The Year of Ness (Part 1)

 

         “It’s been about four years since then…” Ness sighed as he turned to face the resort window, looking out of it with a blank stare, “I couldn’t do it by myself, but with the aid of my friends, it was accomplished.” He yawned, taking a long stretch of his fatigued muscles.

            Ness had just turned sixteen not long over five months ago, he had decided that with his powers, he could travel to anywhere. Most of the time, Ness lingered over the past, always thinking of the times he had with his friends. He never once stopped thinking about it, the new smells, tastes, sights, people, everything! It was so much adventure for one so young, and yet, he held it together and saved the world. His accomplishments are recorded in the Onett library in a book entitled, “The Wish of All”. Before the separation of the Chosen, they went and recorded all of their own, unique experiences and turned them in for publication. This book became a worldwide hit, with close to 100 million sold.

            Ness slumped down farther in the chair, pulling his hat over his eyes and resting, recalling the time he had spent in Winters… with Paula. Not so long after the group began drifting after two years, Ness and Paula were inseparable as they spent so much of their time together visiting places they had been. He still had not left her side, as they were currently on stay-away at a resort in Summers while Paula had no work at the Pre-School. Her parents had been reluctant to go together alone to the resort, but after much consideration, they approved.

            Ness’ heart felt heavy from the lack of adventure, his Gutsy Bat had collected a considerable amount of dust, he’s got a closet full of peculiarly similar baseball caps, and an entire safe full of pendants and bracelets.

            Paula emerged into the room, smiling happily at him, clad in a two-piece swimsuit with two handfuls of shopping bags. Ness didn’t startle, he picked his head up slightly to once again look at the oceanfront through the cheap window. Paula approached the chair he was in from behind, as she dropped a low-weight bag onto his lap. Ness jolted slightly, and raised an eyebrow to the parcel placed before him.

            Ness yawned and curiously said through it, “What is this here?”

            Paula smiled brightly as she sat down on the arm of the chair, leaning on him, her words were full of excitement, “Look inside! It’s a surprise for you!”<P>

            Ness was still a little suspicious of what she could have brought back from a two-hour shopping trip, but nonetheless he peered into the bag. Lo’ and behold! Before Ness’ eyes were a pair of Duro’s brand shorts; a designer… yellow and blue Armany collared shirt? As well as a new pair of his favorite shoes, and a brand new Casey-Figer hat.

            Ness put the bag down and eagerly inspected one-by-one each of the item. The hat he inspected first, it was made of fifty percent cotton and fifty percent “gumption” according to the package. As he put that on the side, he took a look at the shirt. Armany was QUITE the name brand and very expensive, it was an EZ-Breathe shirt, which kept one warm in the winter, but let enough through to be extremely comfortable during the summer. He hung the shirt up carefully on the side of the chair as he inspected the Duro’s, he’d never seen such a rough-looking pair of shorts. They were 100 percent denim, and two layers thick and they came with… “Stain-Guard”? Beyond those shorts he laid in his lap, he inspected the shoes. These were just the ordinary shoes he always wore, red, tie-up sneakers. Though… they somehow seemed different. He pondered over it for a second and finally spotted why they were curious to him… the name-brand of the shoes were called, “Ness”. Paula put her arm around him and shoulder-hugged him saying, “I knew you’d like those!”

            Ness silently got up and changed into his new outfit. After he had done so, he wriggled around in it and tugged at the collar of his shirt from each pointed tip. Paula gasped and giggled as she let one leg hand loosely over the front of the chair, “You look great in that outfit! I never get tired of seeing you in blue, red, and yellow!”

            Ness laughed lightly and gazed at her, “Thanks…”, his face brightened as he titled his head slightly to say, “you picked these out!”

            Ness pointed over at a curious shaped package, aligned against the door, he inquired, “Well what about that one over there? What is it?”

            Paula gingerly said, “That one is for later, you’ll find out tomorrow.”

            Ness looked at her and shrugged, “That’s fine with me.”

            Paula never asked why Ness seemed so lethargic, because she knew, she had bought all new things for the both of them in reality, yet he would find out soon that they were about to adventure to a new land, with new dangers and new threats and new friends. She watched as Ness collapsed face first onto the bed, immediately asleep, as she crawled up next to him and put her arm across his back, asleep.