SWNOVELS Chapter 1: The Secret Life of Eary Olson
"Mote's going to get a kick out of this one," Eary muttered under his breath, a wry smile dancing on his lips. He reached up to casually sweep aside his sun-kissed locks, a shimmering cascade of golden blonde that framed his youthful face.
The old cast iron doorknob yielded to his touch as the door swung open, revealing a room that was small, like its owner. In the soft, dim light, a twin-sized bed was tucked neatly in the corner. An old red and white quilt lay firm against its boundaries. A cluttered desk held the remnants of countless late-night ponderings, and a massive trunk stood sentinel, guarding secrets as old as time.
Entering the room, Eary's footsteps echoed softly on the polished wooden stairs of his modern Toronto home, each step a note in the symphony of secrecy that had enveloped his life. To anyone passing by, his house appeared as ordinary as the next, blending seamlessly into the suburban backdrop. However, behind these pristine walls lay a spellbinding secret.
Making his way over to the large pot belly trunk, one of his parent's crazy garage sale finds. As he carefully removed the latch and lifted up the lid, a tremendous blue light sprang forth and landed with a "bump."
Perched on the bed sat a guinea pig sized creature. It turned his oval head, Its face gruffy, like an old cabby. Stretching out his little arms, in a big yawn. The small, furry, blue creature rubbed away the sleep from his eyes. And scratched his long bat like ears.
Eary cast a glance at the small creature perched on his bed, his voice brimming with a friendly curiosity. "Hey there, Mote. How's your day been?"
Mote rubbed his eyes, his response gruff and thick with a Boston accent. "I'm tellin' ya, kid, that road construction off 3rd is murder on my beauty sleep. Look at my fur! It's all tangled from all the tossing and turning I was doing," he exclaimed, gesturing to his ruffled royal-blue coat.
He didn't stop there, unleashing a barrage of complaints. "And what kind of snacks are these? I mean, MOM, hello?" Mote levitated with a flurry of blue lights, zooming back into his home to dramatically discard a family-sized pack of Fig Newtons and the neglected apple slices from his day in hiding. "Look at this!" he griped, with only the tips of his long blue ears visible in the shadowy depths of the trunk. "It's an absolute pigsty in here! And your phone died hours ago!"
Eary couldn't help but roll his eyes at the familiar chorus of complaints from his long-time companion. "I'm sorry, Mote," he replied reflexively, reaching for his phone to plug it in for charging.
"What's wrong, short stuff? That Dick head brother giving you hell again? Or is it that dumb boy with his head up his ass?" Inquired Mote, popping his head out of his home. Eary sighed and explained the situation.
"Josh and Ephraim are literally having a sleepover." Eary ranted as he cleaned up the mess his pet threw around his room. "I can't believe my mom would allow this."
Mote, shifting through a tin of Altoids he used as storage, replied, "Eh? You feelin' raw cause you told him you like him and it's still awkward, right?." Eary flung back, eyes fidgeting in panic, replied,"Yes!" as he gruffed, his hands at his side and fell, face first, on to his bed.
The small creature, known only as a moteling, landed once more on the bed next to Eary. His luminous behind slowing his descent.
Eary turned his head and complained, "We've hung out since then. We still do our movie nights every Saturday still." As Eary mulled his mind for answers, Mote replied. "You didn't hang out once this summer. That had died off for a while. It started back up after you told him how you feel."
Eary griped. "I know, right? What even gives? We weren't close anymore. So why start seeing me now?" Mote smiled a devious grin."I think he likes you!" Eary blushed and shyly replied."No." Mote pushed further on."Yeah! I've seen it before. I used to live in the big city, remember. I've been people watching for ages. Seen it a hundred times. He avoided you because he liked you. Now he's fishing. Just you watch! I'm right!" Boasted the Moteling.
Feeling the urge, Eary emerged from his room. Making his way down the hall to the bathroom. Just as he arrived at the door, it opened to reveal a familiar face. "Oh, hi Ephraim." Gloomed Eary, still put off by the sleepover. Ephraim emerged from the dark bathroom. His brown eyes looked down at Eary, mouth squinted in an awkward smile. "Hey." He said as he left the bathroom.
His 6'0 "tall frame dwarfed Eary as he passed by his former friend. The smell of his old, blue, scribbled on hockey hoodie wafted past as Eary smiled at the familiar scent. Afterward , he proceeded back to his room. On the way, however, Eary was ambushed by his fraternal twin brother Josh.
"Hey, come here for a minute." Standing in his doorway was the taller of the two twins. Being a good 8 inches taller, he never let Eary forget he was the bigger brother. A fact that Eary hated, as his fraternal twin was merely a minute older. His muscular physique gestured for Eary to approach. His neatly spiked blonde hair shined golden as the light danced around him.
