Balls on Wheels (ES 2)
After he explained to them how to close the door he took off with spinning wheels. Looking at the human that just let them into his transporter, Righty and Lefty saw a male in his 50’s with a juvenile beardless face and white curls. “You know you’re not supposed to stand next to the highway?” He started saying in a condescending tone. “It’s illegal and it’s just a really bad spot to get picked up. I used to hitchhike myself when I was younger so I pick up everyone. You were lucky! But hey sometimes you have no choice, am I right?” he ended with a big smile. Righty and Lefty didn’t know how to respond, so they just tried to mimic his face which resulted in an outburst of laughter by the driver. “Bawhahaha! Well excuse my bad English, I am Detlef, how about you guys?” the driver said offering his hand to shake. “What is a Detlef?” Righty asked staring at his hand. “Bawhaha, it’s my name you jester” grabbing Righty’s hand and shaking it up and down. “Oh, ahem, I am called Rwrevk” Righty responded startled by that weird ritual. Lefty shouted excitedly “Hey Detlef, I am Lnkroft!!!” grabbing his hand and shaking it furiously. “This is fun!” it continued shaking. Detlef, almost losing control over the car, shook it off: “Always slowly with the young horses” he translated a German saying. “Younghorses? We are WEIRDOs” Lefty responded. “Indeed you are, indeed!”
Being in a motorized vehicle for the first time, Lefty and Righty tried to scan their environment. The landscape racing along the windows and the cars all around them made it difficult to focus on anything. There were just too many new impressions in such a short amount of time. Not being used to this kind of traveling, their eyeball heads jumped around the car like bouncy balls. “So you are on a Hitchhiking trip? I used to travel a lot you know” Detlef tried to get back their attention. As he started talking about his former travels Righty and Lefty observed his interaction with the big creature that encompassed them. It seemed like he used his feet and hands to communicate with it. The creature usually responded with some deep growling to his feet while the hand-wheel seemed to somehow communicate the desired direction. Detlef grew a little uneasy under the scrutinizing eye-beams of his fellow passengers and asked once more: “So… Where were you going again?” “We don’t know this place very well, so we hoped you could tell us something about it! We were just looking for other WEIRDOS and didn’t expect to meet the two of you!” Righty responded. “The two of us?” Detlef replied surprised “What do you mean? There is only me in here!” “But what about it?” Lefty asked, petting the dashboard. “Bahahaha” Detlef laughed reassured “This is just one of the over 30 cars I own, I can’t name all of them! This transporter is only used for work anyways. My other babies would be worth a naming; especially my Porsches and my old VW bus!” While Detlef got caught up talking about his passion for car collecting, Righty and Lefty remained confused. Owning? How can you own another creature? Lefty started contemplating the principles of free will, an idea that brought them a lot of trouble in their home world. Righty on the other hand was occupied thinking about their old lives. Didn’t that feel like being owned by someone as well? What difference remains between being owned or being born with a debt towards society and thereby forced to spend your life in a position you couldn’t choose?
Their thoughts got interrupted abruptly as Detlef turned into a highway rest stop. “This is as far as I will go on the Highway so I think here will be the best spot if you want to continue further north. This is your first time hitchhiking is it?” “Yes, I guess?!” Lefty responded unsure of what exactly he meant. Detlef then went on to tell them how rest stops are the best places to find other drivers and gave them some more advice on their way. After he took off with a loud honk Lefty and Righty were left on a crowded gas station; puzzled by their first interaction with a human and unsure what to make out of it. Overwhelmed by the orderly chaos around them, created by a weird dance of fleshy and metallic creatures, they decided to jump the next fence and set up their skull and eyelids for some time of contemplation.
