The Taste For Adventure

 "Chris get back here!”, her voice echoing in the distance with strictness knowing I would have to get it from mother later that evening, but nun the less my eyes where set on it and I ran as fast as my tiny legs could carry me “towards to my next big adventure”, I kept telling myself. “I hope mom and dad will understand,” whispering under my breath as my heart pounded with every call I heard and faster my legs would run away from my boring life in the suburbs. My legs shaking and my heart pounding out my chest I finally stopped out of exhaustion and again I saw it, the vision I had seen before on my grandfathers porch when I was 9, the air had the same aroma of freshly watered grass and the sweet smell of lavender, the sky had a similar hue as the sun was setting but this time had a sharpness like a blade I felt cut deep in my heart as if it was a beacon to draw me in and even though I knew dad was going to be furious and mom was already cooking up a storm I smiled, maybe I was just so freaked out I may have lost my marbles but I remembered his words on that faithful day, “the world is full of people like you and me, the difference is weather or not  you’re crazy enough to push the button.” I didn’t know what he mean’t then but I figured if I was crazy enough to go against mom and dad then shoo… maybe that button would appear and… you know the rest. Across town I found myself walking with sweat dripping down my nose, my name again in the distance “Chris!”, “Chrissy!” I quickly darted towards an alley leading to the supermarket. I could see the glowing sign and soon enough I could hear heavy footsteps trailing behind me getting louder with every step, “Chrissy!” I remembered the only person to call me that since kindergarten, slowing down his hand gripped on my shoulder flinging me to the wall, Ping!, “don’t Ping me Chrissy, you heard me calling for you a block away,” I can explain, I..I…, “I what!? You know your mom has been looking for you?,” I know Ping, It’s just that…”It’s the vision huh?, of course it’s the vision, its always the vision. Just like that day!” Ping No!, dont bring it up again. “Fine but its the 3rd time this month you’ve up and ran away without telling anybody. Your folks and I are getting worried you know,” You don’t understand Ping! This time it was clear and deeper than all the other times I swear. “Always the same old story with you…When will you ever grow up?” When you probably get your first kiss, how long? We’re 17 now and here you are telling me about growing up, be serious Pinggy. “ Is that a bet fine… at the end of the summer we have the festival and party so give me until the end of this summer if I do it, you give up this silly farce of yours, deal?” …Deal Pinggy I already know your weakness enough to know you wont possibly get it done and who knows maybe I will find it before then and maybe we wont have to change for nobody. “Keep dreaming Chrissy, lets go home now.” Fine this one time because we have the last day of school tomorrow. “Anyway Chrissy, what would’ve you had done if I didn’t found you?,” Who knows Ping, all I know is this time I was close, I could practically smell it Ping I tell you,  just a little longer and I would’ve found it. “You say that every time I find you Chrissy, you don’t even know what “it” is, just face it, you’re chasing fairy tales.” Don’t believe me then, I don't care!, I know what it is even if I don’t know it up here, I know it here. “In your lungs?” In my heart you twink, I know what it is in my heart. “Whatever Chrissy keep listening to your organs that don't have anything to do with your actions.” See that Ping that's why you wont ever get your first kiss, you should try it sometimes, who knows you might be great at it. “Shut up Chrissy go home, I gotta explain to my dad why I was late this time no thanks to you.” Bye Pingy see ya tomorrow. 

“Christian Oliver Drewt, how many times are you going to run off like that?, have you lost it young man?, well… have anything to say for yourself?.” Mom please,.. “Don’t mom please anything, just wait until your dad gets back he went looking for you and he wasn’t to happy that his son is out there running around town like a mad man, Go wait in your room!.” I jumped into bed and could hear Ping’s dad giving it to him too next door. I kinda feel bad he has to go through this every time he goes looking for me. Staring at my ceiling I hear the humming of the V8 engine of my fathers 1970 Camaro he loved so much pulling into the driveway my first instinct was to run as far as I could but that didn’t get me too far last time.I decided to stay and deal with the consequences as he walked into my room with this sharp look, closing the door behind him, I could feel the pressure like a kettle boiling over, was almost unbearable, he pulled my desk chair and said to me, “Son I know, But please be careful out there.” I couldn’t believe it, he let me go, feeling like I just survived a cage match with a lion, I called it a night. “maybe when I wake up in the morning it would’ve been one big ole dream.” speaking too soon my mother bursting through the door armed with her heavy slipper charging towards me, I couldn’t react fast enough and the first feeling for the adventure came back to me as if it was yesterday, I remembered the place I first met Ping in the old neighborhood near our old Kindergarten, It wasn’t anything special in particular but I remember picking up a key I have never seen before outside the gate and remember the teachers freaking out over it, we even got scolded after returning it back to them and if I remember it was a key to the garage at the staff parking lot. 

