On Christmas Eve, at Carter's prodding, I toured the streets. Each path and face were unfamiliar that I began to wonder if I'd ever lived in this town at all. As I've known of old, Bald Slope locals were all knobby and the women tied their hair up in donuts with strings of red adorning the outermost tip — a flower tucked down to the very root of their scalps. It made them look expensively feminine with the right air for gossip.
Few waved at me, but more at my sleek sedan. Cars were a revered novelty, every bright shine of metal caused heads to spun around.
The shops were all decked just in time for the celebration, little red dotty toys full-on display. It was always the season everyone looked forward to; age regardless. A season of regret, renewal, candy, and magic.
I squeezed into a tight lot that belonged to Gridlock — a small unpopular stall that sold the best sweets and peppermint and belonged to Tom Snitch — Dad's bosom friend. Each year, on festive eves, he gifted us some of his top-selling treats.
The door pinged as I scaled in, shrugging off the chill, bits of snow on my slicker. The room a bit warm — heated. Tom looked up from the fresh batch of chocolate bars he was stacking. I smiled at him, breathing in the familiar breeze of toffee and whipped cream candy.
Tom was slender, tall with a sharp jawed face that went in vogue with his silvery hair. He couldn't be more than sixty and still handsome. "Carlie," he beamed back at me. "So nice to see you."
"You too sir," I took in the whole exposed confections in one sweeping glance, the dream of every childhood. The heaps of Cola always got to me and once Sidney had bargained working here without pay.
"And I got these darlings today," he gestured towards little lumps of red liquid I hadn't noted before. "It comes by in a five-year cycle. They solidify when exposed to much air pressure. I'd have taken them out in the cold but their rich content will be lost."
"What do these do?" I dipped a finger in, directing the red trail to the tip of my tongue. Glue.
Tom winked. "Now careful there, it's not particularly tasty in liquid form."
I scrunched my face, derisive. "Now I know,"
He picked up a ladle, scooping some into a small vial. "Take this back home and wait for it to harden. Remember, do as I've just told you."
I nodded, a tad bit disappointed. I was seriously rooting for whipped cream, or Swiss peppermint just like it'd always been. But new stuff is cool too right?
"Off you go. Tell your father that I'd see you all at my house tomorrow for a Christmas dinner".
"That's nice. Thank you so much. Sir, I want to ask you a few questions. Lately, I've been wondering if you knew any Geppetto by any chance?"
Tom looked me up and down. "The Geppetos I know of live in the Sierras."
I squinted at him, aghast. "The Sierras? That's miles away."
"I know Donald Geppetto. He's a personal friend of old. His elder son moved here a few years ago, a very uptight lad"
My chest heaved at this. "Carter Geppetto?"
His face paled. "No. It was Chumlie or something like that. I never met his children in person. They're good people. Why do you ask?"
I deliberated on this for a moment. Carter was the only Geppetto in town who must have been thick-headed enough to move. Could he have a brother or it was a different person altogether?
I shook my head now, tiredly. "Nothing. I just wanted to know. Thanks for the treats once again. Merry Christmas sir."
"Merry Christmas to you too Carlie."
⛄☃️⛄☃️
As soon as I walked through the door with the black vial, Sidney rushed at me. She stared at me searchingly. I produced the vial from my innermost pocket, handing it over.
"What's this?" She examined it, popping the cap open. She inhaled it slowly like a concoction.
"Red gum?"
I stifled a sinister laugh. "Why don't you find out, and oh he also instructed that it should be left open to harden before eating. Don't ask why."
I went upstairs to get out of Dorian's way. She always had the decorations up most eves; gigantic balloons, a huge Christmas tree with streaked lights, and presents wrapped in wraps of red and green, combined with the distinct smell of menthol. We had to make the house more colorful since guests often dropped by.
Dumping my slicker on the bed, I adjusted the window blinds to let in some air, before drawing the closet door open. I've been making use of it a bit more these days, probably because Carter was in there. We'd chat and argue and now it's turning into a habit.
He sat up at once, the scraps of romance novels he'd always pored over were stacked neatly which he used as a pillow. He looked smaller, curled up at a corner like that. Sometimes I found myself wondering how he survived in here, with nothing but darkness and clothes. He never even stank, a shade paler each day.
"You never told me you had an elder brother," I went down to my knees now, accessing him more closely. Though we've never had personal talks, I felt I should've known. "I mean, what's the point of living in here if you'd just continue to keep secrets from me."
He let out a small sigh, moving further away from me. "I've always had things to tell you, Carl, it's just that I don't think you'll handle it well."
"I'm all ears. And I promise to not freak out." I whispered in assurance.
"You don't understand, you're a strange child. I can tell you barely feel pain."
"My thinking is just not of the same with others, but that's what it's all about. We're all different."
He reached out into a corner and pulled out the photograph I'd framed for him. I remember putting it away in one of the boxes under my bed; I meant it to be a Christmas surprise for him.
But not anymore I guess.
"I found it a few minutes ago. It's so nice of you to do this."
I smiled down at him. "A little thank you would suffice."
He nodded, setting it aside. "I was never meant to be in that photograph. My father had me beaten because a part of my face surfaced. It ruined the picture."
"That must have been terrible for you,"
"It was, I never had a normal childhood,"
I raised my knees to my jaw. "Was it that bad?"
"It wasn't bad. It was worse. I was an outcast. A child no one made anything good out of. A black sheep, a useless human."
"Don't say that," I frowned. "You're much better than that."
"I don't deserve this. It was fate that brought us both together. You're so kind to let me stay here and yet I keep giving you problems with my empty demands. No one has ever done what you're doing. My brother hated me."
"He left too if you must know," I chirped.
Carter smiled a little, his features brightened by a fresh speck. "Of course he left, he had to go to college and he became vainer to me afterward. We barely ever talked and when we did he always teased me. He'll tell me about how awesome and manly he looked, his pricey awards taking up most of the shelve space, how sickly I was...Damn. There were times I wanted to nip that in the bud."
"Brother's are like that. I've often found myself thankful that Sidney was a girl. We're each other's best friends."
"You two are close. But we weren't. It was never a fight, not an argument but a night that changed it all. That day happened just like any other day; my dad bullied me, my brother teased, my mom said nothing while I cried. She'd learned to keep out of my Dad's way whenever he got like this."
"I didn't find it funny when my mom abandoned us," I remarked.
"I never schooled. Education hadn't been my priority, nor was it necessary. No one would pay for me. I just knew it. That disastrous night, I decided to leave Sierras. It might have been the best decision I'd ever taken along with agreeing to help you. I composed a letter, exposing my sexuality to them."
"How did they take it?" I couldn't help being curious.
He shrugged. "Guess I never found out. I never saw my brother again till last week when he came up the sidewalk with your mail."
I stood now and backed away quickly. Staring at him in horror, I forced forth the words. "That means —"
"Yes. Charlie's my elder brother." he said.