Chapter 3

   The sight awaiting me outside is not what I'm expecting and are very intriguing. I may not remember anything else but I know I've never seen anything like this before.  The houses are standing on stilts, one on each corner of the houses. There are about 20 houses sitting around a large pond.

The waters of the pond are peaceful and it's very quiet. What caught my eyes, however, is  the fact that the animals on the pond look fake. They look like plastic frogs, ducks, and there's an absence of insects. There's animal noises, and chirps, but it sounds as if the noise is coming out of speakers. Behind the houses, in a circle, sits a forest.

Standing in the forest are more plastic animals. Deer, foxes, raccoons, and owls are all sitting in strategically placed areas. I notice that I have been standing, and staring at the area around me, on the steps of the porch. I walk down the steps and walk into the forest. Even the trees are plastic.

What exactly is going on here? I wander around, in the forest, for a while and marvel at all the little details. It must've taken hours for someone to paint each of these plastic objects. It's all depressing but also very calming especially since I had recently thought I was locked in a dark room full of death.

Who knows? Maybe I am still there and this is just a dream. I shudder at the thought. If that's true, I don't ever want to wake up. Please, please let that not be true.

Aside from the plastic trees, and animals, there isn't really anything else to look at. So, I trek back towards the house. I freeze in awe when I glance towards the house and see a purple car sitting in a patch of gravel. It sits beside the truck, that I assume is the one Derek picked me up in, but it's sleekness is not what catches my eye.

No, what catches my eye is the fact that it is floating about ground. There are no wheels attached to either vehicle. I look at the truck and realize that I still don't have any recollection of being in it. I glance around the neighborhood and realize that Derek's vehicles are not the only ones floating. When did we get rid of tires?

I walk around the vehicles and examine them closer. The truck is big, probably sitting around eight people, and even appeared to have a tiny table.

The interior is black and there are tv screens on the back of each chairs. That is something that I do remember having on all of the vehicles. I hear the gravel crunch behind me and I whirl around. I wasn't as scared as much as I was excited and it must've showed on my face because Derek smiles and says,

"It's a beauty isn't it?"

I nod with excitement and walk to where the tires should be. I run my hand underneath the truck, turn back towards him, and shrug. Confusion settles on his face, so I run my hands back underneath the truck, make a big circle with my hands, then shrug. After a few more seconds, his face lights up with understanding.

"Oh! Tires? You don't remember?" He chuckles lightly as my face falls. "It doesn't matter." He smiles a gently and walks a little closer to me. "Well, we don't drive on the roads anymore." Looking a little more excited than a kid at Christmas, he explains. "We fly! Well, really it's called hovering. It's been this way for twenty years." He glanced at me again.

"It makes traveling easier. If you have the money, you can buy cars that fly. Otherwise, you have to rely on the airlines. They weren't too happy at first but who can blame them?" He pauses, scrutinizing my surprised face before continuing.

"I'm suprised you remember tires. I was only a baby when this happened and you don't look much older than me. I only know about them because it was my dad's hobby, to rebuild the older model cars."

Unable to talk, I nod and contemplate what he just told me. He looks up towards the sky and grimaces.

"We should get inside now. It's about to rain. Would you like to watch a movie?" I nod so he asks. "What kind of movie would you like to watch? Horror? Action? No?" He chuckles at my instant reaction. "Okay, so romance? Don't look at me like that! I can like to watch girly movies!" He said with mock offense at my skeptical look.

His look had my face searing in another blush. He chuckles again and it causes me to blush harder. If I don't get a hold of myself he's going to think that's the only emotion that I have. He slowly shakes his head before he continues. "How about comedy?" At my small nod, he nods as well. "Comedy, it is."

I need something new and I need a good laugh. Comedy seems perfect for me. I'm glad he agrees with me. He notices that my legs are weak so he wraps his arm around my waist. The small gesture has my heart racing and I can barely make it back to the house with out tripping on my feet.

I concentrate on slowing my breathing so I can get my pulse back under control, taking small breaths to help me focus. I'm not sure if he's noticing my reaction to him but I'm worried myself on why I feel such strong emotions.

Watching the movie is everything I needed. It felt so good to forget about my situation. Though, I have to say, that I don't remember most of what I watched. The sound of Derek's laughter was mesmerizing.   When he would notice me looking, he just smiled causing me to blush every time.

I am thoroughly embarrassed by the fact that I couldn't look at him without blushing. I hope he hasn't noticed. After a while, I got brave enough and scooted closer to him. He pulled me into his side a little, as  I grabbed his hand and squeezed. It was my way of silently thanking him.

  When the movie ended, he brought me to his library. So, here I am, standing in the library looking around. I glance over to him quickly and he just nods telling me,

"You can check anything out that you like. I'm going to make us something to eat. Enjoy yourself."

I don't waste any time. I need answers.  What better place to find them, than in a library?  I wasn't sure where to begin, so I just grab the first book that I see. It's a yearbook for the year 2035. I nearly stumble. Huh? That doesn't seem right. It seems impossible. Like somehow I just jumped into the future.

My mind is screaming at me that something is wrong. Other than the year, and the plastic animals, I can't figure out what it is. I look through the yearbook and I find a picture of Derek in the senior section. He looked just as handsome back then. I flip through the yearbook some more, reading some of the messages left from his friends.

It seems that Derek was really popular and was well liked, seeing as he was pictured in the voted most friendly section. I'm still confused about the year so I sigh and put the yearbook back on the shelf. Sitting beside me is a newspaper, and I grab it, gasping at the headline.

                                                                  April 14, 2038    The Daily News

                                                                 Man Is Arrested for Flying To Low

A 34 year old man is arrested for showing off his new flying license.  He flew above his daughter's school, to suprise her, low enough that it broke one of the windows. There were no injuries but the kids were frightened when the glass went flying everywhere. He was arrested and will spend three days in jail for reckless endangerment.

I flipped over the next page but don't see anything else interesting. I read the marriage and death announcements to see if I recognize anyone. Frustrated, that  I can't figure anything out, I throw the newspaper down with a frustrated groan. I, instead, search through his desk for paper and pens. When I locate them, I write a list of questions that I hope Derek will answer.