The New World
1348 Words
[Apollo]
"Here, it's just up ahead." Apollo directed Teri as she followed behind him.
"Are you sure this is the way?" Teri asked.
"I come through here all the time, I know where we're going," Apollo said as he reached for his phone in his pocket and checked it. The battery was starting to run low, but he still hadn't heard a word from Sophia. He really hoped she would be at the tree house when they got there. Teri was able to stay close to Apollo at a steady pace, still marveling at her new appendages, and Apollo himself was a little impressed that she was able to balance herself so quickly. She really seemed to be getting the hang of it.
"What's that?" Teri asked, pointing to the object in Apollo's hand.
"What? Oh, this? It's my phone."
"What's a... phone?" Teri asked curiously.
"It's uh... It's used to talk to your friends when your really far away from them," Apollo explained as best as he could.
"So you can use that thing to communicate with your friends from long distances?"
"Yes, exactly."
"Do you have friends?"
"Of course I do. When we get to the tree house, I'm hoping she'll be there to meet us,"
"Um... are you sure she'll be okay with... seeing someone like me?" Teri asked nervously. Apollo looked back at her.
"It's okay, you don't have to worry about that. She's like me. I think you'll like her a lot."
"Really? Does she have wings like you too?"
"Yeah, she does. But hers are white. We live out here where no one else can find us, so we're completely safe."
"Oh, that's good. Hey, can your... phone do anything else?" Teri asked.
"Uh yeah. Here, watch this."
Apollo stopped and stood next to Teri as he held out his phone in front of him. He opened the camera app and handed it to Teri. She gasped at what she saw.
"It's so small, yet I can see my whole reflection in this thing!"
Apollo laughed. "Okay, press that little circle there." he directed her. Teri tapped the button and took a photo of herself.
"What happened? My reflection isn't moving." Teri said, confused.
"You took a photo of yourself," Apollo said. Teri smiled.
"You can capture images of yourself too? That's amazing!" Teri said, hopping up and down happily.
"I'll show you more later, but it's pretty cool, right?"
Apollo took his phone back and they were on their way again.
"Being on land is so different from what I had imagined," said Teri as she looked at everything surrounding her.
"Really?"
"Yeah. It's so much brighter... and warmer up here. It's... nice."
Eventually, they made it to the small clearing where the tree house stood silently.
"Watch your step. Don't jump in those puddles." Apollo directed.
"Why?" Teri asked.
"Because they're not puddles."
"Oh..."
Teri stepped carefully away from them, before looking up at the tree house and staring at it for a moment.
"So this is what a tree house looks like?" Teri asked. "Did you build it by yourself?"
"No," Apollo answered. "It's been here as long as I can remember. My friend helped restore it."
Apollo was disappointed to see that Sophia wasn't around anywhere. Teri rushed over to the base of the tree where the small building sat.
"This must be the tree. And the wooden box is the house. So it really is a tree house!"
"Mhm."
"Do all these trees have houses in them?" Teri asked as she looked around the tree, trying to find an entrance.
"No. You make them yourself."
Apollo unfurled his wings, jumped up to the little platform and sat down on the edge. Teri walked underneath him and held up her arms. Apollo grasped them and pulled her up to the platform. She looked inside and took note of everything in it. The small desk and chair. The tiny shelves with rusty paint cans and whatever junk was resting in them. She looked at whatever there was to look at.
As Teri explored, Apollo checked his phone again, but still received no answer from Sophia. He has no idea where she could be, and if she didn't turn up soon...
That was until Teri popped her head out from the door frame and asked him about the objects in the room, distracting Apollo. Teri asked him about many things, showed him different objects and he explained the functions and purposes of each item she showed him. She seemed to really enjoy it. Soon, Apollo told Teri to wait at the tree house for a moment so he could go get some snacks. Teri agreed to remain patient until he returned. She was curious about the kinds of food they ate and was a little excited to try some if it looked appetizing to her.
When Apollo returned, he had a backpack full of snacks and drinks. He found Teri sitting near one of the little pools, waving her fishy tail back and forth in the water. When she saw Apollo, she lifted it out of the water and spun around to face him. Somehow, her lower half instantly transformed back into a pair of legs covered by her long pink skirt.
Huh... so if her legs are submerged in water, it turns into a tail. But the second she pulls it out on dry land, they become legs again. How does that even work?
Teri made room for Apollo to sit down and asked about what was in his backpack. Apollo pulled out a variety of chips, crackers, a small bag of cookies and a few cans of soda. Teri was amazed at it all.
"What's this?" Teri asked as she held up a can of Dr. Pepper. Apollo snapped one open for himself and took a sip.
"It's a drink. It's really good. Here." Apollo took the can and opened it for her.
"Do you have drinks where you come from?" Apollo asked.
"No, we don't need these. Since we are in the water the whole time, we don't need to continuously hydrate," Teri explained as she held the can to her face.
"It has little bubbles in it."
She took a sip and her face cringed instantly as her nose scrunched up at the same time.
"What is this?"
Apollo laughed. "It's called soda. The bubbles are what make it all fizzy."
"It tastes so weird."
Teri kept drinking it anyway. Apollo could tell she wasn't completely into it, but at least she tried it.
He also let her try a variety of chips that he brought, which Teri enjoyed more than the soda. They sat there for a long while together. Just eating and drinking and talking. Teri didn't eat very much, but Apollo made it through almost half a box of crackers.
"So when is your friend coming?" Teri asked. "I'm excited to meet her."
"Oh, she'll be here soon. Hold on, I'll be right back."
Apollo set his soda can down and went up to retrieve his phone that was sitting on the desk inside the treehouse. He had it plugged into a power cord that was threaded down from the ceiling, which was connected to a solar panel sitting on the roof. He checked everything there was to check, but there was no indication that Sophia had said a word to him. Apollo sent a text to her.
>I'm at the tree house. Where u at?
Apollo waited for a minute before setting his phone down and returning to Teri.
"She should be here soon," he said.
It was starting to get a little late, and he'd rather not drag Teri around with him to go look for her. Wherever she may be. She never goes this long without saying anything. She wasn't at the house, nor the tree house, or anywhere around the lake or the waterfall. Apollo couldn't think of any other place she could be.
Sophie, you better get back home soon. Please don't make me come get you. Again.
- Writer
