Chapter one
There was something odd about the figure dressed only in black. Something more curious than the full length hooded cloak it wore. Something more peculiar than the way it seemed to glide along the pavement rather than walk. Justin squinted against the hot summer sun as it slowly roasted the skin on his face. The figure drew closer and Justin's heart beat faster. He felt hypnotised by the darkness of the cloak; light fell into it like a black hole. No reflective light, just an impossibly rich blackness. The world around them blurred into soft focus, slowing down to a mute 360 degree wall frieze. The cloaked figure, now level with him, mumbled something and crashed into Justin's arm. The impact spun him around. The thunderous roar of traffic assaulted his ears. People pushed past him in a frenzied swirl of motion while the scent of sizzling fired onions from the hot-dog van did a good job of making his mouth water.
"Justin." Someone was calling him. "Justin, over here man." He looked around and noticed his friend, Brad, waving at him from across the road.
"Come on man, we're going to the lake." Justin ignored him and massaged his forehead trying to remember what had just happened. He was too young to suffer sudden attacks of amnesia - he was only fourteen - but his short-term memory offered nothing but silence and darkness. He knew something had taken place but any reference seemed to be either locked or erased. His head ached with the effort of trying to remember. He felt an arm around his shoulder - it was Brad.
"Hay man, you ok? You don't look too good. You're acting kind of random just standing in the street."
"Just tired I guess."
"Come on; let's go to the lake. Henry's there already."
They found Henry at the water's edge throwing bread to the ducks.
"What are you doing man?" Brad asked.
"What does it look like, I'm feeding the ducks."
"But you're not six, man!"
Justin left Brad and Henry to their argument and lay down in the shade of the willow tree. He was still worried about his lack of memory.
"I'm going to end up like my Dad," Justin announced.
"Why's that?" Henry asked as he sat down in the shade.
"Because he kept loosing his memory too. He'd go missing for weeks and then someone would find him wondering around with no idea of where he had been."
"Random man. How is he now?"
"Missing."
"Do you think it's Alzheimer's?" Henry asked.
"Not sure. He's alright most of the time." Justin closed his eyes and thought about his Dad. He was always laughing, the slightest thing setting him off. There were numerous occasions when he would spend entire days helping Justin; learning to ride a bike, climbing trees, understanding algebra, or chaos theory and the butterfly effect. His extremely light blue eyes always fascinated Justin. They usually portrayed delight and mischief but at times, when his Dad was unaware of Justin's scrutiny, they appeared to be the gates to a secret cavern of forbidden knowledge.
"Justin, wake up!" Henry shouted.
"What in hell are those things man?" Brad's fear shutdown his ability to move. Henry struggled to lift Justin's lifeless body,
"I can't wake him. Brad, help me."
Justin Tempus stories are © copyright Martin S Beckley 2009
Read chapter two here.
Contact me at Justin.Tempus@martinsbeckley.co.uk