The Secret Manuscript (10 page)

He inspected
every square inch of the car’s interior, running his fingers along
the smooth leather and vinyl surfaces. He opened the glove box and
even looked under the seat. When he flipped open the sun visor, a
set of keys fell into his lap. He stared at the keys for a moment
before picking them up. Much like he had done with the rest of the
car, he carefully studied the details on them. It was at that point
that a little devil appeared on his shoulder, whispering terrible
ideas into his impressionable ear. With a more mature individual,
the suggestion would probably have been dismissed as foolish.
However, this restraint mechanism had not yet fully developed in
Ben’s adolescent mind. Ben’s impulses were in control and he had no
choice but to act upon them. Without wasting any time, he inserted
the key into the ignition and fired the car up.

The massive
engine came to life with a ferocious roar. Nothing in the world
gave Ben more joy than being in control of all the harnessed power
that the car possessed. With one foot on the gas pedal, and the
other foot on the clutch, he gave two pumps with his right foot.
The car growled like a caged beast, echoing throughout the tiny
garage. Kyle heard the sounds and knew there was about to be
trouble.

The next thing
Ben saw was the massive garage door swing open and Bob Wibley
standing in the entrance with an angry look on his face, almost as
if he were about to explode. Ben panicked and released his foot
from the clutch, while keeping his right foot still on the gas. A
deafening symphony of raw power consumed the small space as the
needle on the RPM gauge shot up to 6000. The thick tires spun in
place until they became warm and found traction. The car jolted
forward, spitting up all kinds of dust. Mr. Wibley had to dive out
of the way to avoid being hit as the Mustang charged out of its
stable like a reckless stampede.

The car
accelerated in tandem with Ben’s adrenaline, forcing his mind to
think quickly and try to keep up. He immediately gripped the shift
knob and forced it downward, engaging the second gear. The meaty
throttle drowned out any screams coming from Wibley. With the wheel
cranked and the gas pedal near the floor, the car threw up a large
cloud of dirt. Ben knew he would be in heaps of trouble already, so
he decided to make the most of it. Before the dust could settle,
Ben was gone. Ben sped down the single-lane dirt road and headed
toward the city.

By the time
the police found him, it was night time. They hauled him back to
the farm where he would undoubtedly be on the receiving end of some
old-fashion justice.

Just as he had
expected, he was properly dealt with. Wibley had a way of striking
the worst fear inside his heart. Ben was so afraid that he began
crying before the lashes even began, yet he did not say a word.
Kyle listened in agony from his bedroom upstairs. This time there
was nothing he could do. He knew any sort of retaliation toward the
Wibleys was not the best way to deal with the situation. Besides,
any attempt to intervene would likely make matters worse.

The thick
leather strap whistled through the air as it came down on Ben’s
back. The slaps could be heard from anywhere in the two-level
house. Each time, Ben let out a horrific shriek, sending chills up
Kyle’s spine. Kyle clutched the covers on his bed and flinched
every time Ben was whipped. Kyle too had firsthand experience with
Wibley’s disciplinary measures.

The next day,
Ben and Kyle woke up at 7:00 a.m. like they had always done. They
went into the stable to feed the horses, then the pigs. Not many
words were spoken between the two. For the most part, they kept
their heads down and focused on their chores to avoid getting in
trouble. Ben hobbled around with open wounds on his back. Each
movement was excruciatingly painful. Kyle told Ben to take it easy
as he worked twice as hard to carry the load for them both.

The chapter
ended and Ben pulled himself out of the story. His eyes were a
little misty as the graphic story struck a chord with him. As
painful as it was to recall those experiences, he had never thought
about it from Kyle’s perspective. He discovered Kyle was a much
more loyal friend than he had given him credit for, and Kyle
expected nothing in return. He began to weep, feeling pity for
himself. His whole body shook as he sank deeper in despair and
became consumed with emotions. He recounted the horrible memories
from his past, which until that point he had done his best to
suppress. The painful emotions flooded in and Ben wailed
louder.

