Jack,
Jack, head in a sack,
Life is getting creepy.
Eyes are getting weepy.
Where’s your mind?
You know, I’m sure if I can’t find it I’m dead, like Chris ‘n them. Poor Chris, he might have been a monumental pain in the ass but he didn’t need to die like that. Come to think of it, no one does, ‘n so. You know, it looks like I’m next. Aunt Joan is going to be so disappointed, eh? She keeps saying how she’s going to send me to hell, or some other place up north. Now, she won’t get to.
You know, the day didn’t start like this, oh, for sure. Or, was it yesterday, can’t tell. Anyway, I took a detour down that alleyway to avoid Chris and his. You know, can’t really call them friends, not the way they verbally butcher each other, eh?
Took that tour real quick, then got distracted. Right away I study this awesome mural of la Seņora de las muertes and her guests. Her one living side is looking at me, saying, ‘You want to come with?’ You know, that’s when I heard Chris bark at me. You know, maybe not at me ‘n so. A man missing his pants and jaw had grabbed Luis, a rather rotund individual whose cheeks could get as red as his hair, eh? The jawless man had the boy’s throat in his hands. You know, Luis didn’t even fight–Chris did all that for him–just stood there.
As did I, ‘n so. Why? You know, I could have run real quick, or helped Chris. I wanted to, just couldn’t do it.
Then, you know, it was over. The jawless man let go, Luis fell, face as red as a ripe tomato except around his throat where the white hand print lingered.
You know, Chris turned to run, eh, panic took over. Only he slammed into la Seņora, dropping to the ground.
You know, that’s when I began to move. I noticed the hand on my shoulder, eh? Oh ya hay, when did that happen?
The jawless man picked Chris up and slung him across his shoulder. I couldn’t help but notice the man didn’t have underwear, and a softball sized glass globe in his groin.
You know, then we traveled. I can’t really explain it. I felt like I’d been shoved out of my body, real quick, and someone else drove. More than that, I mean I’ve always, um, felt other minds. I won’t call it telepathy. It’s like listening to a person arguing with themselves. Only, you know, it’s through a wall and it’s maybe a dozen people with the same voice. I figure I worked it out by the time I could talk like a human or I’d be freakin’ nuts. Now, with this thing, I can feel quite a few minds, ‘n so. I didn’t realize it, but I could sense Luis’ panic, then his prayer. I didn’t know he had a sister.
You know, Chris is sorry he couldn’t make his dad proud, ‘n so. The wizard made me watch him molest and torture him. He kept up this song, like a lullaby saying he’d be safe at last. Just give it up to me and you can go home. Kept it going while he ran those ring claws down the middle of his chest, ripped his chest open, ripped his heart out, and took a bite.
You know, I could feel his pulse stop. I could hear him apologize to me. Ya hay, that broke my heart where nothing else could. All I could do is answer, if only I’d gone by Elephantine Ave we’d still be alive. Luis’ sister would have her big brother. Maybe I could have found a way for us to be friends ‘n so. Spit, they won’t even know you’re dead.
Ah, Seņora, don’t let him take my soul. You know, if you can do that maybe don’t let him take my life!
You know, I can’t hear Chris any more. Guess what they say about the brain taking a while to shut down is so. I felt a tear break, flow down my chubby little nose, and jump onto my naked chest. I’m next, then? Fine, let’s get this done, Monster.
They just dumped Chris’ on a pile of other bodies. His dead assistant put his hand on my shoulder, kind of saying I’m coming with. I didn’t move. He picked me up and slammed my back on the freshly cleared alter. The wizard didn’t like that. Why? The man is dead. He can’t do spit without your prompting. I’m an idiot and I can tell that, ‘n so!
I landed with a knee raised.
The wizard tried to set it down.
It wouldn’t move, would it?
You know, He didn’t like that any better than he did before.
Me, I’m wondering if that’s me resisting, or did la Seņora hear me?
The wizard forced the issue by lifting my foot.
I put it back. I will not go by the night quietly, and you can’t make me. If I can, I’ll take you with.
