Freck & Wishes in Death of Gee (Wattys Longlist 2018)

Chapter 2: Secret Club

Another time traveler?

"But Grandma," I probed, "Gee told us that time-and-space travelers are rare. How did you find one? Is he here?"

Freck echoed, "Yeah, is he?" By her eye-lock on Grandma Chrys, and leanin' forward in her cushioned chair with her elbows on her knees, ya could tell Freck was itchin' for more.

Grandma Chrys with her azure blue eyes, and a voice that could calm a violent storm, simply smiled and said, "Be patient for just awhile longer."

"When can we meet him?" I babbled .

"Or her?" Freck rushed.

We said it exactly at the same time. Our words tumblin' all over each other. Ya see, we knows each other so well that ain't unusual. We grew up pract'ly next door in our hometown of Burns. We was always best friends, and it didn't matter at all that she's a girl and I'm a boy. Freck's real name is Freida, but nobody calls her that. She's known as Freck on account of all her freckles. She's more freckled than a prized spotted horse.  Her long hair is reddish brown. Someone tol' me that particular color is auburn. What's great about Freck, though, is her smile. When she turns it on, even with braces on her teeth, she lights up a room better than a hundred candles. I swear the sun gets mighty jealous.

What you say? Am I in love with Freck? Shucks no. She's my buddy—that's all.

Anyways Grandma continued, "You are correct, time travelers are rare, but not unknown. You see, beings with that ability do not mix well with the public, because everyone wants something from them. It is physically, as well as mentally, exhausting. Attempting to satisfy the never-ending public demand could overwhelm a traveler. The same is true for you with your Initiator ability, Freck. That is why they take measures to hide their abilities. Gee advised both of you to tell no one. In fact, he helped by creating an impenetrable mind shield to block prying.

"But," she explained, "if the traveler is a Keeper,  I have ways to contact them. It is vital that we keep an open channel in case of emergency."

This was news to me. I stretched out my legs. Rubbed the back of my neck while lookin' at the ceilin'. Before speakin' I had a thought, "Since ya knows how ta get ahold of other travelers did ya call them too? I mean will there be a bunch of us lookin' for Gee's cure? Won't we be stumblin' all over each other?"

"We contacted a few, but there is only one who is best suited to help, Nog from Cylandria."

"Is he a salamander like Gee?" Freck chirped in all excited like. "Is Nog a girl's name or a boy's?"

"Slow down Freck, all of your questions will be answered. One thing I will clear up for you now is that there are no sexes in Cylandria. No males, and no females. All salamanders have both reproductive systems."

"I don't get it," I broke in. "Gee is a guy right?"

"Do you think of him as male Wishes?" I nodded my head. "How about you Freck? Do you see him as male?"

Freck shook her head no, "I kinda always thought Gee was a girl."

"Interesting, since neither of you knew about the nature of salamanders you both assigned Gee a gender based on your experience, but does it really matter?"

I scritched my head and said, "Huh?"

"Would it change your feelings about Gee if instead of a he, he turned out to be she? And you, Freck, the same question."

Ta answer Grandma's question I had ta think on it. This was disturbin'. I mean we was talkin' 'bout Gee. Gee's been closer to me than anyone in my whole life. He's known me even b'fore I was born. Gee cain't speak, so talkin' to him has ta be done mine-ta-mind. I've been told that my keeper momma was sittin' on a sofa when Gee dropped by for a visit. He likes his head stroked, so he laid his big ol' head right on Momma's lap. He could hear a tiny voice comin' from her belly. "What was that?" He telepathed Momma.