Tom wondered whether, if he stared at The Old Guitarist long enough, he would begin to hear a melancholy Spanish tune, and smell the streets of Barcelona.

“She told me, Dr. Jellicoe, that there were no swimming sea creatures on that wall, and no lit-up stars or planets, and no music, and no sea breeze … And certainly no children, laughing or otherwise. And she told me all of these things as she pulled me away from the wall, and away from the staring customers in the parking lot. And she told me them all over again, all the way home in the car – which she insisted on driving.”

“And did you believe her?”

“I don’t know what I believe anymore, Dr. Jellicoe.”

Dr. Jellicoe glanced away from Tom then, as she removed her glasses, rubbed her eyes, and sat back again in her brown leather chair. Tom heard her sigh.

“Tom, what did you hope to do? What were you wanting or needing, banging on that wall?”

Tom considered this. Maybe there was a clear and true answer that was not crazy, or maybe there was not. But he gave her the only answer he had.

“I just wanted to go, too.”

“Weffiops the Bio-Electric Space Dolphin” (JP, 2004)

“Weffiops the Bio-Electric Space Dolphin” (JP, 2004)

Main photo by Sandra Peterson Ramirez. Text by td Whittle.
What does 13 Ways mean? All of our stories with 13 Ways in the title are part of an ongoing creative project, which you can read about here: