Nova Romae

April 16 2025

Newport, NY

“Buy buy buy, you must do it buy buy baby! Get the lastest in penile technology, get it now if you
need help buying no problem, we take your food stuff if it’s ok with you! Trade food stuff for penis pumps
please thanks?” The shiny suited man on the giant screen grinned as he was coated in busty gyrating
women, rubbing their hands down his chest and cock, a small tent building below, a hard dribble of
semen stanching his trousers.

“Daddy what is a penis pump?” Amelie was half looking at the giant translucent screen, half
sketching the shiny tv man with greasy pastels. She was always alive with art, despite it’s hyper
commercialism.

Frank waved his hand over the screen and it went blank.

“Nothing sweetheart, it’s just more crap that you don’t need.” He stooped down showing
genuine interest in his daughter’s drawings. “You’re getting so good at this, who taught you how to be so
creative?”

“Don’t be silly Daddy no one taught me, I just like doing it.” She smiled revealing her child mouth,
missing a tooth causing her to whistle just slightly. She shook her head quiet sternly and her jet black
pony tail whipped about frantically. The innocent stare from her bulbous brown eyes always made Frank
tremble with joy. She would grow up to be just as beautiful as Jennifer, he just knew it.

“You’re right sweetheart, Daddy isn’t as smart as you.”

“Don’t say that Daddy, everyone is smart in their own way.” She ran up and hugged her father,
kissing his with an over exaggerated “Muah” on his cheek. It was then that Frank lost it, tears gushing
down his face.

“You really amaze me Amelie, the world is not ready for you.”

“Don’t cry Daddy,” and she placed her tiny hand upon his chest and Frank reeled backwards.

His mind filled with ecstasy, his soul raged with life. The small hand lit up his mind with hope, a
waking conscious dream state and a feeling of everything possible. His mind felt like it was unfolding
itself, allowing dormant dendrites to fire for the first time, the taste of clouds evaporating on his tongue,
every muscle in his body seemed enlarged. He felt powerful, free, thoughtful and joyous. Floating along,
with his daughter as his blissful guide, nothing could seem better, until the venom of reality sunk it’s
fangs deep in him and Amelie’s hand disconnected from him.

The screen had turned back on, pulsing red in emergency and alarms sounded. A stern man
looked panicked, dressed to the nines and spitting as he spoke.

“This is an emergency situation and the attention of people is nice to have right now. China men
have invaded the best country in the world, USA! This is disgusting you know it! China men with their
satan sticks, have put bombs onto of Seattle city centers and now they exploded. This is douche like and
I hate their guts, and so should you. Please Chastity tell us more news.”

A naked newswoman came on the screen screaming at the top of her lungs.

“Holy shit, these Chinamen did this too me! I hate them a great deal too! They have become
friends with negro thugs which is scary. This is why glad I am to have guns, help my nipples have soy
sauce of terror on them, I have a baby wonton in my oven because Chinamen raped me!”

Frank tried to cover Amelie’s eyes but she was trying to look, she was in awe of the foulness of it.

The screen now showed another man, with a grey beard and a slow distinct dictation.

“The time is upon us. The Chinamen has invaded and for our pride and glory we must defend
ourselves. We will smite these hate mongers back to the pits of Hell in which they came. We must teach
everyone on Earth a lesson…you don’t fuck with daddy.”

The screen would stay on for hours and hours of patriotic rhetoric.

