Hi, everybody! My name is Julia Dorian Anderson the 3rd and I’m about 24 years old, married and having 3 lovely kids of my own, 2 boys, Michael and Derek, and 1 girl, Janet.
My life didn’t start out this way though. My mother said that when I was born, I was gift-wrapped from heaven. I can see what she meant by ‘gift-wrapped’. When I was born, the only thing I remember was a very, very white, clean and bright place and a huge bird, which, after much thinking back, was actually the nurse. I was sent into a huge room surrounded by plastic encase because I was born without immunities. One single germ can kill me, so every single nook and cranny was sanitized.
Finally, when I was 4, my parents brought me home. Of course, I’m still encased in my bubble world, but it was OK. My home was like a castle to me at that time, and it was so beautiful, like a dream come true. I guess I was so anxious to go home that everything looked like heaven to me.
Come to think of it, I’m making a fuss of things.
It was so cool. I had my own bed, loads of toys, a laptop, a TV, everything. I live in my own world since. I had my lessons at home (my mom taught me; she’s a teacher before she married dad and became a full-time housewife), my hair done (which, come to think of it, looked like a dork), watch TV and the VCD-s my dad bought me and do stuff that I always wanted to do. I fancy drawing comics and my mom provided me with loads of comic books for reading and reference (and a little reference from the net). I also fancy building stuff. I guess that was inherited from my engineering dad. Although this means that I won’t be able to step out of the bubble to build things for people, it was OK. I still love drawing better.
At that time, my mom was the world to me. She met almost every of my needs. She can be strict and fussy sometimes, but it’s all verbal. I’m safe in the bubble, knowing that she won’t exactly get me, like those mothers who chase their children around the estate with canes in their hands. Now that’s spooky! I wouldn’t want to do that to my children! My mom almost went ballistic once when my dad tried to teach me to ride a bike inside my bubble. Nothing too serious, really. I only crashed into the bookshelf, that’s all.
Anyway, as I said, my mom was the world to me. Whenever I had any problems, I only have to holler and she’ll help me in any way she can. She also makes the best food. Nothing can beat mom’s delicious germ-free, fat-free, oil-free, nutrition-enriched soy cookies! Somehow, it’s kinda weird eating together with the family in a bubble encasing, but, hey, I’m a carefree person. Like I said, I don’t mind.
I may not get a driving license like all the other girls I saw in my housing estate, but I did get a guitar when I was 18. By then I could actually play around with it and sing my favourite anime songs with it. He he he! Life’s so grand. The other kids did ask me out to play (or so it seemed, with their teasing voices and the wrapping of plastic around themselves) but I couldn’t leave the bubble or I’ll go kaput. They ended up being chased away by mom with a hose. Spooky! I wonder why she didn’t like those kids. All they wanted to do was ask me out to play. She can just let them in or something. Whatever!
I loved my life. I had everything a girl could ever want. Everything…until Jeremy Mac Damien.
Mac Damien is the boy next door. He moved into the neighbourhood about a week after I got my guitar. He is the most handsome guy I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Well, not exactly that handsome—I’ve seen more handsome guys than him: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, Westlife, F4, and the like. It’s just that there’s something about him that made me so attracted to him. I think he noticed me, but I don’t think he want to have anything to do with me, judging by how fast rumours can spread in my estate, especially about me. I think he’s somewhat younger than me, seeing that he still went to school like all the other teenagers.
Ever since he moved in, I’ve been washing my windows a lot. I did that deliberately so that I can see him. His every move rocked my world, literally. The way he walked out of his house to school, when he came home from school, when he played basketball with his brother; everything he was doing seemed like a drama to me. I could sit there for hours just staring at him. And oh, how I love Sundays. On Sundays, one of his chores was to wash his father’s car. My window can be extremely clean on Sundays.
I guess my mom had noticed about my obsession with Mac Damien ‘coz she started to call him ‘bastard’ every time she mentioned about him. She didn’t like him somehow, but I paid no heed to her complaints. I continued my usual routine of cleaning the windows while watching him from my bubble room.
My antics somehow aroused Mac Damien’s attention because one day, he came to my house. He actually came into my room! I guess it was dad who let him in ‘coz mom was out shopping for tonight’s dinner. I was playing pretend when he came. I was pretending to be my idol, Legolas the Elf Prince, talking in Elvish. I was so engrossed that I didn’t hear him coming in. I was so shocked to see him. I felt like a doofus in front of him. He smiled charmingly and asked, “Hi, you must be Julia. I’m…”
“Jeremy Mac Damien, I know. The bastard next door,” I replied.
“Excuse me?”
“Sorry, that’s what my mom calls you. She teaches me everything,” I grinned sheepishly.
“Well,” he cleared his throat and said, “actually you’re mother’s quite right, only that I’m more of a jackass than a bastard.”
“Right. Whatever.”
“Was that Elvish you’re speaking? The one from the movie ‘Lord of the Rings’?”
“Yeah, I was. I’m a big fan of Legolas the Elf Prince.”
“So do I. I just love that movie.”
“And I love you too…” I muttered dreamily, then corrected myself when I noticed him staring at me, “I mean it! I love it too! Yeah!”
Slowly I found myself talking to him about the wonderful movie until my mom came home from her shopping. Reluctantly, I let him go. He promised to come tomorrow. My mom knew about him coming into the house and mumbled about him not being what God would choose to be my boyfriend or something while wiping my bubble clean. I didn’t care, and I guess she couldn’t stop him from coming the next day and the next, although since then, she’s been constantly cleaning my room wherever he had been to get rid of his germs.
