Date: Mon, 6 Jul 2015 23:12:08 +0000 From: Cal Bundy Subject: The Deep End: Chapter 1 Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated. Please email me to let me know what you think. Also let me know if you would like to hear more of these lads' adventures. I will write more based on the demand. Thank You. ————— calbundy@outlook.com ————— —————Synopsis:—————— Strange dreams and premonitions. Making friends and grabbing destiny by the horns. This is the story of two ordinary 11-year-old boys, Nathaniel and Tommy. Or, at least, as far as Nathaniel knows Tommy is ordinary. Follow the duo as they embark on a journey that will test the limits of friendship, unfasten the clasps of familiarity and thrust them headlong into the vast realm of the great unknown. ———————————————————— The following is a complete work of fiction. Any resemblance between the characters and any real life person is completely coincidental. Please do not copy or distribute the story without the author's permission. Also, if you enjoy this free service consider donating to nifty. Prologue: Hot embers swirled around the boy's face. Giant chunks of rock floated on all sides, spinning idly. The enormous groaning sound had risen to an agonizing shriek. Nathaniel looked around frantically clutching tightly to his teddy bear. Moments after laying down for bed he had awoken to this horrible vivid nightmare. Tears were streaming down his face and he was almost choking on the smoke. He knelt on the scorched earth squeezing his eyes shut tightly trying to wake up from this dream. With swiftness like the flipping on of a light, everything changed. The noise had stopped, the air was soft and damp, and he felt as if he was weightless. He opened his eyes to see what had happened. He was no longer in the tumultuous landscape. He was floating inches above an infinite ocean. The sun was setting off in the distance; a salty breeze brushed the back of his neck, seagulls swayed lazily in the puffy pink clouds above. He wiped his eyes and looked around sheepishly. It was the most peaceful place he had ever been. All of his anxiety was melting away into the sea. A mighty gust of wind suddenly swept past the boy, heading in the direction of the setting sun. He instinctively followed its path with his eyes. That's when he saw it. A boy, he looked to be around 11 years old. Nathaniel looked intently at the apparition; it was like looking through an old window, about 100 feet off. The image of the boy was quite clear however. The spectacle seemed to hover over the water, in the same way he was floating. Nathaniel stared, transfixed on the image, his four-year-old mind searching for an explanation. Then a soothing whisper filled the air. "Seven years..." The voice faded away into the evening sky almost as if it was never there, but it had been. Just as sure as he remembered the boy's face, the soothing voice had most assuredly said `seven years' to him. Before he could locate the source of the voice, he suddenly found it impossible to keep his eyes open. Just as quickly as he had awoken to this dream, he fell fast asleep once again. This time his dreams were fleeting and peaceful, as they had always been. Nathaniel watched as the trees whipped past the backseat window. It had been seven years to the day since that dream. He remembered it like it was yesterday. The experience had been so vivid, so real. It was as though it had not been a dream at all. More like it had actually happened, all those years ago. In the weeks leading up to today he became more and more anxious, not knowing what it could possibly all lead up to. And then there were the visions he'd been having recently... He was stressing himself out just thinking about it all, he decided to try for a nap. It wasn't too far of a drive from Wisconsin to Minnesota. He liked the scenery anyhow. But today he couldn't enjoy the view; he had far too much on his mind. Never in his 11 years had a day been so anticipated, yet so dreaded at the same time. He laid his head on the window sill and drifted into a restless sleep. "The Deep End" Chapter 1: Sunbathing Moms Tommy tiptoed along the edge of the pool, holding his arms tightly around his chest. It was a pretty hot day, but the cold water sure made him chilly. As he walked toward the deep end he could feel the tiny beads of water roll down his smooth tan legs. He had noticed another boy about his age sitting at the deep end with his legs in the water. Tommy had watched him from the shallow end for the better part of 15 minutes. The boy looked lonely and Tommy was trying to make new friends anyways. Also, he was pretty sure the kid had been watching him too. He had to investigate further. "Hey!" The boy turned around, putting a hand up to block the sun and squinted at Tommy. "I'm Tommy, what's your name?" "I'm Nathaniel." Said the boy, a smile starting to form at the edges of his mouth. Sitting down next to the boy Tommy slipped his legs into the cool water. "Where you from? I haven't seen you around here before." "I'm in town for the weekend visiting my cousins. We're from Wisconsin" "How come you not getting in?" "I don't like the water too much." Nathaniel muttered awkwardly. "Why not? On a hot summers day like this it's just what the doctor ordered!" They both laughed, and Tommy playfully splashed his new friend. "Hey, cut it out!" Nathaniel said playfully, "I don't like the water remember?" They both giggled and splashed each other a little more. "So where are you from?" asked Nathaniel "From here. My parents moved here when I was born. They say they wanted a small town environment for my childhood development, whatever that means." He rolled his eyes and kicked his feet in the pool, staring down into the blue. "My mom thinks the city is the place