Luke and Nathan were working in the warehouse shifting stock off the pallets into the metal cages the staff used to fill the shelves.
Looking around to ensure they weren't observed Nathan leaned over closer to his colleague. "I've got something I need to show you," he said quietly.
"What are you talking about?" Luke asked as he dropped the contents of a box into a cage.
"It will only take a minute."
Luke turned his head from side to side before facing Nathan. "Are you mad? Emma and Liz are walking around doing checks."
"They can't see us over here and I really need to tell someone." He could tell Luke wasn't convinced. "Please, I need to know I'm not going barmy." The desperation was becoming clear in his voice.
Luke stopped what he was doing and stood up straight. "Okay, okay," he said with a sigh, "What's so bloody important?"
"Not here," he said as he pointed over behind a group of loaded pallets. "Over there. We'll be less likely to be spotted."
Luke's eyebrows grew closer together as he became somewhat suspicious of what it was exactly Nathan had to show him. He slowly followed him behind the pallets.
"I found this," Nathan said as he fished around inside the pocket of his trousers, "when I came into work this morning." He pulled out something that at first glance looked like an old wrist-watch with a leather strap.
Luke appeared unimpressed. "It's a watch, big deal, put it in lost and found."
"That's what I thought it was too but look again." Nathan presented the item in front of his face. What looked like the face was some sort of dial made of brass. Instead of numbers there were strange symbols. A small arrow pointed to a position on the dial with no symbol.
"A bit steam-punk isn't it? That bit looks like it is meant to turn."
"It does but it only turns if it is being worn." Nathan gripped the knurled edge of the small wheel and unsuccessfully attempted to rotate it. "The strap is strange too." He turned the object over to show the band of leather underneath. "There is no clasp. This looks like leather but it stretches like elastic." He demonstrated by easily pulling it over his wrist.
"Okay I guess it is a bit weird," Luke admitted.
"Oh no, that isn't the weird bit," he said as he shifted the dial into the first position. There was a quiet click. "This is."
"What the f –" Luke shouted loudly in surprise before being shushed by Nathan.
Nathan had turned into a ghost like apparition, now floating just above the floor. "Keep quiet!" he gasped.
"But..., but I can see right through you," the stunned Luke said as he moved his whole body from left to right subconsciously trying to change his viewpoint, ensuring this wasn't some kind of optical illusion or some other trick. Experimentally he reached out his hand and it passed through Nathan's chest. "Can you feel that?"
"Yeah," Nathan responded as his body floated back enough so it was no longer being penetrated by Luke's hand. "It felt freaky. I've floated through other things and it wasn't like that."
Luke moved forward and repeated the action. This time moving his fingers. "I can feel..., something..., almost like steam in a shower."
The annoyed Nathan drifted off the side this time. "Will you quit doing that!"
"Sorry, it is just a lot to take in." Luke stared at him for second. "So you can control where you float?"
"Yeah," Nathan said as he levitated in a small circle before passing through a loaded pallet. His opaque legs disappeared inside the boxes.
"And you can't feel anything when you do that?"
"Nope, just like passing through the air," he said as he hovered back into the open.
"So what do the other positions on the dial do?"
Nathan shrugged, "No idea, I tried to change it earlier but I could only put it into this position." He intended to prove this as he again gripped the dial. There was another click and Nathan vanished.
Luke stared at the nothingness that used to be the apparition of Nathan. "Nathan? Nathan?" He called quietly as he became worried.
"It's okay. I can hear you," Nathan said as he reappeared. "I've put it back in the first position." He pointed at his wrist. "I can't turn it any further than the second one."
"You were invisible."
"I know, I couldn't even see my own body. I wonder why it worked this time?" His curious thoughts became interrupted and a smile grew on his face. "We could have some fun with this."
"Can you move things when you are invisible?"
"No I was still floating around like this," he said as he pointed at his translucent body.
"It isn't going to be much good if you can't touch anything."
"I don't know, I could spy on people, I guess."
"You big perve, everyone knows who you'd be spying on." It was practically an open secret that Nathan had an unhealthy sexual interest in older women.
Before Nathan could respond to the accusations their conversation was rudely interrupted.
"Luke!" Liz the assistant manager screamed as she came around the side of the pallets. "These pallets aren't going out till tomorrow. What are you chuffing doing over here?"
As quietly as possibly Nathan floated backwards away from Liz's eye-line. Quickly he switched the dial to the second position, becoming invisible in the process.
"I was err..., um," Luke said as he tried desperately to think of an excuse. Luckily for him there was a loud clatter from the other side of the pallets.
Both Liz and Luke went to investigate. Emma the manager was leaning over picking something up off the floor.
"You all right Emma?" Liz asked.
"Um..., yes Liz," she said sounding a bit distracted. She stared at the metal clipboard she retrieved from the ground. "I, err..., dropped this." She waved it around.
"Oh that's okay then." Liz said. "Did you finish the SQCs?"
"SQCs?"
Liz was confused at Emma's vague response but wasn't surprised. Liz didn't think highly of her managerial skills but she didn't want to draw attention to Emma's lack of knowledge in front Luke. "The stock quality checks."
"Oh, yeah. I've done all that stuff." There followed a dead silence. "So what you been up to?"
"I caught Luke skiving and I can't see Nathan anywhere."
"Skiving?" Emma asked with a cheeky grin. "Oh, I'll speak to him privately. You head back to the office, uh, luv."
"I still need to track down Nathan," Liz said as she looked around the warehouse.
"Oh didn't I say? I have him doing an errand for me. Such a responsible young man."
"Right...," Liz said cynically. "When did you send him on that errand? It is just we've been together for the last twenty minutes."
"Oh, just now, when you went around the corner." Liz stared at Emma silently. "So just you head back to the office."
Liz nodded and turned around. She walked away slowly. Just before leaving the warehouse she had a quick look behind herself. Emma smiled and nodded in acknowledgement before watching Liz leave the area.
Emma turned back to Luke. "Now let's deal with you, shall we Luke?" Emma said in a firm tone.
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author
