Trapped in Time continues. Last week we met Adalbert and Vittorio - and their arch nemesis, Myron. A mishap of some sort has landed the three in hot water beyond their worst imagining - involving a Tyrannosaurus Rex. See what happens this week! Then don't forget to check out all the other Wednesday Briefers, whose links follow this tale.
Trapped in Time #2
I want to rip
Myron’s head off and beat him to death with his own so-called wand, but common
sense prevails—or maybe it’s fear— as I stare up into the cold hard eyes of the
slavering beast above me.
When I was a little boy, my Vati took me to
see a special traveling exhibit that passed through our town. It was filled
with various oddities, the likes of which had never been seen before. Or so we
were assured by the smooth-talking barker that took Vati’s money and directed
us toward the dark interior of the canvas tent. Gleaming jars filled with iridescent
fluids and shadowy forms; lithe-limbed young ladies contorted into painful
shapes; two men caught in a permanent clutch, sharing one body between them; a
two-headed sheep, a splinter from the true Cross, and a bone from an animal
that lived at a time before man walked the earth.
Little did I
dream then that one day I would come face to face with that same prehistoric creature,
alive and in the flesh. But here I was, and here he was, although to be honest
I‘m making assumptions as to gender, based on nothing more than…
“Doll!”
Vittorio’s voice
jars me from my scholastic reverie concerning the sex of the being that seems
intent upon making me its dinner. I suppose it’s too much to hope that the
beast is vegetarian? Of course, with my luck, he’d see me as some sort of German
potato salad.
Large
fetid-smelling globules of thick fluid splash on me, dripping from that
sharp-fanged mouth. I know now how the mongoose must feel, caught in the stare
of the cobra. Like that unfortunate mammal, I cannot move, despite my commands
to my limbs to do so this very minute.
Just when I
think all is lost, and I’ve recited the Hail Mary about ten times straight, I
find myself yanked out of harm’s way by my Italian beauty, who slings me over
his shoulder and runs. At a time like this, it pays to be compact. The Tyrannosaur
bellows in our general direction, but like most bullies, his bark is worse than
his bite.
Finding shelter
in a thick copse of trees, Vittorio sets me on my feet, clasping me close. So
close that I can feel the shudder of his body, his heart pounding out of his
chest. We cautiously peer around the fat bole of a tree that is wide enough for
both of us to stand within its shelter and not feel crowded. The animal in
question hasn’t moved; shaking its overly large head, it vents its displeasure
to the uncaring world at large in stentorious tones that echo around us. To my
dismay, I also see my penny-farthing; lying on the ground, its front wheel pokes
up at an unnatural angle to the rest of the bike.
“Doll, are you all
right?” Vittorio asks; his shapely thumbs caress my cheekbones as he gazes with
concern into my eyes.
“Under the
circumstances, I believe I am.” A verbose way of saying yes, I know.
“What do you
think are the circumstances?”
Now that is a
very good question, indeed.
Before we have a
chance to speculate on the likelihood of an extinct dinosaur suddenly appearing
in our very own neighborhood—perhaps because the evidence of our eyes, as well
as this rather heavy foliage about us, must tend to negate that particular
theory—an earsplitting high-pitched scream rends the air.
“Helppppppppppp!”
“Scheiss,” I
swear aloud without thinking, then immediately I apologize to Vittorio for my
crudeness. “Scusi.”
We’ve known each
other so long, we’ve become rather bilingual.
He kisses me
softly. “Shhh, Doll, don’t worry,” he assures me, and I lose myself in the
depths of his licorice eyes until the scream comes again. I guess we can’t
ignore it, although the thought is very tempting, since the panicked voice in
question obviously belongs to Myron. And personally, I feel that he deserves
whatever happens to him as I have every reason to believe he’s responsible for
our being here. Wherever here might be.
I see the look
in Vittorio’s eyes and I don’t like it. Sometimes I think he envisions himself
as an Italian Douglas Fairbanks. By which I mean a true hero. He has a heart as
big as the world, and I love him for it, but I don’t want him to get hurt
helping someone who doesn’t deserve his sympathy. Namely Myron.
On the other
hand, I also know he has a stubborn streak a mile wide. Like me.
I sigh and he
squeezes my hand.
“Ich liebe dich,
Doll,” he murmurs.
“Ti amo,
Vittorio.” Just as I’m reaching for his
lips, another scream. We dart a glance into the clearing. Now there is no sign
of the prehistoric beast. I frown. Something that large just doesn’t disappear.
“Look!” Vittorio nudges me. He points to an object
that dandles from a tall tree, jerking about like a marionette at the hands of
a wicked puppeteer. Myron, of course.
His suspenders appear to be tangled in the foliage; he hangs at an awkward
angle, his hands slicing the air impotently. On the whole, he looks ridiculous.
My first
inclination is to leave him there.
“We probably
need him,” Vittorio points out. Sadly, I do realize the necessity of rescuing
him from his dire predicament, even if it’s his own fault that he’s behind the
eight ball. Well, so are we, and he owes us.
“I suppose so,”
I grudgingly admit. He raises my hand to his lips and kisses the back. I know
it’s my reward for acquiescing, the sweet Italian sugar that makes the bitter
medicine palatable.
Of course the
question is how to get the moron down once we stand beneath the tree he’s caught
in. Too high to climb or reach.
“Don’t just
stand there,” Myron begins when the branch breaks and he lands in a sorry heap
at our feet.
to be continued
Now, go see what the other Wednesday Briefers are up to! And don't forget to join the Hop Against Homophobia on the 17th!
Lily Sawyer m/m
MA Church m/m
Nephylim m/m
MC Houle m/m
Sara York m/m
Tali m/m
Until next time, take care!
♥ Julie.
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LOL, that's one way of getting him down! Now, a thousand more problems to face!
ReplyDelete~M
I like that Myron is stuck back in time with them. I hope they beat him like a government mule! :D
ReplyDeleteI like the beginnings of this story. Very good in deed.
ReplyDeleteLike Dallas this story has such subtle humour, and yes, I think Dallas did have subtle humour, as well as the more obvious type. I love this story already and I feel Mryon totally deserved his comeuppance.
ReplyDelete