Giant Step Outside Your Mind

By: Coneflower

Part 1

Circa: 1967

"Whoa, Sunny, you gotta try this stuff! It's freaking me out, man."

Sunny looked up at her friend, Paisley. The two were hanging out by the East River again, trying out the new drugs Paisley would buy. The blonde girl extended her hand out to take the rolled-up joint.

"Everything freaks you out, Paisley" she retorted, her voice sluggish and effete.

"You have no idea" he implied, staring blankly at the water from his perch on the dock.

Sunny took a long drag of the joint. She peered over at Paisley, who seemed to be more out of it than usual by now. "What's your problem?"

It took a while, but Paisley finally gave a cryptic answer. "I wondered what it'd be like to just sink to the bottom of the East River."

"I don't know; why don't you try it." Sunny broke out into an insipid laughter. Paisley didn't seem too thrilled though.

He turned, stared her directly in the eye, and mumbled a simple "okay" before hurling himself into the water below.

"Paisley!" Sunny yelled, watching helplessly as her friend started to slip into the darkness of the river. She thought he'd be back to the surface, but he never did. "Man, don't make me come down there to get you!" After a minute, he hadn't appeared. Sunny heaved heavily, took off her wool knit jacket, and jumped into the water.

It took a moment for her to remember she couldn't swim. She splashed around, taking in water. Sunny's mind was so wracked with drugs and panic, she couldn't even comprehend what was going on. She sank and sank and sank……she could see the water starting to change into psychodelic colors. The yellow and pink fish around her began to dance together as big band music played on. As Sunny sank more, the images started to melt away with strange-looking buildings replacing the water scene. She felt her feet gently press down on something hard - the ground. A street image faded into full view with the whole turn-of-the-century thing happening.

"Psychodelic" Sunny murmured, bobbing her head, amused. This was the grooviest trip she'd ever taken. Paisley was right - she thought. That stuff freaked me out too for a sec there. The dancing fish I can take, but that big band music……She shivered inwardly.

***

Crutchy hobbled along his merry way, as usual, to Tibbys where the newsies ate ALL the time. It was the only restaurant that put up with their frequent urge to dance on tables. The poor gimp was rounding a corner when he saw the most amazing sight…a doggie doing tricks in the street! He watched the doggie intently till he noticed something rather peculiar - a girl fading into view. His jaw dropped open as the girl became clearer, and she was talking to herself.

Crutchy stared wide-eyed at the girl in strange, colorful clothing. She started walking off. "I have to tell da fellahs!" he whispered loudly, before hobbling the rest of the way to Tibbys. He made it there in record timing, well, for him it was record timing. A broad smile was plastered on his face; he was literally hopping with excitement.

"Heya fellahs! Have I got something to tell you!"

"What's dat, Crutchy?" Jack asked, from his chair next to the window.

The brown haired gimp hopped some more. "I saw a goil!"

"And, was dis the foist time ya seen one?" Kid Blink remarked, laughing.

"No!" Crutchy snapped, lightly. Blink could really get to him sometimes. "No, I saw dis goil fade into sight. Right outta no where. Thin air! And she was dressed in these weird looking clothes like circus clothes 'er something."

All the newsies exchanged knowing glances. They knew how Crutchy's brain had a mind of it's own, but this was just plain crazy. A girl appearing out of no where?

Racetrack leaned over to Specs, who sitting next to him and whispered, "I think Crutchy needs a hobby 'er a girl 'er something. He's startin' to hallucinate."

"Maybe he's been out in da sun too long. Geez, I hope dat don't happen to us" Specs replied.

By now, Jack's face was scrunching up. Crutchy was looking for a response from his faithful leader and friend, but Jack was having trouble on what to say. "Uh…dat's good, Crutchy."

Crutchy frowned. No one was believing him, he could tell. "Fine. Don't believe me. I'll go find da goil and have her prove it to alla yas!" With that, he was gone. Well, it took a few minutes for him to get out the door. Trying to make a serious scene by storming out of the restaurant didn't work very well when you couldn't get the door open easily. But, he got out and stormed down the street in search of the blonde girl who appeared from no where.

Part 2

Crutchy hurried back to the spot where he’d witnessed the appearing act. He’d forgotten the girl had already started to walk away after he saw her. The disappointed expression on his face showed as he remembered that fact, seeing the girl was not there anymore.

I have to find her - he thought. No telling where she was by now though. How am I gonna prove this to the guys?

That’s when he saw the frequent fruit vender on the street side. Crutchy smiled, knowing the vender was there all the time and most definitely had to see the girl.

The gimp rushed over to the vender. "Mister?"

The vender looked up from replacing a few sold apples. "Yes?"

"Did you, by any chance, see something strange earlier?" Crutchy asked, nonchalantly.

The vender got this "huh" look on his face. "Like what?"

"Like…a girl appearing on the street right there from no where?" He waited anxiously for an answer.

"Uh…I don’t think I saw such a thing."

Crutchy’s hopeful expression dropped like a ton of bricks at those words. "Are you sure?"

"I’m certain I didn’t."

"Okay, thanks." With that, poor Crutchy walked off.

He thought for sure he was going to get a positive answer, but no. He didn’t. Crutchy feeling dismayed, headed back to the lodging house. He knew he’d never hear the end of it from the fellow newsies. They probably think I’m as mad as Pulitzer.

"SHAA LA LA LA LA, LIVE FOR TODAY!" The sudden noise startled him. Someone was singing - and very off key, I might add. Crutchy’s head snapped up to see a blonde headed girl skipping up and down the street. No one seemed to notice her! Crutchy thought that was kind of odd, but only for a moment. He hurried to catch her.

"Hey, goil whose singing!"

Sunny stopped her frenzy of singing and skipping, and turned to the person calling her. "HI!" she exclaimed, brightly.

"Hi!" Crutchy exclaimed back. He hobbled up to her. "You wouldn’t happen to not be from around here?"

She shrugged. "Depends on where here is. I have no clue! It’s pretty groovy though. I can act as weird as I want and no one stops me." Sunny giggled. Crutchy cocked his head. This girl was as strange as he was.

"You’re in Manhattan, New York. Ever been here?"

"I live here, but here looks different. I’m confused." Sunny scrunched her nose. "Those drugs must of really wrapped my brain this time."

"Well, I have no idea what you mean by drugs, but if you need help, I’ll do my best to help." Crutchy smiled that big, friendly smile of his and added, "Come back with me to the lodging house I live at. I have to uh…let you meet my friends."

By now, Sunny was staring into space like Crutchy wasn’t even there. He elbowed her. She flinched and looked at him again. "Huh?"

"Just come with me." He grabbed her arm, and started tugging her along. "By the way, my name is Crutchy."

Sunny came back to life. "That’s a groovy name! I must be in another dimension of time. No one where I’m from has a groovy name like that."

Crutchy shook his head as they started to walk to the lodging house. "That’s not my real name."

"Oh. Well, I’m Sunny but that’s not my real name either. It’s Lorraine, but I can’t stand that!"

"Then I’ll just call you Sunny."

She got a shocked look on her face. "Good idea!"