“WAIT TILL YOU SEE THE FALLS,” Leo said with a smile.
Sarafina met his gaze and then walked over to Annabelle and they continued down the trail. Leo stood overlooking the gorge. He spaced out thinking of his newest creation and how the waters, such as the one below, would be its target.
They continued up, a steep dangerous climb to the falls overlook. The path got increasingly wet and slippery adding to the difficulty of the climb. The vegetation grew lush from the moisture and humidity, mixed with the warm rock walls. They rounded the final turn, all around the rock walls rose high into the sky from this vantage point.
A cluster of boulders sat nearer the pool and Leo guided them along the water’s edge to the perfect lunch spot amongst the boulders.
Leo sat down next to Sarafina, took off his pack, pulled out the tablet and powered it on. Leo was confused; the tablet went through a boot sequence rather than simply starting at the home screen. When it was done booting up, it was in a basic mode, the gem icon was no longer there. Did my hack mess up the book? Unable to hide his curiosity he hacked back into the tablets base system and looked for the geology book but was unable to locate it.
“What are you working on?” Sarafina asked, looking over his shoulder.
“Well nothing possibly, the book is gone. I know I shouldn’t have hacked into this thing.
“How did it just delete itself Leo?”
“I don’t know for sure. Let me check something.”
He ran a diagnostics routine, 500 GB storage, 25 GB used, 100 GB available. That did not add up. He rubbed his goatee, wondering where the other memory was, as Sarafina looked on.
“You’re doing some real thinking now,” she said as she rubbed an imaginary goatee of her own, poking fun at him.
He laughed and pushed her hand away from her face playfully.
“Either part of this tablet’s hard drive is cloud storage or it’s partitioned. But why…?”
He tried to find if there were partitions but was unable due to the uniqueness of the system. He exited out of the back-door coding he was in. The screen flashed several times before entering standard mode of operation and for a split-second Leo swore he saw himself amongst the boulders…he was probably just seeing a quick reflection. Something about the vision gave him pause. The tablet returned with the gem icon present.
“Huh, it’s back.” He touched the icon and the screen displayed Access Restricted. Leo tried the hand print authentication; the display read Access Restricted again. The screen went to a single exclamation point inside a triangle and underneath, the words, Leo remote access is removed. Your presence is requested at Mrs. Sullivan’s bequest.
“Oh, hell no! I already paid for this,” Leo said with irritation toward the tablet.
She laughed. “Leo, it’s not going to apologize and give you a refund,”
He cracked a smile eventually, “Yeah true. It’s not as if I can’t afford it now. It’s just the principle more than anything.”
“Afford it? What do you mean? Do you have something you’re holding back?”
“Well, I’m not holding it back, but yes, I do have news.”
“What’s your news? Do tell!”
“I uh…signed the contract with New Wave.”
“What? When? Really?”
He laughed. “Apparently last night.”
“Apparently?”
“Yes, when you went to the ladies’ room I was thinking of sending it off, and my pocket apparently decided for me. I must have pushed send before I locked my iPhone.”
“That’s awesome, congratulations! That’s perfect now the Corvette shouldn’t be a problem for you Leo. I was curious how you got that sweet car while going to school. Did your family get it for you?”
“No…well not exactly. I uh, receive a small amount of money monthly from my father’s trust. It was his wishes that it would make me comfortable enough to pursue an education.”
“That’s an awesome gift, Leo. I wish I had that.”
“Yeah, I am fortunate he set it up that way. I have to complete my degree before I can get the rest of the funds.”
“The rest?” she asked inquisitively.
“I don’t know what he left me in total, but I do know the monthly amount is just a portion.” He put the tablet back in his backpack and stood up. “Anyway…I need to find a specimen for my class. Let’s have a look around and see what we can find.”
He surveyed the rocks in the area looking for mineralization, the telltale sign of pockets of quartz and other desirables. He noticed a large rock at the boulder’s edge that sparkled in the sunlight, walked over and picked it up examining it, then raised it over his head and slammed it down on a rock by his feet.