I was running hard, pelted by hard rocks of rain, there was just a bleak blackness in the sky. The city scared me now, there was no movement, a large bubbling computer that has lost it power. Devoid devoid devoid, the energy turned into hatred and depression. I could finally start to feel it, like coming out of a pain numbing coma, the shock shattered my idea of existence and my loneliness was now complete. I was more alone than ever.
I had nowhere to run, every turn shone the same dead end, just under a differing definition. One alley of blood, the other of darkness and fear, the other of hopelessness. Each turn gave spun my head further, wondering if I turn to those that have proven failures, or new friends yet proved?
“Citizen cease running or prepare for penalty.” A cop ran towards me, rifle butt coming crashing against my face, blood spurting from my nose as I dropped to the ground. A few kicks to my side and head made sure I made no sudden movements. I spat up bile and blood.
“Citizen do that again and you will receive maximum penalty, you cunt.” He slammed his foot at the back of my head so it smashed against the ground and my head pounded. He spat on me and walked away.
Almost fifteen minutes past before I gained enough energy and might to get myself up. Everything was hurting, my ribs, my face, my knees, my skull throbbing with blood.
“You better do yourself a favor son and just stay lying down there. You don’t want to mess with the cops.” An older gentlemen, teetering around on a cane, thining grey hair and a sad look upon his faec.
“You have to get up old man, or else you can’t go on with life.” I dusted myself off and wiped the blood gushing from my nose on my sleeve.
“Don’t fight son, it’s never worth it. They’ll always win, once you learn that you’ll be in less pain.” He shook my head at me and walked away, muttering to himself, leaving a trail of piss streaming down his pant leg.
He seared my eyes at him but I still haven’t found my way. He was still pissing and shitting himself from fear when he began to moan and then scream.
“The motherfucker is here! Get him, get him! Rip out his eyes the shit face!” He looked at me, and I must have show my look of disgust. “You prick if they don’t get you they’ll get me. Now fuck off.” He started smacking my face with his cane, stinging my face and opening acute painful wounds. I took off again, running as fast I could, searching for a place to hide…and cry.
The problem was they were flanking me now, yelping about penalties and there was absolutely nowhere to hide now. A fear came as a woman came bolting out of the door and tackled me to the ground, she was wailing on me with a brick.
“Get him, he’s here, fuck him up the asshole and shit in his brains.” I had no choice but to chuck this frail woman with sticky skin off of me with great force. She cracked against the pavement and I my skin crawled after hearing her bones splinter within her.
I was off again, trying to avoid all the windows of the buildings I could as the citizens were hurling blunt objects and juvenile obscenities my direction.
One beardo, vomit crusted in his face and missing an arm, tossed a decaying porcelain lamp in my general direction. “This cunt is over here! Obey you wonky piss stick!” For all the “education” they have been receiving, this city was devoid of a normal vocabulary, and also had poor baseball coaches, as the lamp missed me by six yards and caused the beard o to lose his balance and tumble out of the window, splattering to his miserable death.
The citizens were failing to stop me, some tearing out their own hair and tossing it into the wind at me and screaming in their own pain, but they were at least slowing me down, and the police were hot on my tail. I weaved around and tried to think as illogically as possible, hoping it would confound the simple thinking cops. No dice!
The skies were now rattling with the thunder of police helicopters, shouting over loudspeakers for me to stop, followed by the rat a tat of machine guns, that missed me as I zig zagged and dodged and weaved.
A teenaged naked boy pounced in front of me, his skeletal body trying to block me. He held a can of cat food that must have expired 10 or 20 years ago. Crumbs of wet stink food was around his lips. He burped at me to stop and began to achieve a less than perfect erection. I lowered my shoulder, held my nose from the stench and plowed him over, going pretty much right thru him.

He was left in my wake and when I turned back he had gotten to his feet, burped, ejaculated and then we shredded by the police machine guns.

“You’re obstructed justice you cat food eating slob!” Yelled the cops through the loudspeakers. How did they know? Does cat food stink that much they could smell it in the air.

I couldn’t be bothered though. I was running out of ideas and despite ranging back and forth, eventually the guns would hit me, and the ground forces would unleash penalty on me. Most likely fatally. I finally found an alley that seemed to cut through to another main street, so I whipped around, the dust spanking against my face from the bullets hitting the wall beside me.

I can’t run forever though, I had to find a hiding place. The alley was dark enough, perhaps there was…then my stomach hit my throat. In front of me stood a cop, holding his rifle in my direction. I skidded to a halt and did a 180, but the helicopter was raining down constant fire on the other. I was stuck, no where to run and my energy almost completely drained.

I couldn’t just give in, these crazy fucks had every intention of killing, me, you could seeing in their eyes and sense it how much they reeked of hate. I feel I have already shown them up by running, seems like no one else here has that drive to even think of doing such a thing. I looked at the cop in front of me, he was raising his rifle for the kill, there would be little to no warning now, it was a time to act or a time to die.

