Grandma Esther's List

“Alter egos. Stage names, multiple personalities. Mark my words Noah that town is going to be your oyster.” Shane recited the words along the rhythm of the song blasting through the car speakers, head bobbing vigorously. “Well then, how come no one has ever heard of this town except your very old, and quite frankly severely ill grandma.” I retorted feeling grim with every passing mile. We had been driving aimlessly in the deserts of Alabama for no less than three hours now, yet to discover this mystery town. Needless to say the summer sun had not gone easy on us. Especially with the broken air conditioning, I could feel the stifling hotness rising from the ground distorting the barren landscape around us. 

“Because she… No, no no! Don’t zone out on me.” Shane scolded clapping his hands, paying no attention whatsoever to the road. “Humour me. Come on! What personality did your vain little mind come up with?” I glared at him gesturing towards the road even though the traffic had dwindled to less than two cars passing us every five minutes. “I won’t judge. Tell me, is it your childhood obsession Amelia Earhart? Are you going to cross-dress?" He snorted, hacking up an exaggerated laugh just when something sparkled in the corner of my eye.

The flash of light would have meant nothing if we hadn’t been especially told to look out for it. I grabbed the sheet of paper grandma Esther had given us, a piece of her legacy as Shane liked to call it and yelled “stop the car!” I had no idea why I suddenly felt so pumped up. Maybe it was the sun hard on our heads vaporising what was left of my brain.                         “Oof!” The car groaned to a stop but my eyes remained fixed on the spot where I had seen the flash. “For someone who quote, couldn’t give a rat’s ass about a Vegas counterfeit, you sure seem too excited about a glint off a solar panel.” Shane grimaced rubbing his chest where the seatbelt had snapped. There was nothing for a complete minute, not one peep from any direction and I wondered if I had just imagined it. The car had sent up a large cloud of dust making it that much harder to look. “Are you even sure you saw…” He trailed off suddenly when light shone from somewhere behind the settling filth.

A cluster of solar panels stood proud glowing a deep blue amongst a patch of wild grass and bushes. Light seemed to be glinting off of them unanimously in what was apparently Morse according to the sheet of paper in my hand. Three long flashes then a pause followed by one long flash and three consecutive short flashes. “O… B?” I whispered slowly confused.This was beyond stupid.                           “Let me have a look.” Shane snatched the paper out of my hands getting restless. The routine continued only once more before the lights died down leaving a very smug looking Shane in its wake. “Well then?” I asked as he put the car in gear and swerved off the path towards the dust trail. “Well, we should have stopped at the wine shop like I said, because they just told us to BYOB!” He all but screams turning the volume up. “Film City baby!”

Except it wasn’t Film City for a while even then. A beat up raggedy board greeted us a few miles in on the uncharted territory forcing us to continue on foot through the desolate town. Which again, creepy! But Shane was set on avoiding any and every red flag we encountered. The vegetation had long started to grow thicker, growing as high as my waist. Small insects buzzed around us every now and then as we shuffled through. “Hey fellas. You uh lost?” A gruff voice whispered from somewhere inside the tall grass and I jumped a foot. 

A figure appeared from behind a vantage point, unfolding its limb in a highly elaborate manner. Tall and dark he was dressed like a cowboy and stood almost foot taller than the both of us. A stalk of grass clenched between his teeth he sized us eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Not really, we are looking for something very specific you might know about…” “Pumpernickel!” I cut Shane off before he twisted a rather unnecessary story behind the hilarious code word. We had already wasted a lot of time on this secret society crap, subtlety was not going to be my strong suite. The stranger looked disturbed and cringed visibly on my outburst, tipping his hat to look around as if deciding how quick he could bail without talking to us. “Way to go man!” Shane elbowed me. I opened my mouth to apologise when the guy linked his arm with mine, and asked us to follow him.

Wordlessly he led us further, limping on his right leg towards the direction he had emerged from. We stopped abruptly after a few steps as the guy looked around perusing our surrounding. There was no one to be seen for miles and I widened my eyes at Shane exasperated when I heard him mumbling under his breath. “Welcome to Film City, visitors of Madame Esther.”

His voice was ominous and I would have wondered more if he hadn’t pushed us both the next second.                          Water. It felt like cool water on my skin, rippling from a steady current and I couldn’t see anything for a while. “Shane?” "I’m here!” Our voices seemed to echo before the penny dropped and we landed on our knees on soft grass. Everything looked brighter. There was no other way to describe it. My senses felt heightened, as I scrambled back to my feet. The sweet smell of daisies and roses making me heady. I could hear every beat of the swaying leaves on the lush green trees, every buzz the bees made chasing the spring flowers and the hair on my neck stood up in attention. My head snapped towards Shane, to make sure if he was seeing the same as me and he giggled like the man child he was, eyes wide in excitement.

A beat passed between us before we found ourselves running amok in the fields. The air crisp cold in my lungs whistled in my ear and made my eyes water until I had to close them. And then it happened again. 

The feeling of running water grazing my body softly, drowning me before I surfaced back. 

I was no longer in the fields now. Loud unintelligible chatter came from everywhere, as I stood in front of the entrance to a carnival. The carnival our town had stopped holding years back just like I remembered it, with red and white and golden and purple tents. The smell of fried onions coming from so close I could taste it. 

