Chapter 2: Turn 3

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    "Come on, kid!" Cyan-Diorite darted his eyes to Tanaka Williamson, as the two respective opponents raced down a winding road in the back of Ajax.

    "Wow... Tanaka's gotten a lot better." Marian shoved both hands into her pockets. 

    "OF COURSE HE HAS! TANAKA WILLIAMSON IS NECK-TO-NECK, BUTT-TO-BUTT, ASSHOLE-TO-ASSHOLE WITH CYAN-DIORITE!" The loud voice of the announcer, his pompadour extending longer than the microphone of which he held, ricocheted off of Marian's neck. 

    "You're not that far away from me, you know? You don't have to fuckin' yell like that! I hear ya loud and clear, buddy, although for how much longer, I'm not sure." 

    The mysterious announcer smiled. "MAYBE I DO HAVE TO SHOUT IT, YOUTHFUL ONLOOKER! IT IS THE DUTY, WHICH HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN FOR GENERATIONS IN MY FAMILY, TO GET MORE PROGRESSIVELY LOUD, AS A CERTAIN EVENT CARRIES ITSELF ON! SUCH A PEDESTRIAN AS YOURSELF WOULD NOT UNDERSTAND THE KINDS OF BURDENS I CARRY!" 

    "You're a... horrible comic-relief for this scene, you know that?" Marian kicked around some mulch beneath her feet, as the sky above her seemed separated by a firmament of the tall, dark branches of the forest. 

    "SO WHAT IF I'M HORRIBLY FUCKING UP THE TONE OF THIS CHAPTER? I DO WHAT I MUST DO! AND THAT... IS YELLING AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS IN ORDER TO VICIOUSLY GRAB THE ATTENTION OF YOUNG ONLOOKERS SUCH AS YOURSELF! I ABSOLUTELY HAVE COME TO ADORE THE SOUND OF MY OWN VOICE! ANYONE WHO INTERRUPTS ME, SUCH AS YOURSELF, WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!" 

    "What are you gonna do, kick me out? Good lord, I guess every man has a sad ego, doesn't he?" 

    "PROBABLY NOT, NO! I JUST WON'T INVITE YOU TO MY NEXT WEDDING RECEPTION!" 

    "Uh- Wait, what do you mean 'next'?" 

    "A- ABSOLUTELY NOTHING-" 

    "Well, I guess... I'll just talk about my friends and family, then. In other words, I simply wish to segue into talking about one friend of mine. Tanaka. Tanaka's... got some fire under his tail... for this race. He failed the permit-test, so now he's been doing nothing but training." 

    "AH, I SEE. THAT WAS A RANDOM INTERRUPTION, BY THE WAY! DO YOU THINK THAT IT IS HIS DREAM TO BE A DRIVER? IN A PROGRESSIVE LANDSCAPE SUCH AS OURS, WHERE PEOPLE CAN LEARN TO PILOT MECHS OR TAKE UP PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, DO YOU THINK THAT IT IS SO THAT YOUR FRIEND'S NORMAL DREAM IS NOW WHAT IS CONSIDERED TO BE 'LOFTY' IN THIS DAY AND AGE?" 

     "Well, yeah, kind of. I guess so. You see, in the city where we're from, Little Japan, driving has been illegal for... a long time. By the time Tanaka and I became of legal age to get our permits, the system shut down... and shut us out." 

    "LITTLE JAPAN, HUH? I SEE! ISN'T THAT TO THE EAST?"

    "Yes, just like real Japan, I'd imagine." 

    "SO IT IS! RIGHT, WELL... I'M NOT EVEN FROM HERE MYSELF. AJAX IS A NEW CITY I'VE RECENTLY MOVED INTO. I'M FROM FURTHER WEST OF HERE- HEILIGRAM!" 

    "Heiligram? Yeah, my parents are from there too! It's supposed to be known for its gardening." 

    "YES! IT'S GOT LOTS PEOPLE WHO WORK IN SOME SORT OF INDUSTRY REGARDING PLANTS. LOTS OF FESTIVALS HAPPEN OVER THERE. PRETTY ROMANTIC TO TAKE A LOVER. SAY, YOU DON'T, PER CHANCE, HAPPEN TO HAVE ANY SORTS OF FEELINGS FOR THIS... TANAKA, WOULD YOU?" 

    "I- What? That's a real random question of you to ask, mister!" Marian blushed. 

    "PERHAPS YOU'D LOVE TO GET HIM A FLOWER FROM HEILIGRAM?" 

    "Oh my god, stop... this is so embarrassing." Marian put her right hand over her red, flushed face. 

     It seemed that, for as long as the race went on, the conversation between these two unlikely encounters would continue revving up. 

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