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“What do you see, Parcel?”
It had been a hot day in the History Heap. Most days in the Gladlands were hot, but today it was exceptionally so. The Screamatorium was as busy as ever, full of people mad with heat exhaustion and just needing to yell at somebody. Many supervisors took the day off to yell, meaning an appreciated day off for researchers.
Sticky hot fingers on ancient pieces of parchment was also an absolute no.
Herbie took this opportunity to pull his dear Parcel out of their studies and to one of his favorite spots in the heap.
On the Northwestern outskirts of the heap right behind the Screamatorium was a rock that overlooked the neighboring settlements where Herbie and Parcel sat. They had a small bowl of steamed grubs between them which they were each munching on as they watched… whatever Herbie was trying to get them to watch.
“I see Glider Town,” Parcel answers simply. “That is Glider Town.”
Herbie couldn’t help but giggle. Parcel did not understand why he was amused.
“What? You ask me a vague all-encompassing question, I give you a vague all-encompassing answer. That is Glider Town, is it not? Is this a trick question? You know I do not like tricks, Herbie.”
“It’s not a trick, I was just hoping you’d look a little closer. Look at the details, Parcel.”
Parcel nods, squinting their eyes. They were very good at looking at the details of things.
“In the air space of Glider Town, I see, well. Gliders. And kites, of course. The gravity that should, in theory, be pulling these machines downwards is being counteracted by the lift being generated by the air pressure. So instead of completely flying into oblivion or crashing to the ground, the kites and gliders soar through the sky. Of course that is a bit of an oversimplification, but…” Parcel pushes up their glasses, looking back at Herbie. “Is that enough detail for you?”
“That was way too literal.”
“Thank you.”
“No–” Herbie sighs, watching as a satisfied Parcel munches on some grubs. “Can you just go with me for a moment? There’s a point to this, I swear.”
Parcel picks up the bowl of grubs and offers some to Herbie. He sighs and takes a handful. “I thought I was doing what you wanted. Did you not wish to discuss the physics of kites?” They put the mostly empty bowl back down on the rock.
“Would an example help?”
“Yes, I love examples.”
“Alright…” Herbie cleared his throat, looking out to the horizon. “I see the gliders and kites like you do, because as you said, of course that’s what they are. But really, I see color and joy and whimsy. I see freedom and– and… and expression, Parcel.”
“Is that like that one time you pointed to a cloud and said it was heart shaped even though the correct term for its shape was cumulus?"
“Exactly!” Herbie beamed as Parcel finally started to understand.
“Then no, I’m not doing that.”
“Oh, come on! It’s fun! And you promised you’d let me teach you to suspend your disbelief.”
No, Parcel wanted to say. Because they had never promised that. They remembered maybe humoring the idea to get Herbie to stop talking about it and get back to work, but promising it? Never. Though that was a technicality, and even though Parcel thrived off of technicalities, they knew Herbie would huff and puff about it being a technicality if they voiced that.
So Parcel just shrugged.
“The kites I am seeing come in many different colors, but it seems that they are prominently yellow. Psychologically speaking, yellow is often used to promote happiness, depending on the shade. It can also stimulate your appetite, which is why many people utilize shades of yellow to paint eating spaces. Hm… but in this context, I would assume it is being used to promote happiness. Glider Town has a generally cheerful and lively atmosphere. Very loud. It is almost in direct contrast to what we have here at the History Heap.”
Parcel looked to Herbie for some sort of response. They assumed it would be another sigh, but he was just nodding and coaxing them to go on. They look behind themselves at the Screamatorium, then focus forward on Glider Town while clearing their throat.
“Um… Well.” Parcel closed their eyes, trying to ground themselves in this moment. “You were talking about freedom… I guess… Flying like that can be representative of freedom. There’s that Before Times saying, ‘free as a bird.’ Flying is… bird-like. I suppose. In the sense that flying is something that birds are capable of. So you could say the gliders in Glider Town are representative of freedom. Which is a cruel juxtaposition, if you think about it, being in view of the History Heap. Here… it’s…” They open their eyes, looking at the boy by their side. He put his hand on top of theirs. “Well you’re here. You see the environment we have grown up in. I do not have to explain that to you.”
Herbie fully holds Parcel’s hand and gives it a good squeeze.
“What do you see, Parcel?”
Reluctantly, they pull their gaze away from Herbie. Tried to see the sight in front of them through his eyes.
“I see… I suppose I see hope. Is that what you want me to say? That despite it not being an actual physical manifestation of the idea and feeling of hope, I see it anyways?”
“Is that what you want to say?”
“I don’t know. I just assumed that was what the answer you were pushing me towards.”
“You’re making a whole lot of assumptions,” Herbie says, but not negatively. The opposite, really. Parcel always talked about how assumptions were useless, so it was worth bringing up.
“Am I wrong? About you railroading my answer, I mean.”
“I don’t think I’m railroading you. That wasn’t my intention, at least.” Herbie ate the last of the grubs, stuffing the bowl into his satchel when it was empty. “You came up with the idea of Glider Town representing hope all on your own. I was just trying to get you to dig deeper. You know… suspend your disbelief.”
“So you were, in fact, tricking me.”
“Tsk, tsk. I think you might want to look over the dictionary definition of a ‘trick’ again, Parcel. You’re using that term very loosely.” Herbie stands, dusting off his uniform then holding out a hand towards Parcel. “Would you like to accompany me in watching a screaming match at the Screamatorium?”
They took his hand.