for me." Said Nathaniel. "She wants me to have as many friends as possible. Only problem is I can't seem to make any friends at all." Tommy looked over and watched as Nathaniel gazed down into the water looking perfectly cute. Definitely downtrodden, but Tommy couldn't help feeling a rush of happiness when he looked at his newfound friend. It was as though Tommy knew just the thing to cheer him up. "Come with me." Tommy stood up and placed his hands on his hips looking down at the sulking boy. Staring up with a wrinkled face showing both confusion and an aversion to sunlight, Nathaniel slowly rose to his feet looking slightly suspicious, but completely curious. Tommy walked briskly to the far end of the pool where the diving boards were, Nathaniel in his wake. If this kid didn't like the water so much, maybe he just needed to stop getting his feet wet and dive in! "Ooooh no..." Tommy looked over his shoulder; he was halfway up the diving board ladder. "Come on Nate! It'll be fun! It's just what you need to loosen up! We can jump off at the same time." "I don't know..." Nathaniel stammered, fidgeting and looking down at his feet. "Look at me!" Tommy was walking up and down the board acting like he was a swimsuit model in a fashion show, posing dramatically at either end with his nose held high in the air. "Hahaha!" Nathaniel was giggling and holding his splitting sides. "Come on! I need some back up for the show! Theses critics are eating me alive!" Tommy smiled and waved to the imaginary judges swinging his hips back and forth, putting on quite a show. By now there were a couple of kids heading towards the diving boards. "Come on Nate! You get up on that one and we'll jump on the count of three! Hurry, the other kids are coming!" "Ok, ok! I can't believe you talked me into this" Nathaniel said still giggling and grinning from ear to ear. He quickly climbed the other ladder and walked out to the end of the diving board. "It'll be fun! You'll see!" Tommy said smiling. Nathaniel squinted back at him with an unsure look. "Just don't think about it and jump when I say three! And then we'll see who can stay under the longest! Ready? One... two... Three!" At that moment the two boys leapt off the end of the diving boards hurling themselves toward the sparkling blue water. Their small body's plummeted toward the surface. And with a satisfying splash, they both slipped into the pool quickly disappearing into the watery depths. Tommy slowly opened his clenched eyes and looked around him, he couldn't hear anything except muffled blurbs and gurgles and all he could see for a moment were the rays of sunlight slicing through the tranquil water. He looked to his right and saw Nate floating there in a ray of sunshine. He was all aglow and looked like something from a dream, his short brown hair waving ghostlike in the subtle current, his calm green eyes piercing through the royal blues, his small mouth, upturned slightly at the corner forming a perfectly adorable smile, his handsomely shaped body hanging limp, relaxed in suspension. Tommy was transfixed, he seemed to loose all sense of time and space. For what seemed like an eternity the boys hung there, looking deep into each other's eyes just hanging on to that moment. Nothing was said, but everything was understood. It was as though they were connected, smiling one to the other, floating. As the boys watched each other float in the pool they failed to notice that all around them the walls were spreading farther and farther apart and the floor was sinking down. The pool was expanding at an increasing rate. Tommy could see they were both surfacing now and the turbulent surface was merely feet above their heads. With a surge of energy they pushed themselves to the surface and breathed in deeply. Both of them laughed and splashed each other playfully, giggling all the while. It took a few moments to realize that something was not right. It was the sounds that gave it away first, or rather lack of sounds. Tommy didn't hear anything, no music, no people, no splashing around him, just the eerie whip of the wind echoing through the sky. He stopped splashing and looked slowly around. There was no edge to the pool anymore. Only water, as far as the eye could see, in all directions. Nathaniel too was looking around wide eyed, and no longer laughing. They both paddled there treading water and looking around completely dumbfounded. To top it all off the once high noon sun was now set low on the distant horizon. They locked eyes, both at a loss for words. After a few seconds Tommy spoke up. "What happened!" he sputtered. "I don't know!" Nathaniel shouted back. "We need to get to shore! We could drown out here! And it's almost dark!" "I don't see anything but water!" Nathaniel shouted sounding uneasy. "Me neither!" "Maybe it's like a dream?" "What are you talking about? I never even went to bed! We just jumped off the diving boards!" Tommy said frantically "Maybe we should try going back under!" Nathaniel shouted. "Ok, good idea!" at this point anything sounded like a good idea to Tommy. "Maybe we'll end up back at the pool!" Nathaniel said encouragingly, Tommy nodded. They both took a giant gulp of air and dunked back below the surface. In the last rays of light Tommy could just make out the silhouette of Nathaniel in the murky darkness. He was scared and confused and wasn't sure what to do, so he swam up to his friend. He reached out and locked hands with the other boy and looked into his eyes. Nathaniel's green eyes were calm and seemed to smile gently, which put Tommy slightly more at ease. Squeezing his eyes tightly shut Tommy embraced Nathaniel in a hug, not knowing what the next moments would bring. They're buoyancy was bringing them to the surface and their heads would pop out