"You're alright for now," Mags told Suki. She put the wet cloth on girl's
forehead and made sure that the blanket was wrapped tight. "Help should
be arriving shortly. Just hang in there, Soo."
"Is that my name?" Suki asked weakly. "Can you say it to me again?"
"Suki," Mags comforted the child.
Suki smiled, "That's such a pretty name. Sounds Asian. Am I Japanese?"
Mags smiled and nodded as Suki opened her eyes; a tear streaked down Mags' cheek and Suki reached up to touch it.
"Are
you taking me to heaven?" Suki asked with the innocence of a child. A
fascination in her voice as if she had seen Mags for the first time.
"Not today if I can help it," Mags said with a wink.
20131010
Refractions of Oneself
"What you are saying is that we are all the same reflection of someone's
fingers in a glass of water?" Goner questioned. He watched as Max took a
cigarette out of a pack and lit it.
"You are not getting the point," Max told him as he leaned forward, and he pushed the clear bowl of water to the center of the table. "We all could be just one entity living different agendas."
"I call bullshit on that," Goner stated.
"Let me prove it to you," Max said; he held out his left hand and spread his fingers apart. "Like fingers on a hand, each are the same but different in a way. Varying in length. Now look what happens when I dip it in the water..."
Max dipped his hand into the bowl and leaned down to look. He pointed out the refraction angle to Goner. Goner was still trying to figure out what the whole thing was.
"The top of the water is a barrier. Outside the level it is air while below is water. You see my fingers, they are being shown at a different angle from the barrier I penetrated."
"You are not getting the point," Max told him as he leaned forward, and he pushed the clear bowl of water to the center of the table. "We all could be just one entity living different agendas."
"I call bullshit on that," Goner stated.
"Let me prove it to you," Max said; he held out his left hand and spread his fingers apart. "Like fingers on a hand, each are the same but different in a way. Varying in length. Now look what happens when I dip it in the water..."
Max dipped his hand into the bowl and leaned down to look. He pointed out the refraction angle to Goner. Goner was still trying to figure out what the whole thing was.
"The top of the water is a barrier. Outside the level it is air while below is water. You see my fingers, they are being shown at a different angle from the barrier I penetrated."
The Train Kept On
Suki happened to be playing a gameboy; she was kicking serious ass on
the game that she was playing. Aqua was glancing over her shoulder and
making the odd "watch out" comments now and then.
Akimoto was sitting lotus position on the floor near the back; he was meditating, and the fragrance of incense floated throughout the subway car like a summer breeze through an alley.
Max happened to be chatting with Bishop at the conductor's booth. Both were going on animatedly about their lives and what was the current course of action.
"You know it never ceases to amaze me of what worlds await," Bishop said after sipping a cup of coffee.
Max gazed out the side window and saw the blur of several realities intermixing like a sample on a DJ's turntable.
"This is just tip of the iceberg stuff," Max replied. "Wait til we get to the fun stuff."
Akimoto was sitting lotus position on the floor near the back; he was meditating, and the fragrance of incense floated throughout the subway car like a summer breeze through an alley.
Max happened to be chatting with Bishop at the conductor's booth. Both were going on animatedly about their lives and what was the current course of action.
"You know it never ceases to amaze me of what worlds await," Bishop said after sipping a cup of coffee.
Max gazed out the side window and saw the blur of several realities intermixing like a sample on a DJ's turntable.
"This is just tip of the iceberg stuff," Max replied. "Wait til we get to the fun stuff."
20131009
Saga of a Dimensional Universal Footbal Player
Max walked through the foyer with a soccer ball tucked underneath his
arm. He wore a bright yellow t-shirt with a red letters declaring
"DENY". He was stopped at a checkpoint by a security guard and passed
through a metal scanner.
You could tell it was a soccer ball and that the words "Official" were printed in bold red letters on it. He hit the 'up' button on the elevator and stepped inside just as the muzak version of Momma We're All Crazy Now started.