Eary, knowing that Ephraim was in Josh's room, was strangely compliant with the young man. "Yeah, sure, what do ya need?" Eary approached enthusiastically, eager for a chance to interact with Ephraim in a social setting again.
"I was just wondering if you finished with your history assignment." replied Josh, disinterested in his brother's friendly advances. "I sure did!" Said Eary with a smile."I could come in and help you with yours, and maybe Ephraim's too?" Eary leaned his head around his brother as he tried to invite himself in. "No, you can help just fine from out here." Stated Josh coldly. "It's cool, Josh." Ephraim's voice radiated from out of sight.
Entering the room, Eary spotted Ephraim sitting on Josh's bed. The faint smell of dirty laundry and air freshener complimented the aesthetic of the Hockey-jock's room.
Posters of different hockey stars, mostly from the Toronto Maple Leaves, accented the walls. Hockey gear stacked nicely in the corner and dominated the room. While a twin size bed and a small desk took up the rest. Eary made his way across the mine field of articles strone about.
"Hi, Ephraim! You need help? " Eary asked nervously. Ephraim quickly nodded his head. "Hey Eary, Neither of us can remember this crap." Holding up their assignments, Ephraim's eyes grew large.
Although not ideal, Eary was happy to be talking to Eph again. After taking the papers from Ephraim's hand, Eary set them down and began to quickly fill them out. " Hey Eph, we should hang out again soon. Not to just watch movies." Said Eary in a soft voice. Ephraim's demeanor shifted to a more evasive one. "Ah, yeah. We will, just been busy. You know that."
Giving Ephraim an approving smile, Eary finished quickly and returned the papers to the young man. Ephraim smiled and said, "Thank you so much, Eary, and we will." Josh then opened his door and shooed Eary into the darkness.
It had been nearly a month since the big reveal about how Eary felt. He and Ephraim had been close for the longest time. Then he got into hockey, and the two grew apart. A fact that pained Eary often.
Once back in his room, Eary retrieved his violin from his closet. Neatly removing it, Eary set up his daily practice work, his mother, the school's music teacher, had assigned him.
This year, it had been the violin. Last year was piano. In Ephraim's absence, Eary had found a release in music. "I like this one." Mote exclaimed as he searched through Eary's music sheet. Turning it back to the proper page, Eary replied, "This is my homework, Mote." Eary giggled in response. "Yous already know what your doin', I like the other one. C'mon!" Mote urged.
Eary sighed and smiled as he turned the page back to Mote's favorite song. "Kodachrome it is." Putting bow to string Eary began to play. As he did, a gentle light glowed from the fur on Mote's backside. He flew around Eary's bedroom, leaving a trail of magical blue lights. As the excited little creature listened on, the lights he left danced around to the beat. No doubt at the moteling's command.
As the majestic sight came to a close. Eary's number one fan landed on the bed with the usual 'thud'. "You know what?! We should have our own sleepover." Mote cheerily exclaimed. Eary smiled and confronted the Moteling's motives. "Mote you live with me. Every night is a sleepover. You just want num nums." Mote erupted "GUILTY! But I used to get 'em every time yous two had a sleepover. So you can't blame me for tryin'."
It was true that Cheesy Num Nums were Mote's favorite treat. A fact Eary found disgusting. The small round balls of deep fried cheese, Eary had to pretend to like for years. Had been missing from the shelves a bit more commonly than before.
*KNOCK* The sound pulled Eary from his thoughts. "Hello, hunny?" A voice called out as the door opened.
In walked Delia, Eary's mother, a woman of petite stature with an air of quiet strength. Her blonde hair, sprinkled with silver strands, was elegantly gathered into a neat ponytail, framing a face that mirrored her son's striking azure eyes.
"I was just wondering if you wanted to come down and watch a movie or something." Delia asked in a concerned tone. Eary, recoiled by the thought, replied, "No, I'm fine. Got plenty to do in here." Delia nodded compassionately."Ok, Hun. It just that I get worried. You isolate a lot, and I don't really ever see you talking to anyone." Delia unwavering concern bled threw every word. Eary shook his head. "I'm a bit of a loner, mom, what can I say?" Delia shrugged and replied."Ok, honey. I think Josh and Ephraim are going to come down if you're interested." Eary smiled nervously. He didn't have a problem with Ephraim. But he DID have a problem with his mother's 'Gay love interests suggestions' in front of Ephraim. He reassured his mother, thanking her, and then showing her out the door.