After a while,
he took several deep breaths and regained his composure. Recalling
the memories had been somewhat therapeutic as it had allowed him to
confront his demons.

Ben could not
wait for Kyle to come home. He wanted to tell him all about the
secret room and the manuscript he had found. Above all else, he
just wanted to give Kyle a hug and thank him for being such a good
friend throughout some of the toughest times of his life.

Ben continued
to read through the pages of the manuscript. He was thoroughly
enjoying the story and actually admired the writing style. Instead
of recounting every mundane detail of Ben’s life, the story seemed
to focus on significant events that had been instrumental in
shaping him.

The next
passage Ben read changed everything.

Ben sat alone
in the dark, staring at his computer screen. This time the words
did not come. He wanted to write a happy story as a form of escape,
but in all of his twenty-four years of existence, there were not
too many happy memories he could draw upon.

In a drunken
stupor, Ben stumbled to his room and passed out in his bed. At 4:00
a.m., he awoke befuddled. The sound of the fire alarm blared in the
background while a mysterious man pleaded with him to get up.

Ben sat at the
dining room table and was completely stunned. It was strange enough
to read stories about his past experiences, but not like this —
this was recent. He eyed the rest of the manuscript and saw he was
about halfway through it. The remainder was undoubtedly about his
future. The implications were immediately apparent. He considered
for a moment jumping ahead and reading later chapters, but chose
not to. Instead, he followed the natural progression of the
story.

After
describing how the fire had ravaged his residence, the story went
on to describe Ben being demoted at work, meeting the lawyer in
Calgary, meeting Kyle, finding the secret room, finding the
manuscript, then finally sitting at the dining room table reading
the manuscript.

What is
this thing?
Ben asked himself.
How could it possibly know
all this?

Whatever the
manuscript was, he needed to share it with someone, and there was
only one person he could think of to share it with.

It took Ben a
little over an hour before arriving at the University of Calgary.
He had never been there before and was unfamiliar with the layout.
Upon arrival, he entered the first building he saw and asked
someone where the science buildings were located. He was given
directions and began walking. Once he approached the general area,
he realized the odds of finding Kyle were astronomically small, but
he remained optimistic.

If I can
find him randomly in a city the size of Calgary, surely I can find
him on a university campus
, he thought to himself.

It was nearly
four o’clock when a lone raindrop came down and hit him in the
face. He looked up at the sky and saw dark rain clouds overhead so
he sought shelter in the nearest building.

Once inside,
he was overwhelmed with students walking every which way. His
social anxiety kicked in, as the busy university campus had more
people than he was used to. He found a bench located down a quieter
hallway and sat down. It was at that time a wild thought occurred
to him. He reached in his bag and pulled out the manuscript. He
began reading from the last place where he had left off. The story
described Ben arriving at the university.

A rain cloud
loomed overhead so Ben went into the nearest building. After
finding a quiet bench to rest, he looked up and was struck by the
beauty of an attractive woman wearing a long green jacket. In an
uncharacteristic manner, Ben initiated contact with the woman by
saying hello.

The woman did
not stop, but she at least acknowledged Ben by looking at him and
offering a polite smile. It was a small gesture, but it was enough
to satisfy him.

Fortunately
for Ben, something about him caught her eye. Ben was holding a
manuscript in his lap, which caused the woman to slow her stride
and comment on it. She must have deduced Ben was a writer based on
his scruffy appearance and the stack of papers in his hands. It was
obvious from the typeface and format of the document that it was a
manuscript of some kind.

“
Are you a
writer?” the woman asked.

Ben looked
shocked that a woman was showing any sort of interest in him. He
stumbled to find the right words, and eventually managed to
speak.

“
Uhh...
yeah… I am a writer. What about you?”

“
What about
me?”

“
Umm... are
you... what are you studying?”

