> Dan in Plureality 4

When I was traveling in England the second time, when I was 23, I went into a bookstore in Chelsea and found a book called 'The Crow Road', so I bought it. Two days later I was in Cornwall with guy who had picked me up hitch-hiking and invited me to camp with his friends in a quarry that one of them owned. We were walking down the road along the coast at night, on our way to the country pub. Talking about books, and I noticed the crows, blacker than the night, lining the field to our left, and he didn't, he was talking about books.

And he said: “One of my favourite books is 'The Crow Road'. Have you heard of it?”

*


Dr. Hannah smiles. “Very cool.” 

Dr. James snorts.

*


Working in the bookstore during my stay on the farm, everything easily becomes about work, about paychecks, relaxing after work, small talk. That morning, before we open the doors to let in the customers, I glance at the New Age section, my attention caught briefly by a box-set of runes. I remember reading the runes, I wonder at everything implied by the runes and what they imply about the world. But I cannot feel it, cannot find it in the stark mall lighting, the stream of people, the economics. 

Later in the shift a man buys a box-set of Faerie Oracle cards; illustrated by Brian Froud. As I turn the box over to scan it I see the author's name, who wrote the commentary. Jessica Macbeth, and I remember being picked up by Jessica while I was hitch-hiking in Scotland when I was nineteen, her taking me to an ancient cairn and teaching me my first meditation technique before dropping me off in Oban and saying goodbye.

*


“Fine,” he says. “They are interesting stories. But frankly I don't see the point of them.”

*


A girl that I worked with at the bookstore named Kaye lends me over 30 hours of videotapes, all the episodes of 'Roswell' to date. I watch them continuously for a day and a half. Like brainwashing. These stories of aliens disguised as humans trying to relate and survive in their small town. Sure it moves me. 

The last time I did a total immersion run like that was when I read Grant Morrison's 'Animal Man' straight through. Later that summer a RPG character I was playing became self-aware and now gets calls and emails from fictional characters in the game.

*


“Again, the recurrence of TV, of role-playing games. The pathology is clear to me, Dr. Hannah. I'm still unsure of the value of these stories.”

***

Wraith's Wrath

The ground seemed to shudder and heave, knocking her off balance. And that was a rare thing to do. Wraith lay on the ground looking up at the night sky. She flipped herself back upright and scanned the perimeter; she knew that she was totally caught off guard and that could have cost her a life.

She didn't know what the heck was going on but she intended to find out. The next ripple didn't catch her off balance since she expected it. The ground shook like a wave lapping up to the shore.

"This cannot bode well," she whispered to herself.

She spotted the sentry nestled up along the ridge; she knew that she was getting close to the compound.

The Pawn of Presents Passed

Frank pulled the sedan into the parking garage and got out. Opening open the trunk he pulled out a gun and tucked it into the back of his pants. He slammed the trunk down and walked away from his car. His cellphone rang.

"Frankay!" the voice said.

"Scott," Frank replied.

"Can't a guy call on his old friend?" Scott asked.

"You ain't my friend," Frank replied coldly. "I'm here."

"That's cool," Scott's voice dropped the friendly tone. "Go to the roof."

"This better be good," Frank said.

"Would I steer you wrong?" Scott asked, knowing that answer all too well.

"This better not be a wild goose chase," Frank said. He pushed the up button at the elevators.

Awakening the Beast

Pain racked his body as he fell to the ground. His head bounced off the asphalt of the parking lot, and he was sure that there was another cut there, but he couldn't feel it at the moment. His body was beyond the point of registering pain, it was channeling it.

He picked up his head and began to crawl.

"You guys better go while you have the chance," he said to the thugs around him.

"Yeah right," one said.

"Whatever," another one replied. "Any last words?"

Not yet, he thought.

There was a trio that stood around him and they kicked him a few times when he was down. He was beyond feeling the pain now, he wasn't sure were he was at. His mind was somewhere else.

Just about there, he mumbled.

"So big man, you think you are tough now?" a voice laughed. "Come on and teach me a lesson."

"I would," he sputtered out. "But, right now I have a pressing engagement to tend to. Once I am finished there then I will come back and teach you guys a lesson."

"Think he's going loco?" another voiced asked.

"Beats me," another one chimed in. His voice held an edge of hatred that consumed him.

"No," the first one corrected. "Beats him."

They all chuckled over that, and continued with the kicking. They didn't realize that they were waking the beast within and would pay the ultimate price for it.

"You boys were warned," Akimoto said.