AZOTUSLAND chapter Fifty-two
The following Tuesday morning in the upper cafe Sex was sitting by herself as was Ked Woman. They both looked sad.
Jim noticed and came by on break and sat with Delphia.
"What's up sweetie?"
"He's gone," she said sadly.
"Jacob?"
"Yes," she said. She cried a bit and Jim held her shoulders and wondered what to do.
After awhile he asked "how gone?"
"Everything cleared out gone," she said.
Minutes later Jim passed this on to Maugham who quickly jumped into the Jeep and drove over to Jacob's.
It was true.
No trace except a note with Jim's name on it. On the back it said "Maug...don't open it, just give it to Jim.
Maug came back after an hour of asking around and walked in. Jim saw him and Maugham motioned for him to join him in the Ops.
Jim invited Delphia to come nap with him in a bit and cry if she needed to.
Later on she did.
Once upstairs Maugham told him about the place and the note. Inside there was a typed note which was not from Jacob at all. It was from Rnonymous:
*******
The Rev. Tanka died that Friday. Word came, from all people, through Ted. He called Jim at 10:30 p.m. from the hospital and told him in hushed tones about Tanka's passing.
Jim thanked him and asked if he could take Ted to dinner some time in the next week or so. Ted agreeded and seemed very sad.
*******
An air of too much seiousness had enveloped Azotus the last few weeks. It was not what Jim envisoned or wanted. He wanted open exploration, freedom and new connections to be made as people wanted them and interacted. It was still happening, but the daily joy of a year ago was being replaced with clouds of darkness. Azotus, which once flew "under the radar" had become noticeable and therefore a target?
"How wierd" Jim thought. "Why, and for what purpose."
Some part of him knew the answer. It was why he had his own secrets. It was not cynicsism, so much as realism.
That one afternoon, after reading the note, Jim had gone and laid down in the Bunkhouse next to Delphia who was crying. He spooned in behind her and kissed her sweet cheek. She turned into him and with feeble lips kissed him gently. Then she snuggled into him and said "I love you."
"Yes," he said softly, "I love you as well."
"But Jim, just not that whole way," she said.
"Yes," he whispered, "I understand. Love is stil love."
They both fell asleep for an hour.
Jim had this dream as he slept.
It was a cold day somewhere in upper California and he was walking down a long street alone, carrying a large trunk up on his shoulder and several packs were draped around him. He had been walking awhile and had many miles to go. As he walked he saw a very old man coming his way on his morning walk...his "constitutional". As they passed each other they each caught a snapshot of the other's face. Jim kept walking but he was subtracting year's from the man's face as he walked.
He stopped in the road and turned. The other man had stopped as well and turned. They looked at each other from about 20 paces searching each other. Then the old man's face lighted up with a broad smile, and Jim knew this smile and he grinned too and the two walked briskly toward each other and embraced.
"Ive missed you old friend," Jim said. "Oh we have missed you too Jim. Come, here, here is my house. Mary will be so happy to see you."
Just then there she was in that mystical way dreams are. But she almost stumbled. Jim grabbed her tightly and supported her up to the house. Her two daughters were inside and they took Jim's things and put them out back for him and invited him for lunch.
Jim remembered the man because when he was much younger he and a group of older parishoners had rallied around Jim and been his true support as he battled for people in a fairly ruthless political church situation. They were old even then but young and sweet in heart and also tough. He use to call them the "Cacoon people" jokingly.
But here was Chris, now many years dead Jim was sure, yet alive in his dream.
They had soup and when it dribbled down Chris' chin Mary laughed at him, as did his daughters and Jim. Then he did it again on purpose, and they laughed more.
Jim said it was time for him to go, but when he got to the backyard to pickup his belongings they had multiplied. He hiked a few up on him and made way to the garage. Inside there were stacks and more stacks of his stuff. He fled to the street to get some air, but even there he saw more Jim stuff.
Where was his simple trunk? Where were his small bags and the larger one?
Chris' daughter, a tall lanky woman who Jim had not really noticed came out. She was stunning and vivacious. He looked at her hand and it had a ring. "Typical," Jim said in his dream. She was taking a long time to unpack and try and repack all the stacks of belongs that were now Jim's. She did not seem frustrated, just rather in control.
Chris and Mary came out and they got into a horse carriage, smiled at Jim and rode off down the street Jim had been walking.
A wild black horse bolted past him and across the road as fast as a jack rabbit and into a field of mist.
