>>5780358“Right, so get this:” The skater explains with growing excitement in his tone, “There’s this whole stretch of wash that goes underground, right? And usually you gotta steer clear of those places cuz’ that’s where all the freaks hang out–the ones that bite you and stuff, not the like, cool people that are also freaks, y’know?”
Sure, you nod, but what about the fountain?
“Oh yea, huh! So anyways,” He continues with a knowing grin, “There’s this one tunnel that goes <span class="mu-i">REAL</span> deep. Like, no sunlight, no work lights, <span class="mu-i">nothing</span>, dude… just <span class="mu-s">HEART OF DARKNESS</span> far as the eye can see, bro!”
Raj’s voice softens almost to the point of reverence.
“But if you have a stalwart heart, bro, you may come across… da-da-DA-NAH! <span class="mu-s">THE FAIRY FOUNTAIN!</span>”
But, you frown, but what <span class="mu-i">IS</span> it!?
“Right, sorry! So imagine, like, a <span class="mu-s">FAIRY GROVE</span> in your head, alright? What do you see?”
Well, you sigh as you lean back a bit to ponder, you think of mushrooms the size of buildings towering over your head, eerie lights of all sorts of colors flitting about… water as clear as glass that glows-
“Woah…” Nods Raj, “That’s… that’s rad, Dee…”
Were you close?
“NOPE!” He laughs with a good-natured shrug, “But there <span class="mu-i">ARE</span> a bunch of plants growing down there–ferns, flowers, buncha trees too… and there’s water, yea, but you learn after the first few times that you shouldn’t drink it…”
First <span class="mu-i">few</span>? The skater nods.
“Anyways, there’s no light at all though! So, like, how do the plants grow, you might ask!”
Yea, you reply with an excited nod, you DO ask! How!?
“Well,” The skater replies in a smug, matter-of-fact tone, “It’s…. A <span class="mu-i">mystery!</span>”
You blink. Not sure what you expected.
“See, Linda woulda’ been able to answer ya.” Sighs Raj as he rocks back and forth. “She was… she was <span class="mu-i">cool</span>, man. She’d always wait up for ya when you ate shit, and even when other skaters gave her crap she didn’t really react, y’know? Like… it all washed offa’ her. Linda was like…”
Raj pauses, picking through the words that come to him to find the best ones, “... she was everyone’s big sis, y’know? Not <span class="mu-i">legally</span>, though.”
>CONTD. 