Aki found himself being dragged out of bed, the room still concealed in darkness. Forcing his eyes open only resulted in a burning sensation, and so decided to be led blindly by this cool hand. Being excited all night, he had difficulty falling asleep. Damn his oh-so-comfortable bed. How he longed to be under the warm covers again, enjoying the pleasures of the dreams his young mind created. The cool early morning air nipped at the back of his neck, as he heard a window being shoved open. A shudder forced him out of his sleepy daze, realizing that the ideal of returning to bed was shattered.
"Aki......Aki!" Two tiny hands grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, causing his neck to flop around like a freshly caught fish. He could only reply with mumblings and complaints of wanting to go back to sleep, but he knew his captor wouldn't give in that easily. The shaking recommenced and, paired with a shout from Meryl, Aki finally opened his eyes in fright. Although he wish he hadn't, because he was greeted with the sight of Meryl's angry scowl and bed-hair. "I told you we had to get up early this morning!" Not even Meryl herself understood why she was angry. Maybe it was due to the fact that she lived according to schedule, which was a very difficult trend to break. She sighed heavily, attempting to calm herself. There was no reason for her to be screaming at Aki like this.
She really needed this vacation.
What took only 45 minutes seemed like forever in Meryl's mind, as she threw some bags into the backseat of her car. Aki had little to carry with him, including one of his mother's old Derringers. The gun was the right size for his still-tiny hands and he treasured it more than the thought of seeing an actual, real live Plant. Meryl had no objection to her son's adoration of one of her old weapons, since the bullets were no longer being manufactured for the relic. Any normal parent would have protested...but Meryl wasn't any normal parent. As much as she desired and tried to be.
She inhaled deeply at the fresh morning air, the first sun just barely peeking over the horizon. Despite the rays that beamed across the fading night sky, it was still chilly and the winds were not making it any more tolerable. Zip went Aki's jacket to his neck and a woolen cap fell to his eyebrows, insulating his ears from the cold.
"Where're we going, Momma?" Aki inquired, as the vehicle bumped along the empty, silent road. For staying up half the night, he had some right to know. Meryl's only response was handing him the cover page of the previous day's newspaper. Despite what he read, it was difficult to understand.
NEW AMUSEMENT PARK GRAND OPENING TOMORROW
"With the peaceful times, the people of Gunsmoke are looking back to the traditional Earth methods of relaxation. We have let ourselves become too devoted to the way of machines and metal. We have let ourselves become mechanical, rigid beings. Now is the time when we no longer live in fear, where we should enjoy what this planet has done for us. Now is the time when we should create happy, peaceful memories for ourselves and our children. Now is the time for...Hortus Fortunatus!"
The picture on the cover was that of a portly man in a suit (which seemed to be almost bursting at the buttons and seams) in front of some tall, strange buildings, the likes of which Aki had never seen before. Some of them reminded him of gigantic bicycle wheels...some standing straight up and some on their sides. There was even a humongous hubcap, lying on it's side, at the top of a very pointy...thing. What was this place supposed to be? If this was his mother's idea of a good vacation, then it was going to be a weird day, indeed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Aki could never imagine, even in his wildest dreams, the sights, sounds and smells that flooded his senses. There were large pink fluffy clouds on sticks. Some tiny light-yellow salty crunchy things. A really weird guy with bizarre tribal paintings on his face and shoes definitely too big for his feet. There were flashing colourful lights, and bizarre music that came from just about everywhere they went. Maybe he had gone back to sleep and was indeed dreaming.
"Opening Day! Free rides for everyone!" was the universal chant from the men standing by the large, bizarre constructions. A large metal snake-like form raced along a tall metal lane of some sort, weaving in and out and under the itself. But it was the screams that confused Aki, as the people's faces were filled with mirth, not fear. Was this some bizarre kind of torture camp? It all left Aki very confused.
Noting the distressed look on his face, Meryl brought him closer to her side for comfort. "It's alright. It'll be fun, trust me." But not even a reassuring smile could unfurrow his eyebrows. Something had to be done. She couldn't throw all her hardwork away. "C'mon. Want some cotton candy?" She placed a double dollar on the counter, and thanked the cashier. "It tastes very nice, so I've heard." Aki watched as his mother broke off a piece of what looked like the cotton swabs she used to wipe his cuts and bruises with, except this was of a bright blue colour, and placed it in her mouth. A look of shock spread across her face, causing his heartbeat to start racing. Was it awful? "This is great! C'mon, try some! It disappears in your mouth!" Disappears? Was his mother losing his mind? How could food disappear just like that? But he gave in to his mother's urges and squeals of delight to try a piece. The taste was...remarkable. It was like pure sugar in his mouth, except for it's cottony texture. But before he could savour it for much longer, the sweet sensation had faded. It...it had disappeared! He stared at his mother in amazement, which she replied with a smile and a wink.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Despite the sweltering heat causing them to dispense of their jackets, it was still a nice day: a nearly cloudless sky, a cool breeze issuing in from an easterly direction, and the air was filled with mouth-watering smells and screams of delight. They had gone on ride after ride after ride, and they're stomachs were now filled with an assortment of all the junk food they could find. But it was a short-lived experience, as the sky began to grow dark.
"C'mon. We got time for one more ride." Meryl cheered, dragging Aki towards what was called a "ferris wheel". The multi-coloured lights traced a slow circle, almost hypnotically. They climbed into one of the vessels and climbed slowly to the top.
"This is the best day ever, Momma..." Aki squeaked in a muffled voice, as he nuzzled his face into arm and flung his hands around her neck. "I loved this surprise."
She ruffled his soft hair through her fingers. I guess kids aren't so bad after all, she thought to herself. She was pulled out of her peaceful mind, as and icy chill fell on the back of her neck. Before she could realize what it was, a light drizzle had already fallen, and by the time their vessel had reached the bottom, their hair and clothes were soaked through. A brilliant blue streak of lightning illuminated the sky, followed closely by a terrifying crack, similar to that of a whip. The sky was now replaced with shouts of terror and the sloshing of hundreds of running feet. Aki tried desperately to keep his mother in view, but people kept shoving themselves into him and cutting across his path, obscuring his view of her now and again. A protrusive foot. A face full of mud. He had now lost her.
"Momma?" He yelled, trying to rid his eyes of the gunk that suppressed his vision. All he could see now where muddy forms streaking back and forth in front of him. However, a pair stopped in front of him, just as the last of the mud was washed out of his eyes by the heavy downpour. He felt a hand grab his arm and pulled him gently, but quickly to his feet. Another lightning bolt tore through the sky, obscuring the person's face in darkness. Aki was intimidated by this form that was almost twice the size of his mother's, but a gentle voice was issued from it:
"I'll help you...you're not lost anymore..."
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o_O Any guesses? ^_^; Nyahaha! BTW, Hortus Fortunatus means Faith Garden. Tis Latin, and I liked how it sounded. Ain't Aki such a cutie? *pinches his cheeks* *receives a bite on the finger* OW! .* Anywho, I failed to give him more characterization, so hopefully in the next chapter. Thanks for reading! ^_^x