Max smiled.
He answered his cellphone since it was vibrating against his leg like a dog in heat.
"Yo," he said.
"Where are you, Max?" Goner asked. It sounded like he was involved in a huge battle as explosions and gunfire could be heard in the background.
"I'm just about there," he said. "Keep your pants on."
The line went dead as Goner hung up.
As he stepped through the door onto the roof he dropped the soccer ball onto the gravel and gave it a tiny kick up. He keyed his cellphone and hit *666 and then spoke, "You got it."
He gave the ball a kick and watched it sail into the air.
You could tell it was a soccer ball and that the words "Official" were printed in bold red letters on it. He hit the 'up' button on the elevator and stepped inside just as the muzak version of Momma We're All Crazy Now started.
Max smiled.
He answered his cellphone since it was vibrating against his leg like a dog in heat.
"Yo," he said.
"Where are you, Max?" Goner asked. It sounded like he was involved in a huge battle as explosions and gunfire could be heard in the background.
"I'm just about there," he said. "Keep your pants on."
The line went dead as Goner hung up.
As he stepped through the door onto the roof he dropped the soccer ball onto the gravel and gave it a tiny kick up. He keyed his cellphone and hit *666 and then spoke, "You got it."
He gave the ball a kick and watched it sail into the air.
The Ballad of Siskel and Ebert...
It seemed like they had backed themselves into a corner that they couldn't get out of.
Hundreds of rounds smacked the cement pillar that Angst was standing behind; she didn't dare move from the haven yet. She was waiting for a lull in the hail of bullets to return firing. She was down to using just one uzi, since she had lost its twin earlier in the evening.
"So how many do you think are out there?" Angst asked.
"I gather a heck of a lot," Frank quipped. He was reloading his gun and he shot her a wink.
"So what are we going to do?" she questioned.
"Do I look like Butch Cassidy?" Frank quipped. "And you are no Sundance."
She stood there trying to decipher Frank's cryptic code. Trying to figure out what the heck he was getting at.
Max slid across the floor and stopped at Frank's feet.
"She's lost, isn't she?" Max told Frank. "Once we get out of this we are going to have to download that movie for her."
Hundreds of rounds smacked the cement pillar that Angst was standing behind; she didn't dare move from the haven yet. She was waiting for a lull in the hail of bullets to return firing. She was down to using just one uzi, since she had lost its twin earlier in the evening.
"So how many do you think are out there?" Angst asked.
"I gather a heck of a lot," Frank quipped. He was reloading his gun and he shot her a wink.
"So what are we going to do?" she questioned.
"Do I look like Butch Cassidy?" Frank quipped. "And you are no Sundance."
She stood there trying to decipher Frank's cryptic code. Trying to figure out what the heck he was getting at.
Max slid across the floor and stopped at Frank's feet.
"She's lost, isn't she?" Max told Frank. "Once we get out of this we are going to have to download that movie for her."
The Lapse of Max...
The detective questioning Max that evening in the hospital looked at him with no expression and said, "What the hell happened?"
Lying in the comfort of the hospital bed, with needles stuck in his arm, Max Cube flashed the detective a toothy smile; he wasn't sure if he was ever going to explain what the heck had happened. He wasn't even too sure himself of what was going on, but it felt like his brain was made from Swiss cheese.
Max opened his mouth to say something but then a woman entered the room and turned with a look of recognition. He knew her from somewhere but he didn't know where exactly.
Maggie entered the hospital room and paused when she saw the detective; she shot Max a wink and then turned toward the other man. "Is there anything I can help with?"
"Well, for starters, who are you? And what is your connection to him?" the detective asked.
"I am Anne Wilson and I am his psychiatrist," Maggie said with cold severity. "He had left the ward that he was staying in 36 hours ago. I was hoping that he would show up sooner or later."
Lying in the comfort of the hospital bed, with needles stuck in his arm, Max Cube flashed the detective a toothy smile; he wasn't sure if he was ever going to explain what the heck had happened. He wasn't even too sure himself of what was going on, but it felt like his brain was made from Swiss cheese.
