Chapter Text
The desert brought me back to the time I shut down the brewery. I remembered how hot the ground was and how painful my blisters were. This time it wasn’t a long walk as the stall wasn’t that far.
When we got to it, the first thing that caught my eye was the salesman who looked familiar. I stopped walkin’ only to hide behind the Mudokon when I noticed who it was, Lulu, the Glukkon who lost his fame and fortune and was now on the street. I could tell it was him as he looked depressed. The low-budget signs didn’t just say “Hammocks for ya lazy butts!” oh gee, thanks. I remember seeing one that said “Lulu fund pleaze help!”
“Abe?” I heard the Mudokon ask.
I shakily replied with, “Dude, get back! That’s a Glukkon!”
The Mudokon didn’t listen and just mouthed everythin’ I said, begginin’ to become bored.
“Ah shaddup. He’s sellin’ hammocks. What could go wrong?”
Lulu’s eyes lit up when he heard us.
“Oh thank Odd! Customers!”
He didn’t even sound like himself. It was too late to go back and I didn’t want to betray the Mudokon, so I just let him drag me over to the stall. When we were close enough, I got distracted by somethin’ in a nearby bin. It was his purple glittery suit! Damn, he had become bankrupt. It definitely was him. I was startled when I heard him clear his throat so he could get my attention.
“I remember ya!” I blurted out.
I was expectin’ him to snarl, but he just calmly replied with, “Ah, you must be that Abe guy everyone’s talkin’ about lately”
I was use to being praised for my kindness and ahem bravery, but a Glukkon bein’ happy for me? Better than becomin’ a Mudokon pop.
“At first I thought you were schmuck”
Wow, how professional.
“But now that the rest of those Glukkons threw me out, I hate ‘em more than I hate you!”
Lulu was gettin’ so worked up that I could almost see him choke back tears.
“Hey Abey! I found one!” I heard the Mudokon say.
He was starin’ at one of the hammocks. It had the same material like the other ones we had but darker.
“I see you’ve found the perfect one” Lulu eventually said. “I’m becoming a changed man and no longer torturin’ Mudokons like you, so I’m sellin’ these bad boys to get my fame back. How about a deal? If ya buy it, I’ll let ya’ get revenge on those Glukkons. What do ya’ say?”
Was he really lettin’ me spit on those Glukkons? Sure, they were incredibly mean but this Glukkon was actually bein’ nice to me.
I smiled so I could brighten his day.
“Screw it, keep the change” I said, payin’ him as I threw some moolah into his expensive looking hat.
Before we were able to leave with the hammock on our shoulders, Lulu told us, “Better be careful with it. This beauty is very mysterious”
This caused us both to laugh hard enough to almost drop the thing. Why would a hammock be mysterious?
It was gettin’ late when we got back and we were both too hungry and tired to hang the hammock up ourselves. Besides, I’m afraid of heights. Instead, we just had dinner while two other Mudokons took over for us and hung up the hammock themselves. Munch noticed how tired we were when we’d finished so he offered to help us wash up.
It was night time and the Mudokons thought it would be a good idea for me to try out the hammock we bought. I hesitated at first, but because of how cranky I was, I accepted. I didn’t tell ‘em that I got it from Lulu, ‘cus I didn’t want anyone to stay awake.
When I eventually reached the canopy, I settled myself into the hammock, not even daring to look down. I was afraid of the ropes breakin’ again, but I didn’t want it to get to my head. All I had to do was lay back and relax after a long day of work.
Every night when mother would tuck me into bed as a child, she would tell me not to look down but to look up instead. It was her way of sayin’ that I mustn’t break down and cry or let my fears get to me and that I should fly higher and pursue my dreams of being free.
I smiled quietly to myself as I looked up at the night sky. It was a very dark indigo colour with so many stars, along with the Mudokon hand-printed moon.
Eventually, slumber came. I slowly closed my eyes and was out like a light. Finally, the sleep I needed. Yea, right…