“
I’m
majoring in earth and ocean science and minoring in English
literature.”

“
My name
is, Ben,” Ben said as he extended his hand.

The woman
obliged. “Hi, Ben, I’m Vanessa.”

“
Nice to
meet you. So... earth and ocean science, huh?”

“
Yeah, I
just love learning about the planet, animals, and ecosystems. But
don’t get me wrong, I also love reading and writing.”

“
That’s
nice,” Ben said.

“
So what is
that you’re reading?” the woman asked.

“
Oh this,
it’s just a manuscript.”

The woman
laughed at his awkwardness — she thought it was cute. “So do you go
to school here?” the woman asked.

“
Me? Umm...
no. I’m actually just looking for a friend, he’s a student here.
His name is Kyle Watson. You wouldn’t happen to know him by
chance?”

“
No, sorry.
There are a lot of students attending this school. But if he’s a
science major, you might want to try the labs upstairs.”

The moment
Vanessa walked away, Ben kicked himself for not asking her out, but
that was not his style. Throughout his life, he had never once
asked a woman out because he had always lacked the courage.

Ben stopped
reading the manuscript and looked up, hoping to see the woman from
the story. Just then, he saw her. A beautiful woman walked by with
a beauty that surpassed the description in the pages. She too was
wearing a long green coat. Oddly enough, she looked familiar, but
he could not quite place her. Being that he was mischievous by
nature, Ben decided to have a go at talking to her.

“Vanessa?” Ben
said, deviating from the script of the story.

The woman
turned around with a confused look on her face. “Yes. I’m sorry, do
I know you?”

“I should hope
so; I sat beside you in earth and ocean science class last
semester. I think we even had an English class together, but I’m
not sure.”

The woman
looked perplexed, but gave him the benefit of the doubt.

“Nice to meet
you… again,” she said.

“So are you
still writing?” Ben asked.

Vanessa played
along, but the confused look never left her face. “I’d like to
write a novel one day, I’m just far too busy at the moment. This is
so strange,” the woman said, interrupting her own thought. “I can’t
believe I don’t remember you, I’m usually pretty good with faces.
What did you say your name was again?”

“Ben Owen,” he
said, extending his hand with a smooth confidence that was
unprecedented for him. “Don’t worry about it. There are a lot of
students at this school.”

“I’m
Vanessa.”

“I know.”

“So, what are
you reading?” she asked, looking at the manuscript.

“This happens
to be my first novel. I’m just revising it.”

“That’s so
awesome, I admire your discipline. I’ve written a lot of short
stories, but never a full book.”

“I’ve learned
many tips along the way that may help you, perhaps we can get
together sometime and discuss them?” Ben asked. He could not
believe the words that had come out of his mouth. It was as if he
were on autopilot and was just a passive observer in the exchange.
His sentences formulated cohesively and flowed effortlessly. This
in turn inspired confidence in him, allowing him to take chances he
would otherwise not take.

“Umm… sure,”
Vanessa replied. “Let me just get a pen and I will write down my
number.”

Ben accepted
the number and then said farewell. He was overjoyed as he suddenly
discovered a new-found value in the manuscript. A surge of energy
consumed him and he thought he might explode if he did not expend
it quickly. He felt like shouting from a rooftop, but instead he
took off running.

Ben darted up
the staircase, nearly ploughing into several students along the
way. He paid no mind to the annoyed pedestrians and kept an ear to
ear grin stretched across his face. He had no idea if Kyle would be
upstairs in the lab, but figured it was the best place to look.

Ben
enthusiastically ran down the hall, searching every science lab on
the top floor. In the last one, he found Kyle. As soon as Kyle saw
Ben, he did a double-take. For one, it was strange to see Ben on
campus in a science lab, and two, he looked as if he had just won
the lottery. There was a zest about him, a new-found fervour for
life — whatever it was, Kyle could immediately tell something was
different about his friend.