We spent a lot of happy days together. I found out that he was 2 years younger than me, but that didn’t bother me at all. We played pretend in loads of movies, especially anime, which was his favourite kind; we spent the school holidays together, playing the guitar (I taught him how) and singing like mad to anime songs. We’ve celebrated Halloween, where he dressed up as Sanzo in the anime ‘Genzomaden Saiyuki’ and I dressed up as Legolas, and kids coming into the house to do trick or treat. I guess with my dorky haircut and the Elf Prince outfit, I kinda scared those kids. We also exchanged gifts during Christmas. I gave him a scrapbook that I made filled with his favourite Genzomaden Saiyuki pictures scanned from the net. He, on the other hand, gave me a bubble guinea pig. It was so cute! I named it ‘JMD’, from the initials of his name.
During his birthday, I couldn’t go, so I turned in early. Suddenly he sneaked into my room through the window. He looked kinda flushed; I suspect that he’s been drinking a score.
“Mac Damien! What are you doing here? My mom’ll hear you!” I hissed, half-glad, half-worried.
“I came to celebrate the remaining hours of my birthday with you, duh! What does it look like I’m doing?” Mac Damien laughed as he stepped towards my bubble. “Come here; let the birthday boy give you a kiss. Come on.”
I was only too eager. But unfortunately, I bumped onto the bubble. It barred me away from him. The romantic atmosphere was all gone. He hit the bubble, frustrated.
“I hate this bubble! It’s keeping us away! I’m sick and tired of this! I’m going in.” So saying, he crawled into the de-contamination chamber towards my bubble. I hurriedly blocked the door of my bubble to stop him coming in, much to his surprise.
“Julia, please! Let me in!” He whined.
“I…I don’t think it’s such a good idea, Mac Damien.”
“You can ‘de-contaminate’ me later.” I knew exactly what he meant and blushed, hard. I kept the door blocked. It seemed that he hadn’t the strength to push the door—he was too drunk. He fell asleep in my de-contamination chamber. I leaned my back onto the door.
I should’ve let him in, but I was scared. So who could blame him for what was coming up next.
He finally found someone else to replace me. I’ve got to know her a little. There was a prom night at his school and he came to my house to ask for my opinion on what to wear. After all said and done and while I was taking pictures of him in his suit, she appeared. She was tall and thin—slender, to be exact—and she looked beautiful even though she was wearing a pair of glasses. I recognized her as one of the kids who tried to ask me out to play.
“Julia, this is Evan. Evan, you know Julia,” Mac Damien introduced her to me.
“Hi, Julie,” Evan greeted me. I greeted her back, calling her ‘Evvie’.
“See ya, Julia. I’ll call you,” Mac Damien said as he took Evan’s hand and left. I’m not a very good judge of character, but I say one thing: Evan is so cool.
Since then, his visits to my room grew less and less. I often see him going out on dates with that Evan girl from my window, and from here too, I can see them puckering up at each other. It was appalling and pathetic, but what can I do? I’m just a bubble girl. Mom nagged about him leaving me sooner or later and about me just being contented in my home and never bother about him anymore. I fell on deaf ears. I’ve enough trouble already just thinking about where’ll Mac Damien go on a date next.
Finally, my worst nightmare came true. A year after he graduated from high school, he came to me with a big briefcase in his hand. He approached me and said, “Hey, Julia. Guess what?”
“You’re going on a trip?” I asked.
“Well, you’re kinda, sorta right. You know that Evan and I have been going along together for the past couple of years and…well…I…uh…”
“You’re both going on a date?”
“No. not exactly.”
“You’re…getting married?” I was afraid to ask, but I had to know.
“Mmhmm! Look!” He held up his left hand and replied, “I proposed to her a week ago. We’re gonna get married at Niagara Falls next Tuesday.”
“That’s 6 days from now,” I said, my heart crashing down to the ground.
“Yup. I just came to know, I mean, to ask your opinion. I wanna know if I chose the right bride to be my soul mate for the rest of my life.”
I didn’t answer him. I didn’t think he would want my opinion anyway. I was too heartbroken to even protest about his marriage.
“Julia? Aren’t you gonna say something? Or you’re just gonna be quiet and give me the silent treatment?”
I refused to give any response. My broken heart has slowly turned to contempt towards him.
Finally, after being silent towards each other for a full 5 minutes, he stood up and said, “I made something for you. A goodbye present before I go.”
I stood up too, picking up JMD the bubble guinea pig and placing it into the de-contamination chamber, saying, “Take JMD back ‘coz I don’t want it anymore.”
He took JMD and placed a present box in its place, pressing the de-contamination switch before leaving. He took one last look at me and said, “Goodbye, Julia. Wish you luck in your future life.”
“Bye,” I said briefly. I held back my tears until I hear her closing the front door shut before I broke down and cried myself silly. I felt so lost, so heartbroken, so terribly downcast. I’ve never felt so bad before in my whole life. That was when I realized I haven’t opened my goodbye gift. I took the box and unwrapped it. It was a crystal wind chime. I had no idea Mac Damien could do handicraft. It was so beautiful. My heart ached even more. When I fingered the chime jingle, I was in for a shock.
He actually carved these words on the jingle: ‘I LOVE YOU’.
He actually loves me! He really was in love with me all along! I wasn’t alone!
That’s when I made the ultimate decision. I decided to build myself a bubble suit and travel to Niagara Falls and stop his wedding, no matter what it takes! It’s very tricky though, to make a bubble suit. I had to make one that can actually last for at least 4 days, is connected to a de-contaminator that works, will not leak to let in germs, and will not get ruined easily. I’ve made loads of calculations and figures to get everything right. I couldn’t risk myself dying out there before I even stepped out of the house now, could I?
