Midnight Swelter [Open]

[Ebeneezer Obey]

He had already walked far enough. From here the waters of the lake were black. The moonlight capturing its surface was swallowed up in little waves, waters moving distorting the reflection into malformed fragments of Luna's face. From beneath the surface aquatic fauna splashed up to dance beneath the surface, revealing their tail for a brief second before hiding again, anxious to bathe beneath the moon. But from here, the water was black, a thick tarp that protected from color and Ebeneezer's sight. Only the boats had faded shades of green, red, yellow, little rickets of wood and cheap plastic in the meager embrace of a neglected harbor.

The heat wrapped his body like a cloak, lord was it heavy. One would think in the dark hours, without a sun to hate down radiation, that the heat would lessen. But no, in fact the heat loved its dark home, it moved invisibly and laced the night with a clarity that sharpened the senses and moistened the brow. If he could feel the grass through his polished shoes, Ebeneezer would feel a vibrant brush of flora, and how it rushed across his skin with a natural frequency of nighttime ecstasy. Standing there, for the moment, staring out in the black of the lake, Ebeneezer felt the strongest sensation of recollection, as if he had been here long ago.

It wasn't hard to react dismissively, Ebeneezer never cared for America, not one inch of it, so this lake in small town Vermont was about as unappealing as any other point on the map of the United States. Europe was older, and it's treasure was older. China was ancient, and India much older. Their institutes may have been recent inventions compared in their respective countries, but their culture intertwined with the institutes made a mix of Meta-culture that intrigued Ebeneezer. He cared nothing for humans, but he could admire their works, couldn't he? Hammel always seemed to the aging Meta as the black sheep of the family, purposely separated from the family and never to be named at the dining table without an awkward hush from the responsible members of the household. Yet for all its rebellion and naive youth, didn't it create something interesting?

Overhead the stars flashed like the gleaming of molten jewels and the moon was still dead in the sky. The moonlight only illuminated him, but the heat magnified the moonlight, a rising temperature formed a cutting clarity. The forest out on the other side of the lake was black and beckoned a primeval aura, remembering its roots of a planet once ruled by creature, and not man. Ebeneezer could respect the feeling, and standing there peering out into the woods, he became the avatar of evolution, not of man's rise to power over the earth, but of the Meta's rise to power over humanity. Ah, but the moment was ruined just as he begun to enjoy the thought. Someone was there in the nighttime mysticism. Ebeneezer peered out towards the parking lot in the distance, black concrete absorbing heat like a sponge.

[Zelda & Erik Crones-McKinley]

Zee jumped out of bed as if on a spring. A wave of dread sunk down in her throat. With her arms wrapped around her she peered around the dark room and followed her breath. She quickly put on a pair of sweatpants over her shorts and slipped out of the room. Plan one was to get into the hallway. The brightly lit hallway was wonderfully painful. She sat down outside the door. Light had a wonderfully liquid quality in washing away late night anxiety. Zee began to pick at the carpet. Her eyes closed and a cold ripping feeling pulled through her stomach.

With a start, Zee jumped up onto her feet. Her head spun with the sudden loss of blood. “Okay,” Zee thought, “I need to get away from Erik.” Plan B: get outside. Once outside she stopped to let the hot, humid air wrap around her. She could still feel Erik’s drowsiness tug on her eyes. She continued to walk. Once off the grounds she could no longer feel Erik but continued to walk. She wasn’t sure whether or not being off campus this late was allowed or not. Generally she was a stickler for rules but her anxieties numbed her on occasion. Plus, she really wanted to see the city. Since arriving she had never been outside of campus.

Within an hour she found herself following signs to Pilot Ridge’s lake and had arrived at her destination. The heat had fully soaked into her skin now and beads of sweat were running down her back. She pulled up her hair as she looked at the lake from the parking lot. Her hands froze as she noticed a figure looking at her. A man was standing by the lake. Slowly she lowered her hands to her sides. Her lips rolled in between her teeth. He didn’t seem exceptionally friendly. She walked purposefully toward the lake but not toward the man. She stopped about ten feet from the lake and gave the man about twenty feet of breathing room. She gave a short wave, feeling it was best to acknowledge his presence. “Nice night for walking, yeah?” She then turned away and busied herself with throwing rocks into the lake. The sploosh of the water was incredibly satisfying on her ears.

[Ebeneezer Obey]

Unexpected. About as much Ebeneezer could think, seeing this young girl, who couldn't be more than seventeen, wondering out to the lake. He didn't hear an engine, see the dying flash of headlights, or smell the noxious scent of exhaust. She walked here, and regardless of her home, it was a long walk from anywhere in town. She was looking for an escape, this was her midnight endeavor to elude the concerns of the day that spurred her to flee under moonlight. As he tried to discern her motive for such an untimely visit, he realized he was staring, and it was upsetting. First impressions begin at first sight, so he cough into the black ether, smiled, and returned the wave.

“You're right. A nice night for thinking too, if you're not one who minds the temperature. Who thought Vermont could be so humid, under moonlight no less?” He replied, stepping to the stony beach, keeping sure to maintain the distance. She was out here for her own reasons, and so was he, so he respectfully maintained the casual communication and let her enjoy her escape for whatever prison she broke free from. His hands gripped a smooth round stone, the wet surface chilled his fingertips. Raising it, and letting his vision adjust for a moment, he leaned to one side and flicked the stone out into the waters. It skipped as it hit the surface, riding its own momentum for another moment before diving beneath. He stared at the spot where the pebble drowned, the little ripples from impact shimmering white moonlight like fine jewelry.

“Did you walk here? I know people at your age can get driving permits, but I didn't hear a car, and I didn't see the reflectors of a bike.”

As he spoke he kept his gaze fixed on the center of the lake. Ebeneezer always thought it was best to keep eye contact to a minimum in any conversation. The eyes had a way of revealing more than they should, so it was best to keep the separated, focused on other points while having a conversation. That way, he could partition the conversation's focus to specific areas. Everyone likes to find things to fixate on while they talk. Their shoes, the other person's shoes, the sky, the other person's hair, their car, the way they're looking at you. No doubt anyone finding a solitary man standing by a lake at midnight would be interesting at the least, strange at the most. So as long as he could redirect the focus, he could keep the spotlight off himself and onto the conversation they were having.

“I haven't been here very long, to be honest I'm still getting used to the states. This weather isn't helping though. It's nice getting away from town, wouldn't you say? My names Ebeneezer, I'm a talent agent.”