Max opened his mouth to say something but then a woman entered the room and turned with a look of recognition. He knew her from somewhere but he didn't know where exactly.
Maggie entered the hospital room and paused when she saw the detective; she shot Max a wink and then turned toward the other man. "Is there anything I can help with?"
"Well, for starters, who are you? And what is your connection to him?" the detective asked.
"I am Anne Wilson and I am his psychiatrist," Maggie said with cold severity. "He had left the ward that he was staying in 36 hours ago. I was hoping that he would show up sooner or later."
A Brand of Adventure Awaits...
Suki awaited for the arrival of the car; she stood there leaning up
against a pillar playing with a yo-yo. Akimoto sat at a bench
reading the paper and munching on an apple; it'd been a while since he had eaten an apple and he loved the tangy taste of it.
Max was by the cigarette machine trying to figure out what brand he was in the mood for. Looking at the brand names and studying them like an archeologist at a dig site.
Suki wandered over to Max and let the yo-yo tap him on the shoulder.
"You shouldn't bother a person when he is doing a reading," he told her without turning towards her.
"A reading?" Suki questioned.
Max didn't reply, he just reached for a knob... but he wasn't getting that sensation, so he moved over to the next one and his hand trembled a bit.
"Bingo," Max said and he pulled at the handle.
Max was by the cigarette machine trying to figure out what brand he was in the mood for. Looking at the brand names and studying them like an archeologist at a dig site.
Suki wandered over to Max and let the yo-yo tap him on the shoulder.
"You shouldn't bother a person when he is doing a reading," he told her without turning towards her.
"A reading?" Suki questioned.
Max didn't reply, he just reached for a knob... but he wasn't getting that sensation, so he moved over to the next one and his hand trembled a bit.
"Bingo," Max said and he pulled at the handle.
Waking with the Marmalade
Max awoke. He was lying on a bed in a small room, and no one was saying "Poke him again," which was a good sign.
He glanced around his room; the window was open and he could hear the sound of the city beyond it.
His first thought that he was somewhere European, maybe a bed & breakfast kind of establishment.
He swung his legs from the bed and touched the wooden floor, and as his feet moved he could feel a tingling sensation shoot up them.
Outside his window he heard Frank arguing with a man, though it sounded French.
I don't know French.
And yet he could make out the gist of the conversation. Frank was asking the man about a tall slender fellow that was rumored to appear in a blinding flash of light, naked as a jaybird.
Max leaned out the window and saw Frank standing below, and off to one side he could see Angst leaning up against a car painting her nails. He was going to say something but the door to his room opened.
Max turned to see who entered.
He glanced around his room; the window was open and he could hear the sound of the city beyond it.
His first thought that he was somewhere European, maybe a bed & breakfast kind of establishment.
He swung his legs from the bed and touched the wooden floor, and as his feet moved he could feel a tingling sensation shoot up them.
Outside his window he heard Frank arguing with a man, though it sounded French.
I don't know French.
And yet he could make out the gist of the conversation. Frank was asking the man about a tall slender fellow that was rumored to appear in a blinding flash of light, naked as a jaybird.
Max leaned out the window and saw Frank standing below, and off to one side he could see Angst leaning up against a car painting her nails. He was going to say something but the door to his room opened.
Max turned to see who entered.
20131007
You Don't Know Max
A flash play.
Cast of Characters:
Max
Maggie
Aqua
Frank
Dexter
Wraith
Gabriel 7
TIME: The Present
SCENE: A subway platform. Two benches along the wall and two vending machines. MAX is lying down on one of the benches asleep. FRANK and GABRIEL 7 are by the vending machine trying to decide what snack to get. MAGGIE is looking at a poster on the wall. DEXTER enters.
DEXTER: DAMN. [to Maggie] Did I just miss the train?
MAGGIE: It just pulled out a few moments ago.