Finally, after a whole night’s work, my bubble suit was finished. It’s like carrying a globe around me. Seemed dorky, but it’ll do to get me to Niagara Falls safely. Taking a deep breath, I took my penknife and cut the bubble encase I have been living for my whole life and stepped out of the room. I went down the stairs as quietly as I could and squeezed myself out of the front door. I was free at last, well, sort of.
The world outside was greater than I thought. The grass was greener up close, the walls felt more solid than I thought it would be, and dog poo was real under my shoe! I wasn’t just walking from one corner to another; I was running on an endless lane where the next corner was miles and miles away. It was so exhilarating that it sent butterflies through my stomach. Life outside was so cool! I should’ve created this bubble suit years ago!
At last, at about dawn, I reached a bus ticket stand. It was pretty deserted. Seemed like no bus has ever pass through here. I’m doing the ticket seller a favour! Somehow, that favour didn’t come cheap. I was shocked to know that to take a bus from here to Niagara Falls cost me more than just a few dollars. Lucky for me, there was a tour bus called ‘Happy Days’ filled with cheerful, happy people who were willing to take me to Niagara Falls. I gladly hopped in.
I was surprised to see that everyone wore the same bright outfit and were all cheerful and happy all the way. I was also surprised that all the girls were called ‘Angela’ and all the boys were called ‘Dick’. They were raving about a god called ‘Nold’ who will bring them love, prosperity and eternal life if they were to respect this god, find the Chosen One and finish every meal offered by the High Priest, no matter how weird the course of meal may be. They actually named me one of their Angela-s without my consent. They slipped a small booklet they call ‘The Book of Nold’ into my de-contamination slot and I saw pictures of a weird-looking guy with punk-like hair preaching to his followers. Come to think of it, that ‘preacher’ looked like someone who just got out of prison.
I couldn’t help but laughed at their stupidity. It was so obvious that they have been deranged for years now by some god who had embraced the trend of punk-dom. When they asked why was I laughing and I said, “You’re not some camping trip, aren’t you? You’re an occult!”
Bad move. They dumped me out of their bus in the middle of nowhere.
Looks like I had to go on my own now. I had to watch my mouth the next time I see another group of deranged, out-of-reality people. I had a feeling that mom is awake right now and has went ballistic when she found me not in my bubble room. I could be right.
I traveled for a very, very long time. I had to spend the night in some bushes ‘coz there was no inn nearby. A few vultures thought I was dead, but the bubble suit got the better of them. I was safe. I woke up at dawn and continued my journey. Again I walked for miles and miles until finally, I came across with a thug-like guy who was having trouble with his Harley Davidson. I walked up to him and he immediately brandished his knife.
“Whaddaya want, little girl?” He was a rough guy, at about in his 30’s or 40’s, with a bushy moustache and quite thin eyebrows. He was muscular, like Hulk Hogan, and he was filled with tattoos. He looked really mean, like the Mafia I watched in TV.
“I…I think I can help you with that flat of yours,” I said warily.
“You? You?! What does a little girl like you know about motorbikes?” He seemed doubtful.
“I got patches for those holes.”
“Good! I could use some patches!”
Soon, we got pretty acquainted. He introduced himself as Tiger, and I told him my name. I told him the whole story about how I ended up in the middle of nowhere, while I helped him fix his flat.
“And they just dump you here and left you out here to die?” Tiger said in disgust, “That is despicable! Terrible thing to do to a teenager like you! In my team of bikers, no one goes for that ‘Every man for himself’ routine! We live as a team, we die as a team!”
I just smiled at the way Tiger tried to help me talk out of my disappointment. I didn’t let him know that I was a carefree person and I didn’t mind the nasty treatment.
“Chasing after your Prince Charming, eh?”
“I just wanna stop her from marrying the wrong bride and regret for the rest of his life.” I felt myself blushing.
“Don’t tell me you never told him how you feel? If you did, he wouldn’t have run off.”
“I tried to, but I haven’t the guts like a strong biker like you. I’m a coward.”
“Ya know, kid, I used to be just like you when I was only a budding biker. I was in love with the loveliest woman of my life.” So saying, he lifted his shirt to reveal a tattoo of a woman wearing a tank-top and a very sexy mini-skirt. Under that tattoo was her name: ‘Lionette’.
“She was a lion alright, until she dumped me to look for some goody two-shoes who was a so-called ‘decent’ guy! I swear I wanted to tear him limb from limb with this knife!” He growled as he brandished his knife high in the air, before calming down and saying, “Don’t be like me, little girl. You go get that guy back no matter what. Don’t let him slip you by. Don’t live in regrets, lass.”
I finished fixing his flat tyre and was about to bid him goodbye to continue on my way when he said, “Hey, lass! You think I’ll let you go without returning you a favour? Hop on! I’ll take you to Niagara Falls! I’m going there to meet my biker gang!”
So grateful was I that I felt like I was dreaming when I sat behind him on the Harley Davidson and rode off, the loud majestic sound of the bike roaring in my ears. I was having so much fun. It was cooler than taking that bus. I was glad I met Tiger.
Soon, after a long day’s drive and a nice chat and snacks along the way, we reached a very big city that was filled with bright, lovely lights and flashy signboards. I gaped like a kid would gape at a magician doing magic in front his eyes.
“Cool, eh?” Tiger said proudly, “This is Las Vegas, home of the rich and famous and home of fun and cash!”
“Wow! This really is cool!” I exclaimed. I was awed at the dazzling lights and signboards and the liveliness of the place. It was so wonderful. I was so glad that I chose to step out of my bubble room and out into the big open.
“We’ll go to the main casino to get some cash,” Tiger suggested, stopping at a vehicle lane. “We need the extra gas so that we can continue on our way to Niagara Falls.”
