story: trickle

content/trickle.dj

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+title = "Trickle"
+
++++
+
+It was a Saturday morning.
+I was still in my bed, half-asleep, dreaming.
+Floating, suspended in distant galaxies...
+
+_\*ring, ring\*_
+
+I yawned.
+"Ugh, who's calling me this early in the morning...?"
+
+`Incoming call: Trickle`
+
+"Give me a break. It's a Saturday morning, Tricks..."
+
+--- Vector?
+This is Trickle. --- I heard through the earpiece.\
+--- Yeeeah? --- I yawned. --- Yeah, this is Vector.\
+--- Listen carefully.
+We need to meet up immediately.\
+--- Uhh, sure, what hour?\
+--- How soon is possible?
+This is kind of urgent.\
+--- I dunno Tricks, you literally just woke me up...\
+--- Vector, it's 10 o'clock.
+Why are you still asleep.\
+--- It's a Saturday, cut me some slack...\
+--- You're about the only person I know who has a sleep schedule this rusty.\
+--- I know, I know... it's not my fault my parents didn't calibrate my crystal.\
+--- I'm pretty sure your inconsistent sleep is not your parents' fault, neither is your internal clock miscalibrated.
+If you went to sleep at the same hour every day, you wouldn't have this problem.\
+--- I've no idea how other people do it.
+I just can't...\
+--- Yadda, yadda.
+Come to my house when you're ready.\
+--- Should I bring Amber?\
+--- No need.
+I need you, and you only.\
+--- Alright.
+
+_\*beep\*_
+
+Time to get to work.
+
+Or uh, _not_ work, because it's a Saturday.
+Yeah.\
+Time to get to _not_ work.
+
+I walked downstairs on the creaky wooden staircase.
+Amber was already eating her breakfast, still in her night robes.
+
+--- Morning, Amber.\
+--- Oooi, Vec. Get a good night's sleep? --- she asked, still sounding a bit sleepy.\
+--- You know the drill.\
+--- As if.
+
+--- It'd be nice if I slept well for once. --- I replied.\
+--- You sure this ain't something that needs a doctor?\
+--- Yeah, no. I can manage.\
+
+--- Tricksy again? --- she asked while chewing on her corn flakes.\
+--- Stop calling them that.\
+--- C'mon, let a girl poke some fun at a friend once in a while...\
+--- You know they don't like it.\
+--- Makes it even more funny.\
+--- Ugh.
+
+I entered the bathroom to take a shower.\
+On today's menu: lukewarm water, floral-scented shower gel, moisturising shampoo.
+
+10 minutes later, time to clean the rest of the heckin' Vector.\
+Fur dried, teeth brushed, hair combed, clothes put on.
+
+I looked in the mirror at my reflection.\
+Hair not too shabby.\
+Fluff white as day.\
+Eyes odd as the number 1.
+
+Lookin' good as ever.
+
+I walked out of the bathroom toward the front door.
+It was time to leave.
+
+--- I'm leaving! --- I told Amber.\
+--- Tell Trickle I said hi!
+
+Trickle's house was right next door.
+Or rather, right next two doors, because there's one neighbour separating us from each other.
+_And that was the tale of the Vector and the Trickle, forever split apart by---_
+
+_\*knock, knock\*_
+
+--- It's me, Vector!\
+--- Come in! --- I heard from behind the door.
+
+I took off my shoes, and entered Trickle's cave.
+Because it could hardly be called a house.
+
+A tinkerer at heart, their house was the ultimate laboratory.
+Every room laid out with various tools, doodads, side projects, and lots of anime figurines.
+
+I took a right to Trickle's room.
+Or rather, workspace-room-gaming battlestation-thing with a hammock.
+
+--- Long time no see. --- said Trickle.\
+--- We literally saw each other a couple days ago.\
+--- I know, but I really wanted to say that.
+
+--- Look what I woke up to today. --- they said, showing me a news page on their computer.\
+--- Oh!! The city finally finished the construction of this new park area?\
+--- Yeah.
+
+We've been eyeing this park ever since its construction began.
+It would be close enough to our houses to walk there by foot, 20 minutes one way.
+An easy enough spot to get to and discharge a bit after a day of hard work.
