May 2020

Leavenworth, Washington

USA

In a town known for its tourism and festivities, locals were busy enough to ignore weird things and weird people. But they did not forget the oddest creature living among them–the young master of the old Guo family.

No, they just used to whisper about him.

'Damn, here comes another one,' Aldrich thought.

Di-iing-Diing. The bell atop the door notified him of a customer.

"Hello Ma'am, a pleasant afternoon. Welcome to the Guo Antique Shop."

"Hello, a pleasant afternoon to you too," the woman said.

'And the job's done,' Aldrich thought. He went back to his laptop and scrolled down the article related to Egyptian Hieroglyphs.

"Um, excuse me," the middle-aged woman, Ms. Julia, came up to the counter.

Aldrich reluctantly raised his head and gave an apologetic smile. "Yes?"

"Can you recommend me something like pottery?"

He raised his eyebrows, "I have the perfect piece for you to take back to Canada."

He brought her to the Porcelain and Pottery section. And with confidence reached the bottom layer to pull out an item.

"The Italian couple's masterpiece from 1923. These colors are traditional. The depiction of pheasant birds and road runner symbols, with vines, flowers, and rain, makes it one item to have on your shelf."

The polychrome jar seemed to be in excellent condition and squeaky-clean. And around the jar's neck was a tag as the authenticity of the piece. Ms. Julia was still admiring the designs when Aldrich, in a hurry, took it to the counter. She could not help but follow him.

"As you are our first customer today, you deserve a discount of 5%."

She felt confused and happy about the discount at the same time.

"That would be $699 only," Aldrich said, as he handed over the packed item.

"That's expensive…"

"And here is a coupon for a 10% discount at the Museum's Giftshop," Aldrich said. In a swift manner, he exchanged the coupon with the credit card which Ms. Julia had taken out somehow.

"Please come back next time. Happy vacations." Aldrich bowed and sent his third customer out.

The entire experience was so perplexing that Ms. Julia paused and asked herself, "How did he know I am from Canada?"

Aldrich sent a text while the article had occupied most of his attention.

Aldrich: Hey man, just handed over the last coupon.

Boomie: Haha!! :p

Aldrich: okBoomie: ??

Aldrich: wat?

Boomie: So you up for tomorrow's hiking??

Aldrich: yeah

Boomie: cool :D :p

Aldrich put away the mobile and pictured Boomie as a red-haired boy in shorts. He realized the boy of the past had not changed even by a little. Even he didn't find himself changed too much. Twenty years had passed since he found his mission. At that time, he was just 4 years old.

'Learn everything, and live normally,' he remembered.

Yes, to learn everything and as much as he could, till the electric signals in his brain work.

And because of this, he had suffered a tough childhood. The urge to read more and to learn had occupied most of his day. How could he have spared any time for other mortal things?

Bernard, aka Boomie, was the only person who found this oddball fascinating. Boomie had spent his middle school and high school with him. And like Aldrich, Boomie also skipped college and got a job in the town itself. Aldrich had always found a college degree redundant. Boomie agreed with this, but for an entirely different reason.

Around 6:30 pm, he put up a 'Closed' sign and went out for a walk. He loved these evening walks, for Bavarian-themed Leavenworth was a town less of locals and more of foreigners. And even if he had to take out some time, as long as he got to learn something out of them, it would be worth it.

*

After a casual talk with an African-American, he came back to shop. The Guo family's ground floor was the means to put food on their plate and to pay their bills. While the first floor was where they lived. It was not much, but for Aldrich, it had always been more than enough.

"Oh, you've come. Did you see your father?" Mrs. Sarah Guo asked. She put down the brush and gently blew air on the paper.

"No, I did not go that far. Let me help you with the Inkstone."

"Ok, then I better get started with the dinner's preparation."

Saying his mother liked calligraphy would be an overstatement. It's just that she adored the idea to keep trying new stuff. "What're we eating, mom?"

"Rice and beef curry."

"Oh, Boomie and I have planned to go on hiking tomorrow. I would also get the chance to do stargazing from the top of Icicle Ridge."

"What? Wasn't he going for bouldering? Well, stay off the slopes."

Aldrich nodded.

"I'm home," Mr. Ben Guo said, as he entered the hall. He was holding the canvas and other painting tools.

