Short Story: Season 2
The End of the Line
The End of the Line
*ALISON L. RANDALL
Genre: Comedy
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The End of the Line
ALISON L'S. RANDALL
[At the End of the Phone Line]
Alison L's. Randall
When Frank and I stepped into the post office, there we saw there was a crowd. Everyone was gawking at the sight of a machine stuck to the wall. I need to take a closer look. Fortunately I had a slimmer body than a wire fence and Frank's body, my eleven-year-old twin, was the same as mine.
“Ayo.” Take me while holding his hand, and we also escaped through the cracks of humans in the crowd until we were finally in the front row.
I can finally see it clearly. The machine was affixed next to the postmaster's window, where honor was usually reserved for wanted posters. The poster of Zedekiah Smith, a beaded-eyed bank robber, was still hanging there, but the poster had already been moved slightly to the side to make room for something more important.
It was the first phone machine in our small town.
“How does it work?” Ask Noah Crawford. Noah is the greatest roving repairman, and I'm sure he can't wait to touch his fingers on those sparkling buttons.
“I don't really understand,” the postmaster replied as he rubbed his goat's beard as if the act would give him an answer. “He said, our voice will run along the wires hanging on the pole. Just like the telegraph, the only thing that appears is sound, not dots or straight lines.
“Ah,” whispered to people in obscurity, and I felt my own mouth was also following along.
I stared at the shining wooden box and somehow I felt something. It's like feeling in love. My mind was immediately filled with the desire to talk to the box, and make my voice sail through the wires in the sky. I can't get my mind off that box.
“Frank,” whiskey. “I'd love to use that phone.”
The next five minutes, Frank dragged me down the street to the house. “Liza–“ said, but I cut it right away. We both had the same thought, I could answer Frank's question before he even asked.
“You're right,” I said. “It costs five cents and I don't have that kind of money. But look.” I pulled it and pointed to Mr. Poulson's shop window. “You see that?”
I pointed at the pile of glistening stones scattered over the black velvet cloth. Some are shiny gray coated with gold, others are colored like cheese. And there was one that was clearly visible and jagged, sitting like a frozen trickle of water, like the rest of winter.
Frank's eye brows look unnatural and I'm sure he doesn't understand what I mean.
“If I can find such a stone, I can sell it there.” I clearly.
Frank just shook his head, then said, “But Liza–“
I raised one of his hands—I already knew what he was about to say. “I've thought about it too. I'll bet that we can definitely find such rocks around the North Creek river near the mine.”
Frank shrugged his shoulders, pretending not to care, but I knew more about him. He wanted to explore the old mine, just like me. Anyway, Frank knew he had no other choice. The twins are always together, especially the ones who are as hot as we are, because we must always put our energies together in order to gain the same strength as a normal person.
We spent half of our morning on the dusty road to North Creek. Mom wrapped us up a lunch but she didn't understand why we had to go that far just to find a rock. Mom thought we went looking for rocks on the dry riverbed, and I didn't try to correct them.
I felt a little guilty for lying to my mother, but the thought that my voice would dance along the wires in the sky drove out all my guilt.
We arrived at our destination around noon. The hole in the cliff covered with plants has been supported by strong wood and looks like a photo frame without photos.
I stepped in, the Roman fur on my arm standing in the cold air. The smell of moss and weathered poles floated in the air, and also the smell of horse sweat and burning wood. Bizarrely. The mine had long been abandoned by the miners.
As my eyes grew accustomed to the gloomy lighting there, I looked around me, hoping to see the sparkling rocks. But only dust can be seen there. Frank runs the point where the wall narrows, then disappears around the bend. I followed him quickly.
I was behind Frank when, ting, his shoes came into contact with a metal. He stopped, took something off the ground, and when he stood up, his hand clasped something more than we expected.
A gold coin. Frank's eyes almost jumped out.
“Where did you take it from?” Whisper me to Frank and take the gold coin out of his hand*.
Then suddenly, a voice came from the large cave across. “Zed, the angler is higher.” Then came two male figures who stepped out through a hole in the wall.
They don't look like miners. I know just by looking at them in an instant. They wear riding clothes with leather shoes. One of them held a bag of sandals on his shoulders and had a long mustache until it passed through his jaw. The other one was wearing a worn hat, his face hidden behind a shadow. When he raised his lantern, the reflection of light shone brightly in his bead eyes.
Zedekiah Smith, the bank robber.
I pressed my body against the dark wall, hoping not to be seen by them. Frank sat down hunched over, hiding his head in his collar. But this time we weren't thin enough.
“Hey!” the man with the mustache pointed, then dropped his bag of cages and chased after us.
I tried to run too, but I fell over because I hit Frank's back. Upon returning to consciousness, Frank and I were on the ground, our feet pulled by sharp hoofed hands.
“See this, Zed.” Said the person who held us, “Pair of spies.”
