Six past Thirteen. This is what Hiemleck’s watch read as he glanced nervously at it. Hiemleck was pacing, not quite sure of what to do with himself. He found pacing to preoccupy his body and calm his mind, which were both overrun by nerves. He was waiting, as he was to meet someone, though he didn’t know whom with or what exactly to expect. As he waited, he entertained second thoughts, thoughts which were beginning to make his present situation seem irrational. How had he gotten into this mess anyway? He asked himself this question, and as he did, he recalled:
You see, dear Hiemleck had days prior determined that he was an absolutely extraordinary being, and he loathed this fact. Attempting more than twice to change his appearance by means of fancy hair products and colorful clothes, Hiemleck received in return nothing but perplexed looks from Mudge. One day, after a particularly stressful event involving noodles, Hiemleck decided that he would go and take a walk to clear his head. He stood up abruptly, startling Mudge, as she was taking her afternoon nap. Fashioning his dull grey shoes, he walked out the door, leaving Mudge looking about in bewilderment, with slight bed-head on her right side.
He toured Bob, gazing up in awe at the incredible heights of the large skyscrapers that made up the urban center of Bob. Above, the air-driven hover-buses wove their way busily throughout the tall buildings, each racing to drop off their passengers so that they could pick up more. Though it was referred to as a village, this urban bright-spot was definitely anything but such. With millions of citizens taking settlement within its large boundaries, the Epic Village of Bob was one of the largest cities in the Northern Hemisphere.
The initial developers of Bob named the town after the man who had obliviously discovered a plethora of precious metals when he accidently uncovered them trying to bury his shovel. Bob was not the brightest among any, but after a large metal refining company manipulated him and eventually stole the metals from him, the local religious group insisted that Bob be given naming rights to the town in which was founded atop his discovery. The developers, relieved that stricter measures were not suggested, hurriedly agreed to these terms and named the city the Epic Village of Bob, an inside joke which mocked Bob’s intelligence.
Hiemleck had studied this story many times before and was amused that the religious group hadn’t demanded anything sterner. Catching himself smiling, he continued on his way.
He soon found himself walking along a large lake within the city’s park. He stopped at a park bench and overlooked the lake, marveling at how the waves reflected the light radiating from the Incredibly Ginormous Star. He watched the gliopis as they swam lazily upon the water’s surface, splashing each other with their long, colorful wings. He watched the clever little woosii as they bustled through the leaves in search of nuts and other small artifacts. He found himself at peace, something he hadn’t been associated with for weeks. He yawned, looking at his watch. It read seven after three, and he stood up with intentions of going home, as Mudge needed to be fed. As he walked that way, he remembered that he was out of his favorite hand soap, and so he detoured and walked into the local supermarket.
He walked through the door a few hours later, experiencing difficulties reclosing the door again as he had entered with large paper sacks in both of his arms. After trying in vain for a few seconds, Hiemleck abandoned these efforts and carried the sacks into his room, leaving the front door open.
In his room, he laid down the large paper sacks and began rummaging through them and setting each item out for display on his bed. After he had neatly organized these items, he turned and examined his room. Though it was his primary sleeping quarters, his room closely mimicked a library. It was a smallish, tidy room, with a raised ceiling that reached two floors up. The ceiling itself was glass, so that Hiemleck could admire the night sky at night while he rested. Completely hiding one wall was his tall bookcase, which stretched from floor to ceiling. On the wall opposite door and directly to the left of the bookcase was a thin ladder which lead up to his bed, which was located on a cut-out platform midway up the wall. Up on this platform, his bed and side table were positioned cozily best exploit the scenery of the night sky. Stationed in the center of the room was a cozy reading chair behind a large desk. Both the chair and the desk were positioned with their backs to the bookcase, facing a large window which overlooked the Epic Village of Bob and its surroundings. His bedroom accommodated everything that Hiemleck enjoyed in life: books and the surrounding nature.
Hiemleck turned now to the large mirror positioned on the wall with the door. He examined himself and was saddened by what he saw. In the mirror staring back at him was a smallish man, with nothing absolutely exciting going about his features. His hair was faded brown but cleanly cut and combed neatly. His eyes were dark, staring through round spectacles and overshadowed by large straight eyebrows. His face was leaning on the side of pale, with slight splashes of red color on his cheeks and lips. His throat showcased a rather prominent Adam’s apple, a feature he loathed. His body was small, and the most intimidating feature about it was his large hands. His scrawny arms hung loosely by at his sides. He was a few inches short of average height and so he wore on occasion shoes in which elevated him, and thus his height.
Taking off his spectacles, he looked at the items that he had purchased at the store. There were various items he had found that interested him, and he was pleased with his findings.
He walked into the kitchen, and began to make dinner. Collecting the various ingredients needed to make qualupace, as it was one of his and Mudge’s favorite dishes, he began to prepare the various ingredients. As he mixed these ingredients, he called Mudge, as it was customary that Mudge would set the table. “Mudge darling,” he called, but after a few minutes, but there was no answer. Not wanting to burn the dish, he called again, louder this time. He paused and then decided to hazard burning his dish. He walked into the living room, where she had been napping, and almost fell down as he took in his surroundings. His living room was destroyed. The tables and couches had been toppled over, the curtains were shredded, and the piano had been destroyed. There were debris of furniture and smoldering burnt patches in the carpet. A whole section of the room had been torn out, and Mudge's armchair had been crushed by something large. Sitting in the center of the room was a large boot that smelled of unpleasant things. Hiemleck fell to his knees, Mudge was gone.
To be continued
Credit: Tom K
To be continued
Credit: Tom K
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