Leaving the Stone House for the beach was another hectic affair. This ti, we had a pickup truck that was perfect for both seating people and hauling stuff, but because there were slightly too many of us, we needed to split into two trips.
Then, there were those monts when people forgot things and had to go back upstairs to grab them, so the next group would head out first. But then the ones who'd gone ahead realized they'd forgotten sothing too, and so they would have to co back with the car returning for the next group. And then there were those at the beach who realized they'd forgotten sothing but were too lazy to co back for it, and would use their phones to instruct others to fetch it for them, creating a chaotic scene of people running around forgetfully.
Actually, the mory of superheroes isn't that bad, unless you count Shiller and Nick, whose exclusion would have probably prevented the chaos.
Shiller had a lot to prepare; he was in charge of practically all the food, which led to him forgetting the sauce sotis, the ice cubes at others.
Nick fancied himself as the S.H.I.E.L.D Director, thinking he had so managent skills. Even though he was already at the beach, he felt sothing was always missing and would call back, micromanaging others to fetch items, now a fishing rod and then soft slippers.
Pepper was the de facto commander back at the house, but Stark, while holding Little Morgan, didn't settle her properly, insisting on teasing her and making her cry. Pepper had to soothe the child while directing others to fetch things, and her commands were mostly drowned out by the crying. Neither the people inside the house nor outside could hear each other clearly.
Peter and Gwen, these two naïve young people, would do whatever was asked of them, always ready to help whoever needed it. But with Nick directing things into a frenzy, it left everyone confused.
After a chaotic half hour, half of the group was still at the Stone House. Watching the porridge he was making begin to cool, Shiller couldn't stand it any longer.
"Loki! Open the Teleportation Portal!"
Loki conjured up a portal, and while it seed Shiller would use it to move stuff, he instead rushed in, hoisted Nick back with him, and then sent Stark and Pepper through.
Once Nick returned, he finally got to pick up those things he deed necessary, and with the beach not as chaotic, Pepper could focus on soothing the child.
Under Shiller's direction, they finally got everything packed, and the pickup truck safely transported both people and their belongings through the portal straight to the beach.
Learning from the excursion's earlier chaos, Shiller divided them into groups to start preparing the barbecue.
Reed and Susan, along with Peter and Gwen—the two childless couples—took charge of skewering the at. Stark and Pepper, Steve and Carter managed the beverages. Helen took her two rascals to set up the grill stand, while Matt and Erica prepared the raw food. Shiller and Eddie heated the charcoal, and Jarvis and Wanda were in charge of all the kids.
As for Nick, he insisted that the tide was just right for a big catch and headed off to fish with his rod in hand.
With all the roles assigned, efficiency greatly improved, and in less than half an hour the barbecue was ready. Dinner began just as the sun was setting.
Today's sunset was sohow different. The horizon was stacked with clouds that the widespread crepuscular rays set ablaze, igniting them like the dazzling yet unspoken dreams of youth.
The flickering embers, stirred by the sea breeze, floated down with the setting sun like confetti falling on an abandoned stage during the final curtain, even the Jazz music wafting over from a distance—a tune tinged with Californian flair—couldn't help but take on a tinge of lancholy.
Steve crafted the simplest of three-stringed guitars from palm tree wood and fishing line, and began to sing an Arican folk classic, "John Satter's Mill."
The song told the story of Old John's Western adventures searching for treasure, involving murder, duels, and bloodshed, but in the end, all ca to naught. In the eyes of God, all his conquests were worthless; born with nothing, he left the world just the sa.
The song evoked mories of the Gold Rush that once swept California State, with prospectors rushing to the beach under such sunsets, their eyes ablaze with the fever for riches and dreams of the grand life to follow.
For a chance at their own piece of gold, the prospectors attacked one another, staining the land with blood. So left disheartened after a life spent in vain, while others remained forever entrenched in the Californian soil.
To this day, countless fervent immigrants braved California's scorching sun, drenched in sweat, lodging in motels as dingy and decrepit as those from a century ago, counting out their daily and tomorrow's expenses, hoping to stake their future on this land that claims to be the world's most advanced nation.
But recalling Captain Arica's past makes it clear that this so-called most advanced country also gained its future through war.
If a nation could go to Heaven in its downfall, what would that too-young, too-rash, too-zealous eagle, faced with God, turn out to be worth?
Steve's singing had perhaps already provided his answer— "When John Satter left this world, he was penniless."
The girls were seated around on the beach, and when Steve finished singing, warm applause resounded all around. Carter hugged him, lightly kissed his cheek, and it seed like a gesture of love, yet more like a consolation.
