Out Of This World

“Come on Ben, we’re here.”

I fluttered my eyes open and unstuck my forehead from the warm glass. I yawned and stretched before turning to Ada. She was sitting just as she had before I fell asleep: back straight, hands clasped together in her lap, head tilted inquisitively to the left as she stared out the window like a cat trapped in doors.

“Hey…you alright?” I asked, tapping her gently on the shoulder.
She jumped, as if being woken from a deep slumber. She nodded before giving me a faint smile. I reached across and opened her door for her before turning back around and opening mine. Raising a hand to my forehead, I stared out at the land before us.

“This is it?” I asked incredulously.

I dug a heel into the loose brown soil that broke away as silkily as sand. Except for the small clearing the cars were parked in, the land was covered in green spiky shrubs and dry looking trees with grey bark towering a little above my head. Their branches were almost bare except for the little green and brown tear shaped leaves inhabiting random spots in little clusters. The air was hot and dry; a cool, rough wind blew the tangy smell of salt and earthy smell of wet sand into my hair.

“Grab some bags,” Dad said, grabbing a few Safe Way food bags and tucking two sleeping bangs beneath each of his arms.

I did as told, handing a few lighter ones to Ada before waiting for Michelle to lock the car. I stole a glance at the Leone’s Land cruiser. Kim was standing pointedly away from her parents as they unloaded their vehicle. Her face was cold and stiff; her mouth set into a straight line. Her hair was being tossed furiously by the wind; it whipped at her eyes and into her mouth, but she remained unfazed.

“Ready?” dad said, checking over each of us and the luggage we were carrying. The three of us nodded and Dad turned to the Leones. “Mark! Ready?”

Mark nodded and Dad led the way through the shrubbery, stepping over twisting roots and ducking beneath low branches. It was a little while into the coastal forest that the increased strain on our calves told us we were descending and it wasn’t long after when we reached a brown weather board with a flat roof hidden amongst the greenery. I held one of the sleeping bags while Dad rummaged in his pocket for a key and inserted it into the lock. He stepped in and felt around on the wall for a switch. There was a clack! and the room was engulfed in light.

We were standing in a large front room with light brown floorboards and glass acting as the opposite wall. Wooden shutters from the outside prevented any light coming in and from the outside, camouflaged the windows completely. To the left of me was a cozy sitting room equip with two couches and a TV. Three weathered surf boards were propped up against the wall between the two couches and water colour paintings were nailed up above the TV. To the left was a wall which carried on for a few feet before opening up into a corridor and beyond that was a large space for the kitchen. To the left of the kitchen was a small dining area and a door leading to what I presumed would be a patio.

“This is nice,” Michelle smiled before turning to Grace and beginning to talk furnishings.

“Come outside and help me with those shutters Ben, no need to waste electricity.” I nodded and followed Dad to the other door which he unlocked.

As I predicted, it led out to a small wooden patio with a few deck chairs distributed across it and wooden picnic table equip with two long benches and a small barbecue behind it. The patio ended with a short balcony-like fence that shielded us from even more foliage. A little beyond the vegetation lay the deep blues and greens of the ocean. Kim appeared at my side, beckoned by the soft shhh of the crashing waves.

I saw her lips curve into a soft smile from the corner of my eye.

“If you go down there, you should see a small path leading to the beach. Along the way there should be another path going off to the right. That’ll take you to your house,” Dad informed Mark.

Mark nodded before assembling his bags and his family and leading them down the patio steps and to their beach house.

“This place is amazing, James,” Michelle grinned, pulling my Dad into a sideways embrace and pecking him on the cheek.

Dad, being distracted, wasn’t going to be much help with the shutters, and informing Ada of this, the two of us set to work lifting them and sliding them upwards. When that was done, I went inside and turned the lights off.

“Oh wow.” Michelle breathed, coming inside to enjoy the view.
“We can’t keep it like this though. Come nightfall we’ll have to put them back down, with the lights on we’ll be like a lighthouse for the near by ships, not to mention a beacon for disaster.”

We all knew what he meant by disaster; it sent a chill down our spines. I hastily changed the subject,

“We should go check out the beach,”

“Yes! I LOVE the beach!” Michelle exclaimed.

Apparently, she liked the beach.

“What do we do there?” Ada asked.

I shrugged, “Swim, surf, have fun.”

“Swim?” she said, her brow knotted with confusion, “Surf?”

I laughed, “Don’t look so scared, its meant to be fun.”

“Fun.”

“Yes, fun. Michelle do you have anything Ada can borrow to swim in?”

“Argh, no I don’t.”

“Its alright, we have to go into town anyway. Need to find your school and everything,” Dad said, killing the mood instantly.

“School…” I groaned, “You’re making us go to school?”

He ignored my whining, “Go get Kim.”

I began walking back to the patio when my phone started ringing. I pulled it out of my pocket and checked caller ID.

Alice Burke

My thumb hovered over the little green button as I stared down at the screen name with guilt and sadness filling my chest.

“Don’t answer.” Dad was suddenly standing behind me, looking over my shoulder. His hands came around me and he pressed the little red button.

“You’re going to have to forget them, Ben,” he said sternly.

“This is your life now.”