“Is it on?” Darkness was all he saw, silence was all he heard. “Is it on?” he asked again. A small particle of light could be seen in the distance, there was a “bzzrp” electrical sound. Suddenly light and color filled the air a second before an immersion of sound. “It works! It works!” he shouted excitedly as he looked around at his new surroundings. Huntington Park was alive with life. Birds sang in trees, people walked past him. Food vendors called out looking for hungry patrons. He rushed to the hot dog vendor and ordered a hot dog with everything on it. When the food was handed to him he took a big bite expecting to taste the sweetness of ketchup, tart of mustard, and savory of a roasted weenie. Daniel’s delight faded as he tasted nothing in his mouth. He tossed the meal into a nearby garbage can. He set his mind on the path that winded through the park. A sign in front of him seemed to glow instantly. He walked toward it and read the writing, “Park Trail 6”. Glancing to his right he saw the path he was looking for. His joy returned to him as he started jogging down the path. Roller skaters whizzed past him, people on bicycles rode past. Some waved, others were more interested in where they were going than who was on the path. Soon he reached the sprawling lake that was at the center of Huntington Park. There was a rental booth, decked out in yellow aluminum siding. You could rent paddle boats, fishing equipment, and storage lockers, among other things. He watched a man teaching a boy how to fish at the bank of the water. Far in the distance he could see a young couple in a paddle boat doing circles as fast as they could. Probably trying to create a current, or waves, or some other nonsense. “It’s nice isn’t it?” a voice next to him asked. Daniel was quite shaken by the experience as he looked over to see who had snuck up unexpectedly. It was a teenage male, dressed in a logo t-shirt and jeans. He smiled at Daniel causing his monolid eyes make creases in his bronze skin. “It really is the Utopia they market it to be.” he waved his bronze hand around. Daniel said nothing and glanced again at the man teaching the boy to fish. “Well if you get bored in here, my name is Austin Greeves.” the teenager offered out his hand. “You can find me any time.” “Don’t you sleep?” Austin laughed and then walked away. He tossed his skateboard to the ground and skated off in the opposite direction. Daniel hadn’t notice the skateboard earlier. Maybe he just wasn’t paying attention.
Imagination Avolation
