The darkness overhead and below is mired by the blanket of clouds enveloping Diego at the summit of Haleakala National Park. It is moments before the sunrise and the chirping of the gusts of wind compete with the beating of his heart for all that dances within his hears. The scent of salty wet fog fills the nostrils. Perched atop Pu’u ‘Ula’ula away from the hordes of people huddled together with their phones and other devices out clamoring for a shot of the impending sunrise, Diego wiggles to find the most comfortable stretch of rock to lay back and have the sunlight greet him at his toes and crawl up his body until it rests up on his face and greets him with a warm hello. Through the rolling clouds the sun begins its ascent up the rocky crater.
In the recesses of her mind, Penelope can hear a low tone rumble. A hum. There is a fog in her mind that slowly dissipates as the hum escalates in volume. As it gets louder the hum begins to break. Shorter, longer, shorter again. There is a pause and the hum begins again. Same metered sounds come through. She closes her mind and begins to sift through the buzzing opus in her mind. As she swipes away the dense interference she hears a single auditory word. “Penelope.” Then nothing. Confused she looks around to see if anyone is calling out to her. She goes around to the office where she is working to check the carbon monoxide alarm convinced she is experiencing a haze as a result. Pressing the button firmly, it rings out a test ring. “Penelope.” She heads back out front. The quiet chatter of the patrons sets a backdrop of familiarity. Her eyelids, heavy as boulders slowly close and clasp themselves shut. The once low rumble booms from the nothingness at the back of her mind. Penelope, I don’t know what you’re up to, but if you have a minute, wanna check out the sunrise here? I mean, I have to thank you. You’ve been here, I assume. I never did, but when I pictured a Hawaiian sunrise, you came to mind and so did this place. It’s stunning. Well, as much of it as I can see is stunning.
“Diego? I hear you. Oh my god, wow! I hear you. Sorry, but I’m working. Wow, I didn’t know we could do that. Is it just us?”
You know what? I’ve never tried to talk to Jamish this way. Just you.
“Why? Why just me?”
I don’t know, I guess I always have Jamish. He’s always there and I can go to him whenever I need to, so I never tried to reach out to him. Not like this anyway.
“You can’t hear what I’m thinking can you?”
No. I mean, I can hear you talking back to me, but I can’t hear your thoughts about breakfast or work or whatever you’re doing.
“You better not be lying to me.”
You can hear me though. Can you hear what I’m thinking?
“Look, you brought this into my life. It’s your fault all this is happening.”
What?
“None of this crazy shit was happening to me until you came around. I lost my cush job. Out of the blue they decided to stop advertising. I almost quit the bar because of how well it paid. Now it’s gone. Thanks to you.”
How is that my fault?
“Ever since we showed up at your house, things are a little different.”
Yeah, it gets like that sometimes. The sun’s coming up. Come here!
“No. I’m going to finish what I’m doing and maybe we’ll talk later.”
Your loss. Hey, can you and Qisha talk like this?
“We’ve tried, but no. I can’t hear her and she can’t hear me. Just you so far.”
Hmm. Maybe I’ll give Jamish a ring and see if he can hear me. It really is a stunning sunrise.
The earthy palette of reds, browns and greens fill the landscape from top to bottom and are delicately topped with a bright blue sky as the yellow sun pierces the horizon and bathes the Earth and sky with its light. The vibrant colors come alive as the light bounces off them. The white clouds reflect the yellow and the water therein prismatically take in the rays of light and release myriads of rainbows that saunter about the fluffy clouds floating freely above the landscape.
Jamish? Can you hear me? I am in Hawaii. On Maui. It’s so beautiful here. You should let me take you around. There are so many places I’ve been that I would love for you to see.
Just then, Diego’s phone begins to buzz. A text message has come through.
U ok?
Yeah. Could you hear me?
I didn’t hear anything, but I felt u calling out
You could feel me calling out?
Ya
Here, let me try again. I discovered Penelope and I can talk.
Did u finally get her #?
No, I mean, we can talk like talk talk. No phone needed.
