Park

The stranger on the bench opens his eyes.

A dark-haired little girl stands over him.

“You okay, mister?”

The stranger sits up, noticing a sign that says, “Welcome to Crystal Cove Park.” At the end of the lush park is a large body of water. Waves caress the sand, soothing his anxiety. A warm breeze wafts against his face.

But he’s unsure if he’s looking at the Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean.

“…Yeah, I’m fine.”

The diminutive girl’s blue eyes sparkle, and she breaks out in a dimpled smile.

“My name’s Lorna. What’s yours?”

The stranger dwells on the question, shaking his head.

“I… I don’t know.”

“Why are you sleeping here? Don’t you have a home?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do you know?” Lorna asks.

“I know I don’t know who I am.”

“You’re like my Dad. He gets forgetful when he drinks. I got an idea. Why don’t you come with me to see Tobias? He’s lived here all his life, and he’s old, so maybe he knows who you are.”

“What did you say your name was again?” the stranger asks.

“Lorna. Lorna Little. Sound familiar?”

“It does. But I don’t know why.”

                                               ***

Tobias scratches his bald head.

“Why can’t you pick up stray cats or dogs like normal kids?”

“That’s not nearly as much fun,” Lorna answers.

Tobias closes the cash register. Born and raised in tawny Crystal Cove, sixty-six-year-old Tobias Fermi has been running Palate Pleasers Market for forty years, and it turns enough of a profit to allow him to pursue his desire to help others.

“I think we should call him Park, on account of that’s where we met,” Lorna says.

“You mind?”

“No.”

“Then Mister Park it is. I’m sure a first name will come to us later on.”

Tobias moves toward the counter. Reaching behind it, he pulls out a rubber ball, tossing it to Lorna.

“Why don’t you play outside, Lorna, while I talk to your friend?”

“Cute kid,” Park says.

“Yeah. She’s pretty perceptive, but she’s seen more tragedy than any six-year-old deserves. Her father, Nappy, is a putz. Made a mint in real estate and got handsy with his assistant. When his wife found out, she took him for everything he had, then bailed out of their lives. That left him with no money and, soon, no mistress. So, what does Nappy do? Instead of buckling down and raising his daughter, he goes on a non-stop bender.”

“She looks like somebody’s taking care of her.”

“I guess I’m a sucker for good people.”

Tobias scrutinizes Park’s appearance, noticing he’s clean-shaven. His blonde hair looks freshly cut, his teeth are white, and his fingernails are clipped and clean. His clothes are slightly wrinkled but new.

“Lorna thinks you’re a vet. You look way too young to have served in ‘Nam. Were you in Iraq or Kuwait?”

“…Maybe…”

“I get it. You’re still a little foggy. You look pretty healthy, but I bet it’s been a while since you’ve eaten.”

Park’s brow creases. “Maybe. But I don’t feel hungry.”

“You’ll change your mind when you wrap your lips around one of my sub specials.”

Park looks at the racks of snacks, the freezers stacked with beer and soda, and the displays of toys, cigarettes, and lottery tickets.

“Where am I?”

“Crystal Cove, California. Population 1,200, average earning per household, $200,000. We’re known for our winemaking, deep-sea fishing, and immaculate shoreline, which is ideal for relaxing. If you’re looking for a place to pick up the pieces of your life, Crystal Cove is a good place to do it. I’ve got an extra room upstairs. Just put a new mattress on the bed.”

“That’s generous, but I…”

“You’re not getting a free pass. My storage room is a mess, and my deliveries are back breakers, so I need somebody with some muscle to help out in the market.”

Park sees Lorna bounce the ball across the street from out of the corner of his eye.

“Deal!” he says, rushing out the door.

Looking around for the ball, Lorna ambles into the middle of the street.

Jack Pott glides his new Alfa Romeo down the street at twice the town’s speed limit.

“LORNA!”

Lorna looks up at the charging car, screaming, too petrified to move.

Park pushes Lorna across the street.

Tobias reaches the sidewalk in time to see the Alfa Romeo hit Park.