Taking my hand, he took me into a huge casino where there were full of people standing or sitting at different stands gambling, drinking and having fun. First, he took me down to the casino’s basement to listen to a really loud, mean-looking punk girls’ concert. Boy they can sing really loud! Of course, I was picked up played around like a beach ball throughout the whole concert. Now I know why I don’t really like loud, screaming music.
After the concert, he took me back up to do a few games in some of those stands. Tiger let me have a go on throwing the dice. We got some lucky cash out of this game, but it wasn’t enough. Tiger tried his luck on the Jack Box but in vain.
“So…Tiger? How does it feels to…ya know, ‘hunkering’ up with the people?” I asked, blushing red.
“Ooh, you naughty girl! You wanna know, eh?” he grinned at me slyly before replying, “Well, I’ll tell you what it was with Lionette and I. It’s like have 500cc of running engine between your legs, man! And I’m talking 4th gear here! 400rph, baby! Ha ha ha!”
“That…That must be incredible,” I was blushing even worse. I don’t if I got enough ‘cc’s’ to hanker Mac Damien.
“Oh yeah, kid. You give him that and he’ll be your slave forever!” He then offered his game coin to me and let me have a go.
“Oh no, Tiger, I couldn’t. I don’t gamble.”
“Come on, Julie! You didn’t step out of that bubble room just to play safe now, did you?”
He had a point there. So, I accepted his coin and tried on the Jack Box. Too bad, I didn’t win. I actually had one last game coin in my pocket jeans but I wanted to keep it as remembrance, as proof that I’ve been to Las Vegas.
“I’ll go get more coins. You stay here, OK?” Tiger got out of his seat.
“But…But Tiger!” I protested. “I have to go now! The wedding will be in 4 days time!”
I was being ignored. He left in a hurry without looking back. As I mused around trying to figure out what to do next, I saw one of the stands that had a scooter as the grand prize. I knew I need to leave as soon as possible, so I had to sacrifice my last game coin. Luck was on my side. One minute I was trying my luck with that game station and the next minute, I found myself scooting away from Las Vegas with my brand new scooter. This is so fun! I wished Tiger was able to see my winnings, though.
I didn’t want to leave Tiger at such short notice but I was running out of time. I need to get to Niagara Falls within 4 days and I only had 200cc of non-engine running. I’ll apologize to him properly if we ever have the chance to meet again. Sorry, Tiger, for now.
I was going steadily on my way when I came across a familiar-looking car. I didn’t want to pay much attention to the car at first, but when I got eye-contact with the driver and the passenger beside him, I realized it was my parents! They actually chase me this far out to Las Vegas! I slowed down the scooter so as not to get any closer to them and let them pass by. Not that I didn’t want to have anything to do with them—I kinda missed my parents, really—but I got unfinished business to attend to.
As expected, my mom freaked out and sort of forced my dad to turn around. Dad hit the brakes way too hard—he hit me and sent me flying like a rocket towards the train railway. Luckily, the train was incoming, so I fell headlong into the baggage section of the train. I never rode a train before and I was sure that I’ll be in good terms once this train got away fast from the road I was at in the first place.
Or, so it seemed.
The next morning, after quite a good night’s sleep on lovely thick hay, I was awaken by shuffling of feet and whispering at every corner. When I hit on my portable torchlight to see who they were, I was shocked to see a freaky-looking dwarf who had crossed eyes and very thick lips. I screamed and turned around, only to see another weirdo who was as tall as a giant. Behind him was a man who had very short arms and fingers like Mr. Penguin in the Batman movies.
“SHH! Quiet down, girl, or he’ll hear us!” The giant said in a very low voice. He didn’t sound mean. He almost sounded…timid.
“Who…Who are you guys?” I stammered, still unable to get over the shock.
“They call me the Human Sasquatch,” he replied.
“What is your real name?”
“Clark, I guess.” Goodness, he doesn’t even know his own name!
“Please be silent. If he finds you here, you’ll become one of us too!” The guy with short arms pleaded.
“Who’s he?”
“He’s Dr. Freak. He’s our boss. He owns us. For his freak shows.”
“Owns you? That’s not very nice!”
Before I could continue, the door of the train suddenly slid open. I, who was standing nearest to the door, fell backwards and out of the train. I noticed more freaks inside the train as my eyes adjusted to the morning light outside: a man and a woman who had their heads conjoined together, a woman who could flex her body anyway she pleases, and a man who had a nose as long as a carrot.
When I tried to get back on my feet, I saw a man who was very small, probably no taller than dwarf I saw in the train. He could be a midget. He looked pretty fumed up, with his face twisted in anger and a club in his hand.
“You’re Dr. Freak?” I snorted, and then burst out laughing, much to the freaks’ horror, “But you’re so mini! You’re not even taller than my baby brother!”
Another bad move. He got so pissed off that he resulted into hitting my elastic bubble (which didn’t do much good) and venting his anger on a few run-down cars, shouting in his teeny voice, “I’m not mini! I am NOT mini!” Not that his burst of anger got me near anywhere dangerous.
After he cooled down, he said, “I could use a new freak in my show. You’re taken.”
“Excuse me! I don’t do shows. I gotta go to Niagara Falls to stop my boyfriend from getting married!”
“That is so sweet,” he replied sarcastically. “I used to love someone once, for 10 minutes, that is, before I kicked her out! Let me tell you something, bubble girl, no one’s gonna like you. You’re a freak, just like them! Now get into the train!”
“No, I will not! And what’s so wrong about being a freak?!” I was so pissed off that I pushed him hard, sending him hitting one of the run-down cars. I guess I knocked him out cold, but I couldn’t care less. I had a wedding to stop. As I walked, I felt someone following me from behind. It was the freaks, much to my surprise.