Sarafina screamed, “Ahhh!”
Leo’s rock created a large deep thud that resounded in the tight space between the boulders. The loud noise also got Annabelle’s and Tyler’s attention, their heads darting around to see what had happened.
“Sorry my bad,” Leo said as crouched to examine the two halves of his rock, revealing a glittering rock face that shown in his eyes.
“Leo, you gotta warn me if you’re gonna do that again,” Sarafina said. “That was flipping loud. Sounded like a bomb!”
“We’re close to something good, I’m gonna dig in this area. I may just get lucky.”
He pulled out his digging claw, four metal fingers bent at a ninety-degree angle like a small rake. He cleared away the many layers of rock until he was down to a damp dirt layer that was densely packed. After about twenty minutes of digging, he taped on what sounded like a hollow piece of rock.
“Leo what is it?” Sarafina whispered in his ear, sending chills down his back.
“I am pretty sure it’s a geode of some kind.” He pivoted his head away from the boulder to a face full of Sarafina’s hair. He shook his head and he collided with Sarafina’s head and chest sending her head into the boulder above.
“Son of a…gun that hurt! Leo I’m starting to think it’s hazardous to be around you, first the hammock now this.”
“You’ll be fine with all that padding up there,” Leo said as he pointed at her hair. He chuckled and unearthed a hollow round shaped piece of material. He pulled it out of the pit and reversed army crawled out of his hole.
“Annabelle, come check this out,” Leo called!
She came over and Leo held the oblong rock in his lap.
“Oh wow, you just found that. You gonna bust it open?”
“As much as I want to, I don’t want it to fall apart in my backpack. I’m gonna leave it intact. Wow just wonder what it could be!”
“Well that’s definitely gonna meet the qualifications for your class, dude,” came a voice from above.
They looked up to see Tyler staring down at them at the top of the boulder Leo was digging under.
“Well onward we go,” Leo said, stuffing the rock in his pack. “You’re about to find out why this is called Honeybee Falls. Are you two up for a climb?”
“Hell yeah!” they said in unison.
Leo led the way to the other side of the pool below the falls. Leo pointed up to a cloud of activity as bees swarmed and darted in and out of the small caves in the cliff face. A low buzz emanated high above from the busy bees.
They struggled their way to the top with some near falls and several panic attacks. All four of them rested at the top on shaky legs enjoying the vista.
Leo sat thinking about his invention and contemplated over New Wave, how he really did not know anything about them, except they paid well. He had decided despite his desire to relax on Sunday, he would go see Mrs. Sullivan.
A bit of nervousness crept over him. Why had Mr. Sullivan not contacted him, and why would they terminate his access just to get him to come there? The whole situation is strange. Now Mrs. Sullivan desperately wants to see me again.
Leo decided he would not let them ruin all the things he had going for him. The Sullivan’s did not matter; New Wave was on his h
orizon now.
Chapter 21
All four of them returned to the truck sweaty and exhausted. Leo and Sarafina said their goodbyes and Tyler gave a fist bump.
Sarafina leaned in and said, “Leo you should tell ‘em now.”
“Yes, Leo, you should tell us what’s up,” Annabelle said.
“Well everyone, you know that I’ve been waiting to mass-produce and sell Flash Match for quite some time now. That time came last night when I got my first real offer.
Tyler gave Leo a slap on the back. “Awesome bro. I knew you’d get an offer soon. So, what are you thinking you’re gonna do? I’d counter and wait for a second offer.”
Leo laughed. “That train has come and gone.”
“Oh dang, I’m sorry,” Annabelle said. “You’ll get another offer, I know you will.”
Sarafina waived her hands and shook her head, “No, no, Leo accepted the first offer. He has a lab and they have purchased his prototype. He’ll get royalties and a salary!”