+
+With that in mind, their wake-up sin was forgiven.
+
+--- Wanna go? --- I asked.\
+--- I dunno, I was kinda in the middle of---\
+--- Alright listen here, you lil' undefined lop.
+
+I gave Trickle the most contemptful expression I could make.
+
+--- You can't just wake me up.
+Make me move my ass to your house, on a Saturday morning.
+And then tell me you don't wanna go.\
+--- But my ramen---
+
+I froze.
+Eyebrow raised.
+
+--- Ramen, you say?\
+--- Yeah. Want one? --- they said, pulling out a second, unopened cup.
+
+I realised I haven't had breakfast yet.
+
+--- Hell yeah I do!
+
+---
+
+One cup ramen later.
+
+--- That was good --- I said --- but you're gonna heckin' die if you keep eating this much of this.\
+--- Life's good with tasty soup you can make in 5 minutes.
+Besides, you know I'm not very good at cooking.\
+--- Have you ever tried: following the instructions?\
+--- You know it never comes out right.\
+--- Maybe you need cooking lessons.\
+--- Wanna teach me?\
+--- Sure, that'll be five bucks.\
+--- Heck yeah? I'll take it!\
+--- Per second.\
+--- Listen here you little---\
+--- Anyways, let's go already.
+
+--- Wanna grab Amber? My house is on the way. --- I said.\
+--- No. It'll be an investigation... just for the two of us. --- they replied, pushing their glasses further onto their nose.\
+--- Shut up and stop making this weird.
+
+A 20 minute walk later, we were nearing the park.
+
+--- Alright, moment of truth.
+Is it complete... --- I started.\
+--- ...or was the article complete baloney. --- they completed.
+
+As we made the last turn, a large grassy area emerged, surrounded by trees of various kinds.
+
+But as we got closer to the centre, we noticed something strange.
+A weird... statue... thing?
+
+--- Hey, Vector.\
+--- Yeah?\
+--- Do you see that thing over there, on the isle in the centre?\
+--- Not quite... what the heck is that?
+
+We stepped closer to get a good look.
+
+--- Trickle.\
+--- Yeah?\
+--- That's a heater.\
+--- I know.
+
+Standing profoundly in the centre of the park.
+Surrounded by four benches.
+
+A regular ass radiator,
+as if pulled straight from my room.
+
+...
+
+We stood there, looking at it in awe.
+
+--- What... the heck. --- I said.\
+--- I know, right.
+
+We sat down on one of the benches, and started contemplating.
+
+--- So, Trickle.
+Tell me.
+How do you think this happened?\
+--- Do you know Duchamp's _Fountain_?\
+--- I think you told me about it once.
+Was it the urinal-turned-art-piece?\
+--- Yeah.
+
+--- I think they did a thing.
+Like that. --- they continued.
+--- Perhaps it was _meant_ to be thought about.
+Pretentious.
+Is what I'm saying.\
+--- Well, they're doing a bang up job.
+I can't stop thinking about it.
+Why a radiator.\
+--- A commentary on global warming, maybe?\
+--- I dunno.
+Why would you be heating up the outside.
+It's so hot after all...
+
+A few more seconds of thinking later, Trickle came back with a response.
+
+--- But what if... it wasn't\
+--- ...What do you mean---oh, right.
+Winters are a thing.\
+--- Exactly.
+
+--- I'm thinking about it, and it's literally the opposite of one of those sprinkler things they place outside in the summer. --- they continued.\
+--- You're... kinda right, actually.
+
+--- Don't you think running a heater in the winter cold would get kind of expensive? --- I asked.\
+--- Probably, yes.
+But maybe it didn't matter to the city council.
+Maybe they just wanted a cool park.\
+--- Or rather, a _hot_ park?\
+--- ...I actually wonder if that radiator in the centre is all there is to it.
+Perhaps there are also ones in the floor? And in the benches? --- Trickle said, blatantly ignoring my pun.\
+--- That would actually be kind of cool.\
+--- Hot, you mean.\
+--- ...Wow, right back at me.
+
+--- Let's go back home now, shall we? --- said Trickle.\
+--- Yeah, let's.
+
+And with that said, it was time to walk home.