Young In America | Barns Courtney

Lurid Land

"I wish we had a car. Then we could have brought the rest of the sundial." Barns said, breaking the silence. "What exactly does this sundial do?" I asked curiously, looking at him. "It can be used for many things. Some I'm not even aware of." He said mysteriously. He didn't even glance at me as he spoke. I wanted to ask more questions, but I knew he probably wouldn't elaborate. He walked closer and examined the broken sundial. I watched and glanced around at our surroundings. It was a very peaceful spot; perfect for a picnic. "I wonder if I can get someone to help us. We can come back later tonight if I can make it work." He said mostly to himself, but I could hear him.

Anxiety burned in my stomach when I heard what he said. For some reason fixing that sun dial made me more nervous than I've ever been. Something inside of me told me that it would be a point of no return. I quietly watched as he rubbed his lips with the knuckle of his finger. "Come on, we have to head back into town." He said before he turned and started walking back towards the road. I followed him and carefully got onto the back of his motorcycle. "So... what is going to to happen when we fix that sun dial?" I asked curiously. "I'm not entirely sure, but it has to be done." He said before he started up the bike. It was a long drive back to where we were staying. The whole time there was anxiety brewing in the pit of my stomach.

Once we got to my room he pulled out his phone and made a few calls. He sent a few text messages as well. I watched as he paced the floor back and forth. "Are you hungry?" I asked curiously, but it didn't seem like he heard me. Apparently he was lost in his own thoughts. I stood up from my seat and blocked his path. Placing my hands on his shoulders. He looked at me with furrowed brows and a look in his eyes like I had interrupted something important. "Sorry. I... I was gonna order some food. Are you hungry?" I asked nervously. Hoping I hadn't made him angry. "Thanks. I could eat I guess; maybe a hamburger and fries." He replied after his expression softened. I let go of his shoulders and he continued pacing.

I ordered us both burgers and fries. It was already five thirty and I was starving. It felt like forever since breakfast. I also didn't know when we would get to eat again. Especially if he planned on going back to fix that sun dial. A few minutes passed of me just watching Barns pacing the room. When our food arrived I set everything up on the small table that was in the room. We sat down and started eating. I was surprised that he was actually eating anything. Mostly because his mind seemed so preoccupied. I was worried about him. Hell, I was worried about what the fuck was going to happen when we fixed that sun dial. He had a ketchup dipped french fries halfway to his mouth when his phone started ringing.

He quickly shoved the fry into his mouth and ate it as he waited his hands on a paper napkin. Then he grabbed his phone to answer it. "Hello." He said as he stood up and started pacing again. "Really? You can do it tonight? ....Great! We'll see you then." He said and hung up. He returned to his seat and finished his food. I finished eating as well and threw my trash in the trash can. "So... we're going back there tonight then, huh?" I asked curiously after a long moment of silence. "Yeah, if everything goes well." He said. I took a drink of water and hoped that things wouldn't go horrible wrong. "We better take a nap. That way we'll be well rested for tonight." He said after a few minutes of silence.

"Okay." I replied even though I didn't think I would be able to take a nap. I was a little too nervous about what was going to happen tonight. He gathered his things and left for his room across the hall. I closes and locked the door behind him and took my shoes off. After switching off the lights and closing the curtains, I climbed into bed. I laid there with my eyes closed for what felt like forever. Eventually I slowly started to drift off to sleep. A knock on the door woke me up a few hours later. I rubbed my eyes and stretched before getting out of bed. I fixed my hair and then opened the door to find Barns standing there. "Hey sleepyhead." He said with a smile that made me smile back.