When Forever Ends (Part 1: A Game of Chess)

Day 209

Day 209

I remember the first time I ever drove a Levit. I remember-as clear as if it were yesterday-the thrill of the ride.

One day my dad came home from work and told me to come with him. I asked him where we were going, but he wouldn't say. The only hint I got was that he told me I needed to bring some water and a snack.

I got a bottle and filled it with water from the tap, then grabbed one of the jars of peaches Mom had ordered from the coast. I followed Dad outside, and he led me towards the river. We turned right at the river and followed it to the edge of town, where he walked up to a large, mossy boulder. He hadn't said anything the whole way, and my curiosity was piqued.

I watched as he reached out and took hold of a fold in the rock. With one hand, he yanked on the boulder and it just flew off and collapsed at our feet as a moss-and-stone-patterned sheet of fabric.

But what the cloth had been covering was a strange-looking contraption, some parts sleek and streamlined, other parts looking as if they had been slapped on by an angry giant with a welding torch. There was an open spot in the center, occupied only by two padded seats, and a strange assortment of controls sprouted out in front of one seat while a simple wheel jutted out to the other.

Dad later told me that this was called a Levit, and it was an old technology that his company had been working to improve. But he said that this was the most reliable prototype they had created so far, and it needed a test drive.

He told me to hop in and I did, right behind the crazy controls. He climbed into the other seat and pressed a button beside the wheel. The whole thing hummed softly and lifted off the ground, hovering just above the grass! He drove the vehicle off the grass and out into the Endless.

Some time later, he turned behind a dune and stopped the Levit. He jumped out and told me to switch with him, saying, "You're going to learn to drive this thing." Maybe he somehow knew that I'd need to drive one in the future.

I sat in the seat and tentatively tapped the accelerator. The Levit jumped forwards with more power than I had expected, so I quickly let off and we coasted to a stop. I was reluctant to continue, but Dad persuaded me to try again. I started off more gently this time, and slowly made my way around the base of the dune, in quite an erratic manner. I tapped the accelerator every now and then, giving me speed in short bursts, and turned the wheel inconsistantly, sometimes too far-leaving me to straighten out until I needed to turn again, sometimes not enough-causing me to turn again suddenly and oversteer.

It was tricky, but I soon got the hang of the controls and was doing smooth laps around the dune. "I got it!" I exclaimed, and he laughed. "Now let's see how fast this thing can go!" he replied.

I straightened out and pushed the vehicle to its limit. We arrowed across the sand, the landscape blurring at the edges of my vision. I was slightly dismayed that the Levit couldn't go any faster, but I felt a rush of adrenaline course through me. I locked the wheel so it wouldn't turn, and stood up.

It was exhilarating. At first, I felt the wind throwing itself at me and almost fell over, but then I put out my arms and everything seemed to calm. I was enjoying the feeling of the speed at which we were traveling, and suddenly a stronger gust lifted me up. Dad yanked me down, back into the Levit, but I'll never forget the experience.

I was flying, and there was nothing to hold me back.