And So He Walked
—-

They were roused from a light sleep around 7:30pm by the ring of Minus’ phone. It was Kotoko. Minus answered.

“What the Hell, dude,” Kotoko was clearly frustrated. “I’ve been driving around for almost an hour. The street you said you lived on. It’s not here! I’m fairly certain it doesn’t even exist!”

“It’s alright, Kotoko,” Minus seemed very calm, and this calmed her down. “Do you know anything about synchronicity?”

She started to answer, but someone was opening the passenger door to her car. She reached for her purse, scrambling for the mace.

“Hi, I’m Minus. I think you’ve heard about me.”

“How the.. What? Where did you come from?” She wasn’t as confused as she should be. It seemed almost normal that Minus was now sitting in her passenger seat.

“My place. Go ahead and pull out of this parking lot, and go the right.”

Kotoko did as she was told.

“There will be a road on your left, the sign will say, ‘King’s Lane.’” Minus was directing her to his house and Jane.

When they approached the street sign, Kotoko was astounded. She had driven by this area a dozen times, and there had been no King’s Lane. She was certain. But there it was. A gravel driveway. She turned on to King’s Lane.

“My place is the only house back here. You can park next to my truck. Jane will be waiting for you at the door. I’ll take care of the groceries.” Minus said as Kotoko parked her jeep.

He got out of the jeep and reached into the back seat, picking up some bags. Kotoko went to the door, where she saw Jane peaking out. Minus could see them hug each other, and the tears that followed.

Kotoko went in, and Jane bolted all the locks behind them.

“What about Minus?” Kotoko was no stranger to magic, but she was clearly confused at the situation.

“It’s okay,” Jane said through the tears, “he’ll meet us in the basement.”

They continued through the house and into the basement door. Jane turned all the locks and knobs, locking them in again.

As they went down the flight of stairs, Kotoko was surprised that Minus was standing there, pouring three glasses of wine. She could see all of the grocery bags on the small counter he stood next to, and the luggage full of Jane’s clothing was by an opened closet on the other side of the room.

“It’s nice to meet you, Kotoko. I didn’t mean to startle you. I’ve heard a lot about you. Jane tells me you have interest in the occult?”

He reached into the drawer of pills and pulled out two tiny blue capsules.

“Take these.”

And Kotoko did. She swallowed them with a large drink of wine. She was startled again for a moment, as she realized that she did not drink and had never taken drugs. Why had she done what he said without thought or question? As soon as these thought passed through her, her mind was quieted. She felt calm, and relaxed, and at home.

“Wait, you’re a straight, aren’t you? You must be. Jane said you were good at divination,” said Minus. Both of the girls looked confused.

“Like, you don’t drink, or take any kind of drugs, right?”

“No.. I mean, yeah, I don’t do anything like that.. But I just did, didn’t I? Why am I not bothered or worried?” Kotoko tried to look stern, but she wasn’t really able to.

“Okay, no worries. Those pills. Not drugs. Not real drugs anyway. It’s a metaphysical relaxer. Opens your senses, and leaves you calm. No dangers or addictions. Now had you actually been into pills, I’ve got stuff around..” Minus trailed off.

“No, I feel great.. It’s like my soul let go of my fears and pretensions.” Kotoko was surprised at how easily she understood things, and how clear and fluid her thoughts were.

“You’re not bothered because it was me who gave them to you. Just like you weren’t all that upset when I got in the car seat next to you. I don’t really know why that is, but Doctor Mancini has told me things like that before. A lot of people have really..

“Anyway, just relax, we’ll fill you in and you’ll fill us in, alright?”

Jane and Kotoko nodded in unison.

The three talked for what seemed like hours. Then there was an odd, snapping feeling, and Kotoko left, and Jane went to sleep.

Twenty minutes later, Minus locked the basement and front door behind himself, and started walking due north.

Jane, Kotoko, Mancini, and Othin would all awake the next morning, around the same time, feeling unusually happy.

At that exact moment, Minus would see two ravens, perched on a tree older than the continent, and feel horrible despair. He did not enjoy this the last time.

—-

Jack
I Listen.

The Cost of Magic
Section #19
End: Part 1
And So He Walked

Had a job interview over the phone that I think went pretty well. Second interview is Thursday.

