Life is Stranger

A New Horizon

"How could it have possibly been me, Max? I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

"I dunno Chloe. But my dad told me that just as my heart was about to stop completely a blue butterfly came in through the window and landed on my chest. It stayed there for a little bit then flew back out of the window. The doctors were baffled – I started to recover from that point onwards."

"Well, it must have been someone or something else. I had nothing to do with it Max."

"Yes you did, Chloe. After all the shizzle in the clearing everything started to fall into place. I remember - it was like a horrible nightmare. I was really scared. Then you came out of the darkness and spoke to me. I couldn't talk back, but I could hear you. And I could feel you. It was definitely you. After that I wasn't scared any more."

"Damn Max this is hardcore! I believe you, but why can't I remember any of this?"

"I dunno. You did say you went back to when you were just a baby, right? Perhaps you haven't done it yet, but you will at some point. I guess we have no way of knowing – this is all so super freaky."

"And then some. So what happened then?"

"I'm not entirely sure. I was still in the nightmare for a long while, I think – I can't really be certain. But it didn't frighten me like it did before - it felt like you were still somewhere in there with me, keeping me safe. Then I remember waking up and it was still pitch dark. I thought I'd woken up from one nightmare only to be trapped in another one – a very realistic one. So I screamed and screamed and screamed. But no one came – not for ages. Then suddenly there was this really bright light which hurt my eyes, so I screwed them shut tight. I could hear a man's voice yelling at me so I opened up my eyes again a little and tried to get him away from me. I think I may have pulled his hair and scratched him. He might have hit me once, I'm not sure. I felt him grab both of my arms and tie them down or something. Then he did the same to my legs. I tried to see what he was doing but my eyes were still really painful. I kept screaming blue murder but then I started to feel funny – I think he may have drugged me or something. I kept trying to say your name, but I couldn't get my mouth to work properly. I remember that the light suddenly went out and it was all quiet again – he'd gone and left me alone in the dark. Eventually I went back to sleep."

"Fucking hell Max! Come here my poor little angel. No one is ever going to hurt you again. I'll tear them a goddamn new one if they even so much as try. That fucking douchebag! How could anyone ever hurt you? Man I am so fucking furious!"

"I'm sorry. Perhaps I shouldn't have told you yet. I don't want to upset you."

"It's alright Max. You can carry on if you like... but only if you're cool to talk more about it."

"Thanks. I love you so much. I have to tell you, Chloe. I don't want this hanging over us any longer. Once it's done, it's all gone. Forever."

"I suppose."

"Then everything was just a fuzzy, jumbled-up mess for day after day after day. They left me drugged up and strapped to the bed in that room for what must have been months. Every now and then someone would come in to feed me some awful-tasting crap and change my fucking diaper and shit! I was so angry and embarrassed. That and visiting was the only time the light was ever on – they left me in the dark all the time. There were no windows. No one ever spoke to me – not a single word. It was like solitary confinement. I vaguely remember seeing Mom and Dad sometimes, but I couldn't talk to them. Whatever drug they were dosing me with really messed me up. Eventually I managed to figure out that they were doing something before visits which made me even more fucked up, 'cos I could talk most of the time, but they just totally ignored me as if I wasn't there. It was so hard to think straight, but I realised that I was on a drip and that sometimes it was in one of my hands. So one time when I noticed them fiddling with it I guessed a visit was going to be soon so I waited until they had left the room and kept twisting and wiggling my hand about until I managed to tear the goddamn thing out. I did it just in time, too - I was just starting to become super spaced-out again. Then Mom and Pop came and I could finally talk to them. I was just so fucking relieved. One thing led to another and I finally got out of there. Bastards!"

Chloe wiped tears away from her eyes. "I...I don't know what to say, Max. Man, this is awful. Why? Why were they doing that to you?"

"I don't know. And I don't think I want to know."

"Did you tell your folks?"

"Nope. My mom was the one that put me in there in the fucking first place! She wouldn't have listened to me – she never does. And Dad just does what Mom tells him to do. And what could I say exactly? No one would have believed me. They would have just said I was confused, disturbed, hallucinating or some other shit like that. I did try to tell the cops once, but they basically laughed me out of the station. Assholes! I shudder to think what happens in there, Chloe. Those poor people. I'm just so glad I made it out."

"Me too. You genuinely are SuperMax. I can't believe this. All those years I was raging at the world for what it had done to me, and you were going through all of that. I'm so sorry Max. I've been so selfish."

"Chloe, both of us have been through some terrible, godawful things, but that's all behind us now. I'm a lot stronger person than I used to be, and so are you. We need to look forwards now, not back. For the first time in years I feel like a real person again. None of that crap matters to me now. You're here with me – that fills my soul with so much happiness that it's gushing out of me all over. When I look into your beautiful blue eyes, I forget all of the evil in the world – it makes me feel untouchable. So let's concentrate on our future together. Happily ever after and all that. We either get busy living or we get busy dying. And I want to live. With you. Bring us that horizon! Right, Cap'n Price?"

"Aye aye Super Max Sparrow. Dude, you never cease to amaze me. I've always been in awe of you, ever since we first met. I still remember that day we first met in the diner. Your mom was freaking because of the gumballs I gave you. Jeez, she was so hella uptight!"

"Yeah, tell me about it. But that day was the best! I felt so sick because of all the crap I ate. But I didn't care. I was in awe of you too. Even back then, you seemed just so super-cool to me. I can still picture you bursting through the door brandishing that plastic sword. It's like a photograph in my head. And my first taste of Joyce's bacon and eggs. The start of a beautiful and wonderful life-long relationship."

"Yeah. Max and Chloe forever."

"I was actually referring to the relationship between my belly and Joyce's food, but sure, us too I guess." smirked Max.

"I should so beat you down right now."

"As if you could – you love me too much."

"Yep. No argument there. Damn you – you're just too adorable."

"You're, ahem, hella adorable too. I can't wait until you can cook like your mom. That chocolate cake was delicious. It's a good job I don't put on weight, considering how much of your culinary delights I'm gonna put away in the years to come."

"You think I'm going to be stuck in the kitchen cooking for you all of the time? Dream on Maximus. Girls just want to have fun. Especially this girl."

"This girl too. That's why I expect you to spend half of your time in the kitchen and the other half in the bedroom."

"Now you're talking my language!"

"We won't be doing much talking! I've got a hell of a lot of catching up to do."

"Don't worry slowpoke. I'll soon have you off and running."

"So you keep saying. Yawn."

"Hang in there, kiddo. Not long to wait. Promise."