Finally the day of the festival and just in time too because I was finally let out the house and ready to finally get back to finding my new adventure and finally hangout with Ping, heard he’s been busy working at his dads shop since summer started, so what better place to start looking for my bro then at his house, knocking on his door I heard a loud boom, and a shadowy figure looking at me from the second floor window and of course it was my owl like friend with his unorganized hair and clothes, bursting through the front door to greet me, “Chrissy ol’ boy,” Ping! What it do?, “Nun I just woke up, they finally let you out of the big house huh?.” Yeah man, you know had to do the time but I’m ready for the festival you ready to party? “Hell yeah, you know it, c’mon in, grab something in the kitchen while I get ready.” I get a bottle of water out the fridge and make my way to the couch where his Xbox was plugged in and started running a few matches of 2K, He stumbles down the stairs with his socks in his hand and his phone in the other, “Chrissy look at this,” What man? Handing me his phone with a picture on it, “What you think of her?” obviously looking enthusiastic wanting an approval, she cute what the back look like? “She bussing.” oh word then she a baddie lemme get that. “Nuh son she mines, I’ve been talking to her since your ass been locked up.” look just because I was grounded don't mean nothing, I’m here now ain't I? “True, anyway she got a friend and since I know you ain’t on nothing, I hooked us up.” Ping was always good at the talking but never with the action. Yeah son I knew I could count on you, so whats the play?, “We gotta go to the store and get a few things, get back here and find something to do until tonight then we pick them up and go to the festival.” okay then let’s do it.

 Driving back from the store Ping decided to take the old road from our old kindergarten and that's when I saw it the light, I thought I could just ignore it, or maybe it was the sun shinning through my sunglasses but as we drove closer and closer it got bigger and brighter, STOP! To a screeching halt he did, “Are you out of your damn mind Chrissy?” uhh no. “What is it C?” I saw it P, “What?” by the old Kindergarten I saw the light, “What light, don’t tell me you still on that old bull.” No I mean don’t call it bull, but I mean it just stop will ya, it wouldn’t hurt you. “You know what fine, if it will get you to finally stop then let’s go.” Now abandoned we walked through our old kindergarten with dust, dirt and grime eating away at the empty halls we passed the cafeteria and finally made at our old classroom where we reminisced about the first time we met and on our way back to the car a light on the ground caught my attention, the key! “What key?” remember the key that got our teacher bouncing off of walls when she lost it, that key. “Oh yeah, now I remember it was when you…” Shut up Ping! “Don’t tell me to shut up Chrissy boy” whatever ping, I always wondered why out teacher got so pissed for when I found it for them, let’s check it out I think if we go to the garage it should open something. “You think it still work after all this time?” I don't even know but gotta try right?. Walking closer to the garage the colder it got, “it’s summer why am I so goddamn cold?” I don't know Ping but I think whatever it is we’re close. Finally we get through to the teachers staff room and at the only door that stood between us and the garage, we slowly turned the knob and a loud screech stopped us in our tracks, “Chrissy? That din’t sound like a welcoming screech.” Uhh you must be imagining things Ping. Pushing the creaking door open a darkness emanating from the abandoned garage I couldn't be more eager to push on and the look on Ping’s face said other wise. I walked in and Ping followed, flipping the switch, the once dark room started glowing and all the menacing insects separating we slowly started exploring the empty garage and we quickly realised the so called empty garage wasn’t so empty after all. “Ms. Creeks car, Chrissy look!” pointing towards the end of the garage, Oh wow I didn’t think there was anything in here, lets check it out. Looking through the windows, it looked like it was untouched for a lifetime with the scented tree hanging off the review mirror and a blanket layed out in the backseat, “let’s open it,” how? With a brick that stopped the car from rolling forward “crashh!” Ping! You didn’t? “You asked me how.” with a smirk on his face, I pulled out the key and pressed the button and the car alarm rang out echoing in the garage. “Press it again!” the car alarm stopped, Oh it was her car keys no wonder, you didn’t have to break the window fool.  “Who’s gonna care?” good point, searching through the arm rest and glove compartment we found nothing but papers and documents and a loud bang came from the trunk. Ping, You dont suppose we check that out? “Nope don’t suppose anything,” stop being scary lets find out, pop the trunk! Looking at him we slowly opened the trunk and to our surprise we found…