Disclaimer: ditto
Rule #4: Never ever ever, talk to strangers.
"They think the prince will actually fall for it?"
"Yeah."
Blink laughed out loud. Mush wanted to laugh with him, but for some reason, he was not feeling much in the mood for it. It had been three days since they'd left, and Mush was no where closer to finding his family than he had been before he began searching. They'd been to one town already and Mush thought for a moment that a lady sitting on her porch in a rocking chair could be his mother, but upon closer inspection, he realized his father would have never married a woman that looked like that.
Then he began to think that perhaps his mother was dead. If that was the case, his father was a lunatic. How could he have a family if they were all dead? Unless of course, they'd had other kids and he had a brother or sister somewhere. Then he wondered if said sibling was out wandering around searching for him?
It would be a shame to walk right past his older sister or younger brother, or even two older brothers and a younger sister, or a sister with a limp or a sister of any kind, without even realizing who she was.
He had taken to staring down every person they passed by just to see if they shared any of the same traits. One girl had a slightly upturned nose, like him,and Mush wondered for a moment, but then realized her hair was flaming red, and her skin pale as a ghost. Plus she had freckles.
There were a few times when he's almost given up hope, but Blink had assured him that it was quite natural to search for something for a really long time before you actually found it.
"Are you alright?"
Mush was startled when Blink's voice interrupted his thoughts. He turned to his friend. "Yeah. I was just thinking."
"Must have been something pretty deep."
"No. Not really."
Blink kept a steady gaze on the side of Mush's face for a few moments and then pointed to a patch of forest in front of them. "There's a little village just through there, a half a mile in at the most. We can probably find a place to sleep for the night."
Mush was amazed by how well Blink really did know the kingdom. Blink explained that it was because of many business trips he went on with his father.
"Your father must be an important man to have business all over the kingdom."
"Some people think so." Blink changed the subject immediately afterward, explaining that the trees they were passing by now were redwoods. "They're some of the oldest trees in the kingdom."
The trees seemed to stretch upwards forever, their tops vanishing into the darkening sky overhead.
A few minutes later, Blink pointed out a light up ahead. "That's the gatekeeper's shack."
They approached it. Mush was slightly nervous. In all his life, he had never met so many people. He liked meeting people but the experience was still new.
"Can I help you boys?"
Blink lowered his voice when he spoke. "My friend and I are looking for lodging."
The man, the gatekeeper, stuck his head out through a small window to observe the boys more closely. "How long do you plan on staying?" His voice was gruff and unfriendly, and Mush was glad when the man's bald and wrinkled head disappeared back through the hole.
"Just for the night."
"The Red Lantern has a few free rooms. Board isn't cheap but a nights lodging includes breakfast."
"Thank you," Blink said. The man opened the gate and allowed them to pass through. Inside, the village was alive and well lit, almost more inviting than it had seemed on the outside. It was bigger than the one they'd stopped at previously, and Mush couldn't help but pause now and then to take in the sights and sounds.
Blink was amused by Mush's curious behavior and told him so.
"I've never seen anything like this," Mush said, trying to defend himself but only succeeding in sounding more captivated by the village. "Do we have to sleep right now?"
Blink laughed and then motioned to a sign above their heads. The Red Lantern. "We'll check in and save a room. Then we'll have some fun."
Mush liked that idea very much.
They entered the building into a crowded room, full of very loud and boisterous people. A dance was going on near the back corner, big hairy men dancing with thin, frail ladies, others surrounding them tapping their feet in time to the music of a nearby band.
Mush stared. He couldn't help it. He was aware of someone talking into his ear, but he was in a sort of trance and then—
"Mush!" He turned to find Blink staring at him. "Lets go drop off your things. This party isn't ending anytime soon. Trust me."
Mush did trust him. Mush realized that even though he'd known Blink for less than a week he trusted him more than he trusted his own family, which wasn't saying much because he didn't trust his family at all, but since they were the only other people he knew, it was the only comparison he could make.
Their room was large; Two single beds sat on either side, made up with the softest looking blankets Mush had ever laid eyes on. There was a wash basin between the beds and a tub in the corner. Just to the right of the door was a dresser, which they had no use for but Mush liked it even so.
It was no wonder that the room hadn't come cheap. Wait.
"Blink! I can't afford a room like this! I can't even afford to—"
"Mush, calm down. It's taken care of. The owner owes me a favor." Blink winked. At least, Mush thought he winked. He couldn't be sure because one eye was covered. For all he knew Blink could have been blinking and Mush just assumed he winked. Of course, it had been a very appropriate time to wink, hadn't it?
Sometimes being Blink's friend was difficult.
