Geff and Jerald

Secrecy

I was tilling the dirt while in the hot sun. "This should last until later. I need a new wrench. This one is getting old and rusty." Max licks at my overalls. "There's some food on the table!" Jerald shouted from the side door. My old sneakers were crusted with dirt and grime. "I'll wash these tomorrow. These are my only work shoes." My others were shiny and clean. Besides, those were white. These were a faded red. The shoelaces were sorta rugged but hey, they still fit. What fits isn't thrown away until you outgrow it. "There's your meatloaf." Jerald is already chowing down on his meat. "We're gonna go visit our cousins. So, you should put on the pair of good lookin' pants. Not those dirty slacks."

I shove a forkful of meatloaf in my mouth. "What's wrong with my slacks? These are good!"

"They have fifteen different jelly stains and three I can't even name."

"Fine. But it has to be some good ones." I finished my food and put my plate in the sink. As I go upstairs, my arm itches. "I knew those dry leaves were bad," I muttered. When I took off my old fashioned brown overalls, I threw them on my bed. The metal buckles rattled when it landed. Half was hanging off my bed. "What is that?" A small piece of paper slipped out of the front pocket. It was an unsigned note.

"This letter shall be destroyed after reading," it said on top. Whatever. Was it confidential? I would know when I read it. After I opened the flap, the writing was in many fonts and capitals.

"tHe SEcReT tO yOuR aNSwEr lIeS iN tHe dEeP aBYsS oF pOrTSiDeS pIpEs. MeET ME aT wEsT pArK aT fIvE SHARP. mAke sUrE yOu'Re nOt fOlLoWeD.

P.S. say "schwarble" for a prize!

"Schwarble?"

The thing made an unsettling beep, and I threw it out the window. If I would've thrown it a second short, it would've exploded in my hand. Yes, I saw it explode. There was a small column of smoke coming from the ground outside, right beside my window. In just five seconds, the note was gone. Did it mean today? I mean, it was only 4:27. I could go in maybe a half hour. Who made this note? And how the heck did they manage to smuggle it into my pocket? My head filled with questions. I went to draw a guy using an invisible elevator. In a few minutes, Jerald came in with a brown paper envelope. "Gabe put these in the mail. It looks important." The time was 4:56. I intervened with Jerald's statement. "Hey, I would really like to open those documents, but I have something else to do."

"Like what?" I grab my hoodie and unlatch my bike again. "I'll give you my snack for the rest of the if you don't tell Mom."

"Alright..."

"I got a note from Jane that she would meet with me to tell me something at West Park."

"A DATE— I smack my hand over his mouth. "Shut up. Remember. Zip it." He nods. Yes, I did something that I would never do. I lied to Jerald. I felt bad because I didn't want him to know even though it seemed important. This guy might have secrets. He seems like he knows. Who knows? Maybe it's a she.

I checked the time on a black metal pole. It was 4:58. I remembered that the unknown person told me to meet here at five. There was a sewer pipe next to a little pool under a wooden bridge. I could go there. Sure enough, a guy or girl was whittling a piece of wood inside the pipe. I didn't know the gender, because the person was wearing a wooden mask with a smile. It had faded yellow paint. He or she stood up and pointed a wooden spear at me. "Did you get my note?"

I fumbled around and showed it to the person. "Good. Come in." I follow the kid. It seemed like he or she was in my grade. Maybe a few years older. When we got inside, the person turned on a flashlight. "I need to make sure you don't have anyone following you before I can reveal my identity." He goes over to the end and scans the perimeter. "Clear. Now. About the fake tree."

"Great. I know it's already weird you know about this, but continue." The boy takes out a wrinkled newspaper and smacks it onto the ground. "Have you read any of this?"

"No, I really only read comics and sports." He flips a page. "I thought you'd find these interesting." On the third page, there was a story about an unknown bandit. The bandit was wearing a mask with a smile on it. "Is this you?"

"Sure is. Do you promise no one is around?"

"Okay." He slowly lifts the smiling mask. Underneath, is a boy with orange hair. "My name is Kyle Winchester. It's a pleasure making business with you. And, if you're asking for help? I'm your man."

"Oh. For a second I thought you were a drug dealer."

"No. The dealer—NOT of drugs, is my friend Jiggy. I'm here to help guys like you. I live here. Everyone knows me as Kyle the Great. Not in fashion, though." He laughs. I agreed. He had an orange button up and some green overalls with countless patches. "Thirteen," He says, reading my mind. "I see you're looking at my patches. These overalls used to have pant legs. I ripped them to make more patches after I ran out of green."

"You never explained. Why do you live here?"

"I wasn't always here. My folks, real good people. They died in that car accident. Luckily for my mom. Or I wouldn't have existed." He took me to another spot in the pipes. The light of day seemed to get more far away. "Jiggy's Emporium is over here. He sells all kinds of stuff. Just make sure to bring money." He opens a door to reveal a room with shelves and leaky water pipes. All kinds of things were on tables and on the shelves. "Hey, Jiggy! We got a new guy."

"Tell 'em to help me with these gosh darn boxes!" I go over and push the ladder he was standing on. "How do you have a fan and lights in here?"

"I'll explain later." He gets down and sits on the counter, giving me a weird look. No lie, I felt as odd as he did. "So, are you gonna buy anything, or are you just here for laffs?"

"Oh. I'll get that green can of pop." He raises an eyebrow. "You sure you want the ShoKwave?"

"What?"

"The Slurpy Slurp Slush Combo. It has many nicknames.We found a guy that sold them to us cheap. They're kinda illegal. And each can contains about 90 milligrams of caffeine. Keeps you powered up for a while. But I also advise you to be careful because great power comes with great responsibility," he says in a serious tone. I bought one and kinda ducked out of there. "See you tomorrow, because I do not want you to be here when the gates close. I'll probably drop another ransom note," Kyle tells me.

"By the way, how did you get that note in my pocket?" He smiles. "A magician never reveals his secrets." Right there and then, the door to the sewer pipes closes, leaving me and my thoughts alone in the darkness.