Modern Desires

Dreamlessland

Elfo

I like bars, but I wouldn't say I love them. Not like how I love Bean.

Did I say love?

I meant like.

I like Bean. As a friend. She's my best friend. When I was younger, I had a branch for a best friend. Then Kissy. But Kissy was definitely more than a friend. I can't imagine doing with Bean what I did with Kissy.

My face feels suddenly warm. I pull my hat down over it to hide my deep green flush.

When I emerge, Bean and Luci are gone.

Typical.

I'm not going to look for them. I'll make them come to me for once.

So I sit at the grimy bar, one hand on my glass to keep it from sliding. My other hand is deep in the bowl of free marshmallows.

"You gonna pay for those 'mallows?" The bartender glares at me. He's polishing a tumbler with a dirty rag, but I easily imagine the same rag working like it was soaked in ether.

I nod emphatically and run to find Bean. Eventually, I find her throwing tiny arrows at a target.

"ELFO!" She yells, waving her arms at me, "Elfo! Look at this. I'm playing darts. It's a local tradition, and I'm great at it."

"Bean, I need coins."

"No, no, no." Bean pokes my forehead, "you said, 'Bean, don't steal,'" she mocks my high, manly voice, "so I'm not giving you any of my stolen coins."

"Come on, Bean," I wheedle, "just one. I need to pay off my marshmallow tab."

"Marshmallow tab?" Bean cackles.

An arm snakes around Bean's waist, and a despicably good-looking head rests on her shoulder. "Bean, who is this moocher?"

"Heeey, Mike." Bean looks between us, "This is Elfo, my...acquaintance."

"Acquaintance!?" I shriek, "Acquaintance?"

"Go away, Elfo," Bean pleads, "go eat more marshmallows or whatever."

"Arghhh!" I cry, stomping away, "I can't eat more marshmallows, or the scary guy behind the bar will kill me. But Bean doesn't care about the life of an acquaintance, do you, Bean!?"

"Don't mind him," I hear Bean tell Mike, "he's always like this."

I'm left with Luci as my only option. Luci. Petty, cruel Luci.

I find my feet taking my back to Bean. She's in the middle of a throw, Mike hanging off her like a wet cloak. But what I'm really after isn't Bean. I want the pile of coins she hid under Mike's discarded cloak.

I slam a coin on the bar. The bartender raises a brow, "Why the attitude, sonny?"

I glare at him. "Here's the payment for my marshmallows."

"That's a dollar."

"It's a gold piece. Take it and keep the change."

I hop off the barstool, giddy with power. I had stolen from Bean, my bestest friend. I made a payment all by myself and, in doing so, saved my skin. I'm feeling pretty good.

Then I'm shoved down the stairs and sprawl over one of the brawlers from earlier.

"Hi, I'm Elfo. "

"Hey Elfo." A low voice growls in my ear. "You shouldn't've done that."

I chuckle nervously, scrambling to get off them. "No need to make me regret it or anything. I'm already plenty regretful."

"Plenty? There's always room for more regret."

I look into his eyes. They're shadowed by more than just the low light.

"Can't you sleep?" I ask, "you've got bags heavy enough to break a donkey's back."

The man chuckles dryly. "Of course I can't sleep. No one sleeps in the city."

"Is that what this place is called?" I muse.

He gives me a strange look.

"Where I'm from, dreams have a strange power," I explain, "that's why we call it Dreamland."

"I suppose you could call this place Dreamlessland, or Insomnialand."

"I prefer The City," I pat his shoulder.

I slide off his lap and stroll down the street.

"Wait!" He calls after me, "where are you going?"

"To explore The City, and find a place to sleep."

"There's a camping ground around the corner for someone with a tight budget. Do you have a tent?"

I laugh at him. "Of course I have a tent and know what a camping ground is."

"Uh, good," he rubs his nape awkwardly, "I'll write down the address for you. It costs 10 dollars per night to stay on an unpowered site."

I'm nodding the whole time he's talking.

"Are you okay, man? You're like a bobblehead."

I nod more fiercely.

"Okaay." He backs away, laughing, "See you around."

I'm left in the harshly lit street, a stranger's ink marking my skin and a muddle of new words already fading from my memory.

"The City!" I shout, suddenly remembering.

Luci pops up behind me. "What's The City?"

"The City is where we are. I asked a dangerous local, and he said it has many names, like Dreamlessland and Insomnialand."

"I like Insomnialand," Luci leans against a wall, arms folded, "it sounds contagious."

"I like Dreamlessland," Bean emerges from the shadows, "it sounds close to Dreamland."

"What's this 'Dreamland' you keep on mentioning, Bean?" Mike glances between us. "It's not a drug, is it?"

"No, no, it's not." She laughs, but I, as Bean's best friend, can already tell she's tiring of her newest plaything.

"Bean, Luci, I've found us a place to sleep."

Luci yawns,"I was thinking we'd just doggypile in a corner."

"What place, Elfo?" Bean asks.

I want to bask in her attention, like warm rays of sun, but the night air is nippy.

"There's a Cramping Ground near here. We can buy an 'unpowered site' for 10 gold pieces."

"Do you mean 10 dollars?"

"Shut up, Mike," I snipe.

"No, shut up, Elfo," Bean says, "As a local, Mike is invaluable. He can help us find this Cramping Ground."

"Camping ground," Mike corrects her. I glare at him.