He knew what Steve was feeling sentintal about; if there hadn't been a war, he wouldn't have needed to be transford, nor beco Captain Arica. Even if he might have been long asleep, he could have crafted a life with his own hands that provided for his family, enjoyed dostic bliss, and lived out his days in peace.
Steve gave Carter a smile but didn't say much else. Even if soone had told him beforehand what would happen after the transformation, he would have still gone through with it. He might even have been pleasantly surprised because he didn't die on the operating table, but beca a useful person, with his own legend—just like many Aricans of that era. He felt nostalgic, wistful, and yet also proud.
If there was anyone present who most deeply empathized with Steve, it probably wasn't Nick, who had a similar experience, but Stark, who was born in the new era.
If soone was adept at empathy, at passing the spark from one mind to another, then Stark was like tinder that lit at a touch; he could turn a tiny stream of soone else's emotions into a cascading deluge.
Stark had a complex attitude towards this country. He proclaid himself a patriot, but anyone could see that what he loved was not the Arica of now, but the version of Arica he believed should exist in his mind.
So people hate Arica because they think the country is too bad, but there are also those who hate Arica because they think it could have been better.
Humanity has always been in pursuit of Utopia. So people believe Arica once had the chance to beco a Utopia, but they played their hand poorly.
Stark partially agreed with this notion. Considering the world today, those younger than Arica are not as powerful, and those more powerful are not as youthful. Arica has harvested the world's geniuses, reaped the benefits of the era, and should be countless tis better now, even infinitely close to the Utopia that humanity seeks.
However, unfortunately, even with the push from the Luminous Alliance, and significant advancents in technology, while the convenience of most people's lives has greatly improved, and benefits have seen so restoration, and the devastation from various disasters has been brought to a minimum, common folks' lives have gotten better, but there still remain various complex issues that seem unsolvable, or even impossible to begin addressing.
For people like Stark, it's more apt to say they're in anguish rather than hatred. How many more chances will humanity have to concentrate the resources of an era to create a longed-for Heaven?
The human race has existed for over two million years, which is just a shallow footprint in the 200 million years of dinosaur rule over Earth, an imperceptible trample in the 4.6 billion years of Earth's existence, a fleetingly transient horseshoe print in the 13.8 billion years of the cosmos's existence.
Stark's thoughts began to drift. When he ca back to his senses, the crowd had dispersed, and it was dark. The white sand reflected the night sky, turning a deep shade of blue, and for a mont, it seed like he was back beside the asphalt roads of New York, looking up at the myriad lights of the high-rise buildings.
Stark turned his head and saw the others had set up a campfire. Susan and Wanda, both in swimsuits, were laughing about sothing, their blonde and red hair whipping in the night breeze, shimring more brightly than the flas.
He tried to stand but found his legs a bit numb. At that mont, Pepper walked up, holding Little Morgan. It seed that Morgan had inherited Stark's intelligence and was precocious compared to other children. Seeing her father's comical pose from his legs montarily freezing, she laughed until she was out of breath.
Stark suddenly laughed too. He powerfully thumped his legs and stumbled to his feet, took his plump little daughter from Pepper, and looked into her bright eyes reflecting the firelight. The man who always believed in seeing is believing suddenly felt as if he had witnessed the glow of the universe at the mont of its birth.
"...Yes, ma'am, just draw any pattern, it's best to close your eyes, and follow your heart..."
Shiller was face to face with Susan, which was an indispensable part of the gatherings of The Avengers or the Luminous Alliance. Shiller was showcasing his "Mind Reading Technique."
Susan seed sowhat nervous, but she still closed her eyes and drew arbitrary patterns in the sand with her finger. After opening her eyes, she covered her mouth in surprise and said, "Oh my God, what a ss I've drawn, is this really okay, Doctor?"
"No trouble at all, ma'am, let see... Goodness, you've been rather hesitant about sothing lately, haven't you? Pondering the balance between career and family? Isn't it a bit too early for that?"
Susan was even more shocked, her eyes wide as she incredulously looked at Shiller, who, after hesitating, went on to say, "Though if you're considering your partner again, it's normal to think about these things, but what exactly about your partner makes you hesitant? Certainly not shallow things like money, looks, or common interests."
"... You want a child, and that's not strange at all. Perhaps it's the sense of responsibility towards family, you hope that your future partner will have a strong sense of responsibility towards offspring..."
At first, Susan indulged as if it were just a bit of fun, but now she looked at Shiller with concerned eyes and said, "Yes, Doctor, of course I would think that, I think anyone considering a close relationship would consider it."
"No, you place particular importance on this, if your partner can't show responsibility, you absolutely cannot accept him."
Sitting beside them, Reed clenched his fist in an instant.
User Comments
0 comments from readers