"Dad, what have you painted today?"

"A baffled middle-aged woman in her thirties. She sat on the bench near the fountain and kept looking at a ticket or something."

"Can I see it?" Aldrich asked, wondering about the idea of collective sub-consciousness.

"Yeah, it's here in the bag. Hmm, Oh! I forgot the bag in the car."

Aldrich was already out of the main door even before Mr. Ben told him to get it. He took out the painting while climbing the stairs to the first floor.

"Hey mom look, she is the same lady who bought the pottery you were cleaning this afternoon."She glanced over at the painting while soaking the rice. And yes, same chestnut hairs, same butterfly tattoo on the left shoulder. It was the same lady.

"WOW! What are the chances?" A sheepish smile appeared on her face. She couldn't help but notice her husband narrowing his eyes towards Aldrich.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing Dad, I promise I sold what she wanted, and like always, mom was like an invisible person. That lady didn't even notice mom."

"Ok, fine. Your mother does not have any presence from the start. It's a miracle that even I noticed her. I am wondering what was going on with that ticket."

The pair of mother-son looked at each other and got busy with their work.

The Guo family had a small history in Leavenworth. And it only started with Aldrich's grandfather when he came to America in the late 50s. In 1962, he got a foothold in town after becoming a member of the Project LIFE (Leavenworth Improvement for Everyone) Committee. The project was to revitalize the struggling town when its economy plummeted because of the relocation of the railroad. In the end, he even changed his surname to its Pinyin Romanization.

The Guos became Leavenworth's own ever since.

The Guo (lit. 'The wall that surrounds a city') had a massive history everywhere else. One could trace the family's name to the Xia Dynasty, the first dynasty in traditional Chinese historiography. But now was not the time for history because dinner had already got served.

"Honey, would you bring over the beer from the fridge too? I am extra fatigued from all the painting today."

Mrs. Guo handed the beer over, and said.

"I met Mrs. Sanderson today. You don't remember? We have to do something about your memory. You know the wife of Mr. John, owner of the café by the highway. Well, her niece has come over for summer vacation. She is beautiful, and she works for a travel agency in Seattle."

"Well, if you know this much, then I'm sure you did not meet her by coincidence," Mr. Ben said.

He understood his wife too well. And Aldrich was already eating in a hurry when he heard her mother met someone today. Ignoring her son's oddity, she said, "Well, what do you think? Should I mention Aldrich to her and set up a date?"

Aldrich couldn't help but slow down. There was no point now.

"Mom, ask me, not Dad. I have no interests and time for dating, you know that."

"So what? You need to marry soon. Otherwise, it's not too late to attend college. We already told you, your father can still remember enough things to handle the shop."

"No, I am finally having a normal life as I planned. I've already decided that I will marry a woman who has the qualification of a teacher and who can move here in the town."

Aldrich sighed. This was a routine. The daily repetitions had even tired the questions and answers.

"Some dreams you have, my little Aluu. Why would a woman of those qualifications marry you? It's not like you are handsome or something."

"Mom! You sure know where to kick so that it would hurt the most. And would you stop giving me weird nicknames, I am not 12 anymore."

Mr. Ben kept eating dinner and drinking beer. He nodded as his wife asked and laughed as his son retorted. And Aldrich loved these little things about his father.

Aldrich knew he was normal, and only he knew that all his childhood he had coveted this normal life. Normal brownish eyes, normal black hairs, and a completely normal nose. magic

'And who remembers normal things these days? This one word has bored the society: Normal,' he contemplated.

"Mom, I'll take care of the dishes. Why don't you guys have some rest?"

"Okay. I better look up that travel agency in the meantime."

"I want to read something. Where is my book, you know, the one on hunting?"

Aldrich shook his head. He looked at them and smiled. It's like there was an unwritten and unspoken rule in the house: Never stay still.

At around 11:30 p.m., Aldrich put away his laptop. He had completed his research for that day and then sat down in a meditating posture. This was an inescapable task for him. For 15 minutes before bedtime, he would always say the same words repeatedly.

Aldrich took a deep breath and cleared his mind of any unnecessary thoughts. Then, like a mantra, chanted these words in his mind, 'This is a dream. This is a dream. This...'

Meet the self-claimed lucid dreamer: Aldrich Guo