tunnels

i was walking the dog through the woods, trusting him without the leash, vaguely exploring the area surrounding a town i thought my true love might be from. i expected to find her there, for sure, not knowing her name or anything seemed trivial.

we came across a series of peculiar foundations stacked atop one another like a pyramid, seven- or eight-foot-tall concrete walls filled in with dirt, overgrown with kudzu. jasper sniffed around the outskirts while i climbed up, found that there really was no visibility added from the height i reached, then began climbing down. when i reached the bottom i found him frantically sniffing about a particular piece of the wall, and when i approached i realized there was a wooden door, barely visible behind the vines. after a few moments of tearing the plantlife away, the old rotting wood swung aside on hinges that could've been oiled earlier that morning, if not replaced altogether.

there were stairs leading down, and as i entered i realized jasper was following along obediently, not leading the way in a frantic snuffling rush as would normally be the case. below, we found it well-lit despite the cracked cement and the occasional centimeter-deep puddles of water slowly being fed by groundwater seeping through the walls. it looked like any other empty basement, except for the tunnel leading out one side of it. we followed it for a long while, eventually coming to another wide-open room, with stairs leading up and other tunnels stretching off in other directions, though this one was clearly inhabited - like any good party basement, there was a bar, a pool table, a few couches, freezer, and a wide-screen television with two very stoned guys playing video games. "hello?" i said.

"hey!" came the response, in an expectant tone with only a touch of the shock i expected. "you're early!" one of them raised a hand and jabbed a thumb towards the bar. "grab a beer, man! snacks and music upstairs, pizza should be here in an hour."

"uh, thanks!" i said, then retrieved a beer. it was unlabelled, dark, and surprisingly delicious. the dog had finished his inspection of the room and climbed the stairs, where he patiently waited for me to come up and open the door for him. i obliged. above was a fairly standard house, with all the promised amenities.

not wanting to linger and have to potentially answer questions that would reveal me as an uninvited explorer, i allowed myself a handful of chips and searched for the front door. when i opened it, i found a group of seven or eight laughing twenty-somethings on the other side, who immediately poured inside without so much as a glance in my direction. the last one through pulled the door closed behind them as they all split up, taking up well-rehearsed positions around the kitchen or just disappearing back downstairs. i heard someone say they were glad these parties had restarted, and somewhere else i gathered that all the houses in town were connected by the tunnels i'd traveled through; why, then, anyone would come through the front door, mystified me.

jasper rejoined me, looking about as confused as i was (though plenty happy to be around new people), and after scratching him behind the ears a minute, i reopened the door. more people poured in. this happened four or five more times, before finally i decided against leaving out the front door at all. i wandered downstairs, where i replaced my empty beer for a full one, and had about decided which direction to leave in when i realized jasper hadn't followed me into the basement.

back upstairs, i found him laying happily on the corner of a couch, surrounded by already-buzzed people loudly cooing and petting him. he looked too happy to move, so i found a bathroom, took care of my business, and returned to find their attention spans depleted, a lone grinning puppy still panting on the couch. i sat down next to him, paying only moderate attention to the still-growing party crowd. i didn't particularly want to be there, though by now i was anonymously concealed by the sheer number of people present. i glanced out the window at the nighttime sky, dominated by a full, beautiful view of the planet earth. i tried to ask someone why exactly we could see earth in the sky, and the only response i could get was, "yeah, it's beautiful, isn't it?"

minutes passed, or days, or hours, and as things began to wind down a bit, a girl came and sat down next to me, dropping into the cushions so heavily that it woke up my napping puppy for just a moment. she looked at me, prismatic eyes glowing beneath a light wave of dirty blonde hair, then began sliding down in her seat until her feet were comfortably stretched out across the coffee table. her eyelids fluttered closed, and her breathing changed pace, and i found myself inexplicably knowing that it had been days since she'd slept. maybe a week. i began considering leaving again, but just then her arms came up, wrapped around my neck and shoulders, and pulled me down to her, eyes still closed. she turned a bit, as i had to, to effectively curl up with me, and i obliged by holding her just as closely, feeling the same unyielding sleep begin to creep up on me. perhaps it had been a week since i had slept, as well. her breath was warm, and her leg soon draped itself over mine.

i am not sure when we started kissing, but i felt i had found what i'd been looking for, and drew over me a comfort i had not felt for years. it covered us both like a blanket, and we were soon asleep.

i awoke at home, alone except for jasper sleeping at my side. when he noticed i was awake, he slapped at my hand with a paw, as if to say, thanks for the adventure. now i need to go pee.