DEXTER: Double Damn!
MAX: You kiss your mother with that mouth, Dex?
DEXTER: It's none of your business. And how do you know my name.
MAX: Sorry friend I didn't mean to offend. It's just your aura screams Dexter.
MAGGIE: No worries. You do kind of look like him.
DEXTER: You guys are weird.
FRANK [calls to MAX and MAGGIE]: Yo. You guys want a soda or juice?
MAGGIE: A beer would be nice.
MAX: That it would be.
[AQUA and WRAITH emerge from the washroom]
FRANK: It would be nice if one day one of these platforms had a beer dispenser.
MAGGIE: Then it would be just like heaven.
DEXTER: You guys escape from a looney bin?
MAX: Kinda.
AQUA: I hope the train arrives. I'm getting nervous just waiting around some.
WRAITH: Dexter?
DEXTER looks around.
WRAITH: Dexter it is you!
Cast of Characters:
Max
Maggie
Aqua
Frank
Dexter
Wraith
Gabriel 7
TIME: The Present
SCENE: A subway platform. Two benches along the wall and two vending machines. MAX is lying down on one of the benches asleep. FRANK and GABRIEL 7 are by the vending machine trying to decide what snack to get. MAGGIE is looking at a poster on the wall. DEXTER enters.
DEXTER: DAMN. [to Maggie] Did I just miss the train?
MAGGIE: It just pulled out a few moments ago.
DEXTER: Double Damn!
MAX: You kiss your mother with that mouth, Dex?
DEXTER: It's none of your business. And how do you know my name.
MAX: Sorry friend I didn't mean to offend. It's just your aura screams Dexter.
MAGGIE: No worries. You do kind of look like him.
DEXTER: You guys are weird.
FRANK [calls to MAX and MAGGIE]: Yo. You guys want a soda or juice?
MAGGIE: A beer would be nice.
MAX: That it would be.
[AQUA and WRAITH emerge from the washroom]
FRANK: It would be nice if one day one of these platforms had a beer dispenser.
MAGGIE: Then it would be just like heaven.
DEXTER: You guys escape from a looney bin?
MAX: Kinda.
AQUA: I hope the train arrives. I'm getting nervous just waiting around some.
WRAITH: Dexter?
DEXTER looks around.
WRAITH: Dexter it is you!
Lighting the Fuse
Max was bound to the chair; he couldn't move and if he did the wire
would cut into his skin. He sat there drenched and covered in fluid; a
pungent odor assaulted his nostrils and his wounds burned because of the
liquid.
It was gasoline.
"Are you going to talk?" Brogan asked. He sat on a stool, with a pack of wooden matches. He drew a stick and lit it.
"I have been chatting," Max replied through swollen lips. "But you are not hearing."
Brogan flicked the match at Max; the flame died out before it touched his clothes. Max didn't flicker one bit, which irked Brogan even more.
"You really don't get it," Brogan told him.
"No," Max replied. "You're the one who doesn't get it."
It was gasoline.
"Are you going to talk?" Brogan asked. He sat on a stool, with a pack of wooden matches. He drew a stick and lit it.
"I have been chatting," Max replied through swollen lips. "But you are not hearing."
Brogan flicked the match at Max; the flame died out before it touched his clothes. Max didn't flicker one bit, which irked Brogan even more.
"You really don't get it," Brogan told him.
"No," Max replied. "You're the one who doesn't get it."
Tuesday Early Morning Blues
It was another slow night; it always was on Monday evenings. There was not much of a nightlife and it seemed everyone's energy had been sucked out of the negativity that was Monday mornings.
"This is Cab 451 going for a break," Max keyed the microphone. He wasn't having a very good evening and rent was due.
"Sure thing, Max," the dispatch came through the speaker. "Have a good one."
"As good as one can get," he keyed back.
Max pulled his cab into the coffee shop and didn't know what else to do. He sat behind the wheel of the cab staring out into the coffee shop; he felt like he should be elsewhere doing something productive instead of wasting away driving cab.
