14. Roadkill Tavern

“Wow,” grumbled Dax, “you ever gonna let that go? How was I supposed to know that a place surrounded by water would be so flammable?”

CHOICES is the first book in the Chronicles of a Hero fantasy series. This is the story of Wendell P. Dipmier, who I’ve been writing about since 1990. I hope you’ll join me on this new adventure….as I tell the honest, complete story of this amazing 17 year old, exclusively on Life of Fiction.

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CHAPTER 14

Sometimes you need to be heard. You have thoughts; you have feelings; you have opinions just like everyone else around you — but for some annoying reason, you feel invisible.

It’s hard when you’re a good-natured person to stand up to those around you. Especially when those around you are your friends.

But sometimes, that’s exactly what you have to do.

That last snap from Dax hit me. For several minutes, I couldn’t relax my fists, so I kept them pinned to my sides. What I’d just seen seemed wrong. You don’t walk out on a friend. It wasn’t my experience to walk away from someone who is hurt or hurting. That’s when truly bad things can happen. 

Dathern had been accosted. Tilly along with him. Yet Chuck, Dax, and this old gnome, Höbin, turned their backs on them. Just walked out of the bookshop without a word.

Why?

I followed behind in silence. This ‘field trip’ wasn’t going as I’d expected, and I was being ignored. What’s worse, I was being denied information. If I ever got a chance, I was so going ballistic on the ‘mentor’ and ‘guardian’ performance review to the Iskari High Council. I’m talking poo emoji bad. Chuck and Dax didn’t offer a single apology or an explanation. Not that I was any better than anyone else. I know I’m not any better than anyone else, but they didn’t even offer me what I thought would be common courtesy. Maybe that wasn’t a thing on this planet, I didn’t know, but it still ticked me off. They just pushed me out of the way and moved on. 

Right. That’s how it’s going to be.

We left Perspicacious and walked towards what looked to be the heart of the market. A vast central section where patrons crowded together, most gathered around vendor tents, selling anything you could imagine.

When Höbin looked back to check on me, he did a double-take. Not exactly sure what he saw, or thought he saw, because half the time he didn’t even look me in the face.

Oh. Right.

The smiley.

It… ‘he’? Wasn’t sure what to call it…but the emoji on my chest glared at them…doubly so when I thought about things too hard. The yellow face grit its teeth, cheeks turning crimson red.

Höbin poked Chuck. “Is he…ok?”

The wizard nodded, then leaned closer. “Kids,” he muttered, “You can’t live with them,…can’t sell them off. He’ll be fine.”

Dax laughed, but halted. “Hey, was that a crack at me?”

“Course not monkey, you were the model teenager.”

Dax grinned to himself. 

“For a runaway convict.”

“I apologized for that!”

Chuck threw his hands in the air, his staff floating beside him. “It was THE WHOLE VILLAGE! 65 years I’d been going there. I take you to an island paradise just once…and why? Because you PROMISED to be good, to BEHAVE, and what did you DO? You got me blacklisted!”

“Wow,” grumbled Dax, “you ever gonna let that go? How was I supposed to know that a place surrounded by water would be so flammable?”

“HellllOOO…,” Chuck cried. “GRASS SKIRTS?? Tribal fire dances are NOT intended for audience participation!!” Snarling to himself, he snatched the staff up and waved it wildly about. “Burping cannon of fire, he says. Still not funny.”

Dax folded his arms. “The chief laughed,” he grumbled.

“Bah!” Chuck scoffed. “You didn’t do me any favors!” A glazed look descended over the wizard’s face and he whimpered softly. “Palusami, Taro Root, Green Banana’s, Fausi, Taisi Moa and Kava” he wiggled his fingers in the air, “…and little flower umbrella’s with every drink…” He sniffed, wiping his nose along his sleeve, trying to choke back the tears. “Now I have to eat like white people!”