Without much head of steam I broke into a dead sprint right towards him, lowering my shoulder again, gnashing my teeth and allowing my eyes to bulge out. I was panting snarling like a wild boar and I was gaining speed as if I was running down hill. The cop could have attempted to shoot, but the disobedience kept nailed to the ground.
Only a few feet from him I left my feet, hurling through the air as a scream of terror rang out from the cop, and I hit him full force, knocking him to the ground as I followed through. I heard him bones crack and a slow groan. There was a new foul stench in the air and I saw there was a puddle of piss lying under him. He had completely lost this battle. However despite my will to fight there was one small problem, I was completely out gunned and outnumbered, and by the time I was able to get to my feet I was shoved down by about 10 of them, one heavy one putting his boot against my throat.
“Fuck penalty bitch, you’re fucking dead,” said a dark skinned cop, as he began to unbutton his pants.
“Enough, enough,” came a smooth and rich voice from outside the group and they began to part as the man who spoke clip clopped towards me and offered me his slender yet strong hand to get up. “I think Frank has proved his worth, like the bull that fought well.”
I got to me feet and reached for my sore throat instinctively and coughed a painful cough.
“Now you guys can leave, I’ll take things from here.” Without question this well dressed man in a shining deep blue suit had the cops dispersing with a simple command and flick of his hand. His voice was cool, neither not heavily laden with ego, nor remorse.
He carried a cane with wooden carving on top, I couldn’t tell of what and his face was classically handsome, though I wouldn’t have sex with him…yet.
“Hi Frank how the hell have you been? You really haven’t been staying in shape have you?” He gripped my biceps and sucked air through his teeth as he did. I tore it from his strong icy grasp.
“Who the fuck are you?” I backed off and tried to find an escape. There was ample room to run, and despite this man’s tall and toned stature I felt if there was a scuffle I could take this queer bitch down.
“Did that slut wife of yours tell you everything, or is she in her usual state of denial?”
I looked at him and began to twitch, something was burning inside me and I felt like I could barely stand. My fists were balling, there was reason for me to break this man’s face into tiny pieces, a long history of misery was flowing through him.
“Now settle down and in fact sit down.”
In just a second we were in a bar and I was sitting across the man, who was now dressed more causal, his hair slicked back and he winked at me.
“Aww they told you nothing of me did they? You’re old friend? It is unbelievably rude I tell you.” A woman of the busty variety flitted by and my strange host grabbed her by the wrist and through her on his lap. She kissed him and then went under the table, I heard the familiar sound of a zipper un zipping.
“Friend huh? Trying to impress me with your ability to charm women?” I nodded towards the now bobbing blonde head from the busty one.
“Oh don’t be impressed by that,” he yelped in orgasm and the busty one choked and gagged, “tell me what you think of this,” and grabbed the woman’s head away from him and twisted it off like a bottle cap. He spun the head on his finger and bowled it down the floor, looking for a strike. I tried to hold it, but the bloody sight made me vomit all over him.
“Ho ho ho, Frankie, you used to love this shit.” With a flick of his hand the vomit vanished from his suit. He gave me a wild smile. “I think it’s time for a trip through history, don’t you old friend?”
I mopped my mouth of bile and sat back shaking, trying not to look at the headless corpse. “Oh is that so, and why’s that?”
“Because buddy, I want you to remember when you were once powerful, just like me. Before that bitch wife of yours, before you tried to settle down with the little child.” He leaned in closer to me, his breath was sweet yet sour. “Because I think once you remember the full story, remember your true past you’ll want your revenge.” He leaned back on his cane and laughed.
“Clean yourself up, first things first, I want you to see my world, through my eyes.” He flicked his hands at me and I was clean, and then one more flick, and we were gone.

