A few days ago I got a nice Christmas card from my families spiritual elder which read like this:
This time you’ve gone too far.
This time you’ve gone too far.
This time you’ve gone too far.
I told you,
I warned you,
I told you.
With affection,
G.F.
Due, to the simple fact that, when our families spiritual elder becomes unsatisfied, un-happy, or god forbid – angry with a family member, nothing good is on the menu.
This being the fact on hand, I pondered what I may have done that would be upsetting to someone else. After a half-hour of Tia-Chi and quiet meditation, I concluded a multitude of recent miss-deeds could have been the culprit. It would be impossible to know which one angered my elder, but there was a possibility it may be related to the ten pounds of stolen cocaine in the trunk of my car.
There was no time to waste, I had to leave town and fast. I put a kettle of water on the burner and made a nice cup of caffeine free green tea with a hint of ginger, one teaspoon of sugar and little lime twist – so much better than a lemon twist.
After a few relaxing sips, I jumped in the car and headed for the East Coast. I needed to leave town.
As soon as a got in, I heard a familiar voice,
“Don’t look back,
just drive the car.
Don’t say nuthin’,
We know who you are.”
I didn’t say a word. I just drove. When I was told to make a right on San Pablo Avenue, I did. When I was told to make a right in the parking lot right before Central Market, I did. I recognized the place, this lot is where the old “Chicken Delight” used to be. Just an old empty lot now.
The next thing I saw was a flash of light which came from behind and enveloped my brain. Each second seemed like a half minute so I had plenty of time to enjoy my last few minutes. Micro-seconds later, I could feel a wave of warmth that started in the back of my skull and overcame my whole body.
Looking forward I saw the inside of my face as it flew off supported by the parts of my skull that shot away with it. It shattered onto the windshield.
“Jesus,” I thought, “…he didn’t have to use a shot-gun.”
My body slumped forward onto the passenger’s seat and all when black.
I came too. Couldn’t see, but I could hear. Someone said, “Yeah, he’s dead.”
The voice came from the passengers window.
I heard the footsteps as they walked away.
I lived here since I was a kid. Central Market, I used to steal black cows from that place when I was a kid. I liked the orange ice cream pop-sickles with the vanilla filling. But Black Cows were the best. I could steal Black Cows, I had to buy the ice cream.
I knew a kid in third grade who lived a block away from Central Market. He lived in an apartment. I was taken aback when I went to his place for the first time because I lived in a house with four levels and this kid lived in a place the size of our front room. I just didn’t know folks lived that way. He moved into town from Dallas.
I wonder what happened to that kid.
It all went black again.
Came too again, this time I could see black and white shadows.
I managed to muster up some movement in my left arm, which draped on the passenger floor. I reached under the seat…found it.
About half the size of a can of hair spray.
I found the pin with my forefinger and braced my thumb against the canister, tried to take a deep breath but that just made me cough and choke. I pulled.
Nothing.
I put all I had to that finger and pulled. The pin slipped out and a blue haze oozed out of the can, climbed over the windows and spread on the ground. I lifted myself and leaned on the passenger window.
I saw the haze catch up to my two little friends.
I heard a “floop.” And looked down. A chunk of my arm slid off my bone and stuck to the side of the car.
I saw one of my friends drop on his knees screaming with flesh falling from his body.
I don’t know exactly what this shit is, napalm with some sort of nerve gas agent with some stuff that makes your meat repel your bone, then it falls off.
The canister spreads the gas, it does its damage, then it ignites and what ever’s left just burns.
A flash. I saw my other friend burst into flames, then it all went black.
It ended.
Merry Christmas to me.
COMING NEXT…Happy New Year?