By Christian Barragan
Gabriel found a place to rest. His surroundings dipped in and out of focus as the recent scene spun out of his memory, leaving room for other reflections. The cold air of the night brought a sliver of liveliness to him. He offered token resistance as his functions broke down. My search began.
Humid Wind - Petrichor - Strawberry Bubblegum
At this hour, Gabriel can barely see his own feet, but he knows the office is close by. His friends left him some time ago, supposedly to scout ahead. He stealthily approaches from the grass just inside the fence when a light suddenly switches on. Gabriel drops and rolls into the reeds by the “pond.” In reality, it’s a large puddle that simply refuses to drain.
A gruff adult voice calls out for any intruders to identify themselves. Gabriel’s heart pounds. It calms as the office light switches back off. His mouth curves into an involuntary grin, the scent of his gum hitting him for the first time since he arrived. No one would ever know he was there. He pictures the precise movements it would take to scale the fence. He thought of how long he could hold this experience over his “friends.”
No Solution.
Chocolate Cookies - Vaseline - Rug Shampoo
Gabriel’s day off. Jackie would be home in about twenty minutes. A wondrous smell wafts from the oven in anticipation of her return, a fact he’s proud of. Little Alice makes an effort to stand in her crib, not quite making it. Good. Jackie should be there to see it happen for the first time.
Some time later, the cookies are stale. Nothing a few seconds in the microwave can’t fix. Alice had, remarkably, fallen asleep. Gabriel slouches on the sofa, feeling more inactive than ever. He scrolls through some troubling world news on his phone until a message from Jackie appears.
No solution.
Squeaky floors - Metallic Odor - Stale Bread
The Hudson kid had said something disrespectful. Not to Gabriel, but to Kylie. It should have been simple. An apology, and then everyone walks away. But Hudson swung first. Gabriel holds him off for a while, but Hudson is larger and less concerned with consequences. Gabriel spends most of the brief fight on the floor. He could get up, but a supervisor approaches, and Gabriel knows it won’t be in his best interest to swing again. Better to ensure he’s blameless. He covers his face as a tired Hudson keeps up a barrage of kicks. Through his fingers, Gabriel sees Kylie rolling her eyes at him. The kicks hurt more after that.
Where was the supervisor? Most of the other students have gotten bored. Some of them walk away, anxious to avoid blame or unwilling to confront their apathy.
No solution.
Burned Rubber - Hot Metal - Ambient Water
Gabriel’s cell phone locks in an unconscious grip as panic swells through him. He had already bandaged his leg, careful to stop the flow of blood as best he could. He perks his ears for the ambulance sirens, and wonders if he’d survive long enough to get help. He can’t move enough to see what happened to the other vehicle, but he hopes the driver is ok. They must have lost control when they hit me, Gabriel thought.
No other cars had passed by the secluded road since the impact. He wonders where the other car could have even come from. He makes the effort to tilt his head further and sees the other vehicle crumpled against the side of the hill.
He thinks of Jackie and how he would need to postpone the proposal. He doesn’t want her to say yes out of pity. He looks at himself in the remains of the window and wonders if she would say yes at all. He pulls himself toward what was once the front of the car and grabs a water bottle from the cracked cup holder.
No solution.
Damp Socks - White Fog - Pine Needles
The tree’s digits poke into Gabriel’s uniform as he lays his head on the tarp. He pats it down to stabilise the layer of snow beneath it. It took over an hour to set up his makeshift shelter the first time, only for his commanding officer to instruct him to rebuild it. It wasn’t disguised well enough to fool thermal imaging. Before finishing, Gabriel steps out of the enclosure to watch the ethereal snowfall blanketing his surroundings. He shivers and wishes to be back home, but knows that each passing moment will increase his chances of survival. Alice waits for him, thousands of miles away. He takes solace knowing Alice wasn’t present when he received his notification. Still, being away from her hurts more than frostbite.
Unknown Constellations - Sweaty Compass - Sense of Fulfillment
Gabriel pushes aside the hostile foliage as he shakes the compass in his hand. He doesn’t remember which direction he came from anyway. He figures his parents will deduce where he's gone. He often wandered into the woods, but never this late.
Gabriel knows he won’t likely ever come back to this particular spot, so he looks up at the stars and tries to unwind. Unlike the time he snuck into school the year prior, there’s no hiding this. Oh well. Most problems take care of themselves, he thinks.
Gabriel glances at the sky and, for the first time, doesn’t feel small. He knows there’s a whole universe out of reach. Knowing he’ll never reach everything is just enough for him to forget his problems for the day. Tomorrow will take care of itself.
And so he closed his eyes, and we drifted into the next memory.
About the Author
Christian Barragan is a graduate from California State University Northridge.
Raised in Riverside, CA, he aims to become a novelist or editor.
He currently reads submissions for Flash Fiction Magazine.
His work has appeared in the Raven Review, Across the Margin, and Caustic Frolic, among others.
My time at Nambucca Valley Community Radio began back in 2016 after moving into the area from Sydney.
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