Dark Day Dreams, page 16
He drove past the Partridge farm and noticed that their oldest daughter Sally was working in the garden. He honked and she stood up to wave back at him. Dante was amazed how she had suddenly turned into a true beauty. Her shiny dark hair, fair skin and absurdly long legs took his breath away.
Dante had been thinking about girls a lot lately. As a matter of fact, he’d gotten so caught up in a sexy day dream a few days previously he’d accidentally run the tractor into a ditch. His father hadn’t been terribly surprised…he remembered how spacey and easily distracted he’d been himself at times when he was that age.
It was warm out but still much more comfortable than the summer had been. He’d spent part of July and August helping in the battle against wildfires and during those months he’d grown to know what real heat felt like.
There were some damaged areas here and there in the mountains. But by this time, humanity had learned a great deal about preventing the fires and limiting the scope of the destruction. You got good at protecting where you lived when there weren’t a lot of other places you could move.
He pulled into the parking lot of a tavern called Ike’s. It had more or less been his regular hangout the past couple years. They had a decent assortment of beers, good music and friendly servers. He sat down at the bar and said hello to one named Iris.
She smiled and replied, “Hey there, Dante. Nice day, isn’t it?”
“Not bad. Hey, you still have that High Range IPA on tap?”
She nodded and turned to draw him a glass. Dante admired her backside and lamented the fact she had recently married Ike. The owner was normally a friendly, fair man but also one who wouldn’t hesitate to break out a club if things got out of hand in the place. Or if somebody got overly friendly with his wife.
Dante’s friend Aaron walked in and sat down at the bar next to him. He said, “What’s new and exciting?”
They’d known each other since second grade. It was funny…it seemed to Dante that his friend nearly always started conversations that way. It was like Aaron had decided at the age of seven he should have a trademark opening line.
Dante replied, “I heard the Russians and Chinese have been shooting at each other in Antarctica. But on a more important local note, little Sally Partridge is all of a sudden the woman every straight man dreams about.”
They sat for an hour, drinking and talking. Suddenly, somebody grabbed Aaron’s shoulder from behind and said, “You owe me money, you little shit.”
They both turned around. It was loan shark named Guillermo. Aaron gulped nervously and replied, “Hey, how are you? I was just telling my boy here I should have that cash for you in the next couple days…”
Guillermo was six inches taller than either of them and also fifty pounds heavier. He glared at Aaron and said, “That’s what you said last time, dickhead…time to go outside and pay your penalty fee.”
Ike had his baseball bat in hand but hesitated to get involved. He didn’t care all that much what happened to the kid as long as it didn’t happen in his place.
The loan shark hauled Aaron out of the tavern into the light of day. Dante followed them outside and said, “Hey, give him a break. He said he’d get you the money.”
The larger man shoved Dante away and said, “Shut up or I’ll break your face too.”
Guillermo made a fist and was about to slam it into Aaron’s nose when he suddenly felt himself being grabbed. He was surprised when he turned around and saw a very strong looking man his own size standing there. He was even more surprised when he realized the man’s skin was blue.
The newcomer said, “Let him go. I’m sure something can be worked out.”
The pain in Guillermo’s arm was excruciating. He let go of Aaron and then whipped around to face his assailant. “What kind of fucking freak are you?”
The blue man smiled and said, “It’s a very, very long story. Maybe we can sit down sometime for a drink and I’ll tell it to you.”
Guillermo pulled a hunting knife out of a sheath on his belt and lunged at the man. The stranger dodged the attack easily and said, “Oh, I was afraid it might come to this.”
He faked to his left and then knocked the loan shark out with a devastating right hook.
Aaron and Dante stood there, shocked expressions on their faces. It was one of the most amazing things either of them had ever seen. Dante finally came to his senses and said, “Wow, that was awesome. Do you live around here?”
“No, I just pulled into town. I was walking down the street and suddenly happened upon what looked like a truly unfair fight.”
They all shook hands and introduced themselves. The blue man went by the name Thanos. Aaron said, “Come on in the bar and let me buy you a drink. It’s not every day somebody saves my ass.”
They pulled Guillermo out of the street and lay him down on the sidewalk. Dante had a feeling the bully was going to be extremely embarrassed when he regained consciousness. Then they went into Ike’s.
Neither Dante or Aaron had seen anybody with blue skin before. But these were strange days in a wild world…even at their relatively young age, they recognized it was wiser to judge people on words and deeds rather than how they looked. And besides, with the way Nature was changing, it only made sense humanity probably wasn’t far behind.
They sat down at a table and told the barmaid what they wanted. Then Dante asked Thanos where he had come from.
“Been up in New Vegas for a while, working security jobs. Before that I was wandering all over the dry part of the Canadian sector, just doing whatever. I actually grew up in Greenland and made my way across the water when I was eighteen.”
Just the fact he’d spent time in New Vegas greatly impressed the two farm boys. Neither of them had travelled much at all and they talked a lot about how frustrating it felt to be this bored so early in life.