Jim turned and looked at all the piles of Jim-stuff and he let go of the pack in his hand and removed the two slung over his shoulder. He took off his old pleated jacket and left it down, now covered only by a dark blue upper thermal as the mist came moving in like Marin.
He watched them gallop off happy and free. He looked down at his fatigues and boots. There was a silver bracelet on his left arm with an inlayed sword and a leather one with beads from Matisse on his right.
He started to walk away and the daughter called after him, "Jim..what about your stuff?"
"You keep it," Jim said. He knew one of the suitcases had $100,000 in it. That should do as he walked alone into the thickening mist, hearing a wild horse in the distance and having no idea where he was going.
He walked across the street and into the mist which wafted by him like sheets. His boots crunched in the grass until he came to a large natural pool.
Jim often had sentient dreams. This was one of them. He stripped off his upper shirt, took off his boots, strapped the pants to his legs with the boot laces and dove into the water. He did not need air so he kept swimming down and across. The water was warm at times and other times cold...varying streams. A Leviathan come up from the bottom and swallowed him in a swift gulp. He panicked knowing what whould happen...to be slowly disintegrated into sludgy dust and sediment. He beat against the beast from within, then gave up.
Then he remembered at his ankle he had his scuba knife, The silver armband glowed and he cut a red slab from the beast as a warning. It thrashed, rose fast and puked him up on the beach.
The black horse looked over his exhausted body and kicked him.
Jim was enraged in the dream and flew up, dagger in hand upon the horse. He grabbed it's mane and yanked it back and held the knife to it's throat and whispered in it's ear..."Enough Whoregonia. You may win but I will rise."
Then he woke up in a sweat.
You were having a nightmare," Delphia said as she laced up her Keds.
"Uh-oh," Jim said, stil seeing the black horses nostrils flair in his head. "Uh no more anchovies on my pizza," he said and grinned.
She wasn't buying it.
Jim noticed and came by on break and sat with Delphia.
"What's up sweetie?"
"He's gone," she said sadly.
"Jacob?"
"Yes," she said. She cried a bit and Jim held her shoulders and wondered what to do.
After awhile he asked "how gone?"
"Everything cleared out gone," she said.
Minutes later Jim passed this on to Maugham who quickly jumped into the Jeep and drove over to Jacob's.
It was true.
No trace except a note with Jim's name on it. On the back it said "Maug...don't open it, just give it to Jim.
Maug came back after an hour of asking around and walked in. Jim saw him and Maugham motioned for him to join him in the Ops.
Jim invited Delphia to come nap with him in a bit and cry if she needed to.
Later on she did.
Once upstairs Maugham told him about the place and the note. Inside there was a typed note which was not from Jacob at all. It was from Rnonymous:
Jim,
I needed him for other work but he did his job. It will soon be time for you to do yours and I expect utter compliance or I asure you, you will lose everything .
You made a large mistake many years ago and this is your karmic retribution.
The end is coming soon.
Rnonymous
*******
The Rev. Tanka died that Friday. Word came, from all people, through Ted. He called Jim at 10:30 p.m. from the hospital and told him in hushed tones about Tanka's passing.
Jim thanked him and asked if he could take Ted to dinner some time in the next week or so. Ted agreeded and seemed very sad.
*******
An air of too much seiousness had enveloped Azotus the last few weeks. It was not what Jim envisoned or wanted. He wanted open exploration, freedom and new connections to be made as people wanted them and interacted. It was still happening, but the daily joy of a year ago was being replaced with clouds of darkness. Azotus, which once flew "under the radar" had become noticeable and therefore a target?
"How wierd" Jim thought. "Why, and for what purpose."
Some part of him knew the answer. It was why he had his own secrets. It was not cynicsism, so much as realism.
That one afternoon, after reading the note, Jim had gone and laid down in the Bunkhouse next to Delphia who was crying. He spooned in behind her and kissed her sweet cheek. She turned into him and with feeble lips kissed him gently. Then she snuggled into him and said "I love you."
"Yes," he said softly, "I love you as well."
"But Jim, just not that whole way," she said.
"Yes," he whispered, "I understand. Love is stil love."
They both fell asleep for an hour.
Jim had this dream as he slept.
It was a cold day somewhere in upper California and he was walking down a long street alone, carrying a large trunk up on his shoulder and several packs were draped around him. He had been walking awhile and had many miles to go. As he walked he saw a very old man coming his way on his morning walk...his "constitutional". As they passed each other they each caught a snapshot of the other's face. Jim kept walking but he was subtracting year's from the man's face as he walked.
