Read Online Socket 1-3 - The Socket Greeny Saga by Tony Bertauski - Free Book Online Page A

interesting. I reminded him I was in high school, not
college. But he was having too much fun, his faceplate all sunny
and sparkly, so after awhile I let him do his thing.
    We hiked for miles before stopping on a
ledge and looking into the deepest part of the Preserve. There,
surrounded by lush forest, was a large oval field of the greenest
grass.
    “Here it is.” Spindle swung his arms out as
if I’d won the grand prize. “It is a fantastic sport, a test of
navigational skills, strength, agility, accuracy and teamwork. I am
not one for guarantees, Master Socket, but I would wager it will be
more popular than lacrosse, football, and soccer combined.” His
face lit with red, yellow and orange. “Tagghet.”
    “The game with jetters?”
    “Yes. The technology has been in commercial
production for a year. Perhaps you have seen it at your
school.”
    “I’ve heard a thing or two.”
    “You have not played?” he asked. I just
stared. “Then follow me.”
    The path switched back and forth. We dropped
fifty feet in elevation before reaching the edge of the field.
Spindle knelt on one knee and ran his hand over the grass.
    “It is good fortune for a tagger to pause
and touch the field before walking on it,” he said.
    “It is?”
    “It is always good fortune to pause.” He
gestured to the spot in front of me.
    “I’m no tagger, so I don’t think so.”
    Spindle’s feet sank in the lush, dense
grass. The blades were narrow, the tips each holding a bead of
moisture. Like living shag.
    “This is nice,” I said.
    “I knew you would like it.” His face
sparkled. “The scent is quite grand, is it not?”
    “You can smell?”
    “I have olfactory sensors equivalent to a
Labrador retriever.”
    I dropped to one knee and spread my hand
over the turf, letting the wet tips tickle my palm. I wanted to lay
in it and stare at the clouds like I used to with Chute and
Streeter. We used to lay in my back yard, pointing at clouds and
naming them, it was just us. Sometimes Streeter would have to go
home and Chute stayed. She’d ask if I could read her mind, tell her
what she was thinking. You wish you had bigger boobs. She
left a red mark on my chest because I was probably right. Back
then, there was no one else. No one judging, no one watching. We
made up stories, laughed and played, and when we were ready to go
home we did. No one was there to tell us, Go here, now here.
Make those stupid balls move with your thoughts.
    “If you are ready, we can explore the rest
of the Preserve,” Spindle said. “There are some magnificent
features.”
    “Spindle, could I go alone?”
    “You do not like my company?”
    “That’s not it, no… it’s just… I just need
to clear my head. I mean, my whole life changed in a single day and
I’m still not sure I’m digging all this. I need to get lost for a
while and sort things out. You know what I mean?”
    “You want to… go without me?” His face
turned dark blue. “I thought we would spend the afternoon together.
There are many interesting things to visit. Creatures you have
never seen. I was, perhaps, looking forward to showing them to
you.”
    “Another time, huh? I’m sure I’ll be here a
few more weeks.” Or months. Years. Forever.
    He held out his hand and helped me up. “Of
course. If you need help, I will come.”
    He said that like a Paladin angel. If things
were just that easy in real life. Is this real life?
    “I suggest you strike out on the path to our
right. It will take you to an artificial sinkhole and a
breathtaking water feature.”
    Spindle stood at the field’s edge and
watched me walk across the turf. I waved before entering the dense
jungle. He waved back. Now if I could just see the clouds.
     
     
     
    D I S C O V E R Y
     
Batty Man
     
    I was lost. Big time.
    I could blame Mom for never putting me in
Boy Scouts, but there was no badge for this. I made the mistake of
getting off the trail. The trees all looked alike. My arms were
scratched