“Why are you following me?” I asked.
“We’re going with you now, Dr. Bubble,” Clark said.
“Dr. Bubble? No, no, you’re free now! You can do whatever you want. I take no prisoners.”
“Then we’ll follow you to Niagara Falls!” The dwarf said.
“Sorry, guys. I have to do this alone.”
I guess I finally made the freaks understand. We went on our own separate ways. I guess they wanted to follow me to Niagara Falls ‘coz they were grateful of me ‘rescuing’ them from Dr. Freak, but I really need to do this alone. This was my Mac Damien I’m talking about and I made the decision myself. It’s Lone Ranger for me.
After walking for miles, I came across a quaint town. ‘Maybe I could catch a ride here,’ I thought, so I walked as fast as I could into a barhouse to find someone I could get a lift.
Inside, I saw something unsightly. A few farmers were picking on an Indian man who was eating his burgers. Only that they weren’t real burgers. From the teasings of the farm folk, he was actually eating tofu burgers. Weird as it may seem, they have no right to tease him.
“Hey, you! Cut him some slack and leave him alone!” I yelled.
Me and my big mouth.
I was surrounded by those mean-looking farmers and a few other citizens of the town, including a spindly sheriff. “Hey, I don’t want any trouble. I just wanna know if anyone could give me a ride…”
“What’s that suit you’re wearing there, little girl? Halloween’s months away,” the sheriff said as he poked the bubble with his club.
“Well, I have to wear this, ‘coz I got no immunities and one single germ can kill me…”
“Woah there!” The sheriff suddenly jumped back, “What the heck are immunities? It better not be contagious!”
“Hey, everybody! Get out of here! She’s got immunities!” One of the townsfolk yelled.
Idiots. They actually panicked and ran out of the barhouse, screaming and acting as if I’m a walking virus. I tried to explain my situation but in vain. One of the townsfolk accidentally hit the oil lamp of the barhouse and the whole place began to burst in flames. I tried to find a way out but escape was futile; I was trapped like a rat! I’m gonna roast and die in here and I’m nowhere near Niagara Falls! I’ll never see Mac Damien again!
When I thought all was lost for me, the wall of the kitchen crashed down. In its place was a van driven by that Indian man just now!
“Hop in before you getting burned into toast!” the Indian man said in a very thick Indian slang. I was more than grateful. I jumped into the van right away, squeezed myself in place and the next thing I knew, I was away from the town and its ignorant people.
“Thank you so much for saving me, man!” I said gratefully.
“No need to thanking me, child. Our goddess Shiva always saying: Return the favour you are given. You stood up for me at the barhouse, and now I helping you,” the Indian man said long-windedly. “Now, what can the servant of Shiva be at young angel’s service?”
“I’m on my way to Niagara Falls to stop my boyfriend from getting married. I was hoping you could take me there.”
“Oh!” the man seemed surprised, “I was expecting maybe a free ice-cream cone or something, but, OK, Niagara Falls it is.”
On the way, the Indian man introduced himself as Vellu, and he was traveling around the world with his ice-cream van to both earn money and spread the teachings of Hindu. He used the idea of the ice-cream truck because he knew that no one could resist ice-cream, not even himself, although I’ve never eaten ice-cream before. I was impressed at how complex and different his religion was to my Christian religion. Interesting as it sounds, I was nowhere near thinking about adopting his religion. I would not want to risk falling into an occult trap.
I spent the night in his van, sleeping like a log. I had quite a weird dream: I was the Elf Prince, shooting and fighting Orcs and Uruk-hai together with my teammates Aragorn and Gimli. We were fighting side by side when I spot Mac Damien as Sanzo, helping out with his teammates Hakkai, Gojyo and Goku to battle with Saruman’s men. I was so glad to see him but our mission was much more important. All of a sudden, one of the Uruk-hai lurched at him. I wasn’t fast enough to shoot the beast. Out of nowhere, Evan appeared, posing as Ririn and chopped the beast’s head off.
“How did you get to be so strong, Ririn?” Mac Damien said in admiration.
“Immunities, Sanzo, it’s all in the immunities,” Evan said proudly as she took Mac Damien’s hand.
Before I could protest, one of the Orcs has climbed into the walls of Helms Deep and pounced on me.
What’s worse, all these happened when I was wearing this stupid bubble suit!
I screamed myself awake at the scariness of this dream. Vellu screamed too—I guess I shocked him as well. He lost control of the van and banged on something before we went sideways into the ditch.
When we got out of the van, I was pretty shocked to see that the thing we banged was actually a cow. When I revealed it to Vellu, he shrieked like a woman and raved like a maniac over the dead cow. Weird, though, the way he reacted.
“Vellu, come on!” I tried to calm him down. “It’s just a cow, for goodness sake!”
“Just a cow? Just a cow?! Do you realize what have we done? We killed a cow! In my religion, cows are where all life springs from! I have killed a cow! I’m the blasphemy of Shiva!”
“Who’s Shiva, anyway?” It was obvious that I didn’t pay entire attention to Vellu’s chatter about Hinduism. He pointed at a six-armed goddess statue sitting on top of the van.
“Have you any idea how it feels like to be bitch-slapped by a six-armed goddess?” Vellu asked, exasperated.
“…No,” I replied briefly. He glared at me like I was an idiot and rushed to the van. I followed suite. He rummaged to his cold storage and took out an ice-cream bar and put it into my de-contamination slot. The ice-cream was wrapped up tight that I didn’t think that disinfecting it would do any good.
“Here. Take it and go. I’ll be very busy!”
“But…But Vellu, there are germs in there!”
