Unarmed

Clyde is a soldier arming a packaged clear plastic foam ball shooter squirt gun; the uniform is desert techno, tag states Made in Texas. I am scheduled to forget a project, he interests my interests; thus revel another rebellion for a different participant. I retire an elaborate make up room, Clyde is unimpressed, I am disappointment from accepting bait; we leave through a window.

dangerous! do not proceed!!

"There are steps."

"Typical peril."

We walk to a pastel lime green Volkswagen beetle; I am unaware military convoys celebrate colorful compact German motorized vehicles.

"Wonder what he's doing."

"Who?"

"Victoria's husband."

"...isn't he yours too?"

"He tickles me a lot."

I look behind; a row of fallen posted signs.

Keep Off the Grass.

Boiling water, ruined pasta, ruined pasta, ruined pasta, ruined pasta, ruined pasta, clean up, broken hamper, spilled water, spilled water, almost spilled water, sparks, on, off, static, where is my wife, where is my child, contemplating eternity, the wall is elaborate nothingness, flicker, works, hunger, not hungry, mess, ate too much, waiting for my wife, waiting for my child, waiting forever; I dream shelter.

"How did you get here fella?"

"......where is my friend?"

"....he's talking about that guy who..."

"He saved your life."

"Where did he go?"

".......he left this for you."

A purple blanket with dragons and cherry blossoms.

"She always beats me at that."

"Oh yeah?"

"She does something with her eyes."

"I'll get her for that."

"Tea is a preliminary aestheticism for worlds which come undone."

"Like this one?"

"One of many."

"I remember them all."

"How does she do that?"

"She understands your last thought."

"Where does she go?"

"Waits for tea drops to open up her....vocabulary."

"She wants to write a book."

"What about you?"

"I'll edit it for you."

"For me?"

"It's dedicated to you. It's for you. She wants you to be entertained."

"That's a difficult task."

"I know how bored you are."

".....I don't."

"That's how it's going to be for me."

"Why?"

"Something is after me and it won't stop."

"What is it?"

"Something....slimy."

"Got to be a person."

".......I dreamed about a spider."

"A mechanical one."

"How did you know?"

"I dream about it too."

"It's beautiful but it's mercury."

"It will come out eventually."

"Where does he go?"

"The spider?"

"Him too."

".....uh...he wants to eat computers."

"Isn't he one?"

"Not really.....no....well......no....he....he's...he's alive like you are."

"I'm not really.......he's alive like you?"

"I'm not; he's something other than."

"I died a lot."

"I read about it."

"Where?"

"This man named Jared."

"He's interesting."

"They killed him."

"Who?"

"The same people that are after you; the same people that wired my arm."

"The one you sit upon?"

".....yup."

"I know why they wanted it."

"Why?"

"It's innocent."

"I shouldn't of touched it."

"What?"

"The knob."

"The knob to what?"

"That damned circuitry door."

"To.....what was it...."

"Hieroglyphics."

"Who was....."

"A bunch of scientists and a little boy."

"What were you....doing there?"

"I lived there in a village. I wanted to see what they were there for....they looked......stupid. Except for the boy he was just carrying the light."

".......oh."

"They asked me if I wanted to see what was inside."

"Did you answer?"

"He dropped the light."

"Then what happened?"

"Something got inside."

"Inside what?"

"The wires."

"Then?"

"I don't remember."

"I know."

"??"

"It was one of those worms."

".....didn't know twas real."

"One got inside my left shoulder; my brother took it out."

"I don't think this one will come out at all."

"Why....?"

"It's inside the bone."

"That's what it wants."

"Took me forever to find my way out of there."

"Who helped you?"

"The boy."

"What happened to him?"

"There was a little black box."

"........what did he look like?"

"Melon tuft."

"........wow."

"Very brave young lad. I think of him when I want to cut it off."

"I know how you can get it back."

"How?"

".........fucking blimey coops."

"How did you get out of there?"

"Get out of what?"

"You didn't know you were in there?"

"......?"

"Jared said it was four hundred human years."

"My daughter looks like a bear."

"Which one?"

"The one that looks like me."

"?"

"Oh."

"I cannot say I'm sorry."

"I said it once."

"To whom?"

"A god."

"What did she do?"

"She looked at me for a while."

"Didn't matter."

"Not at all."

"Those people who are after you want me to close it."

"Close what?"

"The door."

"I'll never see them again."

"..fucking blimey coops."

"I'll never see you again."

"Why do they eat so much?"

"Who?"

"Those people at the table."

"Where's it at?"

"Alderado."

"....huh."

"I just eat me vegetables and corn."

"Corn is not a vegetable?"

"Tis a seed."

"Oh......she doesn't like corn."

"She told me thus makes her....tired."

"Makes me dizzy."'

"I chew every piece."

"Tastes interesting."

"Especially that one."

"Which one?"

"The one with a scar on her ankle."

"Oh."

"I touched it once."

".....I would of too."

"She kicked me in the chin!"

"What did you do?"

"Nothing."

"Didn't scar you."

"She really tried."

"Revenge."

"Always blaming people for things they don't got a part of....they called her Belches' Bub..The Monster. All the younguns couldn't take a liking to her..she was too....can't really say. She just don't care about nothing; I was afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"She'd be that way forever....afraid she'd hurt somebody who didn't deserve it."

"What was her name?"

