Vista Street, Part 3 – Apprentice Wordsmith

Panting, heart pounding, Sakari ran through the market, scanning the area for any sign of movement, growing more desperate with every stride. He finally saw something — a swarm of shrimp scuttling up the central aisle. They were too bright a pink to be normal animals. He remembered the mission. Sakari summoned his sword and charged at the swarm, screaming.

The shrimp rushed forward and leapt on top of him. Sakari dodged the bulk of the swarm by jumping sideways, though a few managed to grab hold of his clothes. Sakari sliced through them, sending half of the swarm into the air as black smoke.

The shrimp crawled over him, seeking any bit of exposed skin they could sink their tiny teeth into. One of them hopped onto his face and bit his cheek. Sakari yelped as it drew blood. He pulled the shrimp off his clothes and threw them onto the ground. One by one, the shrimp hit the cobblestones and disappeared into puffs of black smoke.

Sakari got rid of those Gibberish as quickly as he had hoped. As the adrenaline ebbed, he caught a whiff of that smell Bern described earlier — a faint, metallic ozone. What stood out more vividly to Sakari, though, was a coppery taste on his tongue.

The groan of a rusty hinge caught his ear. It came from the iron gate swinging open at the far end of the market. That must be where the shrimp came from. Sakari bet that he’d find more Gibberish if he headed that way. If he found and fought more Gibberish, he’d eventually find David and Bern again. They all had the same mission after all.

The lobster led Bern and David down the glowing, gelatinous trail as it snaked over cobblestone and asphalt through a narrow side gate. Only David paused long enough to notice that the gate looked like it had been forced open.

Bern and David caught up with the lobster in a dead-end alley. The lobster spun in confused circles as it noticed the brick walls hemming it in.

“Ha! There you are, motherfucker! Can’t run now!” Bern shouted.

David sighed as he watched Bern charge in. He’d need help with this one, but David needed to conserve his magic. Luckily, he spotted construction debris piled up beside a dumpster. He picked up a brick and threw it at the lobster. A nice hard smack to the head got its attention.

The Gibberish grabbed Bern’s leg with its pincer, the serrated edge digging into his shin. Bern screamed as he beat the creature with his skateboard. It kept bouncing off the lobster’s tough shell. No way he could crack it anytime soon.

Trading magic for force and speed, David telekinetically picked up a broken broom and threw it like a javelin. The sharp end of the broom handle wedged itself into a gap in the lobster’s shell. The lobster let go of Bern and staggered backwards, clearly reeling in pain. It took a moment to steady itself and hold both of its pincers defensively in front of its face.

Bern got an idea. He’d grab that broom handle and use his weight to drive it deeper into the lobster’s body. He skated toward it with the right amount of momentum, but the lobster leaned away just enough so Bern couldn’t reach the broom handle. With a sweep of its tail, the Gibberish knocked Bern off his skateboard.

A second brick bounced harmlessly off the lobster’s shell. Bern sent his skateboard sailing into the lobster’s many thin legs, knocking it onto its back. It frantically wiggled its legs and tail trying to right itself. David grabbed a broken piece of cinder block and threw it at the lobster’s exposed belly. With what sounded like a squeal, the lobster disintegrated into black smoke.

Both boys took a few seconds to catch their breath. Bern dusted himself off and grumbled, “Thanks.”

“I can be useful,” David replied.

“Sure.” Looking around, Bern realized something. He scrunched his face and asked, “Hey. Where’s Sakari?”

David looked around too. “He must not have followed us.”

Bern grabbed his skateboard and jogged toward the alleyway’s entrance. “Shit.”

David whistled to get Bern’s attention. David nodded in the direction of a narrow cut-through before disappearing into it himself. Bern turned around and ran after David.