"That was weird." Stated Mote matter of fact. Only to burst into light again and fly up into Eary's face. "Now more about those num nums! If we hurry, we can make it up to the store!" Mote pleaded as his eyes turned as large as saucers. Eary sighed. Mote's begging could turn incessant. "Fine, but you're comin' with me! Eary insisted. Mote erupted in blue lights. "Oh hell yeah! Now we're talkin' BABY! Grab that allowance, kid! We're goin' shoppin'!" Mote ordered in excitement. Rolling his eyes, Eary collected his cash and headed down the narrow stairs.
Reaching the bottom of the staircase, Eary stepped into his family's cozy living room. It mirrored the modest size of their home, with a blue sofa and a matching love seat encircling an aged coffee table. Eary's mother and father, Delia and Mitchell, reclined there, as did his brother and Eph.
"Hey, Earhart, what's up?" Mitchell inquired, his voice carrying a warm and inviting tone.
"Oh, I'm just going to run some errands, Dad," Eary replied, his voice carrying the weight of a fib he couldn't shake. "Got a sudden craving for some snacks."
Mitchell chuckled. "Well, you do love your num nums. Just make sure you're back before dark."
With an agreement in place, Eary bid his parents' farewell, and together with Mote, embarked on their quest.
Wandering down the five blocks, Eary and Mote reached the store without any unexpected encounters. "Mmmm, I can smell 'em already," Mote exclaimed, his excitement palpable as he sped towards the tantalizing snacks. Eary followed closely behind, and they quickly filled their arms with the coveted treat before heading to the checkout.
On their way back home, the duo decided to take a detour to a place of peculiar interest to them-the old brick yard. As the sun began its descent, darkness gradually overtook the light.
"We always come this way!" Mote complained between bites of "num nums" from the open container in Eary's arms.
"I know, but you know I like to keep my eyes open for any sort of anomalies," Eary responded, scanning the area for anything suspicious.
"Hey, kid! It's getting kind of dark, don't ya think? You know how your parents can get if you're late," Mote cautioned Eary, snapping him back to reality.
"Yeah, we should head back," Eary muttered, though his gaze lingered on the local hotspot.
They made their way back home, where Eary's parents, Josh, and Ephraim still lounged in the living room. Ephraim couldn't help but tease Eary, "Did you really walk to the store for num nums?"
Eary responded with a theatrical sigh, "Yes, I did! Now, WE'RE going upstairs to enjoy them!"
"We? You mean you and your imaginary friend, Mote?" Josh chimed in, laughter following.
Eary felt a mixture of anger and self-consciousness. He rushed upstairs, slamming the door behind him. "They must hear us talking, that's all. Don't worry about it, kid," Mote reassured him from inside the nearly empty num num container.
Eary whispered back in frustration, "No, Mote! It's a big deal! Everyone I know thinks I'm crazy!"
Before Mote could respond, there was a knock on the door, and Ephraim's voice came through, "Hey, Air bear, can you let me in?"
"Uh, sure, just a second," Eary replied, setting down the num nums and opening the door. Ephraim entered and asked if he could sit down. They exchanged smiles and shared a moment.
"I always thought the talking to yourself made you more fun," Ephraim laughed. "You always came up with the best ideas when you talked to 'Mote.' It was odd, honestly. How different things would be afterward... I started to wonder if he was real."
Eary's nervousness betrayed him slightly, but he kept his secret. "Nope, it's just a thing I do, I guess," he chuckled nervously.
Ephraim suggested they join the others downstairs to watch a movie, and Eary agreed, still glancing at the now-empty num num container.
After the movie, Ephraim proposed a campout in the living room, which Josh protested. However, with some carefully orchestrated whining and persuasion from Ephraim, Josh reluctantly agreed. Delia brought out blankets and pillows, and soon, the room was transformed into a cozy campsite.
As they settled down for the night, Eary couldn't help but feel a mixture of excitement and anxiety. He glanced up at a familiar invisible thud. Cloaked in stealth, Mote announced his presence
Mote whispered, "Kid, I was watchin' the whole time! Good job with the beggin', not my style but to each their own."
"Hey, Mote," Eary whispered, "You think this means something?"
Mote's tiny hand patted Eary's cheek reassuringly. "Of course, kid. Look at how he pushed to have ya here. He totally digs you!" Eary smiled, reassured by the small blue creature.
As Eary drifted off to sleep, a familiar dream crept into his mind. The smell of fire, screams, and a tall figure leading him down a long stone passage way. Just as he is about to see the figure, he woke in a cold sweat. Examining his surroundings, Josh and Eph were fast asleep in their sleeping bags. While masked in his invisibility, Mote slept snuggled closely.