Nan was sobbing and screaming on the other end of the phone, “You have got to come and get me John.  Please John he is going to kill me and the kids.  You have got to save me, save us John!”

     Nan was out of control.  “Where is Jackson?  Shouldn’t he be protecting you?”

     Nan screamed into the phone again, “Jackson is an asshole.  A real asshole!  You are the only one that ever cared what happened to me, or maybe you don’t anymore.”

     Nan could have me in love with her and hating the air that she was breathing simultaneously, “Damnit Nan where are you?  Where’s Jed.  Is he trying to kill you and the kids?”

     Nan, “No I don’t know where Jed is.  He might have killed Jed.  I don’t know!  I’m at the trailer John.”

     John, “I’m on my way.”

     John got his pants and shoes on and headed for the truck.  Standing next to the truck was a beautiful woman with purple black hair that was shining from the sun.  Her skin was milk white with freckles as if she really should have been a redhead.  John stopped by the driver’s side door, “Hi, can I help you?”

     The beauty sighed and spoke, “You don’t remember me at all do you?  You suck John.  I’m going with you.”

     She walked around to the other side of the truck and got in.  John climbed in and started the truck, “Look, I don’t remember who you are and I’m not sure if you want to get involved in what is happening or why you would even want to.”

     The beauty spoke again, “You can just call me Amber for now and frankly you don’t have a choice in what happens from this point on in your miserable little life, so, let’s drive over to your shattered ex’s trailer and see if we can save her life.”

     I didn’t argue.  Something told me that arguing with this woman would be pointless.

     As I was heading out of the complex a tattered old man walked in front of the truck.  He stopped and pointed at me and Amber and screamed, “Elvis was nothing but a fat dink!” then continued across the driveway.

     The cell phone rang again.  It was Nan, “John, John its ok now.  He’s gone.  I found Jed.  He was afraid of you when he heard you were coming.  Man there is a whole lot about you we don’t know about isn’t there.  Jed says he will beat your ass if you show up.  Of course I know he won’t.  I’m worried about you hurting him.”

     A typical Nan adventure, “Ok, look do you want me to come over or not?”

     Nan sighed, “No, no John.  Do you care if I stop over later and fill you in on what is going on.  I need to get the kids settled down and go get my stuff at Jackson’s.  What a bastard he turned out to be.  You were right John.  You are always right John.”

     Amber giggled, “So cowboy where are you going to take me to lunch?  We are obviously not going to Hillsbow.”

     I growled, “Do you like seafood?”

     You can hear it in the voices of all the pedestrians in the restaurant man.  They are whispering to themselves and each other about the link between the worlds.  They know it, everyone knows about it.  It’s not a secret anymore.

     See the death you are seeing is just a movement from this place to the next universe.  Ah yes, they are quite similar but there are differences, differences that you may not notice at first but give it time and you will begin to “see”.  Yes, yes I know you know about the “seeing” but of course you got lost on the way to the resolution and frankly we have all been standing around waiting on you.

     This is it!  The time is now and we are here and you do not have a choice anymore.  Of course you never had a choice even though you made a choice but then, well, a bad choice just means a break in the action, a pause, a setback but sooner or later you will still have to face those demons and well, hi, here I am.  I am the first demon.

     It all comes down to shaking hands with an Aardvark.

     The cell phone rang again.  It was Nan.  “John!  Where are you?  I need your help John!  He’s here!  He’s in the yard and he’s heading for the trailer.  John!  My God John you are my last, my only hope.”

cool peace

hippy mike

love

 Aardvark Handshake - Chapter One

Aardvark Handshake - Chapter Two