120 Chapter One Hundred and Nineteen - Alleviating Boredom

The end of the world brought with it an era that was not unlike those from yesteryear, when the main occupations of the land could said to be that of warrior, of farmer or of hunter.  And just as in those long passed ancient times, in winter, the days of the farmer and hunter would slow to a near halt, while the warrior had to continue to be vigilant against his foes.  With less to do in winter, the farmer and hunter would have to tackle with the concept of boredom as days dragged into weeks, weeks into months.  Yes there were livestock to still feed, weapons and tools to check and maintain, but even if one could tackle these tasks every day, they would not take the whole day, quite the contrary.

Shaun's current occupation didn't really fit into any of these categories, perhaps craftsman or handyman might be a better label, but despite this, he really was bored.  And as his best friend knew all too well, a bored Shaun was not a good thing.  The metal bucket filled with icy water fell onto Paul's head as he entered the downstairs bathroom he shared with his friend.  His shrieks echoed down the hall giving everyone living in the main house reason to pause.  Raucous laughter followed, that of a man satisfied by his childish prank.  With this, most rolled their eyes, while curious children ran to see what had occurred.

Small eyes peeked around the door as small hands pushed it more open so they could see.  Before them stood a man in wet clothes, shivering as he glared at another man, whose form was permanently seated, but no less able to cause mischief.  The seated man laughed harder.  "Shaun!" The first complained as he pulled off his wet shirt.

"What?" The other questioned, attempting to pull off a look of innocence, which might have worked if he wasn't struggling not to laugh some more.

"Haven't you got anything better to do than attack me with metal buckets?" Paul tossed his wet top at his friend before picking the bucket up and moving out of the door frame.

"Hmmm, no."

Paul huffed, unable and unwilling to deal with the other at that moment.  He was freezing!  The bath water, which had already been used by his friend was no longer hot, lukewarm at best, but that was all he had to use.  He was not happy.

He washed quickly, the heat of the water still managing to take away the chill that lingered after his impromptu dousing.  This water wasn't good enough to be used an additional time, so with a towel wrapped around his waist, he filled up the bucket beside the toilet with the grey water then tossed in socks and other undergarments in the clothes basket for a clean.  While they soaked, he headed to the bedroom in order to get dressed. 

Shaun was no longer in the bedroom, Paul couldn't help but utter a sigh of relief.  Shaun was his best friend, had been for years since before even the accident that took his legs.  He was protective of him, worried constantly about him, they were as close as brothers, which meant that he also knew too well all of those quirks and bad habits that no person would be whole without.  The worst side of Shaun always revealed itself when the man was bored.

"Shaun!" Autumn yelled out with ire in her tone.  This caused Paul to groan and he quickened his pace, pulling up his jeans, buttoning them before layering t-shirt and jumper for extra warmth.  "Shaun, that's dangerous!"

Paul sword as he stuck his head out of the door.

Most modern houses had hallways that were wide enough for wheelchair access.  In a home of this size with its large extensions and spacious feel, the hallways downstairs had become even more generous.  This was good for Shaun, allowing him to be as mobile as humanly possible considering his situation, but this was also not good for Shaun.

The wheelchair whizzed past with the joyous giggling and screaming of two very entertained young girls as they were held in the lap of the chair's occupant and 'driver'.  The chair screeched to a halt at the other end of the corridor, skilfully turning in a sharp u-turn moments prior to hitting the wall.  The little girls clapped their hands.  "Again!"

"No, not again!" Autumn scolded as she rushed over to 'rescue' the children from Shaun's reckless antics.  "Come on, get down off of Shaun now."

"Awww," the girls complained in unison. 

"Spoilsport," Shaun sneered, but he was careful as he released the girls from their improvised metal restraints and helped them to climb down.

"Bad influence!" Autumn retorted and took both girls by the hand to find them something less dangerous to do.  Shaun sighed as he seemed to sink deeper into his chair.  Autumn worried too much; he was perfectly in control of his wheelchair thanks to his metal abilities.  The girls would have come to no harm.

"She's right you know." Shaun glanced over to see his friend leaning in the doorway to their bedroom.

