"Gimme." Tod makes a grab for the shiny object.
"Nah, I found it. It’s mine."
"Lemme see."
I turn away from his out reached hand, "Uh-uh-aah! Wait your turn."
"What is it?"
"No idea."
"What does it do?"
"Again, no idea. Trying to figure it out…"
I wipe the dirt off the surface, push buttons. Swipe my fingers over the top. Nothing happens. "Here!" I toss the offending object at my friend. "You can have it."
"Gee thanks."
He turns it over, reverently examining the entire surface, every niche and button. The object is spherical, the majority is metal, there's a dome of crystal on what could be the top. Two flat buttons sit on the edge between metal and crystal. There's a spot to put your finger tip which Tod touches and it lights up. The object seems to look at him. There are flashes of coloured light and I have a feeling, it’s deciding whether to turn on or not. The crystal face displays a rainbow of colours before becoming completely white. It shines and says, "Ta dah!" As it blasts light in his face.
I grab the object back from Tod, look at the crystal side. The colours fade and it switches off. I press the side buttons, the top place for the finger tip and get no reaction.
"Arrghh!" In a temper fit I throw the sphere across the road. Tod runs after it, narrowly missing a collision with a car. The driver honks his horn as he swerves to avoid him. The object lies underneath a parked car, almost in the gutter. Tod precariously scrambles to get it. People walk over the top of and around his prostrated body. They ignore Tod and whatever he is doing. I wait until there's a break in the traffic and race across the road towards him.
Tod stands with the sphere in his hand. I'm trying to reach him but there are too many people in the way. He is looking at the sphere with concern. People block my eye line. I jump up and over the top of someone's shoulder, catch sight of him shaking the object. I try to hurry but the people in from of me are snail-slow, walking two abreast. I try to barge in front, but other people are coming towards me and I can't maneuver around them. Tod holds the object above his head, I see the sphere radiating light all over Tod, covering him in a myriad of colours. People stop and stand in a ring around him. Gasping as the light grows stronger. I push in between a couple in time to see Tod completely radiant and then he and the object are gone.
It was the strangest thing. In a blink he was there, the next...
As the crowd disburses I can hear some of them chattering about other, normal things as though what they had witnessed was nothing out of the ordinary.
I go to Tod's house but his parents aren't home. The house is devoid of furniture and there's a 'for sale' sign on the lawn. Looks like it's been there for quite a while. I think I'm going insane.
Back home, my parents act as though I'm not even there. They're giving me the silent treatment. Something they usually reserve for each other. I sit at the table, there's no place set for me. I must have done something terribly wrong for them to treat me this way. I take some food from the fridge, then go to my room and eat alone. Wish I could tell my parents what happened. I don't know what's going on with them. I take my used plate and cutlery to the kitchen. Dad doesn't even look up from his paper. I put the items in the sink while she's washing up but Mum doesn't acknowledge me. I retreat to my room.
In my mind, I revisit the events of today, hoping to find something I may have missed. I remember we were playing in the park when Tod heard the little ping, ping, ping, before I did. We followed the sound. I saw the glinting object and picked it up. That's when we tussled over it. The sphere seemed to have his name on it. But where did it come from?
I lie on my bed in the dark and watch shadows on the ceiling, trying to sleep, but every time I'm almost in dreamland, in my mind's eye, I see Tod vanish. I wish I could be with him and know that he's okay. I'm so tired...So very, very, tired.
I close my eyes and drift into sleep.
I wake to my name being called from far away, there's a soft ping, ping, ping and a warm light permeating my eyelids. I think it must be the alarm going off and it's morning. Then I remember what happened yesterday and sit up in bed. I need to pee. Putting my legs over the side of the bed, my fuggy brain realises that there's a rainbow in my room, that it's not dawn's light. I blink. The rainbow grows stronger, it covers me from head to toe. I'm fascinated. I blink and...
