Jay Bell - The Boy at the Bottom of the Fountain

The Boy at the Bottom of the Fountain 2019 Jay Bell / Andreas Bell

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or events is purely coincidental.

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The Boy at the Bottom of the Fountain

by Jay Bell

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Was there a better place in the world than a shopping mall? They were bright, dry, and comfortable, regardless of how much rain or snow pummeled the building. Every consumer desire could be found under that protective roof, including a wide spectrum of greasy cuisines and sweet treats guaranteed to increase the waistline. Better-fitting clothes were just a short waddle away, along with countless other delights, no matter the shoppers age. Hyperactive kids, obnoxious teenagers, stressed-out adults, speed-walking senior citizenseach had a place here, in a little slice of paradise where every basic need was met.

Shopping malls could also be the worst place on Earth, especially for a fourteen-year-old boy who had spent most of the day in shoe stores and womens clothing departments whilst in the company of his mother. If it wasnt for the warm fuzzy feelings he had toward malls, he never would have agreed to join her.

Darling, could you help me please?

Shane snapped out of his philosophical musings to notice shopping bags being thrust toward him. More dead weight for him to carry, not that his mother wasnt doing her fair share. As they left the store, both her hands were filled with bundles of plastic handles. This made progress slow and tedious as they dodged other shoppers. Shane felt like a blimp drifting down the mall corridor, light but unwieldy bags puffing out from either side of him.

Are you almost done? he complained.

His mother exhaled in exasperation, like the question was too daunting to consider. Their family had an excessive number of birthdays this month including a pair of cousins, both his sisters, his aunt, a grandmother on one side and a grandfather on the other. His mother seemed determined to finish shopping for all of them in a single trip. Shane didnt want to drive all over Kansas City either, but even he was tiring of the mall.

Ive lost track, she answered at last. Like a turn signal, she tilted her head to the left and moved through the crowd to the center of the corridor, where a square fountain doubled as a place to sit and recover. The backless stone benches there were wide enough to fit six, but once Shane and his mother had plopped down in the middle of one, the bags took up the remaining space.

Lets see, his mother murmured, working through a mental checklist. We bought that terrible perfume Granny Jo likes, the coat that Julia keeps asking for, and another in a size smaller for when Annie asks for the same thing. She turned a stern gaze in Shanes direction, preempting a smart-ass comment. Dont make fun of your sister. Youd do the same if you had an older brother to look up to.

If I was a creepy clone of him, maybe. Annie was born in a test tube. Admit it.

She isnt a clone! I almost wish she was. That was the worst labor of my life. I pushed so hard I thought Id turn inside out.

Yuck!

His mother didnt seem to hear him, her eyes narrowed in concentration. Did we get anything for Gwen?

The lacy thing, Shane muttered, face burning at the memory. They had spent nearly an hour in a store filled with womens bras and undergarments. What a way to start the day!

No need to be embarrassed, his mother said, her tone warm. Before long, you might find yourself shopping there for a special girl.

Shane sincerely doubted that. So far he had heard precisely zero of his friends talk about buying undergarments as gifts for anyone, not to mention their non-existent girlfriends, although they were becoming increasingly obsessed with a variety of female classmates. He just wasnt sure why.

His mother turned in the direction of that dreadful store. Maybe we should go back and find something nice for Faith.

Id rather vomit, Shane said. Cant you get the rest some other day?

Im almost finished. Only one moreno, two more things.

What have I done to deserve this? Shane whimpered. He was tempted to fall backward into the fountain so he could die a merciful death. Drowning had to be better than this! He glanced over his shoulder to see if the water would be deep enough and noticed something at the bottom, flat and rectangular.

Tell you what, sweetheart, his mother said, pulling his attention away. Why dont I park you here and get the rest on my own? Would you like that?

Yes! Shane answered instantly.

Okay. I shouldnt be too long. If you need me

Shane tuned out the rest of the lecture. His mother still treated him like he was a little kid, which is why he got dragged along on shopping trips instead of being allowed to stay home. His mother worried way too much.

Once she was gone, Shane sat there and watched people walk by, trying to guess what sort of lives they led from their appearance alone. He was sure the messy-haired man who kept scratching his arms was a serial killer, for instance. Or the lady with the loose-fitting jacket. Shane decided she must be a compulsive shoplifter, stealing only for the thrill.

He enjoyed this game, although when someone his own age walked by, especially in a group, he pretended to be preoccupied, like this is how he preferred to spend his Saturdays. Alone at the mall, insulated by shopping bags instead of hanging out with his friends. Ugh. So uncool! When some girls decided to sit on a neighboring bench, he angled his body away from them, ignoring their stares and giggles. He pretended to take an interest in the fountain instead. Thats what it was there for, right? People were supposed to appreciate its beauty. Or make a wish, judging from the scattered coins at the bottom of the water. Most were pennies. Small wishes. He saw a few nickels and dimes too. Shane was searching for quarters when he noticed the flat rectangle again. Leaning closer to see past the reflections on the water, he realized that it was a photoa headshot of a guy with a wide smile and blond hair brushed to one side. A school photo, judging from the wallet-size dimensions. Shane had spent a good hour cutting out his own pictures from the solid sheets before proudly distributing them to friends and relatives. For the first time ever, he felt good about the way his school photos had turned out. Shane had buzzed his red hair short to eliminate the curls and smiled extra big to show that his teeth were no longer covered in metal wires. He was finally starting to look less like a boy and more like a man. A little kid no more! Is that why the girls seated near him continued to stare?

This made him uncomfortable rather than proud. Shane wished his friends were here. They always knew how to handle these situations. He didnt, so he continued his study of the sunken photo. Was the guy from his school? Shane didnt recognize him, although it was hard to be sure from his current vantage point. The water wasnt deep, but it was shimmering, the jets in the fountains center creating constant ripples that distorted the image.

He wanted to reach in and grab the photo, although he would rather do so when nobody was looking. They might think he was scrounging for coins and stealing wishes. Or they might think he had an unhealthy fixation on the photo itself, because anyone else would probably leave it there. That smiling face though Shane wanted to see it up close, just to understand the details better. Like the notch missing from the center of one eyebrow. Was it a scratch on the photos surface? Had a barber shaved it that way to add a stylish flair? Or did a scar there prevent the hair from growing back?

Shane rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, intending to reach into the water. He glanced around before doing so. One of the girls noticed and waved. How annoying! Why wouldnt they go away? He used to love girls. His guy friends were often consumed with proving which of them could run the fastest or hit a ball the farthest. When they would rush off to play sports, Shane would often find an excuse to hang back and chat with his female friends, preferring to talk and laugh with them. He knew from those conversations that girls felt competitive with each other too, but that pressure disappeared in a mixed gender friendship.