“No friggin’ way.” Tyler said. “I’m standing next to an official inventor now.”
Tyler side hugged Leo and Annabelle joined hugging his other shoulder.
“Well now maybe you can afford these Vette payments,” Tyler chuckled.
“Oh yeah,” Leo said. “It’s definitely taken care of now.”
“Dang, taken care of, don’t blow it all on the Vette, you should invest some of it,” Tyler warned.
“Guys, I don’t think you understand, I don’t have to work another day in my life if I don’t want to.”
“Shut the front door. You didn’t tell me any of that last night,” Sarafina said with a mixture of a smile and some hesitancy.
Leo noticed all their worried, reserved looks, hiding behind their smiles.
“Hey I’m still me, your friend. Chill out.”
He focused on Sarafina and still sensed panic, so he walked over and gave her a huge hug, then pushed her away slowly and saw a sparkle return to her eyes.
“I’m so happy for you Leo,” Sara said.
They all laughed and gave him cheers. Leo reveled in the moment, feeling like a king. Tyler and Annabelle said good-bye, Sara returned with Leo to his car and they sped across town.
Leo dropped off Sarafina but not before telling her his plans for the next day.
“Do you wanna come along with me tomorrow; it’s a long ride, I could use some company…I mean that is if you’re not busy.”
“Yeah I’m game. Another adventure sounds good.”
“Perfect I’ll text you later.”
Leo drove home that afternoon with an amazing feeling. His financial woes were gone. He had the sense of total relief and allowed this feeling to win over his uncertainty. He arrived at home and contemplated watching a good movie but first headed upstairs to shower, Willy in tow.
The warm water felt good on his sore muscles. He closed his eyes and let the water pour down on him. When they opened, he saw a shadow dart across the shower door, the image foggy through the privacy glass.
He froze and then returned to his shower, one eye on the door. He looked down to avoid shampoo getting into his eyes and noticed a small shadow on the floor with what looked like a snake waving behind it.
“Willy, dammit, you gotta stop scaring me like that!”
He heard a meow, his eyes went to the door, and the shadow was gone. He opened the shower door and saw Willy giving a long stretch like he was bowing at the bathroom threshold.
Chills ran from his chest to his feet. He was not sure if it was from the cool bathroom or if it was the thought that the shadow was not Willy. Leo exited the shower to find the bathroom empty.
Willy apparently had thought it not worth his effort to see what Leo wanted. He entered his bedroom with his towel around his waist and found Willy staring intently outside, perched on a chest underneath the windowsill.
The cat shifted his weight from one foot to the other in a hunter’s stance, despite the glass inches away. What is he hunting now? He hoped it was not the shadow he noticed while showering. It must have been Willy, but still he was spooked a little.
Leo went over to the window where Willy was perched. He could just make out the top floor of the mansion from this vantage point. Lights were on in a couple of the rooms and he thought about heading over to see if anyone was home. He threw on something presentable and headed downstairs. He left everything unlocked as he assumed no one would answer at the mansion.
He normally walked down the road to the house, but he was feeling playful, so he decided he would travel through the maze. He entered the labyrinth and began navigating the path. The lush grass that lined the ground was like walking on a thick plush carpet. Leo reached several dead ends trying to keep a mental note of them. One of the dead ends sparked his interest.
A large sculpture, a gear and piston with a hole bored into the face of the gear with no discernable purpose. When he approached it, a hum grew louder, and hair all over his body stood on end. He felt a strange connection, one he could not quite place, a feeling that this object was familiar to him somehow.
Leo marveled at the flawless sculpture. Both gear and cylinder appeared to have been made from one solid piece of metal. Leo stood, looking at his reflection in the sculpture, his image distorted.
The silhouette reminded him of…his father. He moved his hand closer to the piston and, as he did, the hum began undulating strangely, until his hand touched the cold metal surface.