“Frozen. No germs. Now go! Go!”
I watched for a moment at Vellu gathering flowers and putting it around the cow before walking on my own again on the road. I was doubtful about the ice-cream. Mom said outside foods are anything but germ-free, but she never told me about frozen germ-free ice-cream. I tore the wrapper and took a bite out of the cold chocolate ice-cream bar, and guess what? It was DELICIOUS! Absolutely superb! I couldn’t believe that I’ve missed out a delicacy such as this! Thank you so much, Vellu!
Again, I was alone. I walked for another good miles down the road. On the way, I thought about my parents, especially my over-protective mom who might be crying her eyes out worrying about me; about Tiger who was very helpful although we got together only for a day; about the occult kids and whether they’ve reached their so-called sacred destination; about Vellu and his obsession with the dead cow; and most importantly, about Mac Damien and what will I do if I actually reached Niagara Falls. Questions after questions ran through my head: What am I going to say? What am I going to do? What will his reaction be? What will Evvie’s reaction be?
I guess there’s only one way to find out, that is to get to Niagara Falls within the next day.
Finally, after much toil (and almost out of soy cookies), I reached another town. There was a taxi modified from a jeep on the road side. I was so glad. I ran to the driver’s side and said, “Please, help! I need to get to Niagara Falls by tomorrow!”
“That depends,” the driver replied. He was an old man, probably near his 70’s and was quite tiny.
“Depends? Depend on what?”
“Depends if you can get me $500.”
“$500? Where the heck am I gonna get $500?!”
As if answering my question, there was a pub opposite the road organizing some sort of contest that guarantees $500 for the winner. I quickly rushed into the pub. I had to be fast if I want to get to Niagara Falls faster.
When I got inside, I saw a lot of people gathering at one corner. Most of them were Chinese. Even the host was a middle-aged Chinese. He noticed me at once and said, “Hey, you there! The one with the alien suit! What are you doing here?”
“Uh…I saw the sign outside and thought maybe I could win that $500…” I was cut short by the crowd’s amazed gasp.
“You want $500?” The host asked.
“Yeah, I want $500.”
“You want $500?” he asked again, his tone higher.
“Yes, I would like to have $500, please.”
“YOU WANT $500?!” His tone was even higher.
Looks like it’s a contest between who can shout the loudest. We shouted ‘$500’ over and over again, each one louder than the other, before the host allowed me to go on stage.
That was when I found out that it wasn’t a stage at all. It was a wrestling ring filled with mud! It’s a mud-wrestling contest! Yikes! I was pushed into the ring and was being pounced on by mean-looking women wearing outrageously skimpy bikinis. Well, at least the bubble suit came in handy. Not only it repelled germs, it also repelled mean wrestling women. Guess I was too slippery for them to take.
Finally, I slipped and fell onto the women, squashing them under me. I was announced the winner and I finally got the $500. I cleaned my bubble suit and ran out of the pub, shouting, “I got your $500! To Niagara Falls! On the double!”
Before I could reach the taxi, I was attacked by the occult teens. Somehow they searched for me and found me here in this town. They apologized for their rude behaviour and claimed that they didn’t know that I was the ‘messenger’ of Nold: the Chosen one a.k.a. The Round One. Only by freeing me from my bubble suit, they will receive prosperity promised by the Nold and will not suffer mutation for ‘dishonouring’ me. Goodness, they really are fanatic! Are they trying to kill me??
“Wait! You don’t want to do this!” I said when I saw one of the Dick-s taking out a pair of scissors, “I’ll die out there!”
“Oh, poor Angela!” One of the Angela-s said in pity, “She has been trapped in that bubble suit so long that she doesn’t which side is safe!”
“Don’t worry, Angela. We’ll save you,” said another Dick.
I thought I was a goner with that pair of scissors coming closer to my bubble suit when I was rescued by the freaks I met before. Apparently they still wanted to follow me to Niagara Falls. I was glad they did. They quickly led me away from the crazed occult teens to the taxi before they start catching up with us. Coincidentally, we came across Tiger and his band of bikers. I was also glad to see him. I kinda missed him somehow, although I was pretty curious at what was he doing here.
I explained quickly that the freaks were on my side and ran off. Tiger and his biker team helped me ward (or was it kicked and punched?) the occult teens away. They seemed like they knew each other, judging by the way they fought. I thought I heard one of the Angela-s said “You Again!” at Tiger, but I was anxious to get out of there. I urged the old driver to drive away in a hurry. I forgot to thank the freaks. Oh well, maybe during the next time we meet then.
Once we’re well away from the mob, I relaxed. I thanked the driver (who called himself Danny) profusely. How did I get into all this mess since the day I left my house, I have no idea.
“I can see you’re chasing a man,” Danny said, keeping his eyes on the road.
“Yeah, my boyfriend,” I replied, blushing a little, “I just wanna stop his wedding and tell him how I feel.”
“You go, girl! That’s what I like about teenagers—they do anything they please and still surprise the adults with thousands of possible results!”
We got along pretty well. He told me an interesting story about him and his twin brother, Donny, chasing the same girl, which almost cost them their brotherhood friendship. Until the end, they found out that the girl was actually a pair of twins like them too! Danny married the elder sister, Penelope, while Donny married the younger, Patricia.
Again, I slept through the journey. No bad dreams this time, but no good dreams either. I guess I slept like a log the whole night. That was when I realized that the jeep taxi was moving abnormally fast and we were incoming to a dead end up front. I turned to looked at Danny and was horrified to find out that he was also fast asleep! I tried to wake him, but in vain.
“Danny! Danny, wake up! WAKE UP!!!!”