any moment. With a plunk and a sudden influx of hearing, the two clutching boys' heads popped onto the surface. They quickly opened their eyes and looked around. They were back at the pool! As if they had never left. The sun was high in the sky, kids were splashing around, and adults sunbathed tranquilly along the sides. Releasing Nathaniel from his death grip, Tommy looked at the boy wide eyed, not knowing what to think. At the sudden complaint of a prospective diver looking for a clear landing, the pair paddled to the edge of the pool. Gripping the damp cement edge and balancing on the wall, once again they looked at one another. "That was too weird." Tommy said looking bewildered. "Yeah, you said it." Nathaniel heaved a sigh of relief. They both hung there for a moment just looking at each other. Not knowing what to say. Tommy broke the silence. "Well at least we didn't drown!" he playfully splashed Nathaniel and stared laughing. Nathaniel followed suit and began laughing as well, it felt good to laugh after such a shocking experience. It seemed to quickly wash away the unsettling memory; like a glass of water after a bad dream. "How long you going to be in town?" Asked Tommy, stopping his splashing. "I leave tomorrow, we won't be back till next summer." "Oh" was all Tommy could think to say. Just when he had made a friend they had to up and leave the next day, just his luck. "Maybe I could come see you in Wisconsin. I think I have a cousin who lives out there. I could convince my parents to go, and then tell them I made a new friend who lives out there too, so that way it would be a real good trip for everyone!" "Sure that sounds like a good idea." Nathaniel said smiling. "It's settled then, we'll get our mom's to exchange phone numbers and we can hang out when I get to Wisconsin!" The boys pulled themselves up onto the hot cement and scampered over to their sunbathing mothers. "Mom, mom you have to meet my friend's mom so we can hang out again! Mom!" "What, what is it honey" The slender faced woman lifted her facemask slightly to pear out at her 11 year old son. "You need money for snacks? Be a good boy and go get mommy a push pop, and one for yourself of course." "No mom, wait that's not what I said. I said you have to get my new friend's Mom's number so I can visit him in Wisconsin!" "What? Wisconsin, what are you talking about baby?" "Just come here." Tommy grabbed his mom's reluctant hand and began pulling, in an attempt to get her up. "Ok, ok honey, calm down. I'll talk to your friend's mom. It's about time you started making friends anyways." It was true of course. He didn't want to admit it earlier to Nathaniel, but he had a lot of trouble making friends too. Tommy walked briskly on the hot ground, mom in tow, heading over to where Nathaniel and his mom were packing things up by the fence. "Hello!" Tommy shouted, walking up to his new buddy. "Hey Tommy! Hi Tommy's mom!" Nathaniel said shielding his eyes and smiling. "Oh, so this is your little friend is it Natey?" He didn't like the nickname, but his mom seemed determined to embarrass him at all costs. "Hello ma'm I'm Tommy, and this is my mom, Cindy." They all shook hands and said hello and the grown ups started chatting. "So are you guys leaving already?" "Yeah, we have to pick my Grandpa up from bingo before we go back to the hotel." "Ah man! But we barely even got to hang out!" "I know, but my mom says we have to go." Nathaniel looked nervous like he wanted to say something, but didn't know how. Tommy could tell something was bothering him, something about the way he pursed his lips. "Something wrong?" Tommy asked genuinely. "Tommy look there's something I have to tell you." The playfulness in his voice had vanished and his cute smile was replaced by a look of seriousness. "Ok, sure Nate, anything, I can keep a secret." Nathaniel looked around nervously for a second, as if someone might be listening in, then he leaned in close and whispered in Tommy's ear. "I think I know what happened, out there in the ocean, the pool disappearing and stuff. It's a long story but I owe you an explanation. Meet me at the park by the tire swing at midnight and ill explain everything." He hesitated for a moment then added, "Let's just say I knew we were going to meet today." As he pulled away he locked eyes with Tommy and offered a mysterious smile. Tommy looked back in wonder. "Ok..." he stammered suddenly feeling strange and disoriented. Nathaniel just continued smiling and winked, which caused Tommy to smile too. He only knew this kid for almost an hour, yet, for some reason, it felt like a lifetime. "Ok Natey get your things, we've got to go pick up grandpa now." Tommy and Nathan's mom exchanged hugs and numbers and waved goodbye. "See you in Wisconsin!" Tommy called out after them, Nathaniel looked back to meet his gaze, the moment their eyes met Tommy winked. Nate winked backed and waved goodbye. Mom was looking down at her readers digest; the sun cast a green glow on her face through her favorite visor. "Well they're a nice family, dear." She said absent- mindedly. "Mom, mom, did you get their number?" Tommy asked urgently "Yes honey, your father and I were actually planning a trip to Wisconsin In a few weeks anyhow. Seeing as you made a new friend out there it would appear that fate is at work."she snickered cleverly to herself, like she had just set up a scene for one of her soap operas. "Now about that push pop." Tommy didn't care about a push pop right now, all he could think about was his new pal and what had happened in the deep end earlier. The more he thought about it the stranger it seemed. He had to know what was going on, he had to meet up with Nathaniel in the park tonight, no matter what. Destiny, it seemed, was afoot. To be continued...