I tentatively made my way down the dune; the dry sand seeping between my toes. As I peered through the window, I saw a teenagers naked on the floor. I feared the worst, but waited to see if he stirred.
A few minutes passed without any signs of movement. I edged my way around the van to the large open door. "Are you OK?" I asked in a quiet voice.
There was no reply. "Buddy, you Ok?" I said in a louder voice.
Leaning through the door I reached towards the teen. Grabbing his shoulder I started to shake him gently. "Wake up buddy."
His skin felt soft, pliable and warm. He rocked gently, but showed no resistance. I was becoming more scared, a tightness in my stomached knotted as I climbed into the van to see what help I could offer.
I rolled him onto his back and almost fell out of the van. His eyes--a cool blue and bright--were wide and unblinking.
Finally my first aid training kicked in and I felt for a pulse. As I pushed against his neck, it dimpled and gave way under my touch. I snapped my hand back, confused and scared.
I'd never seen anything like this before. I looked at him, he seemed perfectly fine; awake and just staring at the ceiling. My eyes drifted down his torso, then a shiver skated down my spine. His leg was trapped between the seats and had twisted at an unnatural angle.
I thought about the man is seen earlier. Had he done something to the teen? Some kind of unwarranted attack and broken his leg.
Running my hands down his leg, I checked for any breaks in his skin. As I felt for a break, his leg compressed, squeezing together. There was nothing inside, nothing at all.
Without thinking I pressed my palms over his limbs and torso. With a little pressure each collapsed under my touch.
I looked at his young face staring blankly upwards. I put my hand On his forehead and pushed, his head collapsed like a half inflated soccer ball, his features distorting in an ugly fashion.
The more I studied what laid before me, the less I believed it was even real. There was a chirp; a modern, catchy noise coming from under a some swim shorts. It was his mobile.
"Stu', you coming down? Surfs creating." The message read.
Without thinking I replied with, "sure, down in five." It would appear that he had some kind of life, even if it was entirely fake.
It didn't take me long to start to think about what it would like to start a new life, discard the one I'd been born with and adopt Stu's. I briefly thought about the man I'd seen, was he actually Stu?
I looked at the teenager laying on the camper floor. He was about my height, I told myself. I wanted so much to throw away the mess I'd make of my own life, start again.
Leaning inside, I pulled the teenager from the camper. There was certainly some weight to him, as I held him by the shoulders I studied his torso. He had a lean built, but there was a strong definition which suggested he had started to work out.
Flipping him around I held him up against myself. In the door mirror I looked at myself; and kicked his legs around until the hung in front of mine. It was close he was about the same height as me, although slight less built.
Shifting my grip, I wrapped an arm around his chest. With the other hand I held up his head. His blue eyes stared at me as I looked between our faces side by side.
Nodding slowly to myself, I decided I wanted his carefree life. I didn't care what it took, or about the man.
Climbing into the camper I slide the door closed. One by one I pulled the small drapes closed that hung from the windows.
In the dim light, I pulled off my board shorts and examined Stu'. I was looking for a join, I'd come to the conclusion that this was some kind of fake identity--there had to be a way inside.
After minutes of searching, there was nothing to be found. Stu' looked at me, his mouth slightly parted. Maybe there was something inside, like a hidden zipper or something.
I pushed my fingers into his mouth and was surprised to find out how easy it was. His mouth stretched around my hand, then wrist--all the time keeping a tight seal. Stu's interior felt warm and slick, even up to my bicep I couldn't feeling anything inside.
Pulling my hand out, it occurred to me that this was the only way of entry into the faux-teenager. I tested my theory, and pulled at Stu's lips. It was tough, but I managed to stretch his mouth open as wide as my shoulders.