“Not,” rebut me. “We're not spies. We're looking for rocks to sell. There's a new phone in town, and I just want—Ow!”
The mustachioed man grabbed my hair. “Is he always talking a lot like this?” ask him about Frank. And Frank, the traitor, nodded.
“Searching for stones, eh?” the moustached man opened Frank's fingers forcefully. The gold coins were gleaming under the light of the lantern. “See this, Zed. Must have fallen.”
Zedekiah Smith stepped forward and took the coin in Frank's grasp. “You don't want this, son. This is dirty money.”
“You made it so,” I told him. “You stole it.”
Zedekiah Smith narrowed her eyes, and made her look completely beaded. “Caleb's right. You do talk a lot.”
The next five minutes, Frank and I turned their backs on the ground.
“This place wouldn't be dangerous without you guys,” my scolding, and Frank gets even more scared.
“Of course here is dangerous,” replied Caleb. “Old mines are a dangerous place. You can be trapped in a cave avalanche, or bitten by rodents. Lucky you guys just met us. He... he!” he tightened our bond and stood up. “Someone will find you in a day or two. And by then we had gone far. Right ‘kan, Zed?”
“Ya.” Zedekiah Smith stood back up, watching Caleb do his dirty work. His eyes are back in shadow.
“Let us go,” I beg. “We won't tell anyone.”
“Ha!” Caleb raises his backpack. “I want to make sure you guys keep your mouth.”
Zedekiah Smith picked up the lantern and without looking back they passed through the exposed stone wall. I listened until their steps disappeared in the darkness.
We both sat alone in the pitch-black darkness to the point that my nose stopped working. Caleb's right. This is a dangerous place. I won't be able to survive even just a day. And worse, when mom finds my lifeless body, she'll know I'm lying.
I almost drowned in despair, but Frank caught my attention with something more shocking.
“Finally,” said. “I'm free.”
I could hardly believe it when our bond loosened. I immediately jumped to my feet and tried to figure out how Frank did it. It turned out that it was because Frank had managed to escape his skinny wrist. That's a simple Frank. The most surprising thing was that he came up with the idea without my help.
“Phew,” I'm relieved because I got a second chance. Turns out mom won't find my lifeless body. And as for the lying part, hm, I'll try to explain it.
But first, I will do a good thing to start my new life. I'm going to imprison those criminals.
I grabbed Frank's arm and ran. “We have to go to the city and report Zedekiah Smith.” Then an idea came to my mind. “Imagine how long phone calls I can make with his prize money.”
“Liza–“ said Frank, but I know where the talk is going.
“Of course we will halve the prize money.”
We turned and hit someone wearing a hat. Zedekiah Smith is back. Before we could make a move, he caught us as if we were two pigs ready to be slaughtered.
“Release!” I shouted while hitting his chest.
“Shh,” whispered. “Caleb thinks I forgot something.”
I'm aghast. “But..”.
“I'm back to free you.”
This time I had a hard time filling my mouth with words.
“Now, you hide until I take Caleb away,” whispered.
“Do you feel sorry for us?” Frank and Zedekiah Smith laughed.
“No, it's just that I'm not brave enough to hurt people.” He relaxed his grip and freed us, then retreated backwards. “You better do your duty and report me. But take this in case the prize money is long given.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pale yellow stone studded with honey-colored crystals. “I found it in a dry riverbed. Maybe enough so you can call.”
He put it in my hand and blinked his eyes. Then he turned around and walked out towards the sunlight. Frank and I could only stand with their mouths gaping like a duet of wide-mouthed frogs.
We'll arrive at the sheriff's office the next day. I reported Zedekiah Smith, as I should have done, but somehow, it no longer felt like a good deed.
Our next stop was Mr. Poulson's shop. The old master Poulson's eyes lit up as he looked at the crystal stone. Twenty-five cents for Frank. He immediately spent it by buying candy. I saved my share for something more monumental.
Post offices are no longer crowded. But still, there were a few people passing by as I walked over to the counter and put my money.
“I want to call,” I said proudly.
“You'll be the first. Who are you going to call?” said the postmaster while rubbing his goat beard.
“Who?” my voice echoed. And in an instant all my dreams were shattered. My dancing voice in a pink ballet and a tufted umbrella passed like dry grass in the wind. My voice could not dance along the cable and would never go anywhere. No one I know has a phone.
I turned towards Frank and saw him grinning.
“You already know, yes?” accuse me.
He's pointing his shoulders. “I've tried to tell you.”
“Really?” I thought back to the day before and realized that maybe he was right. I was too busy using my own mouth.
After looking for the last time with an affectionate look at that phone, I turned around from the counter. Maybe candy is more useful to buy with that money.
“Frank,” I said while wondering what he was thinking, “Other times if you have something you want to say, say. I'll try hard to listen.”
Fugitive poster Zedekiah Smith was seen nodding at me as we passed by.
[finished]
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