He was listening to the radio and was about to turn it off when a tune came on and he let his fingers hover over the control. The song was stirring something inside him and he caught this flash of an image.
Red flowing hair.
He reached for the book that was beside him - The Mind of God by Paul Davies - and then he exited the cab.
"Heya Max," a voice called out. "There you are, I've been looking for you for a long while now."
Max stopped and looked; he saw a young girl standing there with a smile, dressed in a school uniform. She was a little young to be on her own at this time of night and without any adult supervision. No recollection ever appeared to him, she was just a stranger who had the upper hand at the moment.
"Do I know you?" he asked.
> Chance in Plureality 2
Professor, we're picking up the Angel and the Gargoyle again....
The rush of air blasted by, sending Darius' coat in wild waves of movement.
His arms remained crossed, propping him up on the edge of the bridge. He stared over the ledge down below.
A clattering noise echoed out of the empty canal and rose up to disappear into the evening traffic of the streets.
Darius wrapped a hand around his face, and realized he needed a shave. Though he still stared down with an odd look of bemusement. A small green piece of what could have been stone moved nearby on the bridge ledge. Twofeathers sidled up to Darius, climbing up his arm to perch on his shoulder with her small claws. The passing cars splayed his hair into a tangled mess around her. Which she, amidst coughs and sputters, managed to get free from.
"What are we doing here Darius?" the little gargoyle chirped.
"I had to check on something... part of the reason I need to find Max," Darius answered, pointing down into the canal, as he reached into his coat for a pack of cigarettes.
Twofeathers leaned out from her perch on Darius' shoulder; waving smoke from the cigarette he was lighting away from her face with a clawed hand.
"Wait.... is that?" She stared with some amount of shock.
The clattering noises rose up from the canal again. As a car zoomed through a puddle behind them.
"Yes, I do believe it is..." Darius said, turning from the railing.
"Oh... " Twofeathers said quietly.
Down in the canal, a scruffy looking kid rolled back and forth through the canal on a skateboard. He wasn't pulling any tricks, just rolling back and forth, occasionally skidding to stops here and there before changing his direction. All the while flipping through a black leather book he carried.
A strange sense of deja vu took the young man at that point. He stopped the board, and looked up upwards to the bridge overhead.
Seeing nothing, he tucked the book into his long, worn trench coat, figured it was time for lunch, and rolled off down the canal.
A clattering noise echoed out of the empty canal and rose up to disappear into the evening traffic of the streets.
Darius wrapped a hand around his face, and realized he needed a shave. Though he still stared down with an odd look of bemusement. A small green piece of what could have been stone moved nearby on the bridge ledge. Twofeathers sidled up to Darius, climbing up his arm to perch on his shoulder with her small claws. The passing cars splayed his hair into a tangled mess around her. Which she, amidst coughs and sputters, managed to get free from.
"What are we doing here Darius?" the little gargoyle chirped.
"I had to check on something... part of the reason I need to find Max," Darius answered, pointing down into the canal, as he reached into his coat for a pack of cigarettes.
Twofeathers leaned out from her perch on Darius' shoulder; waving smoke from the cigarette he was lighting away from her face with a clawed hand.
"Wait.... is that?" She stared with some amount of shock.
The clattering noises rose up from the canal again. As a car zoomed through a puddle behind them.
"Yes, I do believe it is..." Darius said, turning from the railing.
"Oh... " Twofeathers said quietly.
Down in the canal, a scruffy looking kid rolled back and forth through the canal on a skateboard. He wasn't pulling any tricks, just rolling back and forth, occasionally skidding to stops here and there before changing his direction. All the while flipping through a black leather book he carried.
A strange sense of deja vu took the young man at that point. He stopped the board, and looked up upwards to the bridge overhead.
Seeing nothing, he tucked the book into his long, worn trench coat, figured it was time for lunch, and rolled off down the canal.
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