Read Online Socket 1-3 - The Socket Greeny Saga by Tony Bertauski - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Tony Bertauski
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bloody. I sat on a rotten log to rest until fire ants
stung the hell out of me. My legs were covered with welts. I went a
bit further and heard the stream, went barefoot, stepping carefully
on mossy stones. The cold water was a relief. I found a dry
boulder. Checked for fire ants.
I was in a tropical forest. I couldn’t see
the sky, but it was still exactly what I had in mind. The lookits
were somewhere and they were watching. At least, for once, it
didn’t feel like it. I was as close to alone as it was going to
get. I was picking my nose, a full knuckle deep, and feeling pretty
good about it. Until someone giggled.
“Who’s there?” I called, oddly wondering if
I could convince them I was just scratching my nose.
Something in a tree. Something bright red. A
whole crew of things scrambled into the thick canopy, flashes of
yellow, blue and purple. They crossed from tree to tree like
squirrels. I splashed after them until the stream got deep and I
went back on land. Spots of sunlight penetrated the trees ahead. I
maneuvered around a tangle of vines and peeked through the leaves.
It was a clearing, of sorts. A massive stone slab with patches of
moss and snaky cracks. A huge tree was on the far side, its
branches as big as tree trunks. The bark was twisted and sinewy,
smooth and gray like a well-crafted relic. Quite grand .
The tree was without a single leaf, but
alive with color. Thousands of bright colored creatures squabbled
along the branches. Some crawled over each other, some wrestled,
and others rested quietly. They didn’t have feathers; they looked
like bats, but their colors were like poison dart frogs.
Several of them hovered near a guy at the
base of the tree . Spindle didn’t warn me about other people
in the Preserve. In fact, it was the first normal-looking person
I’d seen who wasn’t asking lame ass questions. He didn’t look like
he belonged here. His hair was long and his clothes ragged. He held
up his hand and the creatures grabbed it. A fluorescent pink one
hung by its long sharp tail.
I stayed in the trees and crossed the
stream, didn’t bother taking off my shoes. I hustled through the
ferns, over rocks to a soft patch of leaves until I was a lot
closer. The colored things were still there, but the guy was gone.
They had little arms and legs and their tails swished like whips.
They had snouts. Caves and dragons. That was not a
dream.
I needed to get closer. I turned—he was
behind me.
I fell through the branches onto the open
slab and crawled backward. He stepped out of the trees. His skin
was bronze from the sun, his hair bleached. And he wasn’t a guy, he
was more like a kid. Older than me, maybe, just out of high school.
College?
“Who are you?” I said.
He flicked his sandy hair out of his eyes.
His eyes… they were the eyes of a dead fish. He listened, held out
his hand. I didn’t move. He shook his hand, insisting I take it, so
I reached up. He squeezed firmly, yanked me close. Jesus, he
hasn’t showered in forever.
He wouldn’t let go. His pupils were much too
large. He pulled me closer. Pressure gripped my entire body. I
wanted to shake out of it but his eyes fixed me in place. They were
deep holes. He let go. I stumbled, too dizzy to run.
“ Are you all right ?” someone said on
my nojakk.
My nojakk was working. I tapped my cheek
several times. “Hello?”
“ Pivot would like to know if you are all
right.”
The blind guy had his face to the sun.
Something moved over me like a thousand dishrags snapping on a
clothesline. It was the things from the tree, slapping their
leathery wings, stirring the dust at my feet.
“ Can you speak?” I heard again.
A golden flying thing was on the guy’s
shoulder, its tail curled around his neck.
“You said that?” I asked.
“ I did ,” the golden thing said
without moving its mouth.
“How’d you do that… wait, you talk?”
“ I do.”
I stroked my cheek. “How’d you get my
number?”
“ We’re good with
stung the hell out of me. My legs were covered with welts. I went a
bit further and heard the stream, went barefoot, stepping carefully
on mossy stones. The cold water was a relief. I found a dry
boulder. Checked for fire ants.
I was in a tropical forest. I couldn’t see
the sky, but it was still exactly what I had in mind. The lookits
were somewhere and they were watching. At least, for once, it
didn’t feel like it. I was as close to alone as it was going to
get. I was picking my nose, a full knuckle deep, and feeling pretty
good about it. Until someone giggled.
“Who’s there?” I called, oddly wondering if
I could convince them I was just scratching my nose.
Something in a tree. Something bright red. A
whole crew of things scrambled into the thick canopy, flashes of
yellow, blue and purple. They crossed from tree to tree like
squirrels. I splashed after them until the stream got deep and I
went back on land. Spots of sunlight penetrated the trees ahead. I
maneuvered around a tangle of vines and peeked through the leaves.
It was a clearing, of sorts. A massive stone slab with patches of
moss and snaky cracks. A huge tree was on the far side, its
branches as big as tree trunks. The bark was twisted and sinewy,
smooth and gray like a well-crafted relic. Quite grand .
The tree was without a single leaf, but
alive with color. Thousands of bright colored creatures squabbled
along the branches. Some crawled over each other, some wrestled,
and others rested quietly. They didn’t have feathers; they looked
like bats, but their colors were like poison dart frogs.
Several of them hovered near a guy at the
base of the tree . Spindle didn’t warn me about other people
in the Preserve. In fact, it was the first normal-looking person
I’d seen who wasn’t asking lame ass questions. He didn’t look like
he belonged here. His hair was long and his clothes ragged. He held
up his hand and the creatures grabbed it. A fluorescent pink one
hung by its long sharp tail.
I stayed in the trees and crossed the
stream, didn’t bother taking off my shoes. I hustled through the
ferns, over rocks to a soft patch of leaves until I was a lot
closer. The colored things were still there, but the guy was gone.
They had little arms and legs and their tails swished like whips.
They had snouts. Caves and dragons. That was not a
dream.
I needed to get closer. I turned—he was
behind me.
I fell through the branches onto the open
slab and crawled backward. He stepped out of the trees. His skin
was bronze from the sun, his hair bleached. And he wasn’t a guy, he
was more like a kid. Older than me, maybe, just out of high school.
College?
“Who are you?” I said.
He flicked his sandy hair out of his eyes.
His eyes… they were the eyes of a dead fish. He listened, held out
his hand. I didn’t move. He shook his hand, insisting I take it, so
I reached up. He squeezed firmly, yanked me close. Jesus, he
hasn’t showered in forever.
He wouldn’t let go. His pupils were much too
large. He pulled me closer. Pressure gripped my entire body. I
wanted to shake out of it but his eyes fixed me in place. They were
deep holes. He let go. I stumbled, too dizzy to run.
“ Are you all right ?” someone said on
my nojakk.
My nojakk was working. I tapped my cheek
several times. “Hello?”
“ Pivot would like to know if you are all
right.”
The blind guy had his face to the sun.
Something moved over me like a thousand dishrags snapping on a
clothesline. It was the things from the tree, slapping their
leathery wings, stirring the dust at my feet.
“ Can you speak?” I heard again.
A golden flying thing was on the guy’s
shoulder, its tail curled around his neck.
“You said that?” I asked.
“ I did ,” the golden thing said
without moving its mouth.
“How’d you do that… wait, you talk?”
“ I do.”
I stroked my cheek. “How’d you get my
number?”
“ We’re good with
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