THE MOMENT
Benny couldn't complain about his life. He was 38, single, and employed. His job wasn't glamorous in the least, but it was simple and quiet. That's what he wanted most out of life, and he had it. He didn't have a romantic partner, and that was fine with him. He wasn't lonely at all, and in fact enjoyed the freedom of being able to live his own life. He considered himself a free spirit who hated the constraint that came with other people's expectations. Rules and roles in general were things that didn't fit him. Even the idea of taking on a provider role for a family chafed his soul. He'd somehow managed to build the perfect life for himself, as if it were a divine plan all along.
He was a 'night watchman', which thankfully, was quite different from a 'security guard'. Benny spent most of his time in a small room staring at cameras, but four times a night, he was required to patrol the catacombs. There wasn't anything worth stealing, and he was more of a vandalism deterrent than anything. So far, it'd been a night like any other. He'd worked there for years, but the days blurred together easily. 20 years sometimes felt like 100, and he was feeling that extra hard. He was watching the cameras, same as every other night, except this time he spotted someone. It was a chubby teenage kid with wild curly hair stacked on his head wandering into one of the tunnels.
"Well, time for the first patrol anyway...," Benny nodded to himself as he stood up with a sigh. He moved quickly so the kid wouldn't get too far and get lost, and within a few minutes, he found the youth and approached him with a flashlight. He'd been so focused on finding the wanderer that it wasn't until he found him that he noticed the music. Deeper in the tunnels, he could hear deep rhythmic pounding.
"What do you want?" the kid asked at the same time Benny put his question forward.
“What are you doing here?” he asked. Benny guessed the kids looked about 14, but he started to wonder about his mental condition when he asked Benny the same question.
“What are you doing here?”
“My job,” Benny sighed and motioned the flashlight back the other way. “Move along home,” he said.
The teenager laughed. And, in an odd way, Benny felt that it wasn't at him, but something about the situation.
“The boss forgot to tell you about the party, huh?” he asked with a chuckle. “You can hear the music, can’t you?” he asked.
“You’re trying to convince me this is a scheduled event?” Benny laughed at the idea, but, not without an uneasiness taking root in the back of his mind. “Well, c’mon then,” He gestured with the flashlight in the other direction toward the music. “I’ll get rid of all of you at the same time.”
“C’mooooonnn,” the teen whined suddenly as they started walking. “Don’t you remember what it was like when you were young? You never bent the rules, not even a little bit?”
“Not once,” Benny shook his head even as he wondered if it was a lie. The answer came before he even gave it any thought; and, when he tried, the memories slipped away.
“I don’t believe that, you look like you might’ve been cool once,” the teen chuckled. “Maybe you just don’t remember. Think about your childhood really really hard. What was your room like? Your house? Your parents?”
“I don’t need to discuss my private life with a hooligan prowling the catacombs so late at night,” Benny shook his head. He didn’t like where the questions were going because he didn’t have any answers. If he tried really hard, he could almost remember his first day on the job; but, almost nothing before that.
“Sorry,” the teen shrugged, but his smirk seemed sharper somehow. Without completely understanding it, Benny thought the teen was amused by his shoddy memory.
The music had been getting louder, and finally they turned a corner and into a vast open cave full of teenagers partying.
“It’s about time, Aury. I was doubting whether you’d show up,” a lean, pale teenager wearing black clothes approached them and greeted the teen beside Benny before looking up at the night watchman.
“Why are you here?” the newcomer asked. At the question, Aury laughed even harder. And, he answered before Benny could.
“I would’ve been here sooner if I wasn’t stopped by the night watchman. It looks like someone dumb idiot forgot to tell him about the event,” he said.
“Eehhhh, details…,” the lean teen shrugged and made a dismissive gesture at Benny. “...cut me some slack, Williams Hub is more complicated than a regular city. All fixed now,” he said.
“All good, boss?” Benny asked. Oren was throwing a huge party to celebrate the the Pineapple Cup, with players from thousands of different universes. It was too much for him, and he would’ve preferred to go back to his booth as soon as possible. He’d personally escorted one of Oren’s best friends, Aurelio, to the party and it was time for him to get back.
“Thanks a lot for the good work, Benny,” Oren nodded. “You can go back to your post and normal duties. Don’t worry about the party tonight, the guests will find their own way here.”
“Thanks for the heads up,” Benny nodded as he made his way to the exit. “Have a fun night.”