"Didn't matter to any of them. I should of asked but it was a rough subject to be bringing up. Everybody had their way with her. They called her a whore. She went away for a while. They said she was selling something poisonous; I didn't ever see it or get hurt by it. Wonder who it was hurting...probably herself. Wonder where she went; I don't want to go there if they like her. No sir, I sure reckon don't want that.....you been there before?"

"Depends on what it is."

"Yup."

"I once met a gray horse...she looked at me very strange."

"Not many of those there."

"Glue. They were going to make glue out of a thousand horses..she was one."

"They got her anyways huh?"

"We let her go. Why did she.."

"She didn't ask for it."

"Happened anyways.."

"Sure did! She reminds me of that lady who kicked me! That's probably how horses kick."

"Strange looking horse.....horses rarely kick...mostly donkeys."

"Got a lot of those there."

"Probably a donkey...maybe they would of let her go if they found out she was....."

"She was hanging out with the horses?"

"They blamed her for being in there."

"What was it?"

"A barbwire circle with a gate."

"She knew what she was doing."

"So did we."

"There are no excuses for her actions."

"Ours as well."

"Damned right god damn it."

"Glue....."

"What became of all the other horses?"

"I don't know."

"Do you feel like them?"

".......I adore them."

"They adore you too."

"He doesn't know how freaky I am."

"Which one are you?"

"....the damned queen."

"Your picture was there."

"I don't want to alarm him."

"Long curly hair.....you had a head inside your right hand."

"He's so beautiful....indescribably incredible..insatiable of me."

"Thing was ugly too. Glad you got that fucker."

"Pyramids delight of you."

"He looked like a computer programmer."

"Prisms desire your company evermore; never shall you wander from earth to another world."

"Sweaty looking creature. Blonde hair and blue eyes. Glasses hanging from him....."

"You will come again."

"Bet his name is Zachary....that's what they called that fucked up thing they be fucking with; it sweats a lot and has glass balls jumping inside. I smashed it with that arm; it's pretty strong."

"Your name shall be Kaleid."

"Must of been upset about that, he's probably after me. Hope that's his head; who knows what's going on inside there."

"You will marry...."

"Got to have a good axe for that! There's one inside that museum; I wish I could show you where it's at.....damn it."

"He's brave and strong."

"It's heavy though. You got to get a fucking grip for that motherfucker double chopper.....it's got a spike for a head."

"His name is Arby."

"I know how you needs to hold it."

"You will have four hundred children before it happens."

"Aw shit..my thing's..I got to go."

"I miss you."

"I miss you too; I miss you too....."

"Don't forget your plastic accessory."

"You can keep it.....use it for a music video."

"I desire you to stay evermore."

"I the same but if this shit runs out we'll be losing our heads."

Natassja relays a relevant ghost encounter; I find her at a burning stable, the fire is equivalent to matchbox ignition, we bucket loose moist dirt, toss three rounds, instability piles a stack of wooden planks. She sits next to me; we disappoint ourselves. I dream of chocolate spirals splicing through red and yellow cubes. Metal vines, purple silken twists, velvet blood, sunshine reflection, silver fingers, fragrance of desert sandalwood.

"That damned donkey. I asked for her price; he told me she is worthless. I walked away but I know what he did to her..I'll never forgive myself."

"I missed you Tassja."

"I looked for you everywhere!"

".........I got into trouble."

"Stop doing that."

"Tis not your fault about the donkey."

"He said two men gave him a purse full of coins; sounded like you both!"

"I wonder who he was.."

"He said you spent the night there looking for mushrooms!"

"That did happen."

"You gave him a lot of money."

"We slept inside the house.....it was very nice and he cooks wonderful food."

"That much?"

"We asked him to fix the stable."

"The one that just fell down?"

".....did look familiar."

"I got your money back."

"How?"

"I asked for it!"

"?"

"He said twas his pleasure for you to stay with him."

"Oh. What did you do with it?"

"Paid for a coffin."

"...?"

"A little black one with an upside down purple cross."

"Damn......."

"Made of ebony and amethyst stones."

"The inside?"

"A purple blanket with dragons and cherry blossoms."

"What was his name?"

"They called him Ted."

"...I hope I meet him."

"Where was Catri?"

"..I thought about her every moment."

"Nadia was missing as well."

"Where are they now?"

"Ruby and Crystal went to jail for rescuing a thousand goats from fanatical religious people. They were going to bleed them upon an alter for some beastly deity, fuck's sake......."

"What did you do?"

"I went everywhere asking about all of you!"

"Did you miss your husband?"

"I met other travelers."

"I miss her."

"I met a lot of people."

"...."

"Fuchsia awaits."

"?"

"Something about berries and naked people inside a vector."

"I'm in trouble again."

"She said it made them susceptible."

"..?"

"Red tear drops."

Books already read, cosmetics do not color serenity, sad rain puddles, I see a sorrowful face, out of incense, out of apples, one third a banana, six eighths an orange, smile for Ruby, smile for Lucidity, smile for Crystal, smile for Ebony, smile for Ambrosia, smile for Tusk, smile for Fiasco, smile for ours, I miss my wife, I miss Cordelia, I dream a fight. People enter a domain, they ask me to remain while collecting several objects, I request the couches, they leave a couple of items, tears stream down their cheeks, I give them several rolls of tissue, they squeeze me and leave. A crowd returns moments later carrying a moving thing, fists punch, feet lift and stomp, I close the door while three people count sixteen stacks of dollar bills. Wood softly squeaks; a breeze touches my right ear.

"......there. Strange....works...dreaming again....for him.....for her. Damn dogs."

"I don't give a fuck about oranges and bananas."