He stopped in the road and turned. The other man had stopped as well and turned. They looked at each other from about 20 paces searching each other. Then the old man's face lighted up with a broad smile, and Jim knew this smile and he grinned too and the two walked briskly toward each other and embraced.
"Ive missed you old friend," Jim said. "Oh we have missed you too Jim. Come, here, here is my house. Mary will be so happy to see you."
Just then there she was in that mystical way dreams are. But she almost stumbled. Jim grabbed her tightly and supported her up to the house. Her two daughters were inside and they took Jim's things and put them out back for him and invited him for lunch.
Jim remembered the man because when he was much younger he and a group of older parishoners had rallied around Jim and been his true support as he battled for people in a fairly ruthless political church situation. They were old even then but young and sweet in heart and also tough. He use to call them the "Cacoon people" jokingly.
But here was Chris, now many years dead Jim was sure, yet alive in his dream.
They had soup and when it dribbled down Chris' chin Mary laughed at him, as did his daughters and Jim. Then he did it again on purpose, and they laughed more.
Jim said it was time for him to go, but when he got to the backyard to pickup his belongings they had multiplied. He hiked a few up on him and made way to the garage. Inside there were stacks and more stacks of his stuff. He fled to the street to get some air, but even there he saw more Jim stuff.
Where was his simple trunk? Where were his small bags and the larger one?
Chris' daughter, a tall lanky woman who Jim had not really noticed came out. She was stunning and vivacious. He looked at her hand and it had a ring. "Typical," Jim said in his dream. She was taking a long time to unpack and try and repack all the stacks of belongs that were now Jim's. She did not seem frustrated, just rather in control.
Chris and Mary came out and they got into a horse carriage, smiled at Jim and rode off down the street Jim had been walking.
A wild black horse bolted past him and across the road as fast as a jack rabbit and into a field of mist.
Jim turned and looked at all the piles of Jim-stuff and he let go of the pack in his hand and removed the two slung over his shoulder. He took off his old pleated jacket and left it down, now covered only by a dark blue upper thermal as the mist came moving in like Marin.
He watched them gallop off happy and free. He looked down at his fatigues and boots. There was a silver bracelet on his left arm with an inlayed sword and a leather one with beads from Matisse on his right.
He started to walk away and the daughter called after him, "Jim..what about your stuff?"
"You keep it," Jim said. He knew one of the suitcases had $100,000 in it. That should do as he walked alone into the thickening mist, hearing a wild horse in the distance and having no idea where he was going.
He walked across the street and into the mist which wafted by him like sheets. His boots crunched in the grass until he came to a large natural pool.
Jim often had sentient dreams. This was one of them. He stripped off his upper shirt, took off his boots, strapped the pants to his legs with the boot laces and dove into the water. He did not need air so he kept swimming down and across. The water was warm at times and other times cold...varying streams. A Leviathan come up from the bottom and swallowed him in a swift gulp. He panicked knowing what whould happen...to be slowly disintegrated into sludgy dust and sediment. He beat against the beast from within, then gave up.
Then he remembered at his ankle he had his scuba knife, The silver armband glowed and he cut a red slab from the beast as a warning. It thrashed, rose fast and puked him up on the beach.
The black horse looked over his exhausted body and kicked him.
Jim was enraged in the dream and flew up, dagger in hand upon the horse. He grabbed it's mane and yanked it back and held the knife to it's throat and whispered in it's ear..."Enough Whoregonia. You may win but I will rise."
Then he woke up in a sweat.
You were having a nightmare," Delphia said as she laced up her Keds.
"Uh-oh," Jim said, stil seeing the black horses nostrils flair in his head. "Uh no more anchovies on my pizza," he said and grinned.
She wasn't buying it.
posted by Obi-Mac BakDon | 5:30 PM
2 Comments:
Poor Rev. Tanka, wonder if Ted read the book that Jim left, considering he was the one with the Rev at his last breath.
Huh, Jim has some baggage! He didn't notice it piling up while enjoying the time with his friends.
The beast attempts to swallow him up. The horse kicks him while he is down,sheesh!
all in a dream.
Wonder what Rnonymous thinks is Karmic retribution.
Jim is grace oriented.
Hmmm...what will carry through the day Karma or grace!
Hey! I am enjoying this alot. You are doing so great. I am at the edge of my seat always waitng for the next chapter.
No pressure though, just wanted to tell you that i am still loving it!
Post a Comment
<< Home