Fourtyfifth

In the park. A short something by Dave Huston and the voice he hears at night.

Here we come across a man sitting on a bench, in a park full of trees, grass, flowers, birds, a play ground, kids and a pond off in the distance. As the man sits on the bench thinking of days gone by, a little girl comes up to him. She's holding a little bottle with liquid inside and a little stick protrudes from the jar's opening. (Just so we're clear).

The little girls looks up at the man, as the man looks back at the girl. Both expect the other to start the conversation first so there is a minute of silence before the girl finally gives in and asks the man "Would you like to blow some bubbles with me?"

After a few secons the man realizes the other kids not too far from him, where the girl came from, with similar jars, all blowing bubbles. "You know" says the girl "It works better when you take the stick from the jar." The man smiles and laughs "I know little one, I was just thinking about, or trying to remember, the last time I blew bubbles. It seems as though age has caught up to me for I can't recall it." the man answers, still smiling.

"Here" the girl says as she hands him the bottle, "Try and make a really big bubble. As big as the sky! Super, super huge!" The girl stretches her arms out as far as she can make them, spreading her fingers far apart to highlight her meaning. The man took the bottle, stired the stick around a little and then pulled it out. "It works best if you wet your lips first" the man says "My grandma taught me that." He added, smiling. He held up the stick and blew gently but firmly into the little loop. The bubble began growing to a fair size and then -pop! "Ah! No luck!" He said. "Let's try that again shall we?"

This time, when he blew, the bubble came out so big that both the man and the little girl stepped into it and then they did, they found Candyland! No, not the game but the actual place! "Oh wow!" cried the girl, "It's beautiful, it's the best place I've ever seen! Times a mellillion!" Her smile was so big that it cracked her face clean in half and we never saw her again, but that's just the way things go.