Astrophile

Caravan

The days in the caravan were very... strange, to put it simply. Knowing the owner of the caravan made it justifiable, though.

Upon leaving, the man had strutted up to the two boys and had demanded they call him Mexican Dream. Boo and Sunny had laughed at first then had realized that he had been absolutely serious.

"Why Mexican Dream? Why not just Dream?" Tommy had asked.

Mexican Dream had shrugged, "No sé pero me gusta mucho el nombre."

"What?"

The other members of the caravan also helped to add vibrancy and life to the group.

One of the members was named Puffy with a long shock of cream colored curls that trailed down her back. Usually, it was tied up with a long strand of crimson ribbon. She had often worn long, ivory colored dresses, tight, leather corsets, and tall, winter boots. She had a firm handshake. They were the kinds that Boo shied away from but she was very pleasant. Tied around her waist were an assortment of herbs and plants in glass bottles. When questioned about it, she replied:

"Oh, it's for my job."

The other person in the caravan was a man with shiny locks of milk chocolate colored hair that often tickled his face. His eyes were a soft brown too. He wore odd, mismatched clothing: a short sleeved purple cloak, a patched up, beige shirt with baggy sleeves, long khaki pants, and mismatched shoes. A long tendril of leaves and flowers hung from one of his pack ladened shoulders. He looked like a true traveler.

"Who're you? I'm Karl!" He had told them with a sweet smile, his cheeks blooming with color.

Tommy would've thought that meals with these odd, differing people would be awkward and silent but instead, they were lively, joyful, and filled with laughter.

Mexican Dream would tell jokes that would make them all crack up, partially in his native language and partially in English.

When everything had died down, Karl would tell outlandish tales of places he had been before: one where a man he had loved had killed him for power, another where there were rotating disks that held people in little carriages high above the ground.

"What the fuck? Who'd live in a world like that?" Tommy had shuddered simply thinking of a land like that.

"What other choice do they have?"

"I don't know, run away?"

"From a creature that can drag you into it?"

"Fucking run for it!"

"It doesn't grab them-" Karl had started just before Tommy and Ranboo had de-escalated into an argument.

"Chicos, chicos, settle down!" Mexican Dream had shushed them from where he lay on the grassy earth, his sombrero placed over his face as he tried to sleep.

"Want to look at these herbs?" Puffy ushered them to her, unhooking a flask from her belt.

Inside was a ground, pale yellow substance, the powder fine and soft.

"What's that?" Tommy asked as he took the bottle from Puffy's hands and examined the bottle studiously.

"It's called yarrow! Wanna know what it does?"

"Please!"

"Well, yarrow is typically a flower but when ground out and used properly, it can be used to stop bleeding and it's inflammatory too!"

"What does the flower look like?" Tommy asked, pulling a tattered notebook from his back pocket.

Puffy pulled out her own notebook as well and scrolled through the pages. Tommy could see detailed drawings and descriptions in the little booklet but he couldn't make out any specific ones.

Eventually, Puffy offered the book to him with an "aha!". The image on the dirt smattered page depicted a small bushel of tiny white flowers. Beside it was a description on how to use it.

"Do you mind if I borrow your book?" Tommy asked shyly.

"Not at all."

Eagerly, Tommy took the slight book and had begun to study it. Through the following days, Tommy examined her journal, taking notes on important herbs while life around the caravan continued to spin around him.

Ranboo helped make camp and clean up before departure each day. He could often be caught with Karl as they talked and discussed with each other, Ranboo's curious eyes widening with wonder with every new story.

Puffy and Tommy were also often together, talking over pots of burbling water as the herbs were cooked to later be used to make medicine.

The days were so very peaceful and full of laughter and awe stricken eyes. They all wished it could last forever.

But their travels ended just as quickly as they had begun.

Mexican Dream stood at the doorway to his little wagon shop, a hand shielding his eyes from the sun.

In the back of his wagon, Ranboo and Tommy played cards though their cards continually flew into the air with every fresh bump in the road.

"Damn it, I almost won!" Tommy exclaimed angrily after the cards had scattered into a messy pile on the rocking floor.

Ranboo smirked, "Too bad."

"Ay, chicos! Mira! Es la ciudad!"

"Mexican Dream, we can't understand you." Tommy groaned as he grabbed a card from the stack, eyeing it frustratedly.

"We're almost in the city, man."

"WHAT?"

Tommy was up in a flash and swayed over to the door, watching as the towering walls of the city approached.

The facade was huge and ancient, each block of stone set into place hundreds of years before. It was so majestic. Those walls must've endured so many terrible wars and battles. Think of the vast stores of knowledge that they must contain within their very borders!

Tommy's eyes were wide and sparkling.

This was it. This was their destination. This was the first location where he'd learn so many things and grow. Grow into a better version of himself. Oh fucking hell, he couldn't wait!

Mexican Dream watched his young ward whose eyes were bright, expectant. It was obvious he hadn't ever experienced the darkness of human desire before, the agony the world could bring upon someone.

He almost felt bad for him.

But Mexican Dream couldn't divulge true human nature to Tommy. How could he take that innocence away from someone?

He remembered when he had once been like that. It had been a different world but all people have the same darkness that linger in them so it could've been said they were the same, in some ways. He had been spared from that world of pain and lust and evil just to be dropped into yet another one!

Mexican Dream sighed wearily and placed a steadying hand on Tommy's shoulder. Tommy's sky blue eyes flicked up to meet the dark, soulless dots of his white smiling mask.

"Ay chico?"

"Yeah?"

"Be careful." Mexican Dream muttered as the city swallowed the caravan whole.