double-D said "If you are feeling melancholy, you should let us know."
Eddy glared at them before stomping off and yelling back at them, "If you two aren't gonna be real men then I'm taking the Ship in a Bottle, BY MYSELF!"
Double-D and Ed gasped.
After making sure that no one was in that infamous trailer, Eddy managed to pick the flimsy lock and slip in the door. He could feel sweat running down his face as he crept through the unkempt living room. The prize he was seeking hung on the arched opening to the kitchen. As he neared it, his heart began pounding faster.
At long last, he was directly under the ship. He carefully slid a kitchen chair over to be able to reach it and as he eagerly snatched it up, thoughts of his friends pushed themselves into his head.
Memories of when they first met, their first scam, the time they all decided to run away from home. Knowing that they were never going to be the same and that they were probably going to stop being friends, crumpled Eddy's spirit completely. He slid off the chair, huddled the bottle ship close to his body and curled up in the corner. A tear slid down his face and many more would have followed had he not suddenly been confronted by the two subjects of his misery.
"Eddy, have you gone mad?" Double-D cried as he rushed through the open door "What on earth are you thinking?!"
Ed had no reprimand for the offending party but rushed toward him and scooped him up in a bone-crushing squeeze.
"Oh, Eddy!" he wailed "The Floozy Susies are going to trap you in their lair of loooooove."
Eddy wasn't appreciative of the rescue effort and tried to shove Ed away.
"Well, you guys sure as heck weren't gonna help, so what was I supposed to do?!" he retorted.
Double-D rolled his eyes in frustration and snapped, "OF COURSE, we weren't going to help you! For one thing, I didn't believe you were foolish enough to put your life in the hands of the Kanker Sisters! For another…"
"You guys just don't care anymore, that's what it is!" Eddy shouted "You all found new friends so now ya don't have to hang around me anymore!"
For a few minutes, the room was filled with silent tension as each of the Eds tried to comprehend the situation.
Finally, Double-D asked gently, "Is that what has been bothering you?"
Eddy didn't get a chance to answer. Much to their dismay, the occupants of the house had just walked in and were now glowering at them.
"Hey, they got our Shipinnabottle!" May exclaimed.
"That's private property you've got your hands on, Buster!" Marie snapped, pointing an accusing finger at him.
"Well, well, well," Lee purred "You guys have been real bad. How should we punish you?"
To the Kankers' great surprise, there were no snide comebacks or fearful requests for mercy.
"What, are ya guys deaf?" Marie demanded.
Instead of answering, Eddy shoved the prized possession in Lee's arms and stalked out. After he left, both the Eds and the Kankers seemed to be at a loss for words and silence once again pervaded the room.
Lee broke it by murmuring, "Are ya gonna follow him and see what's wrong or what?"
Snapped back into reality, Double-D exclaimed, "Oh yes, of course. Excuse us, please. Come along Ed."
With a grateful glance at the eldest Kanker and at May and Marie for moving aside to let them pass, Double-D guided Ed out the door.
About an hour later, Double-D and Ed were combing through the junkyard when they spotted a small figure perched on the roof of the old beat-up van they frequently visited the summer before. Creeping closer to get a better view, they were rewarded with the sight of a very forlorn looking Eddy.
"Eddy?" Ed called out mournfully.
The only indication that he had heard him was a slight shift in his position. Deciding to come closer, Double-D hesitantly took a few steps forward before being interrupted by Eddy finally speaking.
"This was our last day to be kids. Maybe our last day to be friends," he murmured.
"What on earth do you mean?" Double-D queried, even as Ed's eyes started to fill with tears.
With a shrug of his shoulders he replied, "Things are different now. We're not the same. We're not hanging out that much anymore and when we do, it's always with the other kids. And now we're gonna be teenagers and…and…"
"…And you think we are going to grow too old for each other," Double-D finished.
Finally turning around to face them, he said, "Come on, Sockhead, don't act like you don't like having Jimmy around to talk about all that art junk you like so much. And, Lumpy, you can't tell me you don't like talkin' to Nazz about your weird comics and movies."
Slumping back into his original position he added, "Face it, guys. We're never gonna be like we were."
