Free Aldo's Fantastical Movie Palace by Jonathan Friesen

was gone. His tools were gone. And in the middle of the garden, his walking stick poked out of the ground.
    She rubbed her forehead. “Calm down, Chloe. If this is a dream, just go with it. If it’s not … Nick?” She couldn’t see him anywhere. She suddenly felt very weak, and very alone.
    I didn’t even thank the guy for the fruit
.

CHAPTER
11
    C HLOE FOUND N ICK SITTING on the ground near a snoring Nob. She bumped Nick with her foot. “Why do you keep leaving me?”
    â€œHe was supposed to be strong. In control. Secholit was supposed to be the coolest blind guy ever. But there’s nothing cool about being blind.” Nick shook his head. “Did you see him grope around that garden? What a loser.”
    â€œWhen you were blind, you were never a loser. Remember that.” Nick refused to meet her eye. “Oh!” Chloe exhaled. “He gave us a task. Both of us. We need to help Retinya remember. That’s what he said. Did you write anything about that?”
    â€œNo.” Nick rolled his eyes, stood, and looked down at Nob. “Should we wake our transportation?”
    Chloe shook Nob’s shoulder. He smiled, muttered, and rolled over.
    â€œNob!”
    He slowly opened his eyes, and then yawned and stretched. “Did you have a good visit?”
    â€œA good visit,” Chloe repeated. “Couldn’t have been better. We ate fruit, watched a world hatch, saw a shadow buried … You know, the typical. You could have filled me in a bit more before you sent us off to meet that guy.”
    â€œI told you what you needed.”
    â€œWell, you’ll have plenty more chances to do that. You’re supposed to take us down, whatever that means.”
    His face whitened. “Secholit said that?”
    â€œYeah.” Chloe glanced toward the woods. “The blind guy in the garden.”
    Nob scratched his head. “I’m not the right one for that. I really ought to stay up here. A ferryman. That’s my job, that’s what I’m good at. I, uh …”
    â€œHe said you’d say that too.” Chloe’s shoulders slumped. “Listen, I need your help. I don’t want to go any more than you do, but Nick and I need to get home, and there’s some job he thinks we should do first and … Oh, it’s all miserable.”
    Nob stepped out of the boat and began to pace. “Do you know what’s below?”
    Chloe pointed to her face. “Do I look like I know what’s below?”
    Nob rubbed his chin, hard. “You’re sure he said me? By name?”
    Chloe stepped toward Nob and pressed her finger into his chest, and then gestured toward the garden. “I don’t know many Nobs. Why not just go ask him if you don’t believe me?”
    â€œThe thing is, I haven’t spoken to him in years. Certainly never asked him anything. I don’t like to get too close, if you know my meaning.”
    â€œYeah,” Nick said. “I do.”
    â€œNo!” Chloe said, “I don’t. You sent me to see — Forget it. Forget it!” Chloe held up her hand. “You’re taking us down.”
    â€œOh, lady. This is the worst of days.”
    Chloe sat quietly as they poled back toward the lake, while Nick cleaned his fingernail with a piece of wood he’d found inside the boat. The entire time Nob muttered and stammered, “Bad choice. Really bad choice.” Finally, the ferry struck the water.
    Nob rocked back and forth, thumbed his suspenders. “I never thought I’d see this day.” His gaze fell and for a moment, he teetered.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” Nick kept working that fingernail.
    Nob forced a smile and shook his head. “I haven’t been below for years. It’s easier not having to be near the man now that he’s changed.”
    â€œWhat man?” Chloe waited and shrugged. “Doesn’t sound like you’ve seen much of