Something From Below

Speed

There I was, standing in front of the most glorious thing I've ever laid my eyes on. A brand new XZ10 hoverbike (ex-zed ten).

The machine was a beauty, and I stood in awe for a moment. Dual exhaust and intake, 4 stroke V4-S engine, all LED instrument panel, you name it, the bike had it. I was beyond thrilled. My parents were more generous then ever, picking my eighteenth  birthday to take things to the next level.

My dad insisted that I wait to take the bike out for a spin, until the morning when it's light out. I agreed, I was in no hurry to crash into shadowed trees and hedges that lined the surrounding neighborhood. There were open stretches of field as well, but there were obstacles between them and I'd need the light.

I stood in awe of the bike, and admired the finely sculpted body work, the geometric forms and the paint job: a charcoal gray that was slightly reflective but somewhat matte.

The bike was a work of art, that was for sure.

After looking at the bike for sometime, I glanced away and saw my parents in the window of our house, from the backyard. They were looking proudly out the window at me. I looked back and waved. They waved and smiled. I smiled back.

I walked back towards the house, walking along the patio block pathway. They hedges along the path were neatly trimmed and showed a care for the external. I glanced at them, admiring the work, while I walked towards the house. Walking inside, I made my way down towards the basement that was my habitat. My bedroom was down here, as well as a living room that served as an impromptu studio and garage space. I could tinker as much as I wanted down here.

I sat down on the couch and powered up the TV, and PlayStation. I waited a moment as each respectively turned on. After they turned on I flicked through the menus, looking for something to entertain myself. Settling on a battle royale game, I played a couple matches but didn't do so well. Feeling a little frustrated, I took a break before coming back to play a few more matches. I did a little better this time.

The matches took an hour or two, and when I was done I looked at a clock. 10:30. I could probably keep playing for a few more hours or something before going to bed. Deciding this was a good plan, I kept playing the game. I played some more matches, did okay, played a couple more, did okay again before feeling a little bored. I decided to hop off of the game and do something else. I could probably draw for a little while I thought before getting up to walk over to my desk. I sat down at the desk and pulled a sketchbook out to doodle for a little while. I drew for some time and made a few drawings that were admirable. I felt pleased.

I looked at the clock. 12:00. It was getting late and yet I didn't feel all that tired. I wondered what I should do, and sat in the chair. Nothing really came to me and I became a little bored. I could work on a project for an hour or two, just to keep the ball rolling. Turning to a pile on the desk, I sorted through the pile until I got a handle on where I was. I started to get to work, making my way through a design project. The project was to create a logo and identity for a company that manufactured electronics. It was a relatively simple job and I had a few ideas that seemed okay. I worked and worked for a little while before making some progress. I was in an okay spot now.

I sat up from the desk and went to my bed, and laid down. Despite not feeling all that tired, I was kind of glad to lay down and felt rather good. I soon began to drift to sleep.

---

I awoke in the morning. Looking at the clock, all bleary eyed, the readout read: 8:20. I yawned and sat up, looking around the large open spaced room. I felt rather good and was pleased to be up early, as I usually slept in. I walked over to the stairs and went upstairs to grab something to eat. Settling on cereal, I made my way back downstairs, to sit on the couch and eat. I flicked on the TV and PS and found something to watch on Netflix. I absentmindedly watched while eating, focusing more on the crunchy cereal than the programming. After finishing the bowl, I set it aside on a table. Taking a few things from my dresser, I went upstairs to shower. I quickly washed myself and my hair before getting out to dry off. I dried off and got dressed before going back downstairs. I grabbed my coat and headed out the door.