Pott slams on the brakes. Jumping out of the car, he rushes to Lorna’s side.

“Are you all right? I didn’t see you!”

“I was standing in the middle of the street, butt munch!” Lorna says, brushing herself off. “I’m not the one you need to worry about. You killed Mister Park!”

Tobias tentatively touches Park, who stands wide-eyed in the middle of the street.

“You should be dead. But that car went right through you.”

Pott looks Park over. “I hit you. How is it you’re still alive?”

“You swerved at the last second and missed me.”

“Great! As long as you’re okay, I don’t care how it happened,” Park retorts. “I guess I can cut down on my heart medicine. If this didn’t give me a heart attack, nothing will.”

Patting Lorna on the head, Pott retreats to his car.

Tobias touches Park again.

“I’m flesh and blood, just like you,” Park says.

“Something tells me you’re not like the rest of us.”

                                              ***

“Nice room,” Park comments, looking at the cozy surroundings. Pictures of Tobias smiling with a heavy-set woman dot the walls.

“This used to be our den,” Tobias says. “Remember, I’m down the hall, and Lorna is in the room across the hall if you need anything, although she’s a bit grumpy when she first wakes up. I hope you don’t mind the pictures of me and my wife. Nevia was always after me to stop eating salami and chips, yet she was the one who passed from a heart attack, probably from worrying too much about me. I can take them down if they bother you.”

“No, of course not. It’s nice that you have something cheery around that reminds you of her. It’s important to remember your loved ones.”

“Do you remember yours?” Tobias asks.

“No.”

“You know where most of my memories pop up? In my dreams. I hope you have a good night’s sleep, Park, and your dreams tell you who you are.”

                                               ***

Thunder rumbles outside, a bolt of lightning illuminating the night sky.

He turns several dials on a complex console, setting a timer.

A fashionable blonde with cat-like eyes crosses her arms, speaking in a hushed but determined tone.

“I don’t like this, Noah. You know electromagnetic disturbances can affect how the transporter works.”

“I invented it. I know its limitations,” Noah replies.

“And you still want to go ahead with this?”

“You’re the one who wanted a vacation, Lisette.”

“I was thinking maybe a bedsit in Massachusetts or a timeshare in Hawaii, not traveling five hundred years into the past.”

A violent clap of thunder frightens Lisette, sending her scurrying into his arms.

Noah feels the warmth of Lisette’s body, inhaling the faint scent of her expensive perfume.

“Hmm. Maybe we should have a staycation instead, darling,” Lisette purrs.

“Save some of that passion for when we get to Crystal Cove. Are you ready?”

Lisette closes her eyes. Noah presses a red button on the console.

A beam of light engulfs them. An invigorating electric charge runs through their bodies.

Another bolt of lightning illuminates the sky. Attracted to the time machine’s massive electrical output, the lightning bolt passes through the house, engulfing the beam of light.

Torn from the beam’s grasp, Lisette is flung against a wall.

She looks up to see Noah trapped in a white-hot cloud of energy.

Noah reaches out for her.

“…Help me…”

Lisette tries to pull him out of the cloud but is repulsed by an electric shock.

She watches, powerless to help, as Noah lets out a tortured scream.

His body fluctuates, dividing in two. For a moment, Noah finds himself staring at a duplicate of himself.

The duplicate disappears as the cloud evaporates, and he falls to the floor, unconscious.

Noah’s senses return as Lisette helps him to his feet.

“…We’re still here…”

“…Well, I am…,” Lisette replies.

She walks Noah over to a mirror.

He has no face.

                                               ***

Lorna shakes Park awake.

“What’s with all the noise?”

Park looks around the room, trying to acclimate himself.

“You must have had a doozy of a nightmare.”

“You could say that,” Park replies.

“You were screaming. Who’s Lisette?”

                                               ***

Park is stacking boxes in the storage room the next day when he hears Lorna yell, “Leave me alone!”

A short, greasy-haired man with venom in his bloodshot eyes is trying to pull Lorna across the floor.

“Leave her alone,” Tobias pleads. “Can’t you see she doesn’t want to go with you?”

