Phillip Futon

The wide beige boonie hat wafted above her head while running. Saphire blue mineral horns replaced keratin curved along the arch of Yuki’s skull gradually tapering to points. Flecks of shimmering gold formed lateral veins. The skin at the base shone with red swelling as mineralization pushed out. Yuki jumped to catch her wayward headgear by the rim and tucked it over her horns. The fabric covered her vision, so she adjusted it loose again. She dared to glance back.

A courier floated above the fountain. His soaked uniform dried; the cardboard box in his arms shaped back into a neat square while he floated safely to the pavement. The strange man bowed to the confused worker and returned to running after them. Yuki stumbled, caught herself in a series of wild awkward steps until her face planted against Asami’s butt. She pressed on Asami’s shoulder to fix her stance so she didn’t fall on her face, because Asami kept a merciless grip on her right hand.

A road divided the campus grounds from the mountain path to cliffside dorms. They sprinted across without looking, nowhere near a crosswalk. Tear spouted from Yuki as she whined in protest, though Asami wouldn’t have darted if it wasn’t clear. They were on the steps when a truck’s horn blared. Yuki clutched the rim of her hat as she looked back.

A green dump tuck coming from the lake slammed into their pursuer! Yuki shrieked so shrilly that Asami stopped and twirled around. The truck passed. The road was empty except for a slight breeze swirling leaves over divide markers.

Yuki felt the squeeze of Asami’s hand tightening again.

“Are you okay? We might have lost him. Maybe he’s slow. But we should keep going.”

Yuki squinted, scanned the road for any signs of blood or carnage, “We should go back. I think he might have gotten hit by a truck.”

Asami gently let go of Yuki’s hand and followed her down the steps to the road. A yellow car sped past. They looked left down the forested lane, then right. Except for a deer grazing on the brushy lawn, there was no sign of an accident, “If the driver hit someone, he would have stopped. We’re out in the open. Let’s get back to the dorms before that creep finds us.”

They ascended the winding mountain staircase at a more reasonable pace. Stairs dared to slice through a winding geometrical path defying the relaxed order of the mountain. Jizo statues dressed in dainty red aprons greeted them, one after the other sat atop miniscule pedestals along the jagged slope. Despite being only a few years old, the cement stairs showed signs of mossing and cracking; the mountain would have its way in time. They were able to look down upon the clock tower after passing five resting statues. Yet Yuki gasped for breath after ascending a quarter of the distance to the top. It wasn’t like her, she was uncommonly athletic.

“He got hit by a truck!”

“There’s no way, you must be hallucinating. Maybe it’s part of what’s happening to you?”

Asami stopped to look again. The road below was empty. Silence remained undisturbed. Nobody chased them up the steps. She sighed, relaxed a little, but tugged on Yuki’s arm and forced her forward, “We should keep going. We can eat snacks and relax in my dorm until we figure you out and come up with a plan.”

A cool breeze ruffled their dresses as it blew down the mountain path. They reached a side path branching from the main turn. The guard rail also continued under a canopy of fir branches dropping needles on cones along a narrow stone path.

Asami noticed the band of sweat along Yuki’s hat as her friend panted. She looked so small and her uniform so loose it was ridiculous, “Let’s go this way. There’s a little spot no one ever visits. We can take a break and talk.”

“I’m really thirsty.”

“There’s a stream too. You can drink the water. It’s safe.”

“How come you never showed me this spot before?” Yuki asked as they started crunching pine cones over the path.

“It’s not your sort of thing. I’ve been coming here alone. It’s a good place to watch for and catch you out of nowhere when you’re flying down the stairs.”

“That’s actually… really nice.”

“I also like to read philosophy books here.”

“Really, what do you read?”

“You hate philosophy.”

“But I want to know more about what you like.”

"I'm reading Philippa Foot."

“Phillip Futon? I like him already. I want to be under my futon right now.”

Asami sighed and kept leading the way.

The path wound until the main staircase became obscured, but it would be easy to follow the guard rails back. They came to a swept clearing like a secret park. Ropes that were a mere suggestion of safety replaced the metal rails. A steep rocky cliff dropped to the roadside, broken only by fir trees growing against the slope and stone outcroppings.

A large Jizo statue sat with its hands folded under a hut made from rotted timber. A ragged red apron covered in pine sap and needles hung about its chest. A stream rushed down a rocky outcropping behind the Jizo shrine. Its water bubbled into a culvert rounding the back of the shaped stone before descending the cliff as a thin water fall.

Bird dropping laced pine needles covered a crumbling stone bench. Asami lifted her foot and used her loafer to clean the bench.

“We forgot to change shoes!” Yuki cried.

“It’s fine! It’s fine. Think of it as an earthquake drill. We’ll just wash our shoes before we return them to our cubby. Have a seat alien.”

Yuki curled her shoulders and brushed her skirt before sitting as tall as she could manage, “I really wish you wouldn’t call me that right now. I enjoy it any other time, but not right now.”

Asami’s hand rested gently on Yuki’s shoulder, “I’m sorry. I won’t say it anymore if it makes you uncomfortable. How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” Yuki stared at the loose skirt covering her lap, “And scared.”

Asami sat close to her friend and put an arm around her, “It’ll be okay. Whatever this is, I’m sure it will all blow over.”