He growled. You know, the lullaby took on an angry undertone. It’s like someone playing rag and missed a note or two.
I stared him in the eyes while he picked up my foot and set my knee back down. Then, just to make sure it wasn’t just muscle tension, I lifted that knee again, while smiling in his eye. No, only saw the one eye. The other seemed to have been missing, ‘n so, though with all that junk in the socket it might still be there, watching something.
The wizard growled and slapped my face. From the itch I knew he cut my cheek pretty deep. Doesn’t matter that much, I’ll be dead within the hour, I’m sure of it. I looked up at the wizard, what are you unhappy about? You know, it won’t matter in a bit.
His song tried to calm itself, keep its breathing soft and regular, get that one tone to harmonize with the rest. You know, rather than just missing the note the instrument started to sound like it lost tune, the whole song lost hope.
The wizard stepped back. Why’s he breathing? He’s dead, or is there some special place between dead and not so dead?
I turned my head to look at Chris. Nope, with an injury like that there’s just dead. You know, that still leaves me with the question, how do you kill the dead?
The wizard went back to work, trying to tickle me, get my knee to lay down again, stroke my chest, push that knee down, lick the blood from my cheek, shove my knee down, growl when that didn’t work for the nth time today. Can you get it down or no? Growl even more when I laugh at him for it.
About that time I noticed the glass globe in his and them other groins began to glow enough to read by. Them little things seemed to enjoy my game almost as much as I did. You know, I think I just hear them laugh when I gave that look I did? I just pushed the corners of my lips and eyebrows down and rocked my head for a turn to make fun of the wizard because he couldn’t keep my knee or his temper down.
You know, that seemed to do it, alright. He raised his hand up like he meant to crush my face in. Then he remembered a little detail, smiled, and gently ran that ring of his down my chest.
Spit that hurt. I’d just taken in an anticipating breath when he raised his hand, so it’s no wonder I had the air to yell “No!” as loud and as long as I did. By the time he finished the first cut I ended that in the Rebel’s Yell. It seemed I’d found a lot of mojo to make that one happen because I could hear it echo through that dingy old basement. You know, the little glowie globes seemed to join right on in. That seemed to be so much fun because I ran out of breath and took in a fresh lungful to start the next one, ‘n so. By the time that ran out the globes all shattered, and this luminescent smoke flew around the room and then flung themselves through the floor like they were in a hurry to get somewhere else.
You know, I felt a little disappointed. After all, isn’t that where hell is, eh? I don’t know, but without them all the light in the room went with them.
Then I heard what sounded like three bodies hitting the floor. My next thought might seem odd to you, but I sure felt thirsty for a glass of my Aunt Joan’s lousy tasting lemonade. Ya hay, I’d be happy with a bubbler, ‘n so.
Jack,
Jack, Jack, head in a sack,
Life is getting older,
Air is getting colder,
Where’s your time.
Ya hay, where’s the light? My face itches. My back hurts. You know, I’m not kidding about the cold. A polar bear would worry, ‘n so? And my chest feels like it’s on fire.
It hurt to bring my hand down to my face. The cut feels crusty and wet. Am I alive? If I were dead would I feel so much?
I just took in a deep, painful breath. I took another, followed by a dozen short ones that felt like a panic attack. I’m alive. Could that change? The ache and noise in my stomach gives an answer to that one as, possibly.
I roll my head to my right. Still no light, or to the left. Guess them globes provided all the light I’d seen down here, ‘n so? What were they, magic or chemical, eh? My feet hurt.
I’ll starve or freeze to death, am I going, or no? You know, the table I’m on ain’t too wide. But my shivering is getting violent. You know, it hurts to shiver, especially around the cut on my chest. It’s like my muscles are trying to rip that wound open, or something.
I don’t know, but I think I just landed on another dead body. This one feels kind of big, like an adult. Is it one of his attendants? Don’t know how it’s possible, but he feels colder than I am. Maybe he was already dead when they were killing me, you think? Are they just zombies, or something?
