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It was summer break, and things were back to normal, somewhat.
Himself, Denny, Myrtle, & Oliver hang out together now every day. Mostly they’d hang out at Lelia’s store while Myrtle worked, and sometimes it would be just him and Denny running laps while waiting for Myrtle and wondering where Oliver ran off to…again.
He doesn’t leave as often now when they were in school, and he’d explain his absences towards missing his mother and staying inside his house. Which Phil would know to be a partial lie, as he’d gone by Ollie’s house and knocked on the door, getting no response.
So…where does he run off to?
Well, one day he got a small lead to that question.
On his way to meet his friends at Miss Leila’s store one morning, an automobile he recognized that he made went rushing by him. He stopped walking and stared after it.
”What on earth was that?”
It…looked like his car. The one that the tire came off of? The one that went too fast for him to catch up to and went straight into the river? The one-this was only with a glance mind you-that Oliver was driving?
Eager for some answers, he ran after it.
-
Oliver figured, well…if he can drive the Philmobile around in the other world, why couldn’t he do it in Motorville? So he decided to try it and he decided…it was less fun here. There were roads and stop signs and ugh…it was boring. He’ll keep to the outskirts of Ding Dong Dell next time. As he got out of the car, he heard footsteps approaching.
”Hey!”
He turned around and…oh, it was Phil! “Hi Phil.”
”Isn’t that the car?”
Oliver tilted his head. “What car, Phil?” He can’t see it, can he?
”Y’know…the car?”
…He can. That’s new. Of all people he figured Myrtle would be the one to notice. “I, uh…I guess.”
”And you’re driving it?”
“Uh-huh.”
”…Can I take a look?”
Oliver didn’t see why not.
-
Oliver had parked it in front of his house while Phil went to get his tools.
He checked it out, all right. Double checked, even.
This is definitely his car.
”Where did you get it? Is this involved with where you go all the time?”
”Uh…I found the keys somewhere.” Sort of true?
He tightened the tire because there’s no way Oliver’s gonna get hurt on his watch that’s gonna roll off again.
”…Gee Phil, that’s awful tight. You sure you’re okay?”
Phil stood up. “Course I am! If I wanna work on cars, I’ve gotta make sure they’re in tip-top shape! And you come by if it needs fixing, ya hear?”
”If what needs fixing? And why do you have your tools?”
Denny was heading over to them.
”Oh-I was showing Oliver some new tools I have!” It seemed like Denny couldn’t see the car, but Myrtle, on the other hand…she did seem a bit…sensitive, about this sort of thing. They’d better get going before Denny asks more questions.
”What new tools?”
Like that. “Oh, new ones. I’ll show you later. For now though, let’s go see Myrtle. She’s probably waiting on us. You wanna come, Ollie?”
”Sure!”
Making sure Denny didn’t run into the car by accident, they all headed to the store. He’ll have to examine it more later.
-
“YOU WHAT?”
”I’m sorry, Mr. Drippy! I didn’t think anyone would see!” Aside from Myrtle anyway, and she was working.
”And did you think about what they would see? You sitting on thin air in the middle of the street..they’d think you lost your mind, mun!”
”Phil saw it though.”
”Course he did! It might not be his car, but it’s the same. A look alike, ain’t it? Like the car got its own soulmate!”
”But…I don’t think that’s how it works here?”
“Details, details…just don’t do it again?”
”Yes, Mr Drippy…”