RU PSYCHIC?
No no no no. I can’t hear her thoughts, but we can talk. I’m here in Hawaii and we chatted.
That’s literally a psychic.
I’m not a psychic. I can’t hear anyone’s thoughts. Besides, you can’t hear me.
I’m not a psychic. I think I would need to be.
Yeah, but if I was a psychic then you could hear me, right?
No, I’m not a psychic. Ru listening?
Whatever. Look, you wanna see a Maui sunrise or not?
Internet said it happened 5 mins ago. You a time traveler now too?
OMG!! Why are you being so difficult?
In the words of Diego, ‘rude’
Where are you right now?
I’m naked.
What, really? Why?
Mostly so you wont just show up. I mean, I could have clothes on.
You bastard.
You’re welcome. Want a selfie?
Never mind… I will just, no, yuck.
You sure?
Jamish, I swear, if you can hear me and you’re just messing with me, I am going to punch you in your stupid face.
U ok? I can feel you again. Look, just text me.
No. You are going to have to figure out how to talk to me like this. I’m not wasting my time texting you anymore.
“You okay? I’m getting some pretty heavy vibes?”
Jamish! Finally, look do you want to see the sunrise or not?
“Jamish? No, this is Penny.”
Penny? What do you want? I’m sorry, that’s rude. Jamish is getting on my nerves and I got all flustered. You can tell I’ve been trying to get Jamish’s attention?
“Yes, I can. I can’t hear exactly what you’re saying, but there’s a fog in my mind and it’s loud and I can tell it’s from you. I can’t hear Jamish at all, I don’t think.”
Ugh… This is really confusing. So, I can go to him wherever he is. You can come to me. I can go anywhere I have ever been and you have ever been. Speaking of, when did you go to Maui?
“How’d you know I went to Maui?”
I was researching pretty sunrises and there was one on Maui and I’ve never been before so I reached out to your memories like I did with India. I can’t see anything, but I could tell you’ve been. So I poofed here to Maui and made my way up this summit.
“You did fucking what?”
It’s not what it sounds like, I just try to connect with you and poof myself places. If you’ve been, I can go there. If you haven’t, I stay where I am. I cannot see your memories.
“You sure you can’t see anything? I don’t want you showing up at my family’s place.”
I’m sure. I tried and I couldn’t see anything.
“Again, you fucking what?!”
I tried. I needed to know how connected we are. I don’t want you in my thoughts anymore than you want me in yours, but I needed to know.
“Why didn’t you ask first? What if there are places I don’t want you to go?”
I’m not going to go to any specific house of someone you know. I’m just making my way to a general area, unless it’s a specific place you’re feeding me.
“Why is it always about food with you?”
Why are you asking me so many questions?
“Have I been?”
Oh my god. Seriously.
“I’m getting back to work.”
Before you do. Do you guys want to get dinner with us again soon? I think we should spend some more time together. To better understand who we are to each other, what we can do and how we can grow in this to perfect it. Besides, you said you wanted to monetize it if you could. Maybe we could figure that out together, the four of us.
“You heard that, huh? Yeah, I try to monetize anything I’m working on or toward. This though, I don’t know the potential, but let me tell you, I bet we could make so much money. Yeah, I’ll grab Qisha. Let’s do Thursday.”
Thursday will work. Want us to meet you or do you want to come to Memphis?
“Why don’t we meet somewhere else? Ever been to California?”
Yeah. For sure. Where in?
“Let’s do LA.”
That’ll work. I’ll find a place, then I’ll call you. Also, can we exchange numbers? Like all of us. So we can all chat instead of just you and me?
“Yeah, that’s fine. Let’s do 6.”
That’s kinda early no?
“Not for NY.”
Ooh, fair point.
“How do I hang up on you?”
Just stop talking, I guess. I’ll stop talking too.
Penelope relays her phone number. Diego sends the contact info to Jamish and he reaches out to Penelope so the circles is complete. Both Diego and Jamish ask for Qisha’s information, but Penelope doesn’t respond.
