Lauren--Part Twenty-Three

Splog # 80

Twenty-Three

   As Lauren listened to the sound increasing in volume, she saw Mason, still standing at the bottom of the ramp, again close his eyes. But this time he opened his mouth and added a deep baritone voice to the sound growing around her. Then she heard another, lighter tone added and, looking to her right, she saw Splog with his eyes closed and his head thrown back, the new tone pouring lustily from his wide-open mouth. Without thinking about it, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, opened her mouth and joined in the song that seemed to have become a long shout of vitality. She even fancied she heard Austin howling in unison with everyone else.

   She was sure that the air in her lungs must soon run out but she felt so carried away by this joyful noise that she knew she wouldn't be able to take another breath until she had expended every iota of air inside her. She rose from the bench, feeling as though she were being lifted by the sound issuing from her throat. Without opening her eyes, she knew that Splog also had risen and then her hands started to rise from her sides as though they too were pouring sound into the sky.

   At the instant when she knew she would collapse if she tried to force even the most miniscule of further sounds out of herself, Lauren stopped and felt air rushing forcefully into her lungs, as though into a vacuum. She still stood, eyes closed and arms outstretched. She was frozen and felt amazed at the sudden and total silence that had enveloped her as soon as she had ceased vibrating with sound. Everyone and everything had quieted at the exact same moment. She let her renewed breathing calm her down and slowly lowered her arms and opened her eyes. She was a tad embarrassed by such an outburst and wondered if Splog or Mason would say anything about it. Of course, they had done the same thing...But the moment her eyes were opened and the flashes of light that came from holding them so tightly shut had disappeared, she found other things to wonder about.

   Lauren turned her head both to the left and to the right. She closed her eyes again and gave them a light rubbing. But everything was the same when she opened them. She slowly turned all the way around to see if there was something she had missed, but there was nothing. Nothing at all. No Splog. No Mason. No train. No Austin. No cart with food on it. The bench was still there. But it was the only thing remaining from before she had closed her eyes and joined in the jubilant song. And she was glad it was there because she felt as deflated in her sudden aloneness as she had been invigorated by her part in the choral shout. It was a little scary having everyone she knew in this strange place disappear into thin air leaving her completely alone and not knowing what to do or where to go to next. So she sat and felt sorry for herself for a few moments and then she lifted her head and put her right index finger in her mouth and bit on it lightly as an aid to thinking.

   What had Splog been saying when they were eating? Something about going to an inn before going somewhere else. But he said Austin would go with her. But he also said it would be easy to find even if she didn't have Austin. And she had thought about bringing some food. But Mason must have taken it or it disappeared or whatever before she'd done anything about that. She looked down at the platform on both sides of her feet. Nothing. She got up and checked on the ends of the bench. Nothing there either. Surely, they would have left food if she'd needed it. Nothing to do but head for the inn.

   She looked across the channel that the train tracks ran in. There was a field of grass that seemed to go up a slight incline with a few hills beyond that and mountains in the distance.