I felt a lump form in my throat from the memory of my father, so I closed my eyes again not giving them a chance to well up. A minute passed before I dared opening them. The scent of spices lay thick as I stood dumbfounded in the middle of a village bazaar. Rows and rows of tents flanked the wide road from which the shopkeepers yelled at the customers. Silks, pottery, yarns, foods and every other imaginable item laid out to be picked and I pinched myself taking a shaky breath. I had never felt more out of place in my t-shirt and jeans as people roamed around bargaining equally loudly in brightly coloured robes and turbans.

I stood there frozen, just taking everything in. Shane was nowhere to be seen and I wondered what world had he cooked up, when someone bumped into me from behind. Hard. “Uh! I’m sorry…” I mumbled as the guy went barrelling towards the ground. “Ow!” A cry escaped his lips and I gasped seeing his face. His large head was grey, his eyes small but beady above a snout which elongated into a slim trunk like an elephant’s. Dressed like a human, the anteater stood up on his two hind legs clutching his jaw and took off with a crazed look in his eyes. A scream felt stuck in my throat and I felt unable to react appropriately. 

The next thing I know, I was being tackled to the ground by a mob of angry people. It took me a minute to break out of the trance and understand what they were yelling. “Thief! Thief! Don’t let him get away!”

“Stop! Please! Listen to me, there’s been a mistake. I didn’t steal anything!” I choked out the words in panic and a hush fell over, before someone leaned down to frisk me. This wasn't happening. I had to have some control over this! I closed my eyes trying to imagine the similar feeling of coursing water but nothing happened. “He lies! Here’s the anklet, ‘twas in his trousers! A scathing voice uttered followed by a string of obscenities. This was not good. Where the hell was Shane when you needed him!

“No I’m not lying. Believe me, someone planted this. The guy that just ran off! The anteater!” “The anteater? He’s out of his mind! Take him!” The frisk guy with the implacable accent raged while two other men pulled me to my feet. A cord was tied around my wrists in the midst of a thickening crowd. Some had resumed the chanting and leering while a few exchanged concerned glances. “He deserves a fair trial!” “To hell with him. Robbers must be hung! “Maim him!” “Better yet, let’s castrate him!”            “Now now children is that how the law works here?” The voice was deep authoritative and a silence fell over. People began whispering, trying to find the source and get a good look at the person who had interrupted. 

I stood stock still, the ropes digging into my skin as a path was cleared and there stood, the one and only Shane. Only he no longer looked like himself. He was dressed in a blue sheriff’s outfit, his hair now ginger instead of black, his beard white and a pistol braced on his hip. “Shane! Thank god you’re here! There’s been...” I begin but he cuts me off raising one hand in a silencing motion. “I don’t know you child. My name’s Eduardo Givenchy” Lips set in a hard line his face gave absolutely no sign of recognition. “What I do know however is this man is innocent, even if a little out of his mind. Crazy should never be held against a man, Raoul.” His tone dropped from menacing to mocking as he looked at the guy who had frisked me. I would have taken offense if the guy hadn’t been saving my life. “Bring her!” He said loud enough to go a little red in the face just when two female officers dragged in a woman. Her face was covered in filth, her braids messy and unravelled enough for strands of hair to frame her gaunt pallor. It was however undoubtedly my ex-girlfriend Lizzie dressed in a maids dress and an apron pinned to her now equally dusty skirts. On seeing me her face scrunched up and she fought against the two women restraining her, spitting furiously when she couldn’t get away. 

“A woman! You’re suggesting a woman broke my state of art luxury safe.” Raoul hissed fixing his yellow turban as if afraid she’d get dirt on it. “Who did you call a woman like that!” Lizzie snarled but quietened when Shane cut her a glance. “As you see. She is perfectly capable of doing everything, and definitely smart enough to get through your...security arrangements.” His voice dripped in sarcasm as he went on, “which I suppose wasn’t hard when she didn’t even remember to play by her role when she disguised herself...again while being chased by you. Tell them Sharon.” “Sir! As reported I saw the commotion near the jeweller's and suspected her of being involved. During the chase she managed to get away when I noticed an anteater head-butt this gentlemen. It was dressed in similar clothing and also broke a tooth in the fall, which obviously was the last straw...” The officer on the right explained and trailed off when Shane raised his hand again, repeating the rude habit. “As you see, but can’t grasp if you don’t know that anteaters don’t have teeth time begin with.”

Shane or Eduardo swaggered towards us in a funny walk and untied me. His face was much more tanned up close and still remained placid. Maybe it was something about this place, giving characters to the people in my life. “Now that we have arrested the perpetrator I suggest everyone may return back to their chores. Show’s over!” He yelled taking a few steps backs, cold eyes now fixed on the crowd which started dispersing on cue. The mutters slowly dying down as the angry mob and Raoul backed away, swearing at Eduardo under their breaths clearly not happy about the situation. I didn’t know I had been holding a breath, as my lungs wheezed under pressure. This had been enough of an adventure. I want to go home now. I thought closing my eyes hard. 

Finally it happened. The rush. The wind rushing past my ears and the water dancing on my fingertips. I was on the brink of being transported when I heard Shane’s voice. “Safe travels.”           And I teleported back to the fields before I could reply or confirm a paper clutched in my hand that had previously not been there. 

It was Grandma Esther’s list.