TBC Publishing Pride Month Flash Fiction Challenge, 8 of 30
Title: Drifter and Ian
Author: R. Scott Tyler
Genre: Mystery / Fantasy
Word count (500 max): 498
Drifter had taken the evening bus to Tagaytay City and then found his way to a lonely beach on Taal Lake via Jeepney and tricycle. Nothing but what was in his backpack, a hammock, and a tarp.
Every weekend, Drifter would lie in this hammock, tied between two trees with a view of Taal, his eyes closed and his phone lying on his chest, the speakers pointed toward his chin. His childhood friend, Ian, had recently appeared on his “suggested listening” podcast list on Spotify. Listening to the podcast now takes him back to school days when he and Ian were thick as thieves every moment they could possibly spend together.
Ian’s new podcast came out two months ago, exactly ten years after graduation, when Drifter went to Manila and Ian went to Melbourne (Ian’s parents had money, while Drifter’s parents had relatives in Manila)—their last year of school had been eye opening as well as soul changing for them. They professed their love for each other and then promised to “make it big” before getting back together, no matter how long it took. They promised to keep in touch and even did so for the first six months.
The podcast focused on outer space and was particularly popular among individuals who believed in ET and flying saucers. Drifter wasn’t sure why it had been on his suggested listening list, but he was happy to hear Ian’s voice again. He made comments on every episode he listened to, but so far, neither Ian nor anyone else has responded.
This morning, as the sun rose behind him and he looked out over the lake, water starting to take on a sparkly texture, he noticed a boat coming toward him. This was not his first overnight camping trip on these shores, so he was accustomed to being scolded and even shooed off some public land that wealthy homeowners thought was their beach. He no longer worried unless he saw a gun.
There was no gun on this boat; there wasn’t anything on it. It was an odd craft, and when it came sliding up the beach from the lake and stopped a few feet from him, he realized it was more like a large silver frisbee than a boat. A circle opened directly in the center of the shape, and a man’s head rose on a lift from inside. It was Ian, smiling directly at him.
“Ian,” he said.
“Drifter,” Ian replied. He continued smiling and motioned an invitation to Drifter to join him on the silver disc.
Drifter practically fell in the sand trying to get out of his hammock while looking at nothing but Ian. His backpack ended up emptying itself onto the beach, and he reached out to his friend from his youth. As soon as he was on the disc next to Ian, the center started to descend again into what was now, from the looks of the inside, a comfortable ship of some sort.
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