Dante said, “It’s nice to be high and dry but sometimes I feel like I’m missing out on so much. I want to see pirates and weird animals and maybe even a superstorm.”
Thanos chuckled. “You don’t want to see a superstorm, kid. Not up close and personal, anyway. Those things will pick you up in Colorado and drop you into the ocean somewhere five hundred miles west of the continent.”
They drank and talked for a couple hours. Guillermo eventually staggered into the tavern and thought for a couple seconds about restarting hostilities but finally decided it could wait until another day. His most pressing need at the moment was a whiskey to dim the pain in his head.
Dante asked Thanos where he was staying and the blue man replied that he hadn’t had a chance to address that issue. The younger man said, “Why don’t you come out to my folk’s place and have dinner with us? You can even spend the night if you want.”
Thanos smiled and said, “You sure it’s not a bother?”
“No, it will be great. My folks would love to talk to somebody who knows what’s going on in the outside world.”
They finished their drinks, said goodbye to Aaron and got on their electric cycles. As they drove to the farm, Dante thought about how amazing the past few hours had been.
He introduced Thanos to his family and at dinner they peppered the stranger with questions about what’d seen on his travels around CanAmerica.
Dante’s mother asked if their guest had been to Manhattan. He replied, “Yes, I was there a couple years ago. Now days it’s more or less just a collection of buildings connected by bridges and walkways that have been built up above the waterline. To be honest, I didn’t care for it very much…it’s all concrete, steel and ocean water. I’m much happier in a place like this where you still have some forest.”
Dante asked how the Canadian part of the country was holding up. “I’d have to say pretty well for the most part. Of course, there’s been flooding on the coasts but the middle of the country is really pretty nice these days. Their only concern is making sure there’s enough fresh water for everybody. The change in the snowfall levels has made things rough for some of the cities that have taken in the most weather refugees. But on the other hand, there is so still so much open space up there that can be utilized.”
Dante’s father said, “It’s kind of funny when you think about it. The vast majority of Canada’s population used to live in a pretty thin band along the border with the United States. Now there are people from all over the world moving there. I even heard about a new city being built just two hundred miles from the North Pole.”
Thanos took a sip of wine and replied, “Yeah, it’s like Mother Nature knew climate change was coming so she put a big country in the freezer and kept it there to be used later when the rest of the world started to burn up. Pretty smart old gal.”
The next morning, Dante and his father showed their guest around the farm and explained what the different crops were. They had a couple of dogs but livestock like cattle and pigs didn’t exist anymore outside of special sanctuaries. The waste from those kinds of animals produced too much methane so now all meat products were created in laboratories.
After lunch, Dante and Thanos went out to sit on the front porch. The younger man figured their visitor was getting ready to hit the road again. Thanos said, “I have a question for you, my young friend. You said you’re bored…how would you feel about coming on an adventure with me?”
Dante gulped. “What do you mean? Where would we be going?”
“I need to go visit a friend who lives on one of the Seattle islands. He’s very ill and this might be our last chance to see each other.”
Dante grew very excited. He’d always dreamed of boarding a ship and sailing out to the area people used to call the West Coast. Of course, now it was a collection of islands that ranged from Whistler in the north to what used to be the hills of San Francisco in the south.
But then he suddenly thought about how unrealistic the whole idea seemed. He said, “Thanos, I really appreciate the offer. But my folks…”
“I already talked to your father and he thinks it’s a good idea. Said he was younger than you the first time he went out wandering and feels like it did wonders for his confidence. What do you think?”
Dante’s mind was spinning. But after a few seconds he was able to gather his wits and say yes.
The next morning, they said goodbye and set out on their journey. Dante hugged his younger brother and parents. His mother was crying but told him she understood his need to get out and see the world.
They rode their cycles north into Wyoming and then headed west. As they flew down the highway, Dante felt like he had a permanent smile plastered on his face. It wasn’t like he’d ever felt his parents were really holding him back. But now that he was out on the open road, he began to realize just how badly he’d needed to get out and see some different sights, breathe in some different air.
They camped the first night fifty miles east of the Idaho border. Dante was feeling sore…that was easily the furthest he’d ridden his cycle in one day. He built a small fire and Thanos put together a meal for them.
After they finished eating and cleaned their utensils, Dante sat down by the fire and said, “So, you grew up in Greenland? What was that like?”
Thanos replied, “Kind of weird. With all the ice melting, it’s like Mother Nature decided to give humanity a brand new green continent to mess with. Of course, it doesn’t even begin to make up for all the places we’ve lost.”
Dante nodded in agreement. So much coastal land was underwater now…big chunks of not only this country but also Europe, China, Australia, Mexico and so many others.
And there were also hot zones that had sprung up all over the globe. Places where the heat index rose so high at times a human would die in ten minutes if they were caught outside without a cooling suit. That was the reason they closed down the Nevada version of Las Vegas and moved it to Alberta.
There had even been a bad joke going around about the old Sin City right before everybody left…what stays in Vegas, burns in Vegas.
