all the other extracurricular activities we engaged in once we’d filled our truck. We had archery competitions, practised stealth techniques by playing hide and seek, and explored old buildings. Once we even found an amazing stash of guns. That was fun. There's an old billboard out there that will never be the same. We also unearthed and read old books and magazines that had not perished over the decades.
As I continued to search aimlessly through North End, I almost dropped my precious binoculars when I spotted the Japanese girl, Nanako, sitting on the flat rooftop of a North End apartment block. She was sitting with her back against the stairwell exit, cradling her knees to her chest. I zoomed in closer and gasped when I saw she was crying, her black eyeliner running down her cheeks.
Was her sorrow due to having endured such a terrible day – ambushed by barbaric Skel and seeing four of her people slaughtered? That was probably the case, though as I examined her I thought I recognised something of my own despondency in her forlorn expression. I wondered if she was weighed down by an impossibly heavy burden. I wished there was something I could do to lift her spirits, to help her carry whatever it was that weighed her spirits down.
My reflections were interrupted when I heard several pairs of feet scurrying up the stairwell behind me, followed by the door banging open.
"Ha! Told you he'd be here." Shorty laughed as he emerged. Then he began doing cartwheels around the roof, as was his habit. (A roof, that is ten stories up and has no guardrail.) Leigh, David, and Michal emerged next, each smiling broadly when they saw me.
Okay, I admit it, there was one other time I forgot about the emptiness that haunted me, and that was when I was with these four goofballs. "Hey guys, what happened, got sick of cards?" I stood and went over to join them.
"Not the same without you, mate," Leigh said as he thumped me on the back.
"And," David added as he took off his backpack, "it's not windy tonight, so I suggested that we – wait for it – have another paper plane war!"
"And there’s nothing like seeing them Custodians picking up the planes in the morning and scratching their beefy heads, trying to work out where they came from," Shorty laughed after he cart wheeled over to us.
"Hey Jones, if the Custodians catch you with those." Leigh gestured at my binoculars. "You're gonna be in trouble with a capital 'T,' mate."
"Hey, can I have a go?" Shorty smiled deviously.
"Why? What do you want to look at?" I asked, suspicious.
"You can see into people's apartments, yeah?"
"I guess so."
"Into women's bedrooms," he continued in a most conspiratorial manner.
"Probably." I tried hard to remain serious.
"Then hand 'em over, Jones me boy," Shorty said as he held out a small hand.
"Ain't no way you're using my binoculars to be a Peeping Tom," I said. However, there was another reason, too; I didn't want him to see Nanako crying.
"A peeping who?"
"It's an expression. It means...oh, never mind," I said.
"Please," Shorty begged.
"There's a reason these things are banned," I pointed out, looking down at his over eager face.
"Yeah, and that’s to stop us spying on North End and seeing what we're missing," said David, flicking his head to the north.
"I won't do that, honest," Shorty said sincerely.
"I’ve no doubt that’s the real reason, David,” I said. He'd hit the nail on the head. “But Shorty, seriously, would you want people spying on your mother and sister in their bedroom?"
"Ewww, of course not. Look, I promise I won't spy on anyone, I'll observe them for purely educational purposes."
"I. Ain't. Letting. You. Use. 'Em."
"You're no fun," he pouted.
David held up a sheet of blank paper and shook it. “Guys, focus. Paper plane time!”
“I’m in, hand over a sheet,” Michal said.
We mobbed David and grabbed sheets of paper, moved back to the stairwell exit so we could see, and set to work with frenetic zeal.
As I continued to search aimlessly through North End, I almost dropped my precious binoculars when I spotted the Japanese girl, Nanako, sitting on the flat rooftop of a North End apartment block. She was sitting with her back against the stairwell exit, cradling her knees to her chest. I zoomed in closer and gasped when I saw she was crying, her black eyeliner running down her cheeks.
Was her sorrow due to having endured such a terrible day – ambushed by barbaric Skel and seeing four of her people slaughtered? That was probably the case, though as I examined her I thought I recognised something of my own despondency in her forlorn expression. I wondered if she was weighed down by an impossibly heavy burden. I wished there was something I could do to lift her spirits, to help her carry whatever it was that weighed her spirits down.
My reflections were interrupted when I heard several pairs of feet scurrying up the stairwell behind me, followed by the door banging open.
"Ha! Told you he'd be here." Shorty laughed as he emerged. Then he began doing cartwheels around the roof, as was his habit. (A roof, that is ten stories up and has no guardrail.) Leigh, David, and Michal emerged next, each smiling broadly when they saw me.
Okay, I admit it, there was one other time I forgot about the emptiness that haunted me, and that was when I was with these four goofballs. "Hey guys, what happened, got sick of cards?" I stood and went over to join them.
"Not the same without you, mate," Leigh said as he thumped me on the back.
"And," David added as he took off his backpack, "it's not windy tonight, so I suggested that we – wait for it – have another paper plane war!"
"And there’s nothing like seeing them Custodians picking up the planes in the morning and scratching their beefy heads, trying to work out where they came from," Shorty laughed after he cart wheeled over to us.
"Hey Jones, if the Custodians catch you with those." Leigh gestured at my binoculars. "You're gonna be in trouble with a capital 'T,' mate."
"Hey, can I have a go?" Shorty smiled deviously.
"Why? What do you want to look at?" I asked, suspicious.
"You can see into people's apartments, yeah?"
"I guess so."
"Into women's bedrooms," he continued in a most conspiratorial manner.
"Probably." I tried hard to remain serious.
"Then hand 'em over, Jones me boy," Shorty said as he held out a small hand.
"Ain't no way you're using my binoculars to be a Peeping Tom," I said. However, there was another reason, too; I didn't want him to see Nanako crying.
"A peeping who?"
"It's an expression. It means...oh, never mind," I said.
"Please," Shorty begged.
"There's a reason these things are banned," I pointed out, looking down at his over eager face.
"Yeah, and that’s to stop us spying on North End and seeing what we're missing," said David, flicking his head to the north.
"I won't do that, honest," Shorty said sincerely.
"I’ve no doubt that’s the real reason, David,” I said. He'd hit the nail on the head. “But Shorty, seriously, would you want people spying on your mother and sister in their bedroom?"
"Ewww, of course not. Look, I promise I won't spy on anyone, I'll observe them for purely educational purposes."
"I. Ain't. Letting. You. Use. 'Em."
"You're no fun," he pouted.
David held up a sheet of blank paper and shook it. “Guys, focus. Paper plane time!”
“I’m in, hand over a sheet,” Michal said.
We mobbed David and grabbed sheets of paper, moved back to the stairwell exit so we could see, and set to work with frenetic zeal.
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