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Untitled Short Story One

12/8/2021

"no, to hell with positivity, let us embrace the darkness, the sadness, the feelings we have run from" Wicket uncorcked a bottle of hooch, it smelled like a cleaning product, and loosly mixed it with a splash of sugar water in a ceramic cup, sliding it over to Pip.

Pip looked apprehensivly at the small, misshapen, brown cup. Reaching out and tapping at it with both paws, claws making a small tinking noise as if he were waiting on something Wicket sat down, a mug of their own, and raised it to Pip

"To sadness" Pip said, raising a glass

"To sadness" Wicket responded

The electric heater clicked on with a small hum, soft music played over a worn out tape deck, the world was covered in the blanket of nightfall as a late fall rain pattered outside. Pip could smell the low tide from here. He exhaled, as he always did, before drinking something terrible.

Down the hatch, the sweetness of the sugar water quickly gave way to sourness, then an overwhelming bitterness, which he felt go down to his stomach. He let out a small cough after a moment's pause. But soon a warmth went through his body.

"I cannot remember a time when I was happy" Pip said "you know when you're on a playground, and you're on a merry-go-round with others?"

"A merry-go-what?" Wicket interrupted

"It's a circular platform, with handles to hold onto, you spin around as fast as you can" Pip said, thinking it weird that Wicket had never seen one before.

"Ah, so, a merry go round" Wicket said, turning it over in their head "Continue"

"right, So you're there, with other kids you don't know, and everyone is taking turns pushing it round and going faster and faster. Doing things like jumping off it, holding onto the edge and falling off. Going into the center and making it go as fast as you can" Pip said, lightening up more and more. "and it is a pure sensasion of exctacy, one I haven't felt since, long before I can remember"

"Do you think there's a merry go round, around here?" Wicket asked.

The rain had stopped, and the stillness of the playground was interrupted as the small car Pip drove crested the hill and came to a stop. The headlamps illuminated the swing-set, jungle gym, and the merry-go-round in the center with a clash of shadows. Pip turned the car off, as the skies had cleared and a full moon illuminated the world.

"what did I tell you" Wicket said smugly

"I suppose it's true, Badgers are stubborn things" Pip said

They got out of the car and both approached the merry-go-round, sizing the contraption up.

"So, should I get on and then you push?" Wicket asked

"well, Ideally, we'd both grab on to either side, to balance it out" Pip said "then we both start running in one direction-"

"Right" Wicket interjected "wouldn't want to run in opposites"

Pip walked to one side and let his paws rest on one of the handles. They were still wet from the rain, as was the diamond plated and painted steel of the merry go round it self. It felt cold to the touch, and he thought that if he had a pair of gloves this would probably go a little bit better.

"So should we count off?" Pip asked, but Wicket was already midstride, heaving the merry go round in a direction, forcing Pip to quickly grip the side and catch up.

Suddenly, the merry-go-round made a great groaning noise as it went around the first time, it was so loud it felt as though it would wake up the whole neighborhood "You think we'll wake everyone up with this?" Pip shouted. but Wicket was too focused on running, now in a near full sprint. Pip was now running and heaving, as the groans of the merry go round became rythmic as it went around, faster and faster.

Soon the merry go round became far too fast, and Pips legs could not catch up, so he vaulted himself onto the steel plating of the merry go round, gripping tightly onto the inner handles and, as if recalling a long lost muscle memory, tucking his feet on the outer handles to better hang on.

Wicket, meanwhile continued to huff and shove the merry go round ever faster, until at last he too tried to vault onto the ride. "Tuck your feet in!" Pip yelled. With a great lunge, Wicket tucked his hind paws onto the merry-go-round, and at last the two were spinning.

Then the rain started to come back. Both creatures were now spinning, out of breath, while the merry go round maintained it's rotational speed, before slowly tapering off over the course of a minute or two, making the loud groaning noise again, and then grinding to a halt. Rain was now pelting Pip in the face as he stared, unblininkly, into the inky black sky.

"That was fun!" Wicket yelled