So where r we going 2 eat on thurs
Good question. The Roof on Wilshire is a place I’ve been wanting to go.
Is it expensive
$$
That’s not too bad then. What time
She said 6. That should be fine. I don’t know where to pull her.
????
Where we can meet her. How to get her to LA.
O pull her sounded weird
You know what I mean. It would be better if you could just talk to me.
Scroll up. I’m in green dummy
You know what I mean. I’m coming home, you drive me crazy.
<3
Diego pauses atop the volcanic peak. The beauty of the morning sets in. Feeling recharged he stands upright, breathes in deeply and lets out a massive howl directed at the heavens above. Content with himself he gathers the coffee mug, the blanket and his shoes, closes his eyes and calls out home. The air doesn’t change. The kisses of the wind tap against his face and torso. He opens his eyes in horror. He hasn’t moved from the peak. Fighting panic, he shouts, MY BEDROOM! As quickly as he had arrived in the darkness, he made his way home. His heart pounding in his chest. Confusion filling his mind and despair rising within him, he calls out to Penelope once again.
I got stuck.
“What?”
I got stuck. I said home and I didn’t poof.
“Where were you?”
I was on Maui. At a national park. It was amazing, you missed out.
“Oh, I lived there once.”
You did?
“Yeah, I was a kid. Maybe 3 or 4? It was only like a year.”
Huh. Maybe that’s why? I thought of my bed and made my way there pretty quickly. I didn’t realize I had to be specific.
“Maybe it’s because you went there via my memories. Since you’re there on borrowed thoughts, you need to use your own to get home. Your home. Maybe just say ‘My home’ from now on so there’s no confusion.”
That’s a good point, but seems arbitrarily limiting.
“I don’t make the rules. Well, here’s one rule, text me first. Stop just taking up brain space.”
Just don’t respond then. I’m pretty sure that’s what Jamish is doing.
“Maybe.”
Okay, since I have you on the phone. Wait, how do I say that now?
“Mind?”
Since I have you on the mind, my mind. Since I have you on my mind. No, that’s too clingy.
“Seems accurate to me.”
Needy much?
“Ha!”
Anyway, 6 on Thursday at The Roof on Wilshire. Where do you want to meet?
“What do you mean?”
How are you gonna get to LA? You gonna take a plane?
“I see what you’re getting at. Get a hotel room or something. Just for the night or even one of those hourly motels.”
Ew. But that actually sounds like a good idea. I’ll find one and then go pick up Jamish and then I’ll call you. We can get a rideshare from there.
“That’s fine.”
How’s Qisha, by the way?
“The boys always want to know.”
Well, I just feel like she’s apart of this, but out of the circle.
“How she likes it.”
Okay, well, I’m going to make a reservation for four on Thursday at 6 PM. I’ll give you a call at around 5:30 PM.
“We’ll be ready.”
Cool. Catch you later.
“Bye.”
This is still so weird. Jamish, if you can hear me, please. Please reach out to me. I need you, bud.
From across the apartment a voice can be heard, “I’m right here, bud. You don’t have to call out to me.”
Could you hear me?
“Yeah, I could hear you, but I think that’s because you’re talking out loud. I heard your whole conversation with Penelope. How is Qisha, by the way?”
Ha ha, all the boys do ask about Qisha, huh? No idea. She apparently likes being outside the circle. Wait, I was talking out loud the whole time I was talking to Penelope?
“Yeah. I was here when you got home. You also screamed like a banshee when you got here. It’s funny every time you freak out about being home. Makes the stomach pain worth it.”
I didn’t scream.
“Yes you did. It was priceless.”
I thought I was going to be stuck in Hawaii.
“Really? That’s not a bad place to end up.”
Yeah, but the thought of not being able to Poof anymore. It’s only been a few months, but still. I don’t want to lose this yet.
“I hear you man.”
Probably because I’ve been talking out loud.
“’Ha ha ha.’ Want some dinner? I could go for BBQ.”
If I ever say no to BBQ, shoot me.
“Will do.”