Chills ran down Leo’s body. The sporadic hum that emanated, sounded like a vaguely familiar voice, but was to faint and garbled to discern. The hole bored into the sculpture flickered blue as he ran his hand over the metal surface. What is this thing? Why does it feel so familiar?
A noise from behind Leo startled him and he turned to see what it was. Leo saw the squirrel that often camped out on his porch scurry and disappear into the hedges. When he turned around the sculpture was gone.
The reverberating hum faded, and the strange familiarity ebbed away. He did not know what he just found, but it intrigued him. With the sculpture gone, Leo worked on solving the maze. He finally rounded the corner and saw the exit to the exquisitely groomed maze. It was getting to be dusk and he wanted to hurry up and attempt a thank you for his scholarship and get back to the cottage. The thought of the maze at night gave him the heebie jeebies.
He ascended the stairs leading to the massive oak doors and paused, his hand holding the metal knocker mid swing. He thought he heard a noise inside, a faint cracking.
It sounded more like a stone tumbling down wooden steps. He put his ear up to the door to confirm and only heard the noise dying out.
Leo pulled his head away from the door and rapped the knocker. The swing pushed the heavy door open a half-inch and the sound of the knock echoed out the narrow gap. When it died down, he called out to its occupants.
“Hello?”
He waited a minute. No reply. He pushed the door, and it barely moved. He put his back and weight into it and it swung slowly inward, with a loud groan. Leo glanced side to side in the entry, the bright blinding sunset made it hard to see inside the dark opening. He hesitantly took a step forward, his body just crossing the threshold out of the sun’s glare.
Not wanting to intrude he let out another louder, “Hello?”
Once his eyes adjusted they made out a large room with wood paneling from floor to ceiling, including the ceiling itself.
A second set of doors at the end of the room blended into the walls, and the stairs leading to the landing above had paneled doors that blended in as well. The room was void of natural light, but it did, however, have one large chandelier sparkling in the center of the room giving the effect of a disco ball, the lights flickering high above.
He wanted so bad to explore the home, the entry was beautiful, and he was sure the rest of the home would be just as dazzling. “Helllooo! This is Leonard, I’m staying in your cottage.”
The sound of his voice echoed in the sp
ace with no discernable response. The only sound was of the wood settling in the space. After stating his name, Leo thought he felt a vibration, and now a low hum in the enclosed room. It triggered his previous thoughts that he had heard a hum on the premises.
With no response to his greeting, he decided it was best to leave the mansion unexplored. He stepped back on the porch and grabbed the knocker, pulling hard, to swing large door shut.
He walked down the steps and looked up at the top floor to see if anyone was visible in the windows. He spotted what looked like a shadow passing in a room. He stumbled, quickly back peddling to keep his balance. When he looked up again the rooms that were lit were now dark.
“Whoever lives here must not like contact or craves anonymity,” he muttered.
What did he even know of the property really? For all he knew, the owner was not even his scholarship donor. The place had grandness to it, mystery and was intriguing. He felt it had a purpose despite its inactive, dead appearance.
He looked back at the doors before leaving, the knocker glowed blue and the slit that ran around the edges of the door did as well. Where a keyhole would be on a normal door, there was a small bored hole instead, like the one in the maze sculpture. This hole was glowing as well, and he pondered its function and debated on whether to investigate it. He decided he had enough temptation for one night and reluctantly walked back to the maze.
At the edge of the hedges, he turned his head to view the full upper floor. The lights popped on in the maze, nearly blinding him. Certain he saw two blue lights in one of the upstairs windows, he shielded his brow to focus clearly, but only saw darkness in the window. Suspicious and confused he entered the maze.
Chapter 22
Mr. Sullivan browsed the day’s data, discouraged to see no new updates logged on the e-Frond file. He wondered what had caused this. Perhaps something that Mrs. Sullivan had done? He probably was just paranoid; Leo was most likely busy and just had not had time to work on his new invention.
Dawn of Tomorrow Page 9
