Tony's Arc

Chapter 4 of 9

The truck rolled fast now. Tony had spent his best facts on the first three miles. He told Bev why bees dance and how the moon pulls the sea. His pockets of knowledge felt empty. Bev's engine slowed a little. "You're stalling, small one," Bev said. "That last fact was old. I want new. Or I turn around." Tony's hands went cold. He pressed his face to the window and searched the road for anything strange. Then he saw it. A tall building slid into view. Its walls mixed old arches with bright, bold colors. A little balcony hung over the door. It looked like two different times stuck together. "Bev, wait! Look at that building," Tony said. "It's got old windows and new paint. Somebody built it in two styles on purpose. See the round arches? Those are old. But the colors are brand new." Bev slowed and studied it through his windshield. "Huh. I drive past that all the time," he said. "I never looked up." "There's more," Tony said fast. In front of the building stood a shiny metal sculpture. Silver loops twisted around each other like frozen ribbon. It caught the sun and threw light across the road. "That statue," Tony said. "It has no start and no end. The loops just flow. Artists make shapes like that to show movement without moving. It's standing still, but your eyes think it's spinning." Bev's mirrors twitched. His engine gave that short cough that meant a laugh. "Standing still but spinning," he repeated. "That's a good one." Tony's heart lifted. He wasn't just remembering facts anymore. He was finding them. The whole road was full of them. Every building, every sign, every strange shape was a fresh thing to notice. "That's the trick, isn't it?" Tony said, half to himself. "I don't need to know everything. I just need to keep looking." "Keep looking, then," Bev said. He rolled forward, faster now. "You've earned another mile." Tony grinned and pressed both hands to the glass. He watched the road pour toward them. A billboard. A water tower. A field of wind turbines turning slow. Each one held a question he could crack open for Bev. The truck climbed a long hill. At the top, the land opened wide. Far ahead, past the fields, Tony saw a thin gray line. It was the road to Pondview, bending toward the water. But the sun was dropping. The sky turned orange at the edge. Tony did the math. Pondview was still far. The drive would run into the dark. And in the dark, he could not see the road. He could not spot new things to trade. His whole new plan needed light, and the light was leaving fast.