The Developmental Theology eBook can now be found under the ‘Classroom’ tab at the top of all pages. It is 100% free, please feel free to pass it along to your friends.

I get to go see the eye doctor for new glasses on Saturday. woo. Can you tell I’m excited? :p

I feel a bit like the blind leading the naked today. I’ve got Tom Waits on the jukebox, and a head that is moving too slowly for much creativity. But who knows.

I do have some pretty cool stuff coming up this week, just for you. The Cost of Magic is just about to get really interesting. Basic Ideology will continue in the efforts to help you think outside of the box. Also, check out the new Granadas tab above. It contains post from my tumblr account, Tear Gas and Hand Grenades.

Jack.
You guys and gals know I listen, right?

Monday Update
January 12, 2009

I lied. It’s not a story at all.

What is it? It’s a call.

This was brought on by a post my Mexican brother, Renato, sent me sometime late last night. It was a story of love, and loss, of pride, and attitude. Please, just read it yourself. Fair warning. It is slightly graphic. But it’s goddamned beautiful.

What Renato made me think of with that post is not something I can really even begin to explain. But, being the cocky bastard that I am, I’m gonna fucking try.

It reminded me of something I had forgotten. Something that I am afraid Renato may have forgotten by the end of that post. I hope not.

I had forgotten everything that got me where I am today. Some people might call it vanity or pride. Some people might say an undeserved sense of self worth. What I am getting at is attitude. I have always believed that my stories are meant to be read, by sanction of god, or satan, or odin, or zues, or who gives a fuck. I’ve always had a feeling deep inside me that what I am doing is right. No matter what anyone had to say about it. That I was walking that golden path that so many before me have walked.

Is it pride? Sure. Is it vanity? You’re damned right. Is it undeserved? Go fuck yourself.

The attitude that we own this. That we belong. That we are meant for far greater things. It doesn’t matter if we are wrong, because this is the only attitude that ever changes the world. Some will fall, some will rise. It matters not.

Change is brought on by the cocky bastards out there. Do the world a favor, and buy one of us a beer. We’re easy to spot. Look for the guy that has absolutely no right to be dancing with the best looking girl in the bar. Look for the lead singer that takes all of the drinks the crowd offers up, and still doesn’t fuck up a song. Look for the guy surrounded by empty beer glasses and notepads that everyone stops to talk to and buy a beer for.

Look for us. If we are not screaming for attention, we are drowning in despair. We will be remembered, because we will not settle for less.

We spot each other with a word. We are brothers.

Jack
I Listen.

I listen better if that’s a six pack in that grocery bag.

The night turned into day, then night again. The two new lovers had drowned the world out. They left all the pain behind. They existed for no other reason than to make each other happy. Atom bombs would shake the world, and they would not leave each other. Strange things would walk the earth, and recreate it. But the lovers would not know. Time passed like wine from a glass, but not a day’s age could be seen.

At that corner booth, nothing changed. But even the bar changed around them. It grew in size, and deflated, and grew again.

After years of talking and drinking, Minus excused himself. He stepped out the back door, shivered in the winter chill, and lit a cigarette. He leaned against the cold brick wall, and tried his best not to think. Across the street an illuminated clock tower, on the top of a bank, told him that it had been three years since he had entered the bar.

This didn’t really surprise Minus. He knew how odd time could be. Outside his 28 years, he had lived forever. But he wondered to himself how many times had Harry approached them and made the same offer? Night after night, for 3 years? Or just that first night?

Minus walked back inside and sat down next to Jane.

He did not tell Jane about the bank’s clock tower. He simply pulled the brown bag out from under the table, and pulled out his homemade wine. Within a minute, Harry was at the table, asking about memory again.

“Maybe last night, but not tonight. Not ever,” Jane answered in much the same way that Minus remembered.

Harry looked to Minus, “Sir, would you consider tonight an occasion to forget?” The same line. His head was working now. Minus saw the ploy.

“I think it is time for me to remember, Harry. Time to remember everything.”

“As you wish, Sir. Swords to Rope,” Harry dropped only the bag labeled ‘Forget Me Nots’ and walked off.

Minus picked up the bag and emptied it’s contents onto the table. He knew what he would see before we opened it. He remembered all of it. The drinks, and the bags, and the conversations.