Double-D, unable to counter any of his arguments, remained silent as he listened to the muffled sounds of Eddy sniffling. After everything we've been through, is it really just going to crumble away like sand under the tide? he thought.
Eddy was now thoroughly prepared to wallow in self-pity when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw that Ed had found his way next to his friend and was wearing a look of complete devastation.
Eddy tried to push his hand off as he growled, "Forget it, Ed."
Ed's hand wasn't moving and, when he turned to look at him again, he noticed that the sadness on his face was slowly turning into anger.
"Ed?"
"NO!" Ed shouted "We are friends FOREVER, you said so!"
He plunked himself down defiantly and glared at Eddy, who started to protest before he was interrupted by the sound of Ed stomping his foot.
"You promised!" He yelled.
"Lumpy, things are different now! We're different!"
"No, Eddy! We are still chums and we do things that chums do! We make breakfast and we eat breakfast and we play games and we fight the forces of evil in the universe…"
As Ed continued prattling on, memories of their shared adventures began to creep into Eddy's head. The thought that they would no longer be having them overwhelmed him with hopelessness. He clutched at his face with his hands to stop the tears from coming again but they were already trailing down his face. He was so preoccupied, he didn't even notice that Ed had finished talking.
"Eddy," Double-D began "do you honestly think that just because we've made a few new companions we would forget all about the friendship we've shared with each other for all these years?"
Eddy kicked at the ground.
"What we share is beyond anything we could ever hope to achieve with any other comrade!" he continued in a quivering voice "Why, we were together when no one else cared for our existence!"
"We fought your evil brother! We shared deep dark secrets!" Ed chimed in.
"You two are the only ones to see what was under my hat!" Double-D added.
Upon this, Eddy turned to face his friends and asked quietly, "But what if we don't stay friends?"
Giving him a stern look, Ed cried, "Then we will be brothers!"
"Ed is correct, no matter what, you two will forever remain my dearest friends," Double-D exclaimed "I don't even care if you act like complete buffoons during our first day back at school…although it wouldn't be recommended," he amended hastily.
Eddy looked at their beaming earnest faces and slowly felt the dread, the uncertainly, and the depression leaving him as silently as it came. A warm feeling of contentment began to fill his heart and he suddenly felt an overcoming wave of love for Ed and Double-D. They weren't just his friends and the connection he shared with them was certainly deeper then anything he ever felt with his brother or even with his parents. For the very first time in his life, Eddy felt secure.
He didn't even protest when Ed wrapped his pungent arms around both of his friends and squashed them within them.
After a few minutes, Double-D managed to choke out, "Well, gentlemen, how about we end our night with gazing at the celestial beauties that surround us."
Ed and Eddy gave him a vacant stare.
"Stargazing, gentlemen," he rephrased for their benefit.
"Why didn't ya say so, Sockhead?" Eddy said as slid off the van with finesse "I know the perfect place!"
The Eds spent the remaining part of the evening lying under the stars, munching on roasted marshmallows and hot dogs, reminiscing on days past, as well as making predictions for their future. The day, despite being fraught with emotion and drama, was satisfying to all involved because they spent the rest of it having fun together.
Eddy sighed as he took in a deep breath of the sea air and absorbed the scenery. His clipper, though a bit whimsical looking, was sturdy and the placid ocean lay out in front of him like a velvety blue sapphire, beckoning him to whatever treasures it contained.
He was nervous. He didn't know where this voyage was going to lead him or even if he would be coming back, but this was something he needed to do.
"Eddy! Wait!" cried an enthusiastic baritone voice.
He spun around and there, clad in nautical uniforms, were his two best friends. He grinned and said, "Ya guys wanted to say goodbye?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Eddy," Double-D said "Of course, we are going to accompany you!"
"We are friends to the end, Captain Eddy!" Ed proclaimed.
No further explanations were needed. The masts were let down and the anchor brought up. As Ed happily took the wheel and Double-D commandeered every map in sight, Eddy stood on the bow of the ship, gazing at their future.
Whatever happens, as long as we're together, everything is gonna be fine, Eddy thought as their ship sailed within the gathering gossamer mists and into the golden horizon.
A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.
― William Shakespeare