Chapter Text
Stanley entered the apartment and flopped down on the couch, exhausted. The Narrator, who had heard him open the door, came out from his room, which doubled as the study.
“Oh, hello there. Rough day at work?” He asked. Stanley nodded. The Narrator pulled a seat next to the couch and sat down.
“Well, I have something that might cheer you up. I was doing some digging and- well, I-“ he paused.
“Stanley, I believe I may have a clue as to where your family is.”
Stanley, who had been staring off into the distance, now looked over at him with interest. The Narrator clapped once.
“Aha! I knew that would lift your spirits! You see, I found someone matching your name and description who went missing about the same time you did in uh…”
Stanley gave him a look, prompting him to finish his sentence.
“Right. Michigan.”
Stanley considered this bit of information.
How far is that from here?
“See, that’s the sticking point, isn’t it? I checked… and um…it’s about… 7 hours away by car…” he said hesitantly. They didn’t have a car. Stanley just sighed, and looked away again.
“Look, I’ll make a few calls. See what I can do.”
Stanley looked at him, confused.
Why?
The Narrator laughed nervously, coughed, and corrected himself.
“Well, if it means getting you out of my hair sooner rather than later…”
Stanley nodded, smiling a bit.
Of course.
The next day, The Narrator phoned Stanley while he was at work, using the telephone booth outside the corner store two blocks from the apartment.
“Stanley? Yes, hello- I have good news! I have our solution- I rang the Michigan Police Department, and- well let me tell you, you must be quite popular there, though I can’t imagine why- I explained that you had just showed up one day - not too far from the truth, is it? And well, they were quite excited about all that. They… oh never mind. The point is: they want you to fly to meet them post-haste.”
Silence.
“…Well before you get too excited-“ He huffed, rolling his eyes. “I do have one bit of… less than ideal news…” he sighed.
“Apparently, due to my being an ‘upstanding member of society’ or some bullshit like that… and I may or may not have neglected to mention the questionable stability of my sanity- AHEM- they’re… em… requiring me to escort you.”
Hm. Stanley smirked.
“Well, carry on! Don’t let possibly life-changing news get in the way of corporate progress!” The Narrator placed the phone back in the receiver.
Days Later…
Stanley rolled his suitcase along behind him as he and The Narrator walked up to the airport check-in counter. The woman behind the counter smiled at them.
“Welcome to New City International Airport, how can I help you today.”
“Yes, um, we have a flight to uh…” The Narrator checked the paper he was holding. “Lansing?”
“Can I see some ID please?”
“Right-o.” He procured his state ID card and Stanley followed suit. The woman inspected them and nodded.
“And can I get that confirmation number?”
“Yes- um-“ he got a piece of paper out of his suit pocket and immediately sighed.
“Oh my- I don’t believe this… 2845…” he muttered as he handed her the paper. Stanley looked over at him.
Are you-
“Yes, I’m serious!" The Narrator snapped. The lady behind the counter looked at them oddly.
“Right, well, enjoy your flight Mr… Theodore…”
He nodded as she handed them their boarding passes.
“Yes, em… Thank you.”
Theodore? Stanley asked slyly as they walked away from the counter.
“Oh, shut up,” The Narrator responded tiredly. Stanley snickered.
Can I call you Ted?
“What? No! It’s just the name on the paperwork! It’s not really my-“ He stopped. “Oh, hello sir!” He greeted the TSA officer.
“Oh, I read about this, Stanley! They just want to make sure we aren’t carrying anything illegal on the plane, like drugs or deadly weapons or cans of beans!” He explained merrily as they went through the checkpoint.
“You’re clear to pass, sirs. Enjoy your flight.” The officer stated dully.
“Thank you, my good man.” The Narrator nodded to him and they continued further into the airport.
“Our gate is number 20B. You know, Stanley, I really don’t understand the point of putting letters with numbers, but it seems to be a universally agreed upon concept for humankind.”
Wait till you discover algebra.
“What-“ The Narrator stopped suddenly.
“Stanley- Stanley, Stanley look.” He motioned to the huge room they had ended up in.
What? The concourse?
“No-Stanley- look at all of it!” He wandered out to the middle of the room, and Stanley grabbed his arm to avoid losing track of him.
“Look- just look at all this!” He said excitedly.
Ok, ok… what am I looking at?
“Well, just look! Over there!” He pointed at one of the restaurants. “Sandwiches being sold for outrageous prices to take advantage of starving tourists! And over there! A machine dispensing carbonated beverages with impossibly high levels of sugar content! Stanley, this place is incredible! ”
Stanley smiled and rolled his eyes as he watched The Narrator excitedly point out each location in turn, every discovery seemingly more novel and interesting than the previous. After a few minutes, Stanley realized The Narrator wasn’t going to get tired any time soon. He sighed and put a hand on The Narrator’s shoulder.
Maybe you should sit down.
“…hm, yes, maybe I should.”
They found their gate and sat down.
“I got a bit carried away just there, didn’t I?”
Stanley nodded.
“Oh. Um…” He sat there awkwardly, hands in his lap. The silence didn’t last very long, though, as soon a voice came over the loudspeaker.
“Gate 20B New City to Lansing is now boarding.”
That’s us. Stanley noted, getting up. The Narrator nodded and rose as well, though somewhat hesitantly. After a few minutes of waiting in line, they scanned their boarding passes and boarded the plane. After about 45 minutes, they heard a voice over the intercom.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard flight #4227, I’ll be your captain for today. As we are preparing for takeoff, please make sure all baggage and tray tables are stowed and that your seat is in the upright position. Please now direct your attention to the nearest flight attendant for an important safety demonstration.”
They looked up the aisle to where a uniformed woman was explaining how to fasten the seatbelt. She soon moved on to another topic. As she continued to explain, The Narrator felt his chest tighten. His breathing quickened, and as he listened, his heart began to race. He gripped the armrest, the sounds around him now muffled, overshadowed by an intense ringing as he struggled to catch his breath.
Narrator! Stanley’s voice suddenly cut through his thoughts, snapping him out of his trance.
“Hm? What?” The Narrator looked out the window.
What’s wrong? That was the third time I tried to get your attention.
“Oh no, nothing, nothing’s wrong.”
Stanley gave him an unamused look.
Remember what we talked about.
The Narrator sighed in annoyance.
“Right…Honesty…”
Stanley nodded.
So? What’s wrong?
“I- Well I-“ he sighed again, exasperated. “I mean, we’re trusting someone we don’t even know with our lives, there’s all these variables, so many things can go wrong, and if something does happen, I-“ he paused, then finished his sentence quietly. “-I won’t be able to fix it.”
His grip on the armrest tightened again.
“I… I’m used to being in control of things, Stanley. And now that I’m not…” He trailed off, looking away a bit. Abruptly, Stanley grabbed his hand, making eye contact with him when he looked up in surprise.
“Oh, come now, is that really necessary…” He muttered, rolling his eyes and looking down again. He made no effort to move his hand away, however, as the plane began to move faster and faster. The Narrator glanced over at Stanley’s hand, which was still firmly grasping his, then closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. As he felt the airplane lift off the ground, he heard Stanley’s voice once again.
We’ve gotten through everything together. This is no different. We’ll get through this, too.
And they did.