Anyone could see that Audrey’s ideas were crazy. But that didn’t stop Fred from calling her a genius. Certainly anyone who went on and on about the way ants could cause the zombie apocalypse, or how our dreams were just glimpses into other multiverses, or how there were cars that could run on water, but the inventor of it had been killed by the government wouldn’t be taken seriously, but where society shushed Audrey, Fred just sat and listened contentedly.
“Do you ever think about how the sun would feel to touch?” Audrey asked one day, and Fred smiled, because this meant his favorite event was about to occur. Eventually all their conversations led back to questions, but when they began with them, it was even better, less time to beat around the bush, more time to contemplate what it would be like to live on the sun.
“Falling on the sun must be terrible. All that happens when you fall on Earth is a scraped knee, but on the sun you would get third degree burns on your knees. Gosh, that would hurt. I was such a clumsy child; if I lived on the sun I would be banned from riding on a scooter at risk of full body burns,” continued Audrey.
Humor usually followed the questions, making the phrase “humor me this” become something completely different in their duo. If anyone heard their conversations, they would think they were crazy, but Fred didn’t care, and for once, Audrey didn’t question why.
“Just humor me for a second. People call each other slow pokes when they walk slow, but why not call them slow snails, snails are so slow, the only other thing slower than a snail is a sloth, but we can’t call someone that. Kinda makes you think, why not call someone a Slow Snail or just a snail?”
Lost in these conversations, the two would not realize they would talk for hours. Moseying around campus just content to listen to stories, questions, and memories. No one else listened to Audrey the way Fred would, and no one listened so intently as Fred.
Only Mathew showed up later. People say that you can tell when someone is bad from the first glance, and Fred knew Mathew was bad news from the first moment he unfortunately had to look at him.
Questions became less and less now, talks started getting shorter between Audrey and Fred, and before he knew it, Fred started walking the campus alone. Realizing what was happening came fast to Fred, where Audrey had had questions, Fred had had answers, but he hated this answer. Struggling between letting Audrey be happy with Mathew, but also wanting to make sure she wasn’t losing herself was hard. Telling someone they are in a toxic relationship because they no longer talk to you seemed like a no go plan for Fred, but what else was he supposed to do, he missed seeing the bubbly version of Audrey, this quiet version was nothing he had ever known.
Unfortunately, now Fred had all the questions and none of the answers. Very carefully he walked up to Audrey one day and hoped that maybe he could save the situation. Willing himself to be brave, he thought of something Audrey would think of, a genius question or theory. Xeroxing every question she had ever asked her in his mind, trying to find one that would get her away from the evil force of Mathew, because even if life was easier with Mathew and she had less questions because of him, she should still be allowed to be inquisitive, no one should take that away from her.
“You know Audrey, have you ever questioned why zebras have stripes and cheetahs have spots?” Fred finally asked, hoping somewhere inside Audrey she would break free and talk to him.
“Zebras just have stripes because they do, we shouldn’t question things, Fred,” said Mathew, and Audrey just nodded, and Fred, well, Fred just walked around the campus questioning where his friend had gone.
The End