Danny also slept like a log; I couldn’t wake him up. I was sure he’s not dead for his body was still warm and he had a pulse, but I just couldn’t wake him up! I had no choice but to jump out of the jeep and ended up bouncing all the way to a 7-eleven kind of shop in a small motel lane.
I went into the shop and borrowed the shop-keeper’s phone booth. I rang for Mac Damien’s handphone but it was a woman who answered the phone.
“Hello, is Mac Damien there?” I asked.
“May I know who’s calling?”
“Evvie? Is that you, Evvie? It’s me, Julia.”
“Oh! Hello, Julie,” she didn’t sound amused. Go figures.
“Guess what? I’m in New York now, I guess. I’m almost near Niagara Falls now. I…”
“That’s nice, Julie dear, but just to let you know, Mac Damien and I are getting married in one hour. You’ll never make it on time.”
“We’ll see about that, Evvie,” I said confidently.
“If you even get here, what good does it do to you?” Evvie sounded pretty scornful. “How are you gonna hold him? You can’t even touch her. How are you going to give him children? Do you even have eggs, for goodness sake? Face it, bubble girl. You’re just charity material. Mac Damien befriended you because he took pity of your pathetic situation. I’m the only one who can give him a normal family, not you! Go back to your bubble world!”
Evvie then hung up on me. My world fell into pieces. I wasn’t sure about the eggs, but there’s one thing Evvie was right about. Even if I got to Niagara Falls, I won’t even be able to hold him in my arms, let alone tell him how I feel. I lost terribly. Going to Niagara Falls was a stupid idea in the first place. I dialed my mom’s handphone and told her where I was. I bought myself a cold drink from the shop (since Vellu’s ice-cream came out from a cold van, I guess cold drinks can be considered germ-less) and waited outside the shop for my parents.
Soon, my parents came. My mom was so overjoyed that she fussed over me like she did always. Somehow, her over-protective attitude over me was beginning to make me sick. They better get this over and done with and take me home before I puke! Mom told us to wait in the car while she went to the ladies’ room.
Dad and I waited silently. Come to think of it, dad and I never talked much. The closest we ever got together was when he tried to teach me how to ride the bike. Dad was the first to break the ice.
“So, how was it like out in the real world? Cool, eh?”
“Mmhmm,” I mumbled quietly.
“You know, I never once blamed you for running away. In fact, I persuaded your mom over and over again to let you out in the open. I heard you sneaking out of the house that morning, you know.”
I was surprised to know this new side of my dad.
“My father used to say, ‘It’s not worth it to be an astronaut if you are able to travel around space but unable to set foot on the planet itself’. You know how that feels, don’t you, Julie?”
Before I had enough time to comprehend it, I heard the door latch open. Dad actually unlocked the door for me to continue my journey! I felt like kissing him, but I hugged him instead.
“Thanks, dad. You’re the greatest.”
“Go get him, Julie. He’s meant for you.”
Before I knew it, I was heading for the airfield, which was nearby the motel lane. I was thinking of catching a plane so that I can reach Niagara Falls faster. As expected, I heard my mom yelling for me, “Julie! Julie, come back to mommy!!”
“No, mom! I have to do this!” I yelled back, then said to myself, “I’m not going back home!”
Surprisingly, I saw Vellu’s ice-cream van driven by Tiger and his biker gang. I thought he was traveling with his Harley Davidson! What happened to it? Besides that, I saw those dreaded occult teens in their ‘Happy Days’ bus and the freaks in an old second-hand Volvo! Yikes! What is everyone I met doing here?! I couldn’t care much anymore. I had to continue running.
I was in luck. There was a plane ready to take off. I jumped and grabbed onto the wing as tight as I could. Painfully, I climbed into the passenger seat and found myself soaring through the air. I could hear the vehicles crashing each other at the ground. I hope no one’s hurt.
“You must be Julia Dorian, am I right?”
I turned around to face the pilot and was shocked, “Danny?”
“No, I’m Donny, Danny’s twin brother! My brother paged me and asked me to look out for a bubble girl. You’re her, right?”
“Yeah! I gotta get to Niagara Falls fast!”
“Gotcha, girl! Hang on tight!”
I was fascinated by the way we actually glided through the clouds and whizzed through the blue sky. This was so cool! I bet not much people could actually be on the sky and see clouds up close.
“Here we are, girl! Niagara Falls!” Donny called out.
I gaped at the scenery. It was so beautiful: the waterfall was flowing down gracefully to the depths below and the foam was majestically white. This was better than any scenery I saw in TV or anime! It’s even more exciting than National Geographic or Animal Planet!
As we continued flying, I saw the church, which was situated somewhere near the banks of Niagara Falls. I hollered at Donny to turn to that direction but the plane suddenly had problems. It flipped and glided at its own accord and flung me out of my seat. I screamed as I fell into the crashing waves of the Falls. I held on to a nearby trunk for my dear life not to drown, yet Tiger’s words suddenly rang in my ears, ‘You didn’t step out of that bubble room just to play safe now, did you? Don’t live in regrets, lass.’
“No regrets. No regrets!” I told myself as I let go of the trunk. I knew that one way or another, I will get to the church, even if it cost me my life. As I let myself be carried away by the current and felt myself falling down the Falls, I shouted one last time, “NO REGRETS~~!!”
Somehow, I was spared from death. The bubble suit was tough enough to endure the impact of the fall and I found myself floating up the surface again. Oh, how I cheered as I tried to swim back to shore. I ran with all my might to the church. I heard the parson was saying, “If anyone wishes to object this joining of these two couple, speak now or forever hold your peace.”
Right on time to make a romantic entrance. I barged into the church and yelled, “I object!!!”
