Glitch and Cody

Chapter 8 - There is Mischief in the Air

Cody

"You are so very welcome, my boy!" Aunt Suzie says, gathering me in a hug so tight that if I'd still been barely alive like a month ago, she would've destroyed me.

I disappear into her bosom, suddenly thinking that I'm going to suffocate between the pillowy mountains, never to be seen again. I like Aunt Suzie. She is kind, boisterous and generous with everything from the filling in her pies to Mama Bear hugs, but right now, I'm about to raise a white flag and signal for help.

When she finally lets me go, I stagger a few steps away, and she runs a hand over my head, frowning when she gets caught on the sugary spikes.

"Uhm..." she says, and grinning, I explain to her about my grandmother's strange sugared hair fetish, making her laugh, recounting the number of times she'd used sugar water to style her own hair back in the good old days.

"So, who will you be making a happy woman today, Dear?" she asks, indicating the candle I'd dumped on the counter of the stall.

"All the girls," I say, and when her eyes grow, I hastily add, "by not taking part in the ceremony."

"Oh! Honey, that is the saddest thing I've heard all week and believe you me, I've heard sad! Mara-Belle told me all about Lorna Mayfair's five Siamese kittens," she clicks her tongue, shaking her head, looking extremely distraught. Aunt Suzie has a huge heart and a high aptitude for compassion. "Imagine how they must be suffering, stuck together like that, not understanding what is going on..."

"Aunt Suzie," I say carefully. "Siamese is a breed of cats; Aunt Lorna's kittens aren't fused together."

"Oh!" she exclaims, her face brightening, and then she's glaring at her sister,  Aunt Mara-Belle, who is happily stacking pies on a decorated plate to exhibit them on the counter.

"Honey, I never said they were stuck together, you just assumed, and I didn't have the heart to correct you," the woman informs Aunt Suzie, her shoulders shaking with laughter.

"Well, I never!" Aunt Suzie huffs, and then she's giving me another melancholic look. "See, Cody; your news is now officially the only sad news I've heard this week."

I smile my most encouraging smile and shrug, feeling extremely uncomfortable. I really don't want to get into it now; I've heard enough on this topic from my grandmother.

"Cody, could you please take that box of jam to the confectionary stall for me, Love?" Aunt Mara-Belle saves me from any further discussion by pointing to a box filled with jars of homemade jam, looking out of place among the pies artfully displayed on the counter.

I swear I've taken that specific box to the confectionary stall already; what is it doing here now?

"Sure," I say, lifting it from the shelf.

"Don't forget your candle, Dear!" Aunt Suzie calls out and helpfully places the jar with the cheerfully burning candle on top of the jam. Just how long can that flame last? Shouldn't the damn thing be burnt to the bottom by now?

I stagger along, once again starting to pine for pain tablets and sweet oblivion, when I almost run into Sindy and Noah, too busy gazing into each other's eyes to watch where they're going.

"Hey!" I shout just in time to warn them. I'm really not currently nimble enough to easily get out of their way, and the word run doesn't even remotely describe what I'm doing.

"Oh! Cody! Sorry!" Sindy giggles, extracting herself from Noah's embrace long enough to help me steady the box with her boyfriend's help. Actually, she is just saving the friggin' candle while Noah is helping me save the toppling jam. "Oh!" she says again, this time looking at the flame with sparkling eyes. "Are you going to take part in-."

"No way!" I interrupt, falling into step with them when Noah insists on taking the load from me, saying that he thinks I've worked way too hard already and should give myself a break. I like Noah; I've come to know him quite well this week while working on getting the town ready for the spectacles it is about to suffer.

"Are you sure?" Sindy asks, sounding sadder than strictly necessary. What does it matter if I take part or not? "I know the perfect bride for you and-"

"Yeah, you can go share notes with my grandmother!" I snap and realising that I'm being a bit harsh, I relax my face into a smile. "Sorry," I say. "I really don't want to, and Gramma's been relentless..."

Sindy's smile is sympathetic when she hands me the candle. "I understand. You should do what you feel up to doing and not a dot more."

"Thanks." I take the jar, glaring at the offensive light flickering inside it.

"Slow-burn candles. They can burn for days," Noah says, and this is not the first time since I met him that I'm thinking the guy is reading my mind.

"Aaaaaaah," I nod, helping him offload the box when we reach the confectionary stall where multiple identical boxes are already neatly stacked, mostly by me. It's like the things keep on spawning in random places. "Thanks for the help."

"No problem," he grins. "Come find us after the ceremony..."

"We can hang out."

I often hear the two of them finishing each other's sentences that way, and smiling, I tell them that I'll look out for them. I probably won't because I can only take so much of watching them hold hands and share loving smiles, and then I want to poke my eyes out.

Strolling away from the love birds, I glance around warily, making sure that Allie is not in the vicinity. I have a strong suspicion that she is the girl my grandmother and Sindy were hoping to pimp me out to, and I remember from many encounters through the years (some as recent as last week) that that girl is just scary. She'll eat me alive and pick my bones clean.

I've only progressed a few steps before I'm nearly run down again, this time by a very lively labrador puppy dragging a frail-looking old man along.

"Whoa, Buddy," I laugh, grabbing the dog when he leaps into my arms. By puppy, I mean a big one, over a year old; he almost knocks me down, reminding me just how weak I've become.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Cody, but I'm also grateful for the break," Grandpa Winters gasps, wiping a bony hand over his brow.

"No problem, Sir," I smile.

"Grandpa, just call me Grandpa, Son," he grins, and when his dog has had his fill of licking every part of me he can get his tongue on, Grandpa Winters sighs, resuming his awkward run. "Enjoy the festival," he shouts over his shoulder, and I wish him the same.

I'm still wondering if I should relieve the old man from his dog for a while, not sure if I'll fare any better with the animal at this point, when my eye catches Jasper Townsend arguing with a girl wearing a multi-coloured veil. She is the first girl I'm seeing tonight who has her entire face covered by her veil, but I've seen some strange hair accessories and veil variants around here.

She keeps on extinguishing her candle, and Jasper keeps on lighting it again, using his own. She tries to walk away a few times, but he steps in her way, and they are either taking part in some kind of weird mating ritual, or he is harassing the girl. I'm not quite sure.

Jasper is not exactly the kind of guy who surrenders to defeat easily, and he is used to getting his way all the time because he can charm his way into anything. I know the type because I used to be Jasper...

Well, I was probably less of an arsehole... I hope...

A mischievous breeze suddenly curls itself around me, tossing my flame around and tickling my neck before it darts away, swirling leaves in its wake and whisking through Jasper's hair. It grabs the girl's veil, whipping it off with a flourishing twirl. Mesmerized, I follow the flow of the translucent piece of fabric.

~~~