Hodgepodge

January 3 short story

Flint woke up slowly. Although he felt that going back to sleep wouldn't work anymore, he felt leaden tiredness gripping his body and mind. He slowly sat up. Instead of a bed that would allow him to put his feet on the floor, he realized he was on a mattress that lay in an empty room.

As he stirred, so did somebody else next to him. He cast a weary glance at the person next to him. "Lucien," he said with tenderness. He pet his son's bright blond curls. It still struck him that his kid was a toddler instead of an infant. Something had happened to him and Lucien that had brought them not only to a place and city he didn't know, but there were also several months that had elapsed without Flint having any memory of it.

He slowly rolled off the mattress and onto his knees. He used both arms to push his upper body into an upright position. Lucien, not at all afflicted with the bug that kept Flint from moving at normal speed, crawled across the makeshift bed and tried to climb up on his dad. Instinctively, Flint put one arm around his son. He held him tightly as he put one foot on the floor to help him stand up.

He lumbered into the kitchen. The counters were littered with empty take out boxes and throw-away plates and flatware. A peek in the refrigerator yielded nothing but a half bottle of formula. Lucien saw it and struggled to get out of Flint's arms to reach for it. Flint grabbed it for him and gave it to him. Lucien immediately put the bottle to his lips and started sucking furiously. "You are hungry," Flint commented. He held his stomach with his free hand. "I'm hungry too."

Having slept in his clothes, Flint started digging in his pocket. He found a wad of cash. United States dollars. He knew the value of the currency, but he still reeled from the fact that the money he carried was dollars. The worst part was that he was unable to tell which currency he would have expected. Time, place, his son's age didn't add up to him. Finding logic in a situation without rhyme or reason was futile when the basic bodily needs wanted to be met. As soon as the baby bottle was empty, Lucien shook it in hopes more would come out.

"Let me check your diaper and then we'll go out to buy more food."

Lucien held on to the empty baby bottle and suckled on it while Flint changed his diaper on the mattress in the living room. A day or two or many days ago, Flint had inspected the apartment. There were three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The kitchen was modern and even had a wine refrigerator with a glass door. For furniture, however, there was only the mattress, a blanket, and a stool in the kitchen.

With Lucien dressed, Flint went outside. His apartment was on the fourth level in a complex in the middle of a big city. The downtown area was close by as he could see the high rises just a few blocks away. He hadn't ventured that far, but he'd found a sign on a lamppost that said "Little Tokyo."
The name of the place didn't ring a bell. It didn't make sense either except for the fact that the Japanese American Museum was only a block away from his complex. In his immediate neighborhood, Flint had as many Anime paraphernalia shops as hole-in-the-wall eateries that sold Asian influenced American and European foods.

He chose a Japanese French bistro for a croissant and cup of coffee. The waitress asked, "Would you like something for your son?"

He shrugged. "What do you have?"

"I will bring something he will like." She smiled brightly. She came back with soft cookies and showed Lucien how to hold and nibble on it. It was a mess, but since Lucien obviously enjoyed the treat, Flint didn't object. He bought a bag full of those cookies for later.

At home, Flint surveyed his bleak apartment. Lost in time and space, he tried to make sense of things by reading the newspaper. The date said "January 3, 2012 - Year Three after the Blending."

Flint knew that 2012 marked the year since a messiah was born, but what did Blending mean? On page six, he found a clue. A small group of hikers was rescued in a National Park after being lost for months. According to them, they only went into a valley and when they came back out they realized a few hours to them had turned into months to their relatives. Flint took down the name of the reporter who wrote the article. Maybe he could get him in touch with those hikers.

A week later, Flint and Lucien went hiking in the same National Park. Flint found the valley and ventured into it. The air got thick, almost like an entity trying to keep him out. He pushed through. Once on the other side of the strangely thick air, he saw the most wondrous sight. He stood in a village of elves - and they recognized him.

875 words