"Right about what?" Shaun questioned.

"You are a bad influence on the kids."

Shaun clicked his tongue carelessly before using his arms to wheel himself back towards Paul. "Play blackjack with me," came the sudden demand, catching Paul off guard.

"What? Absolutely not!" Shaun had an annoying habit of always wanting to play card and dice games requiring an ante, which would be fine if he didn't cheat so often.

As if reading Paul's mind, his friend gave him a reassuring smile and promised; "I won't cheat, honestly." Paul wavered visibly, allowing Shaun to push him a little more into agreeing. They entered their bedroom and the door shut behind them.

Sometime later, an aggrieved wail yelled out; "Shaun!" followed by raucous laughter.

*****

As with any winter, it did not snow everyday and perhaps due to the fact that the temperature seldom did not rise above freezing, there was no melt to become ice.

The door to the main property opened, a bullied looking man used all his strength to push a metal chair with wheels over the frame of the door and out into the snow. The occupant of the chair had a satisfied expression upon his face.

Paul sighed. "I really don't think I can push your chair through the snow, you know." The path had been cleared the previous day, but an overnight flurry had caused another inch to settle upon the grounds. Shaun glanced at him for a brief moment before the focus in his eyes seemed to become distant. Metal seemed to ooze downwards from the frame of his chair until it reached the ground, then it leached beneath the wheels before thickening and hardening. Suddenly, the wheelchair had two metal runners pushing it off of the ground and turning it into a one of a kind sled.

Shaun pointed out the adaptations with a sly grin. "Now mush!" He instructed.

Shaking his head, Paul could only sigh. He adjusted the thick gloves protecting his hands before reassuring himself that Shaun was well protected by a thick coat and blanket. With that, he shut the door behind him and began to push the sled-chair over the snow.

"Why did you want to go out anyway?" He asked as he shivered as a particularly bitter wind brushed past them.

"Change of scenery," Shaun responded as if that were obvious. "You try being stuck indoors for three months looking at the same familiar walls each and everyday."

"Autumn and the kids haven't really been out either..."

"And? That's their choice. This is mine." Paul hesitated to answer, wondering if he'd stepped on a land mine in this conversation. Shaun sighed. He could easily figure out what was going through his best friends mind without even needing to glance back at him. "Stop overthinking it," he drawled. Paul still did not answer him, irritating him somewhat and a notion came to mind.

A ball of compacted snow smacked Paul in the chest. "What the fuck!" He cried out, as another one hit his shoulder. He instinctively moved in order to protect Shaun from the attack, which seemed to be coming from nowhere. Only as the deep, unbridled laughter of the man entered his ears did he realise that he'd been tricked again! A snowball smacked his thigh and he finally saw the metal catapult that had vaulted it. As if with a mind of its own, the catapult darted into the snow mound at the side of the path, presumably to 'reload'. Paul glared at the true culprit behind him, who simply laughed.

The snowball 'fight' attracted other players and soon as two teenaged boys chased each other with the white ammunition, Shaun was helping Lucy create a snowball of her own to throw. Overeager, the child tossed the snowball, which ended up falling just a foot away from her toes. Meanwhile Paul threw his own creation at Tyler, who'd been passing with a basket full of eggs. The ball came nowhere near making contact, falling from the sky as if it had been drained of all momentum.

"Cheat!" Shaun jeered. Tyler's eyebrows rose upon his forehead and seven balls of powdery snow suddenly lifted up into the air behind him.

"He didn't mean that!" Paul yelled out hurriedly, even as Shaun was crying out for Tyler to 'bring it on!' The balls flew forward, hitting a shield of metal that appeared from nowhere and causing Lucy to shriek in surprise. A catapulted mound flew over and fell over Tyler in a flurry, even as a snowball deviated from its projected course, flying around and hitting Shaun from behind.

Shaun's laughter once more filled the air.

Paul could only shake his head, despairingly as he took Shaun's temperature later as the man sneezed for the umpteenth time. "Let's make a snowman with the kids tomorrow," Shaun said with a slightly hoarse voice.

"Absolutely not."

"Spoilsport."