“That’s not your call, old man.”

Park says somberly, “You should respect your elders and listen to them.”

“And who the hell are you, surfer boy?” the man grumbles.

Struggling to free herself, Lorna answers, “That’s Mister Park. He’s more of a friend to me than you’ll ever be.”

“Let go of her,” Park cautions.

“You haven’t the salt to make me, surfer boy.”

Park hits the man between the eyes. He falls backward, the back of his head slamming against the floor.

Grabbing the man by his shirt, Park drags him to the door, tossing him into the street.

His nose a bloody mess, the man skulks off.

“Who was that guy?”

“…That was my Dad… He said I was making him look bad by staying here with Tobias. He’s a little man who thinks he’s a big man.”

                                               ***

The blonde with the curly hair nervously sucks on her cigarette.

“I don’t like this plan, Rusty. We’re not criminals.”

“We’re driving on fumes, and we’ve got five bucks between us. I love you, honey, but I’m not sleeping in this car again tonight.”

“Can’t you call your folks? They’ll wire us money.”

“No, Curly. I’ll never hear the end of it from my mother.”

“Do you even know how to shoot a gun, Rusty?”

“Let’s hope we don’t have to find out.”

                                               ***

Tobias nods cordially at the young couple, noting the woman’s wide-eyed expression and that her weaselly, redheaded companion is biting his lower lip.

The pair approach the counter.

Rusty clears his throat. “Pack of Pall Mall’s.”

Tobias turns to grab the cigarettes from the rack behind him.

Turning back, he finds himself looking down the barrel of Rusty’s revolver.

Rusty’s voice quivers. “Empty the cash register.”

“You look like a couple of nice kids. I know you’re scared…”

“That’s right, buddy. That’s why you need to do what I said, pronto.”

Park yawns as he descends the stairs heading into the market.

Rusty hears Park’s footsteps, turning toward him.

“Don’t be foolish. Can’t you see I’m armed?”

“I see a kid whose hand is shaking.”

“Get the money from the old dude, Curly. Hurry.”

Park moves forward.

“Stand still. I mean it!”

“You don’t want to shoot me,” Park says, continuing to close the distance between them.

“I SAID STOP!”

Rusty squeezes the trigger, instantly regretting it as the loud crack of the gun reverberates throughout the market.

Rusty looks at Park, then drops the gun, bolting for the door.

Holding a fistful of bills, Curly slowly backs away from Tobias.

“…I’m sorry…We were so desperate…”

“It’s fine,” Tobias says. “Go on. Take it.”

Curly rushes out the door as Tobias hurries to Park’s side.

“Nothing. No bullet hole.”

“The kid was a lousy shot,” Park replies. “I bet the bullet is in the wall behind me.”

Tobias examines the wall, spotting the bullet hole.

“Judging by where you’re standing and where the hole is, it went right through you.”

                                               ***

Bouncing a rubber ball, Lorna pauses to look at a well-dressed couple on the park bench, staring at the man wearing a black mask.

The glamourous blonde woman with the topaz blue cat-like eyes snipes, “Don’t you know it’s not polite to stare, you imp.”

“Yeah, but it’s not nice to call me an imp, either. What’s with the mask?”

The man exhales deeply, but it’s the woman who answers.

“Never mind. Have you seen any strangers around here lately?”

“Yeah, Mister Park. He’s staying with my friend Tobias and me at his store, Palate Pleasures Market. I met Mister Park a few days ago. He was sitting right where your friend is.”

Reaching into her posh pocketbook, the woman pulls out a dollar bill, waving it at Lorna.

Lorna approaches the bench. “Five bucks for the information.”

“You’re too young to be a blackmailer.”

“Who are you? My Mother?”

“God forbid. All right, I’ll give you five dollars on one condition. You can’t tell anyone you’ve seen us.”

“No problem. But I gotta be honest, lady. The only place your friend’s not gonna stick out is a Halloween party… No offense, Mister. Nice suit, though. Say, you wouldn’t be Lisette, would you?”

