“Holed Up”
“Looking for a
way to
“Digging up Jimmy Hoffa.”
“Eww! You’re supposed to help me calm down, not freak me out!”
“Okay. How about one large latrine?”
“Now,
you’re just being an ass. Fine. How
about looking for the
“Ooh. Someone knows their Earth history.”
“Please. It’s not by choice, I assure you. Wildwing made me go to high school.”
“Yeah, I remember you’re first day. You went kicking and screaming and—Hey, kid!”
Nosedive, with dirt splashed on his face and littering his hair and clothes, glanced up to see the flash of a camera. “Canard!” he bellowed, pushing to stand—only for his ankle to give way, causing him to crash down into the ground. “You so suck!”
Another flash. “Hey, it’s not everyday my little brother happens to fall into a hole! Come on! Let me have some fun.”
Scowling, Nosedive crossed his arms and leaned back against the walls of the small hole. Well, small was a relative term. About twenty feet deep, not allowing Canard to reach down and help him up, while not even wide enough to allow him to stretch out his legs, the hole pretty much kept him in one place and stuck in close quarters—with the bugs and the vines and the dirt and…and…He pulled his legs to his chest, then dropped his beak to his knees.
“Wasn’t there a movie about someone digging holes?” Canard’s muffled voice sounded, easing Nosedive’s fears. If Canard was there, he didn’t need to worry.
“Yeah, I’ve heard of that one,” the teen replied with a shrug. “Wasn’t it Disney or something?”
“Oh. I don’t watch that kind of stuff.” Canard popped a French fry into his beak. “Too corny.”
Nosedive snorted. “Oh, please. I saw you sniffing at The Little Mermaid last week.”
Canard glared down the hole. “You lie!”
“You wish, and if you don’t want everyone to know that, then I suggest to fork over whatever it is you’re eating.”
The older drake took a huge bite of his cheeseburger, then gazed down into the hole. “Open your beak. I want to see if I can get a fry in it.”
Nosedive scowled upward. “I twisted my ankle, not my wrist. I can catch.”
“Yeah, but where’s the fun in that?”
Nosedive scowled but complied. Dangling the fry for a moment, Canard released it—only to hit Nosedive’s knee. The teen rolled his eyes but ate it anyway. “Now give me my burger.”
“Oh.” Canard smiled down sheepishly. “You wanted one?”
“Well, now I do. Stars, Canard! I’m starving down here.”
“Well, you said you weren’t hungry, so I figured you didn’t want a burger from the Clown.”
Rolling his eyes, Nosedive motioned as if he would strangle the older drake. The teen whined before snatching the fry, dusting off the dirt, and chucking it in his beak. “That was before I fell an hour ago. Not to mention, the burgers are so much better from the King.”
“Come on,” Canard dismissed, wrapping up the second half of his burger. “You’re just afraid of the Clown.”
An eerie child’s voice sounded from Nosedive. “I can’t sleep. Clowns will eat me.”
“And here I always thought your fear came from the Joker. Look out below!”
Nosedive raised his eyes, then effortlessly caught the wrapped up half a burger. Smiling up his thanks, he quickly unwrapped it—to scream. “You have tomato guts all over it. Gross!”
“Hey, beggars can’t be choosers. If you don’t want it, then throw it back up.”
“I never said I didn’t want it.” He slowly picked off the tomatoes, then took a bite. “You think the Greenies get a lot of babes?”
Canard snorted and threw another French fry into his beak. “Do I want to know where that thought comes from?”
“Well,” Nosedive propped his elbow upon his knees and flicked out a hand, “when the Greenies came, they said they only said they were smart to impress the babes. You think they get a lot?”
“They’re big, green, blobby aliens.” He shook a bottle of Coke over the opening. “Not to mention, huge brains are usually a turn-off for girls, y’know? Most girls go for the bad boys.”
Nosedive’s eyes lit up, and he put down the burger to catch. “You know from experience?”
Canard immediately deflated. “…yeah, but I never said that.”
“Just like you never cried at The Little Mermaid.”
“Exactly.”
“Speaking of bad boys, do you realize that if Mallory bonds with Duke, she would be my aunt?”
Canard snorted. “There is something just so wrong about that.”
“Tell me about it. She’s even younger than Wing.” Nosedive swigged the soda before rubbing his fingers lightly around the straw. “Hey, um…Canard?”
“Yeah, kid?”
Nosedive finished the burger, then threw the wrap up, aiming for the older drake’s head. He missed. “What was it like growing up? I mean, with Wing and Shane as brothers?”
Canard shrugged easily. “I dunno. We were like other siblings, if that’s what you mean.”
“Yeah, but…” He averted his eyes and finished the Coke in one gulp. “Never mind.”
They sat in heavy silence for a moment or two before Canard interjected, “It was nice having someone you could rely on, and y’know, I was a little worried at first having a twin. But then, when we were even closer and we found out that we knew everything about each other, it was cool. I mean, we fought, even once about a girl. She…uh… wanted to see how both twins did certain things, and it got pretty heated, but that’s with every family.”
“Oh.”
“Just to let you know, kid. Your brother had an inkling your father had kept some details back, so he had us break into Harper’s office. Didn’t find anything else, but…he never forgot about you, kid. Even though Shane and I tried to get him to at times. No offense, y’know, but I really thought we’d never meet you.”
Nosedive ducked his head and wiped the side of his face.
“Dust?” Canard offered.
“Dust,” Nosedive confirmed.
“By the way, Wildwing’s afraid of rubber duckies.”
Nosedive’s red-rimmed eyes shot upward. “No? Really?”
“Yeah, but don’t tell him I told you, all right? He doesn’t like people knowing.”
“I wonder what he’ll think when there are a hundred duckies in his bathtub?” As he started to conceive the plan, he realized he would need to actually get out of the hole. “How long until Wildwing comes with the Migrator, anyway?” Then, they could attach a wedge to its bumper, drop the line down the hole, and finally pull him out.
“Don’t know,” Canard replied with a sigh. “Apparently, he was called away on the way over. Could be a few minutes, could be a few hours.”
Nosedive drew his head back and then looked up, befuddled. “Why—oh, crap. Saurians attack again, huh?”
“More like one of the natives went crazy. He didn’t say much about the guy’s plan, only his name. ‘The Mind-Bender.’ My interest is slightly piqued as to what this guy’s power or evil plan might be, but ah.”
“You want to go?” Nosedive offered, waving a hand. “Just come back when you’re done. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”
Canard snorted. “Sorry, kid. You’re stuck with me. I keep thinking about the Saurians coming and trying to dump dirt into the hole, and I…well…let’s just say…”
Panic spiked Nosedive’s gut. He pointed ignored the why the hole was there, and now, he simply wanted out. An intense shivering took over, and he clutched his legs to his chest.
“Don’t worry, kid,” Canard called down the hole, now laying on his stomach. “I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere, okay? No matter how long it takes. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
His shivering instantly calmed, and though a few shakes remained, the teen was able to bring them under control. “Canard…um…I just…well…”
“Spit it out, kid. I’m getting old waiting.”
Nosedive finally firmed his resolve. “Thanks…y’know? You don’t have to be my big brother, but you still are.”
Canard shrugged again, and a gentle smile crossed his features. “Hey, what can I say? I’m just freakin’ awesome.”
Nosedive snorted. “I wouldn’t go that far. Hey, maybe that’s what this hole is for. Dumping some pompous ass’s hide.”
“Or some annoying teenager who just got too big for his skates.”
“Maybe it has to do with the Mind Bender’s evil scheme!”
“Or how about…”
The End