Out of the brown paper bag, fell three smaller plastic bags, and a small golden box. The golden box contained a razor, a tube, and 4 red pills. The plastic bags each contained white powder. One labeled ‘K,’ another labeled ‘M,’ and the third was labeled ‘A.’

Jane looked confused. Minus poured them each a glass from his bottle of homemade wine. He dumped out the contents of the golden box, and pushed two of the red pills towards Jane.

“Hold onto these until I tell you to take them.”

“What’s going on, Minus? I feel so confused. My head is spinning…” Jane trailed off, and took a sip of the wine.

“It’s alright, Jane. Someone tricked us. Trapped us. I’m not certain, but I think it was just me that they wanted. This is not the first time something like this has happened to me. My memory is becoming more clear by the second. Please, just do what I ask you to,” said Minus, with a ruffling of his eye brows.

“Okay.. I think..” Jane was dazed. Her heart pounded. Her head throbbed.

Minus was busy emptying the white powders into the golden box. He dumped all 3 bags into the small box, and mixed the powders together. He used the razor to separate the powder in to two equal lines. He finished his glass of wine and poured another, as well as topping Jane’s glass. He took the tube to his nose, and inhaled one of the two lines. He pushed the box towards Jane, and handed her the tube.

She did the same, bringing her line of powder into the nasal cavity. Soon she was wide awake, but everything seemed very dream like. She wasn’t confused any longer. She was starting to remember things. Things she had not thought about in three years. She was a little startled, but she realized that in that time, she had found love. Someone who would never steer her in the wrong direction intentionally.

The last of the homemade wine was poured into their glasses, and at the last sip, Minus told Jane to swallow the red pills.

“Be ready to run. Just in case. I don’t think we will have to. But be ready,” Minus looked at Jane with a fire in his eyes.

He started counting backwards from sixty. When he counted off one, then zero, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one. He stood.

“Follow my lead,” he told Jane. She really didn’t see that she had much of a choice. She stood up beside him.

They began to walk towards the back door, to which Minus had the key. The bar was completely empty. It looked very different from the time they had entered. Minus reached out his hand and grabbed the knob on the back door. He slung it open, and as he did, they were hit with a torrential rain. He took off his winter overcoat and put it over Jane’s head.

“Run to that truck! That blue one. Really rusty. Hurry!” He had to scream for Jane to hear him over the rain’s noise.

She made a sprint to the truck. When she was standing beside the passenger door, she turned to look at Minus. He was pushing hard against the wind and rain to force the door closed. When he finally got it closed, all of the way, he leaned all of his weight into his shoulder and fumbled with the key in his hands. She saw that he was able to lock the door.

Minus was surprised to find that when he took the key out of the door it had remained closed, and apparently locked. He shoved the key into his pocket and ran for the truck. By the time he got there, the rain had stopped completely, and a mist was coming from the ground.

They got into the truck together and watched the fog rise.

“Remind me to melt this key later,” Minus said under heavy breaths. He still had the cigarette in his mouth, but it was out and completely soaked. He rolled the window down slightly and threw it out.

“What the Hell was that all about?” Jane was almost hysterical. She was fairly certain she should be, but it was hard. She felt very in control for the first time in a very, very long time.

“Time. Time and punishment. Rewards for sacrifices. Runes to Swords. Swords to Rope.”

————-

At the close of part 4, we see the end of a story arc. Strange things have happened. Will you join me again to find out why? If you felt a little confused, it might be a good idea to start with #1.

Jack
I Listen.

The Cost of Magic
Section #4
The Passage of Time

Jane had left her house that night, determined to drink away the pain, and to never care about what a man thought again. She had gone out alone, to drink alone, and to cry alone. She sat down in a dark corner, had the waitress bring her two margaritas and 2 pitchers of the cheap stuff. She wanted to have to crawl to the taxi.

She finished the margaritas fast. Slammed back the first glass of beer, and half watched a group of men playing pool at the table closest to her. When she looked up after slamming back a second glass, she realized that two empty glasses now sat on the small table. She filled them both without thinking, starting to spin slightly. A large hand reached back and grabbed the second glass.

There was a moment of pain and screams and laughs and spilled beer and confusion. Minus had sat down on Jane, in a drunken back step reaching for his no longer empty beer glass.

——

Jack.
I Listen.

The Cost of Magic
Section #2
Enter Jane

Feel a little lost? Try starting at the start.