The woman glances at the man in the mask, who shakes his head no.

“…No… I’ve never heard of her.”

Snatching the bill, Lorna takes a last look at the masked man, muttering, “Yeesh.”

“She makes a good point,” the woman says.

“I don’t have a choice about how I look, do I, Lisette?” the man replies.

“Don’t get snippy with me, Noah. You were the one who picked this place out. So, how do you feel?”

“Like an amputee. Like I’ve lost part of myself.”

“Technically, you have, darling,” Lisette says. “But you should keep a low profile. We don’t need people asking questions. Sitting in a park at noon doesn’t help.”

“You heard the girl. He was here. He sat on this bench.”

“You mean the girl who’s as much out of the right time period as we are?” Lisette replies. “Yeah, I heard her.”

“We’ll fix the timeline when we find him… And it really bothers me that you’re enjoying my predicament.”

“You know what bothers me, Noah? Getting my atoms and organs scrambled every time we trip the light fantastic through time. It’s simpler to visit Mars by slingshot.”

“You’ve changed since the accident, Lisette. You’re much more caustic, edgy.”

“I think I have a right to be. I warned you how dangerous that machine was. I begged you not to use it anymore. And here we are…”

“And you were right. Is that what you want to hear? I can’t stay like this, Lisette… Incomplete.”

Noah tries to put his arm around Lisette. She pulls away.

“Really?”

“You said it, Noah. You’re incomplete. And that creeps me out. I want my husband back. All of him.”

“Then let’s go see Mister Park.”

***

Tobias looks over the posh pair.

“What’s with your friend? It’s not Halloween.”

“The friend can hear,” Noah says crossly. “The friend can speak.”

“Sorry. Are you a vet?”

“…Why yes. Yes, I am. That’s why we’re here. I’m here to see my old army buddy. You call him Park.”

                                               ***

Park edges down the stairs, slowing to listen to Tobias’s conversation. He peeks around a corner, shivering at the sight of the man in the black mask. There’s something familiar and dangerous about him.

He sneaks out of the deli’s backdoor, running toward Crystal Cove State Park.

                                               ***

Park nervously takes a deep breath of sea air, knowing he can’t escape.

He senses the man in the mask drawing closer.

Turning toward him, he asks, “What do you want?”

“You.”

Noah takes off his mask. His face is blank, with only a grey bump where his nose should be.

Horrified, Park takes a step back. “What are you?”

“Not what. Who. I’m you.”

A flood of memories tears through Park’s mind.

“It was supposed to be a simple trip through time,” Lisette says. “But a strike of lightning damaged the time corridor we used. My husband was split into two men - you, who had no memory of who he was, and my Noah, who was left incomplete, without a face.”

“And I want to be whole again,” Noah says. “All you have to do is come with us.”

“And if I don’t? I like it here. I like Tobias, and I’m going to do all I can to see that Lorna has the life she deserves.”

“Yes, that girl. We met her,” Lisette replies. “You’ve already altered her timeline.”

“What do you mean?”

“She was supposed to die, but you saved her from getting hit by a car,” Noah says. “Her death was supposed to make her father stop drinking. He was supposed to remarry and have another daughter, Naomi, who would develop a cure for leukemia. But now, since Lorna is still alive…”

Park bolts from the bench, running toward the surf.

“Wait! Come back!” Noah shouts. “You can’t leave me like this!”

Lisette yells, “What about Naomi?”

Park halts at the edge of the water, turning to face them. “And what about Lorna? She deserves to live!”

Park walks into the surf, disappearing under a sweeping wave.

“He killed himself,” Noah says hopelessly. “What happens now?”

“A new chapter, darling.”

Lisette kisses the side of his blank face, holding him in her arms.

Noah breathes in the faint smell of his wife’s perfume.

Lisette feels his body beginning to dissipate.

“I love you, Lisette.”

“I know. I’m going to bring you back.”

“…I’m sorry we never had children…”

Lisette closes her eyes, trying to hold onto Noah as she feels his body slip through her fingers.

“That’s all right. I know a little girl who needs a mother…”