by I. T. Eren
Mark was all ready to go back to his past. Besides, it was a better idea to hang out in the past than in the present day when wearing such an outfit.
CHAPTER 16
After what happened to little Pierce during the nature hike, the teachers had decided to restrict the adventure part of the trip and keep a better eye on the students. A formis tournament was scheduled for the afternoon. Formis was a game where two players placed their ten pieces on a field consisting of forty-nine checkers. The two opponents were not able to see which shape was behind the other’s piece and tried to make a correct guess. A referee had to be there to make sure that the opponents followed the game rules when moving their pieces. Another alternative was the game to be monitored through a computer system. In fact, in grown-up Mark’s time, this game was no longer played without computer aid.
Because it enhanced memory and reasoning, formis was offered as an elective in schools, and each year class and school champions were selected through varsity tournaments. This quiet game, however, was not really popular with Mark and his friends because it was so boring. Regardless, Mark still made it to the final three in his class, even though he hated to play it. And each time, he regretted beating his opponent because it made his teachers encourage him more to play the game.
The same encouragement happened at camp. The teacher trainee said, “Mark Spinner, I jotted down your name as number sixteen. Come on, show what you can do!”
Mark felt terrible. All he could say was, “But I...” He didn’t have any excuses, and the numbers were drawn. He was going to play his first match against a nerd named Flint. The tables were ready now. Mark wanted to start and finish the game as soon as possible. Flint announced that he wished for the game be a fair one. Mark, on the other hand, wished for a short game. He was determined to finish as soon as possible, even if he had to lose on purpose. Meanwhile, since most of Mark’s friends were lazy, they either weren’t included in the tournament, or they were left on their own to do whatever they wanted within the periphery of the campground.
His friend Albert approached Mark and said, “We’re going to be having some fun time in the bungalows.” Mark felt even worse.
Flint started the game by dashing forward. Mark would try to understand what stones Flint had by analyzing his moves. For example, only the piece called a Duma was allowed to skip over another piece and move as far as three spaces. If Flint made that move, then Mark would know that Flint was using a Duma and act accordingly. If a player was able to count the pieces of his opponent correctly, then he got two points. If he erred, then he lost a point. If he caused his opponent to be unable to move and completed the round, then he got six points. The player who made an overall score of fifteen points won the tournament.
Mark had already guessed six of Flint’s pieces correctly and had also immobilized two other pieces. He saw that his friends Albert and Cliff were playing a little further from where the tournament was taking place. He wished he could play with them. So he decided to let Flint know what pieces he had by making a few silly moves on purpose. Besides, if he won, he would have to play more of this boring game. Unfortunately, it seemed that Flint was more stupid than Mark thought. Although Mark gave Flint many hints, the kid won the game with much difficulty. But now Mark was done.
He ran to his friends, screaming, “I’m free! I’m free!”
The teacher trainee was the only person who knew what young Mark had done, but he couldn’t get angry with himself as a child. Grown Mark was starting to think that keeping an eye on yourself was not always that fun.
Finally, it was the last day of the camp. Most students were probably very tired. Only a few were running around. They had around one hour after breakfast to gather their belongings. Pierce had filled his lunchbox with the wild berries his mother had wanted him to take home.
Young Mark said to him, “You’re not supposed to take stuff home with you. If you get caught, you’re going to be fed only natural food for a whole year. So beware!” Mark was teasing a little, but Pierce asked one of the teachers anyway. He found out that he could actually take the wild berries home. So he told his friends that he would collect some more and disappeared into the bushes. Soon he was back with not just berries but also wild pears, apples, and some ugly-looking plums.
Mark said, “You’ll give us some of that in the city, I hope. That kind of food tastes better when it’s shared.” Pierce made a face to express that this was not in his intention.
As the kids boarded the bus, Mark thought that it was about time he should return to the present day. He took one last glance at young Mark, who was playing in the distance. What a brat he had been! He wanted to go and pat the kid’s head but he stopped. Leaving without saying good-bye to the other teachers would be rude, so he did that too. In order not to cause any suspicion, he also asked Mr. Klinger if he would write a letter of reference for him.
Mark was happy to return to the present day. He went home and then invited Ally over. They chatted for a while, and then he checked his email. In his inbox, he found an invitation to a reunion of his elementary school friends the following week. He thought that he had already seen all of them today and that he didn’t miss them at all.
But Ally had received the same e-mail, and she said, “We’ll be going to the reunion, right?”
CHAPTER 17
Harry’s Bar was the only place that came to mind for any meeting related to Mark’s elementary school. Even guys who had graduated forty years earlier would hang out at this bar.
Some even joked by saying, “So are you going to graduate and then hang around at Harry’s since you’ll be jobless?”
The reunion would be taking place around ten at night. Mark and Ally arrived at the bar a little earlier. Old friends were arriving one by one, and right away they had started hugging and teasing each other. Pranks they had pulled as kids seemed to never get old or boring.
One of his former classmates said, “You haven’t heard the news of the day! Pierce will be coming from 800 kilometers away, just to attend this event. No one has seen him for ten years. His name isn’t even on the Internet. Maybe because he got really old! Ha ha!”
Mark was excited. “Really? Pierce the Lazy? Something must have hit him in the head!”
He had recently seen Pierce as an adult, and he knew he was very fit and very strong. But, of course, he couldn’t mention that to anyone.
Soon they started talking about their old teachers. One of them was still teaching at the school. Another had opened a pastry shop. One other had retired, spending all her time with grandchildren. Everyone knew everything since they could easily follow each other’s lives through the Web.
Pierce appeared at the door half an hour later. He didn’t look any different from the last time Mark had seen him. He might have even been wearing the same clothes. Mark had not actually met his best friend, however, since he had moved away all those years ago. They had only two phone calls during that time, and even those calls happened when they were still very young. Afterwards, life had happened, and the distance had kept them separated. Seeing Pierce in front of him had stressed Mark so much that he grabbed the edge of the table roughly and hurt his hands.
Pierce approached Mark before anyone else. He gave Mark a big, friendly hug. “Man, I really missed you!” This moment was so comforting that Mark realized what he had experienced during time travel felt like a movie. He hugged Pierce warmly.
It was a long night. Old friends promised to meet again. Under the influence of alcohol, they even sang the anthem of Memorial Elementary before they left for home. For Mark, Memorial Elementary had a deeper meaning since it was the place where he had met Ally. After everything he had gone through, he knew that he deserved a good vacation before starting his new job as a detective. What he didn’t know yet was that being a detective would be full of surprises for him. As he and Ally returned home, they made plans for a wonderful holiday.
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[1] G-(force) is a me
asurement of acceleration felt as weight.
