Reservoir
I wake up. I'm back on my living room couch next to Rex. I look at the TV. It's still off.
"Hey man, you were out for a while." Rex says next to me
"Jesse was called into work again." I tell him
"Well what are we going to do ourselves today?"
I think for a moment, "You know, there's a bowling alley in Payton..."
"Hell yes, that's what I came here for!"
"Okay, you want to go?"
"Yes! Yes, I want to go bowling!"
"Good, good, I knew you'd be down."
We leave the house, and get in Rex's car. We were going to go to the motel first to see if Priyan wants to go with us. We pull up to the motel and walk up to Priyan's room door. I knock on the door. No answer.
I knock again. Still no answer. I look through the window to his room. Priyan wasn't there.
"We should go anyway. We're already here." I say.
"Yeah, let's go."
"Okay, let's do it."
We get in the car and drive away.
We drive to Payton to the bowling alley and get out. We walk inside the bowling alley and look around. We see a lot of people. A porcupine in a brown shirt talks to a woman at the counter. We see ten bowling lanes with five ball return machines on them.
We go up to the counter and wait to talk to the porcupine in the brown shirt. It's finally our turn. The porcupine looks up at us.
"How can I help you?" He asks
"We would like to get a lane."
"Alright, you boys can have lane 3." The porcupine presses a button below the counter and lane 3 lights up for us.
We go to get our balls. I look around and see a light blue ball. I try out the finger holes, they fit, but the ball is a bit heavy for me. I start to worry that I'm going to drop it. I don't want to drop it. The ball keeps slipping out of my hands. I can't get it to stay in.
"Hey man, you seem to be having a bit trouble with your ball." Rex says, noticing the trouble I'm having.
I look up at the lane. The pins are set up the way they normally are. I don't know what to do.
"Should we try it?"
"Yeah, let's give it a try."
We put our balls on the ball return machine, and I sit down to put in our names into the system.
I pick up my ball and walk over to the lane. I prepare myself, and roll the ball. I knock down three pins. I look at the score. I got a 3.
"Nice job." Rex says.
I'm not sure if I should try again. I decide to try again. The machine returns my ball, and I go again. I knock down another three pins. My score for this turn is 6. Rex goes up next.
He throws his ball hard and knocks down five pins. His score turns to five. The machine returns his ball, and he goes again. He knocks down another five pins.
"Oh yeah, SPARE!" Rex yells as he's wagging his tail.
He's so happy. It's my turn again. I grab my ball and go up to the lane. I knock down two pins. The machine returns my ball and I go up again. I knock down another two. My score is now 10.
It's Rex's turn. He goes up to the lane. He throws the ball with all his might. He knocks down eight pins. The machine returns his ball. He goes up again. He knocks down the final two. It's another spare.
It's my turn again. I walk up to the lane. I throw my ball, and get a strike. I get excited.
It's Rex's turn again. He throws his ball, he gets a strike as well.
"Way to go Rex!" I yell
He is smiling ear to ear.
I go up to the lane. I throw the ball. I knock down two pins. The machine returns my ball, I go again. I knock down another two, I'm at 24 now.
Rex's turn again. He goes up to the lane. He throws his ball, and it lands in the gutters. The ball is returned to him. He goes again. He gets a spare.
The rest of the game goes along, and Rex wins the game with a whopping 68 points. We go to the counter and pay for our game. We go back to the car. We get in and drive back to Echo.
We get back to the motel, and see something strange. We get out of the car. We see Tyriqua walking out of Priyan's room.
"Hey Tyriqua." I say to her
"I found your friend on the side of the road." she said "He looked really thirsty, so I picked him up and he told me to drive back to the motel."
"Is he okay?" I ask the fox
"Yeah, I gave him some water."
We go into the motel room and see Priyan sitting on the bed.
"Priyan?"
He looks up and sees us.
"Where were you?"
"I was attacked." Priyan answers
"Attacked? How?" I ask
"A creature dragged me away. I tried to bind it to the desert, but I don't think I really got it."
"You tried to bind what?"
"I tried to bind what attacked me." he says "It looked like a tent, but it had a face."
"What happened next?"
"I don't know. I blacked out afterward."
"Can you walk?" I ask him.
"Yeah, I think so." he answers, and stands up.
"Let's get you to the hospital."
"I'm not going to the hospital."
"He's fine, Utah. We don't need to take him to the hospital." Rex tells me
We both get up and leave Priyan's hotel room. Rex and I go back into his motel room.
I get on the bed.
"How are you doing?" I ask.
"I'm a little tired, but I'm alright." he answers.
I sigh and lean back. I laid there wondering if Priyan's story was true or not. It wasn't that I didn't believe him, but from how invested in fiction he is, he could be making up stuff.