Of course, the same thing could have been said about any state where senior citizens used to flock to enjoy the sun in their later years. That seemed like such a strange concept to somebody Dante’s age or even a generation or two older. Few people on the planet these days craved more heat.
All this radical climate change had prompted rapid improvements in solar, wind and tidal technology. That’s what you used to moderate the temperature in your home, provide energy for your business or power your vehicles. The cycles Dante and Thanos were riding charged themselves automatically during the daylight hours. And the exterior of the ship they would soon be boarding was also composed of materials that turned sunlight into energy.
Dante sipped some red wine out of his tin cup and said, “Isn’t it weird how we’ve made all these scientific advances but life is still harder in some ways than it was a century ago?”
Thanos looked up at the night sky and replied, “Yeah. But humans are great adapters. I think the species will always survive on Earth in form or another.”
The younger man started to ask his companion what he meant by that but then decided against it. The alcohol had amplified his weariness and besides, there would be plenty of time later on to discuss these grand philosophical matters more. He said goodnight and closed his eyes.
The next day they rode west across Idaho and stopped in Boise to get something to eat. Dante thought it was a nice town…he especially liked all the palm trees. The woman who waited on them said people spent a lot of time outdoors from October to April but the summer months could be tough. Apparently it wasn’t that unusual to see the temperatures in July and August climb up past one hundred and thirty degrees.
When they got back on their cycles, they turned north after crossing into Oregon and then eventually the road headed east. When the temperature topped one hundred and five degrees, Dante asked if they could stop so he could put on his cooling suit. He was surprised when Thanos didn’t also take one out of his saddle bag. The blue man just smiled and said, “I tend to run a lot cooler than other people.”
They finally stopped in Hood River, a port city that sat at the point where the Columbia River flowed into the Pacific. The first order of business was to find somebody who could take care of their cycles for a fee. The man also offered them a place to stay for the night.
The next morning, they booked passage on a ship called The Northwest Breeze.
They stood up on deck as the ship headed away from the city and out to sea. Thanos pointed to a large building and told his companion it was a desalinization plant. He said, “It’s ironic. Even though the temperature is often a lot hotter here than it used to be, with this new coastline the farmers have access to a lot more water now. All they have to do is separate the salt out of it.”
Dante said, “Have you been to any of the Oregon islands?”
“No, I can’t say that I have. I’ve heard the Portland Peninsula is nice.”
One of the crew members told them to be on the lookout for any strange boats approaching the ship. There were pirates in the area from time to time who’d made attempts to board and take over some of the smaller vessels. They hadn’t been successful yet but a couple of unfortunate passengers had died in the fighting.
The ship travelled west for a while and then turned north. As they surged through the water, Dante thought about old maps his father had shown over the years. It was amazing such big chunks of Oregon, Washington and California had been lost over the years. Buildings, bridges, parks and so much more now lay deep beneath the ocean waves.
Most of the cities of the West Coast were now modern day versions of fabled Atlantis, visited only by scuba divers, submarines and creatures of the ocean.
And a surprising number of people had perished too. The sea level rise was gradual…but there were also epic storms from time to time and flooding that exceeded levels even the best trained meteorologists predicted. Dante had relatives that had ended up living on Mount Hood after surviving such an episode.
When they were getting close to Indian Hill Island (part of the Tacoma chain) they saw manta rays streaking across the surface of the water. This was one of the many species of fish that had gradually moved north over the years after the water closer to the equator grew too warm. Dante and Thanos were amazed how fast they could move.
The ship made several stops. Thanos and Dante disembarked when it got to Queen Anne Island and began walking to their final destination, a house inhabited by a friend Thanos hadn’t seen in a very, very long time.
Dante said, “It’s funny, this isn’t what I imagined an island would look like…there’s no sandy beach or girls in bathing suits.”
Thanos replied, “You’re thinking of conventional islands that are created when a volcano spits up magma that eventually cools. Queen Anne is what I would call an instant island, one created by default because the ocean rose to a certain level. However, if it’s any consolation we might still see a girl in a bikini if it gets warm enough.”
The younger man laughed. He appreciated Thanos didn’t give him a hard time about being naïve.
They arrived at an older looking yellow house and were welcomed in by a middle aged Asian woman named Jean. She led them into a bedroom where another blue skinned man was sitting up in a hospital bed. Thanos bent down to hug him and said, “I came as soon as I could.”
The man in the bed feebly pointed at Dante and said, “Who’s your young friend, Thanos?”
“Aksel, this is Dante. I met him in Colorado. Dante, this is Aksel. I met him in Europe.”
Aksel shook Dante’s hand. He said, “So, you’ve been taking care of this rascal?”
“Yes, sir.”
The three of them visited for a few minutes and then Thanos asked Dante if he and Aksel could have a few minutes alone. The young man went out into the living room and Jean offered him some food.
Thanos came out after an hour and sat down. He had a sad expression on his face. He said, “I don’t think he can last much longer.”
Jean came over and put her hand on his shoulder. She said, “I know, he is very weak. He’s really just been hanging on until you could get here.”
