“Jesus, how much farther is it?”
“It’s only a little farther. It’s by The Lake”
The two boys scrambled over another mossy trunk. They had left the path ten minutes ago, and now found themselves in the unmarked part of Iona Woods Park. Recent storms had brought a number of the trees down, which had created a lattice of dead and rotting wood for the boys to navigate. Drew cast his gaze outward on the crest of a trunk, straining to see The Lake in the distance.
“Look, Mike, it’s just there. See?” said Drew.
Cradled by the branches of yet another fallen tree was their destination: a crudely built, used-to-be-in-a-tree tree house. Some of the longer branches just brushed the surface of the water, but for the most part the ex-house was still over land. A rock jutting out from the embankment now provided the bare minimum of support needed to keep the structure from crashing into The Lake. Mike looked at the structure and paused on the top of a log. Running his fingers nervously through his hair, he thought it looked like it was being held up only by the grace of God. Jumping down, he scrambled after Drew.
Drew grabbed onto the window frame of the ex-tree house. Mike, more carefully, hopped in after him. The house had fallen on its side with the tree, so the only way in was through the windows. Though crude, the ex-tree house had been sturdy. Drew’s older brother had come in and decked the wall that now faced down so that the boys could walk on it safely; now the the precipitous drop was the only aspect of the house that could be said to be dangerous.
“Hey watch it! Don’t shake the frame.”
Jack looked up angrily from the cards he was holding. He and Rick were already seated in the ex-tree house. They were playing Texas Hold ‘Em, betting matches instead of pennies.
“What’s up with the matches?” asked Drew. “I was looking forward to winning a little something.”
“You’ll see. ‘Sides, you never win anything anyway,” replied Rick with a grin.
“Fuck you. I cleaned Ian out the other day!”
“At Go Fish. You cleaned out Ian while we were playing Go Fish,” pointed Mike.
“Shut up Mike,” said Jack.
“So you gonna tell us? What’s up with the matches?” asked Drew.
“Wait. Everyone’s got to be here,” replied Jack
“Well who’re we waiting on?”
“Ian,”
“Why?”
Jack shrugged. “You’ll want him here. You’ll see.”
Drew grumbled and sat down next to Rick on one of the support beams his brother had put in. “Deal me in Rick.”
“We haven’t finished this hand yet. Next one.”
Mike walked over to the window over The Lake. This part of the ex-tree house was genuinely hanging over the lake. The other boys had congregated in the portion of the structure that was still over land, and as long as they stayed there one person could look out the other side. Ian said it was like flying if you put your upper body out the window, but no one else in group was either daring enough to try it or literary enough to put it that way. While the rest were reading comic books and stolen porno magazines, Ian read books; and he never let them forget it. After all, he was the smartest, not only because he read but also because, at 15 he was the oldest. Mike gulped as he properly stepped off of the part of the house that was over solid ground. It already felt a little like flying, or what he though flying must feel like.
The other boys were engrossed in their game. Drew had finally been dealt in and was intent on winning, even though the prize was worthless today. Rick knit his brows together, looking at his cards with concern. Jack punched him, joking that his winning streak was over. Rick punched back, and the boys began to fight.
“Gentlemen! Gentlemen! Don’t fight! I am arrived!”
Ian swung in one-handed. He had a plastic grocery store bag over one shoulder, which was opaque enough that the others could not see inside. Ian settled himself in the center of the structure and pulled from within the bag another bag tied around a small square-ish something. Drew stared intently at the box, knowing full well that he was the only one in the ex-tree house that didn’t know what Ian had brought that cared. Mike was just as in the dark as he was, but his curiosity was not nearly as intense.
“Come on Ian, what’d ya bring?” asked Mike leaning forward as he tried to see through the plastic.
“Have we left you in the dark? Fear not, everyone shall be informed.”
“Yeah, but Rick and Jack already know what’s going on.”
“They think so, don’t they…”
“We don’t?” asked Rick, looking up from his cards.
“You don’t,” replied Ian “Mike, get over here. You’re missing the dramatic unveiling.”
Mike looked over at Ian. Taking one last glance out the window, he moved to join the group. They crowded around Ian on the landed side of the ex-tree house as if they were worshiping a god. But that was how Ian liked it. Just as much as the boys looked like worshipers, he looked like a golden idol.
“Gentlemen, I bring you - from my dad’s cabinet - cigarettes!”
The packet dropped from his hand with a nonchalant flourish and fell with a thunk in dead silence. The boys looked on in shock. Marlboro. The golden crest and painted gilding stood out against a white dulled by handling. This was not a new packet. Emblazoned in larger letters than the brand was “Smoking is highly addictive, don’t start” in block typeface.
“What the fuck, Ian?” said Drew, leaning backwards.
“My sister showed them to me,”said Ian, disregarding Drew’s interjection. “She says the way to go is to smoke out a window, that way you don’t keep inhaling after you’re done.”
“Does that make sense?” Jack asked Rick.
“Maybe....” Rick’s voice trailed off into nothing.
“Oh, have some fun!” Ian cried, deftly bending over to grab one from the pack. He grabbed one of Rick’s matches. Rick opened his mouth to protest, but he saw the futility before a sound escaped.
Mike looked on with a blank face. He stood again to go to the window on the floating side.
“Here, Mike has the idea!” Ian tossed him the box.
Mike contemplated the package and tossed it back. “No, man, that’s not what I meant. I’m not interested.”
“Well fuck you guys,” Ian said standing and walking toward Mike, “I’ll show you how it’s done.” He continued walking toward the window, growing closer and closer to the edge of the land bound ex-tree house.
“Watch it.” Drew said, standing as well and taking a few steps forward. “Watch the boarder.”
Ian continued toward Mike, tapping out a cigarette as he did so. Later Jack would say that he had warned Ian against walking any further and Rick would swear that he had felt the ex-tree house tip, but neither had. In fact, no one really felt anything. Yes, the ex-tree house did tip a bit; and, yes, Drew had certainly thought about saying something. But that is of no consequence. Nothing was said. Ian simply kept walking toward the window where Mike looked out over The Lake.
“Fuck you guys. This how you do it.” Ian muttered again.
Mike remained silent through the whole ordeal. Perfectly and unshakably silent. He watched as Ian walked across the newly decked floor, and thought of Drew’s older brother warning the bunch about the house. He had told them to watch the overhanging side because he hadn’t been able to fully secure the new floor. He said it had tipped when he was hammering.
“This is how you do it,” Ian said more loudly.
With that, his toe caught a slightly raised nail and sent him pitching forward. That sent everything tipping. The boys, as always, followed Ian as he scrambled up the falling floor. Mike simply remained where he was. Matches clattered around his feet as they all fell. And they watched, all of them, as Mike closed his eyes and prepared for impact.
The headlines in their town ran the next day in big black letters: BOYS LAST TO SUFFER EFFECTS OF STORM. But Drew knew better. Mike was alright. Kind of. He was still in the hospital. Jack and Rick were both a little bruised but otherwise fine. They had grown quiet after the accident. They didn’t chide each other as much, and they were never too excited to play cards. Ian simply disappeared. Rumors ran that he had moved with his family to the next state over, but no one really knew for sure. All Drew remembered was watching him scramble out the window they had used for a door. People came by his house to ask about what had happened, but he always said the same thing:
“My brother said it was dangerous, and so did Mike. But they didn’t say it out loud.”
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