I fall asleep while thinking about it.
"Hey man, you were out for a while." Rex says next to me
"Jesse was called into work again." I tell him
"Well what are we going to do ourselves today?"
I think for a moment, "You know, there's a bowling alley in Payton..."
"Hell yes, that's what I came here for!"
"Okay, you want to go?"
"Yes! Yes, I want to go bowling!"
"Good, good, I knew you'd be down."
We leave the house, and get in Rex's car. We were going to go to the motel first to see if Priyan wants to go with us. We pull up to the motel and walk up to Priyan's room door. I knock on the door. No answer.
I knock again. Still no answer. I look through the window to his room. Priyan wasn't there.
"We should go anyway. We're already here." I say.
"Yeah, let's go."
"Okay, let's do it."
We get in the car and drive away.
We drive to Payton to the bowling alley and get out. We walk inside the bowling alley and look around. We see a lot of people. A porcupine in a brown shirt talks to a woman at the counter. We see ten bowling lanes with five ball return machines on them.
We go up to the counter and wait to talk to the porcupine in the brown shirt. It's finally our turn. The porcupine looks up at us.
"How can I help you?" He asks
"We would like to get a lane."
"Alright, you boys can have lane 3." The porcupine presses a button below the counter and lane 3 lights up for us.
We go to get our balls. I look around and see a light blue ball. I try out the finger holes, they fit, but the ball is a bit heavy for me. I start to worry that I'm going to drop it. I don't want to drop it. The ball keeps slipping out of my hands. I can't get it to stay in.
"Hey man, you seem to be having a bit trouble with your ball." Rex says, noticing the trouble I'm having.
I look up at the lane. The pins are set up the way they normally are. I don't know what to do.
"Should we try it?"
"Yeah, let's give it a try."
We put our balls on the ball return machine, and I sit down to put in our names into the system.
I pick up my ball and walk over to the lane. I prepare myself, and roll the ball. I knock down three pins. I look at the score. I got a 3.
"Nice job." Rex says.
I'm not sure if I should try again. I decide to try again. The machine returns my ball, and I go again. I knock down another three pins. My score for this turn is 6. Rex goes up next.
He throws his ball hard and knocks down five pins. His score turns to five. The machine returns his ball, and he goes again. He knocks down another five pins.
"Oh yeah, SPARE!" Rex yells as he's wagging his tail.
He's so happy. It's my turn again. I grab my ball and go up to the lane. I knock down two pins. The machine returns my ball and I go up again. I knock down another two. My score is now 10.
It's Rex's turn. He goes up to the lane. He throws the ball with all his might. He knocks down eight pins. The machine returns his ball. He goes up again. He knocks down the final two. It's another spare.
It's my turn again. I walk up to the lane. I throw my ball, and get a strike. I get excited.
It's Rex's turn again. He throws his ball, he gets a strike as well.
"Way to go Rex!" I yell
He is smiling ear to ear.
I go up to the lane. I throw the ball. I knock down two pins. The machine returns my ball, I go again. I knock down another two, I'm at 24 now.
Rex's turn again. He goes up to the lane. He throws his ball, and it lands in the gutters. The ball is returned to him. He goes again. He gets a spare.
The rest of the game goes along, and Rex wins the game with a whopping 68 points. We go to the counter and pay for our game. We go back to the car. We get in and drive back to Echo.
We get back to the motel, and see something strange. We get out of the car. We see Tyriqua walking out of Priyan's room.
"Hey Tyriqua." I say to her
"I found your friend on the side of the road." she said "He looked really thirsty, so I picked him up and he told me to drive back to the motel."
"Is he okay?" I ask the fox
"Yeah, I gave him some water."
We go into the motel room and see Priyan sitting on the bed.
"Priyan?"
He looks up and sees us.
"Where were you?"
"I was attacked." Priyan answers
"Attacked? How?" I ask
"A creature dragged me away. I tried to bind it to the desert, but I don't think I really got it."
"You tried to bind what?"
"I tried to bind what attacked me." he says "It looked like a tent, but it had a face."
"What happened next?"
"I don't know. I blacked out afterward."
"Can you walk?" I ask him.
"Yeah, I think so." he answers, and stands up.
"Let's get you to the hospital."
"I'm not going to the hospital."
"He's fine, Utah. We don't need to take him to the hospital." Rex tells me
We both get up and leave Priyan's hotel room. Rex and I go back into his motel room.
I get on the bed.
"How are you doing?" I ask.
"I'm a little tired, but I'm alright." he answers.
I sigh and lean back. I laid there wondering if Priyan's story was true or not. It wasn't that I didn't believe him, but from how invested in fiction he is, he could be making up stuff.
I fall asleep while thinking about it.