Keep a flexible mind, my mom would always say. “Flexible mind? You’ll do fine.” She’d say. You know, when I did that a lot that frightened me seemed not so frightening. Strangers, dogs, even the cliff seemed less scary. Maybe that’s why I didn’t worry so much over Chris and his friends. So, now it’s zombies, or something. And dead wizards, n’ so?
You know, that only goes so far. I’m still cold, and naked, and hungry. Flex that mind, Jack, get on your feet and find that wall. You know where it is, you saw it while we still had light. Are we going or no?
Okay, maybe not feet, hands and knees will do just fine. Ah, I found it. Not as far as I thought it would be. Did the wizard shape my perceptions? Or did I? Now, how do I find my way out, Pray? Would that work? You know, it didn’t bring my mom back, or my dad, so why would it work now?
Maybe it won’t, maybe it will just help me get my wits about me, help me remember how I got in here. “Fuck!” I yell. “You know, I don’t want to die!” Then, I thought about it. Every time I saw that mural or one like it I found some kind of peace. Maybe, you know, maybe it isn’t the prayer, but who I’m sending it to. Maybe the god of the church is deaf, blind, and dead. That’s how they show him, dying on that stick.
I didn’t get on my knees, I couldn’t. Maybe she’d understand. Maybe, for the moment, she can be my mother.
“La Seņora, pity me a wayward son. Forgive my clumsiness and help me now in my hour of need. Grant this and I’ll give you…. What can I give you? You know, whatever it is, if it’s mine to give, it’s yours to have. My life?” I rested my head against the wall. Wouldn’t that be a hoot, I give her my life and whoop, she takes it right now and here. “You know, maybe that’s better than just dying here.”
I take in a deeper breath and try to swipe the tears away. You know, all I seemed to do is knock some of the clot off my face. So, I relaxed a little, tried to rest. Ya hay, I realize I’m not so cold anymore, ‘n so. Did that mean It had warmed up? Or am I freezing to death? You know, that would be better than starving to death.
I take a few more breaths, and fall asleep. I guess it doesn’t matter anymore. I’m dying, maybe I’m already dead. Just need to accept that. Flex that mind, Boy, we’re in for another ride. So, you coming or no?
Ya hay, I woke to something brushing my cheek. Don’t know what it is, or who. The wind maybe, ‘n so?
My stomach hurts even more than it did. I feel too numb to know if it has warmed or gotten colder. I know I still leaned against that wall because I didn’t feel like I had fallen down. I took in a deep breath, the air felt chilled going in. That gave me some hope.
Is that a light flashing across my eyes? I open them, saw the body I sat next to. I glanced to the right. “Mom?”
The body looked like her, only dressed in light rather than flesh. She didn’t say anything, just watched me like she did when waiting for me to get moving and clear up my room. If I had doubts that it’s her, that cleared them.
I swung my left arm around, hoping to get momentum for a good stand. You know, that took three tries, and I simply rolled around to my knees again. You know, that’ll have to do.
She didn’t move. You know, she maneuvered. Just her legs didn’t move her. Her feet rested on the ground. She’s a spirit, would the ground or even gravity mean anything to her? She just remained a little ahead of me. She’d turn a corner and wait. That’s when I noticed despite her being all light the walls didn’t get any of it. When we crossed a pile of bodies they’d glow a little, but not the wall or dirt around them. Why? What did the flesh have that the stone didn’t?
It must have taken an hour or so, but we came out the same way I’d been brought in. Luis still lay there where he’d fallen. Only someone was zipping a bag over him. I heard someone shout, and other’s ran up to me. That’s when I remembered, I didn’t have any clothes on. Welp, a little late to worry about that, now, isn’t it?
I guess it took them fifteen minutes to get me wrapped in a blanket and on a gurney. The whole time I could see that mural, La Seņora smiling down on me.
Is that who guided me out? Did she let my mother return just for that? I don’t care. I’m alive. Alive. That means I owe you a dept, mi Seņora, and I mean to make good on it.