"Well, that was easy," Mush said, dropping his nearly empty sack onto the floor. "Let's go exploring, Blink."
"Great idea, Mush."
The people outside of the Red Lantern were much more fascinating than the ones inside. A woman with long dark hair offered to read Mush's palm. Mush glanced down at his hand and scrunched his eyebrows. "It doesn't say anything," he explained, holding his palm out to her. She laughed along with Blink and then explained that the lines on his palm told a story. His story.
"Really?"
"Yes, child." The bracelets on her wrists clanked together as she took Mush's hand into her own. She ran a finger along one of the lines and Mush had to stifle a giggle. It tickled! "I see adventure in your future," she said. She moved on to another line and then said, "and people. Lots of important people."
"My family!" Mush shouted. He turned to Blink, yanking his hand away from the woman in the process. "It has to be my family!"
"I'm sure it is, Mush," Blink said. The woman looked at them angrily.
"I don't do readings for free," she said, placing her jewelry clad hands on her hips.
Blink reached into his pocket and pulled out a few coins. "It wasn't that great of a reading anyway," he said. He grabbed Mush's elbow and pulled him away.
"How did she know that stuff, Blink?"
"She's a fortune teller, Mush. A gypsy. They're not to be trusted."
"Why not? She seemed nice…and all of that stuff she said…"
"She probably says it to everyone."
Mush felt his heart drop. So she was only lying to him.
"Oh, no Mush, I mean…don't worry. We'll find your family. But, gypsies they aren't…" he trailed off and then sat down on the steps of a nearby building. He patted the space next to him and Mush moved into it, still feeling dejected. "People have to make a living, Mush. Gypsies do it by claiming to see the future. They lie, steal and cheat their way through life and…this isn't helping is it?"
Mush looked over at Blink. "I think maybe we should keep looking."
The city wasn't quite as much fun after that.
Mush found himself glaring at every person who passed by that even resembled what a gypsy looked like in his mind. Blink was unusually quiet.
Mush finally saw something that made him light up when they turned a corner. In the window of a store was a display of wooden horses, just like his, only whole. He grabbed Blink's hand and pulled him toward it. "C'mon. We have to go inside."
The shop's owner was a tall boy with dark curly hair and large blue eyes. He was sitting behind the counter, reading a book in the light of a lantern, the only light in the entire room.
He looked up when Blink closed the door behind them. "The store is closed, gentlemen."
"The door was unlocked."
"It would be stupid of me to lock myself in now wouldn't it?"
Mush and Blink looked at one another and then back at the shopkeeper. "We don't want to buy anything…My friend here, he has a question for you."
Mush felt bashful then. This boy could be his long lost brother. He felt a hand on his back pushing him forward and found himself so close to the blue eyed boy that he could feel his breath on his face.
"I just…"
"Go on," Blink urged.
"Are you my family?"
The boy stared down at Mush, his eyebrows furrowed and his expression, well, more curious than angry thankfully.
Then he laughed.
Mush stepped backward and found solace once he was beside Blink again. The shopkeeper was laughing hysterically now, doubled over and clutching his stomach while even in the dim light they could see his face turning red.
"Jack put you up to this, didn't he?" The shopkeeper managed to ask between huge bursts of loud laughter. "Good one Jack!" He shouted. Mush and Blink turned around quickly thinking there was someone else in the room.
They were alone.
"I'm serious," Mush said. "We don't know any Jacks. I have this horse, this well, half horse, and I'm looking for the other half. I saw the horses in the window and I thought…I thought…" Mush stared at the boy and then grabbed Blink's arm. "Come on."
Outside, Mush breathed a huge breath of fresh air. They could still hear the boy's laughter through the open door.
"I thought for sure that…"
"Mush, that guy was an idiot. We'll find your family." Blink yawned then and Mush yawned too. They laughed quietly and then Blink suggested they head back to The Red Lantern for "some well earned shut eye."
Mush thought that was funny, because Blink really did have one eye. He told Blink so and Blink punched him in the shoulder.
Mush was surprised to find that it didn't hurt as much as it would have if it had been Oscar or Morris. He smiled as they trudged upstairs to bed.
Mush had never had a more comfortable sleep.
TBC…
A/N: Where in the heck did that come from? I fear this story had taken a turn for the more serious than absurd. My absurdist muse has left me completely. I don't know what to think of myself now.
Shout-outs (because I've never done them before and it seems like so much fun!)
Sprints 100: Aww…you flatter me. Hopefully I will live up to your expectations.
madmbutterfly713: hmm…that would be amusing wouldn't it?
Kid Blink's Dreamer: I like cliffhangers….I like them a lot.
