Vans dreams

Van asked the nurse to turn the temperature down. Ella was there, bored, no doubt wanting to get back to her garden. He smiled at her despite the burning pain, "I'm mostly going to be sleeping," he told her, "You go ahead home."

     Once she had left, he called the nurse. It was Glam in a nurses outfit. "Wouldn't she want to stay?" he asked? "She didn't even protest."

     "She... just knows I'm stubborn. No point in arguing, if I say I'm gonna sleep, I'm gonna sleep... Hey nurse, can you do something about the heat in here? I... I wouldn't even say no to an ice bath at this point." He tried to laugh but it came out as a sort of cry. The pain was bad. 

      "Have a corndog" said nurse Glam, handing him a corndog which he reflexively took to keep Glam from dropping it. "I've got another patient." He spun around on his high hills and left, closing the door behind him. In the next room he heard a woman shouting and crying. 

     "I don't even like corndogs!" Van called weakly at the closed door. He closed his eyes tightly and grit his teeth, trying to cope with the pain and the unbearable heat.

     When he opened his eyes again he was in his grandmothers yard, in the south. Fire ants were crawling all over him and he could feel the pain from their bites. He saw a pretty girl out by the road talking to some people. Seeing him looking at her, she smiled and waved. He found himself wondering, was there a Brin Mal girl going to his school? He approached them, trying to act casual, hoping she wouldn't notice the ants swarming all over him. 

     As he arrived at the little group, he ran his hand through his hair knocking off about a thousand of the ants. The other two were an ancient looking Brin Mal man he didn't know, and a young human about his age and a few inches taller. There was something familiar about his features. "Sorry young man," said the old Brin Mal, "This lady needs my help" Taking her hand he led her off into the tobacco field across the road. 

     The girl looked back over her shoulder apologetically and called back, "Don't worry, Van, we'll be together again." This caused him to hesitate. Was he married to her, or was he married to someone else? 

     The pain was far away now, and he only felt it in a sort of detached, obscure way. He looked back to the other teen, for some reason his familiar features filling Van with an unfathomable sadness. The handsome teen held out his hand, introducing himself, shyly. "Hi, I'm Caulfield."

     "That's an.... unusual name." said Van quietly, almost to himself, then louder, "I had a boy by that name... sort of. My... wife didn't think we were ready yet, for a child. Didn't even know what happened until after it was done."

     "Couldn't you have had one later?" asked Caulfield. 

      "Turned out it was never... the right time... She knew I'd wanted kids... he trailed off."

     "Maybe you were just all she wanted." Caulfield smiled at him. "Let's walk up to the store. I got a few bucks burning a hole."

     Van checked his pocket and had a few bucks, too. Enough for a soda, a candy bar, and a comic. Since there were two of them, there'd be two comics to read. "Sounds like plan." he said, feeling a little bad for the serious turn the conversation had taken. They walked and talked, and Van had the feeling he knew this person he'd never met. They had so much in common, even their mannerisms being similar. He was glad Caulfield never mentioned the ants. They were embarrassing, after all.

     They were talking and laughing, and Vans mood had wholly improved. Looking out over the tobacco field, he scanned for the pretty girl he'd seen earlier. He asked Caulfield, "that girl you were with, the Brin Mal, does she go to our school."

     "Brin Mal don't exist." Caulfields voice was suddenly quiet, almost hollow. Panicked, Van spun around, and took a blow to the jaw.

     "Don't drop yer guard!" his father shouted from the corner of the ring. 

     "Good hit," said Van, reaching out to tap gloves before resuming their sparring match. He felt like he'd already lost. Why was he in so much pain!? Why was it so hot in here?! He couldn't let his dad down, so he powered through; right up until he passed out.

     he woke up in the hospital again. The lady in the next room had quieted down. Nurse Glam peering down at him. "exhale and hold it" he said, taking hold of the sheets Van was laying on. With a swift movement he yanked the blankets out from under Van.

     The bed was hollow, concealing an ice bath. Van splashed into it exhaling in shock as he thought, "oh, so that's how it's done." 

     He heard his dads voice somewhere nearby, "just yank them out, he can take it! He's a Randalforce!" 

     He heard his mothers voice, with her usual, " Well, If you think it best dear, you know I just worry."

     Looking down, Van screamed in terror. Nails. nine penny nails, hundreds of them, driven all the way into his flesh. "Do you trust me?" asked Glam, now wearing a surgeons scrubs. 

     "I trust you!" shouted Van between gasps.

     "You might want to close your eyes," Said the Doctor Glam, as he pulled out a pry bar and went to work. 

     "It's.... not bad" gasped Van. "It's kinda nice! With every nail pulled came a sense of relief.

     Van woke in on a sort of hammock in a small dim hut. A cooking fire burned in the center. He could see Oolah asleep in another hammock. At the cooking fire the elder Brin Mal man from his dream was cooking something. It smelled bitter. However, lounging beside him was a large, intimidating Brin Mal man. He had strong, noble features. Van tried to sit up, but sunk back down. The movement, however, caught the attention of the younger man. He nudged the elder and whispered to him. The elder Brin Mal turned toward Van, smiling. He said "So, you're up."