Everyone was (as expected) startled to see me. Who wouldn’t? You don’t see someone in a bubble suit barging in to stop a wedding everyday. Mac Damien was also surprised to see me. I thought I saw a hint of happiness and relief in him, but then again, it could be my imagination.
“Hey, I told you to go back to your bubble world, Julie!” Evvie was obviously not too happy to see me. She looked really beautiful in a satin white wedding dress embroidered with dozens upon dozens of tiny little jeweled crystals. How could I compare with her? But she definitely would never compare to Mac Damien’s suavity in that black polished tuxedo. I was mesmerized for a moment there.
“Julia, what…what are you doing here?” Mac Damien asked. “You came all the way here?”
“Go back, Julie! He’s mine! He already said his ‘I do’-s!”
“Shut up, Evvie. This is between me and Mac Damien.”
“Julia?” Mac Damien came closer to me.
It’s now or never. I couldn’t care less anymore. I removed the clasp that held the bubble suit around me. I tore it off in front of everybody, including the horrified Mac Damien.
“Julia? Julia, what are you doing? You can’t…”
I peeled the suit off me. For the first time my whole 20 years in life, I was out in the open air. I went near to Mac Damien and said, “I’d rather spent a minute with you than regretting that I never did for the rest of my life. It’s not right for a girl to ask for this, but…would it be OK for me to…kiss the groom?”
Mac Damien seemed like he didn’t need to be asked twice. He took my face and kissed me deeply. He was younger than me but he was obviously more ‘experienced’ than I was. All of a sudden, I felt kinda dizzy. I couldn’t stand still. I knew I was done for. A germ has got into me. But I was contented anyway.
“Im mela lin,” I whispered ‘I love you’ in Elvish to Mac Damien before falling to the ground. I heard Mac Damien and the rest of the guest in the church gasp. I could hear him calling for me. Soon I heard more voices. Were they the angels coming to get me? Or was it the Messenger of Death and his army coming to claim my soul?
No, it was my mom’s voice. And dad. And Tiger! And the freaks! What are they doing here? Why can I still hear them? I thought I was supposed to be dead! What’s going on?
“You bastard! You killed my princess!” Mom was yelling at Mac Damien.
“She’s not dead. You’re not dead, Julie. Wake up,” I heard dad calling me. I’m not dead?
“Oh, my poor darling!” Mom wailed.
“Honey, tell her. Tell her the truth. Go on.”
There was a momentary silence before I heard my mom said, “Julie, you’re not dead.”
“I’m not?” I asked, opening my eyes almost immediately. I heard Tiger and the freaks sighed in relief.
“You…You’ve already developed your immunities when you’re 4. You’re practically safe. But-But I couldn’t let you be exposed to the evilness of the outside world! I love you too much to let you be corrupted by anyone. I was worried you would lose your immunities again if you’re outside. I…”
I got up, feeling stupid and betrayed. I was a normal girl all along and yet I’ve been locked up in an imaginary prison for 20 years? That didn’t strike me as a very nice thought. In fact, it’s cruel! I was living a lie for 20 years and deprived of my freedom for so long! I was normal all along! This is not fair! I was about to yell at my mom when I realized one thing: she did it because she loved me. Who would never love their own flesh and blood? Mom just didn’t know how to let go, that’s all. After all, I’m her only daughter.
So, I ended up hugging her for the last time, saying, “I love you, mom. But you gotta learn to let me go now.”
I then turned back to Mac Damien, who was all smiles. I had to shake my mom’s hand off a little to go to him (I had to; she has to learn to let go, as in, right now). I smiled sheepishly as I said, “Well…I guess I’m not quite dead yet. So…”
Mac Damien didn’t need me to say more. He kissed me passionately and took my hand as we walked out of the church, leaving the very upset Evvie to herself.
And the rest was expected. Mac Damien proposed to me properly and we got married at Texas. I invited a number of people, mostly the interesting people I met during my journey to Niagara Falls. I found out a lot good things happened to them though. The freaks were in good terms with Dr. Freak and they were hired to do decent jobs. Some of the freaks were able to live normally after undergoing surgery, especially the conjoined heads freak, the one with the long nose and the one with weird arms and fingers, thanks to the kind sponsors of the public. I found out that Tiger’s legendary love was actually mom! Apparently mom has been decent for too long that she had forgotten how to have fun. She was in good terms with Tiger and now she and dad are joining Tiger’s team into the life of biking and traveling again. Well, that’s one way to get rid of mom.
Vellu, on the other hand, had collected a number of followers, and they were no other than the occult teens! Even their High Priest has embraced Vellu’s religion! Vellu was kind enough to sponsor us the wedding cake—ice-cream cake, as a matter of fact. The weird Chinese gamblers were also there. I did not invite them, but they’re welcomed to join anyway. The host gave us a wedding present of, yes, $500! We competed at shouting the loudest again.
“What was that about?” Mac Damien asked.
“I’ll explain later,” I said, taking him as far away as possible from them.
After our wedding dinner, I wished mom and dad a great time and left to our new home. Danny and Donny were our chauffer to take us to our home. I got to meet their wives Penelope and Patricia, and they really look alike! I got confused myself!
There you have it, folks! The story of my life and my outrageous adventure. And I can tell you this, it was all worth it. I have a normal life now, and I have 3 beautiful children and most importantly, I have Mac Damien. What am I doing right now? I’m now a quite well-known cartoonist earning extra income for the family while he works as a lawyer. Right now, at this very moment, I’m in labour and waiting for the doctors to come. He and the kids are right by my side now, if you’re wondering where they are. Our 4th child, imagine that! And Evvie said I had no eggs!
OWW! Ohh~~!! Mac Damien, I hate you~~!
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