I don’t think there can be anything more uncomfortable than being cold and sticky. There was some gold colored grease slathered down my wrist and the bitter frost smacked against it, forming a foul thick bracelet that I couldn’t get off, even if I bit at it. There was a marauding assault of heavy wet snow coming through the headache inducing lights in the sky, frozen boring piss shat through the merciless balloon knot of god.
                I skidded down the street in the dirty ice, among wailing elderly college graduates gagging up blood in the streets while maggots ate their bodies alive. Mangy dogs pissed in their hacking faces and their weak arms cracked and rang in the otherwise quiet snow. Bones splintering under paper thin, transparent skin, the concrete public grave that no one will visit. No one visits a nobody. Who said that?
                I almost took a violent tumble as I slipped and rolled on a mushy sphere on the ground. When I got my bearings I noticed it was a steaming onion and the origin of my golden slime down my arm. I went out to reach for it, but before I could another mangy blackened dog swiped it up and hobbled up the street. I dragged myself up in the fastest possible way and began my pursuit. ‘I’ll cook the  dirty fucking mutt for taking my magnificent putrid layered orb. Dog steaks tonight baby.’
                The dog was not much of flight risk, it seemed to have minimal use of one of it’s hind legs and was more in a expedited trot, rather than a full on I started down on it but the dog had stopped suddenly and collapsed in a heap next to a ratty little girl. She wore grey rags and tufts of blonde hairs jutted out from a dirty wool knit hat. She was shivering against a crumbling brick wall, yet still smiling, an air of positivity in the misery. She looked up at me.
                “The doggie brought this.” She held up the slobbered onion, caked with dirt and she cackled and laughed and fell over. I was just happy she wasn’t eating it.
                I couldn’t help but smile at the girl, who patted the mangy dog in mockery, who in turn licked her face. She shook her finger at him, half in jest, “You shouldn’t take things that don’t belong to you doggie.” She looked up at me, crazy crystal eyes so full of a life I never knew.
                “How did you know it was mine?” I asked her bending down and having no want to touch the foul onion.
                “The doggie told me. He thinks you smell bad.” She feel over again in laughter, slapping her knee and banging her head against the brick wall. The dog cocked it’s head at her and licked her face again.
                “Be careful you don’t want to hurt yourself.” I looked at the dog, pathetic and lame. Who was he to say that I stunk of all things! It emitted such an awful stink itself.
                “It’s ok Mr. Frank, the doggie makes it feel better.” She smiled at me, however I instantly got up.
                “How do you know my name?” I wasn’t too scared but I was looking around now. Who had been watching, there was no one but the little girl and I.
                “Everyone knows who you are Frank.” She giggled again and threw a scrap of food towards the sad dog, who cocked it’s head and slobbered it up.
                “What’s your name sweetheart?” I reached out and offered my hand, she slapped it away.
                “I’m not a sweetheart.” She looked somberly towards the sky, more mature than her apparent age, it was a bit freakish. “I’m Melissa, but you can call me Missy, because we’re friends.”
                “Ok Missy, have we been friends for a long time?” She laughed again and pointed towards the sky.
                “They’re coming now, we should run away.”
                “Who’s coming Missy?” I looked towards the sky and the spinning lights of the police cars was rattling off the mist spraying around, everything around was parting for it, getting out of it’s way. The bosses were on their way.
                “We didn’t do anything wrong Missy, they aren’t going to do anything to us.” But as I looked at her eyes, seeing the fear and the flight in her body, I knew that wasn’t true. There was a guilt about us, just for being alive, for sitting here, getting to know each other. We were in deep shit. I grabbed her small hand, which was cold and dirty and got her up as soon as the booming voice came over the loudspeaker.
                “Melissa Maquez, prepare for GOD DAMN PENALTY!”
                “Ok Missy let’s go can you run fast?” But before I she could say anything she had already nodded affirmative and began to take off. I was bolting after her, sloshing through the wet streets as the wail of the siren now screamed through the sky.
                “Jerry!” She spun around and screamed, the dog was still sitting where we had left him, looking sad and tired. I grabbed the little girl by the scruff of the neck as she tried to head back, as we watched from a distance as a cop came jumping out of the car and crashed down on the dogs back, cracking it in two as he shot it through the skull, blanketing the pavement where we sat with mangy dog blood.
                Missy screamed into the night, as I tried to drag her along, but she was completely dead weight and I had to grab her, pick her up like a football and began to run. The cops were now gaining.
                We crashed through a gate and into a crumbling apartment building.
                “Piece of shit citizens…stop the god damn fugitives or we will give everyone penalty.” The cop was shouting through a megaphone as his reinforcements began to pile into the streets. Missy was crying now and causing attention from everyone wandering around the building. An old woman tried to grab us.
                “Get them, we can’t get penalty! Get the freak and the shit girl! Kill them!” I lowered my shoulder and pushed through the old woman who cawed and flew to the ground.
                “That lady is bad Mr Frank, very bad.” Missy was pointed at the old wench writhing on the floor.
                “I know sweetie, we have to keep moving.” Just then in a jagged hallway there appeared a group of five young, dirty teenage holding pipes, concrete and any other opportunistic weapon they could get their hands on. I was going to be able to just knock these stooges over by running through them. I stopped a yard or two from them with a screech.
                “The cops want these hoes, let’s bash their skulls in and fuck them up, maybe I can be a cop.”
                “Whatever piss shit, you can’t be a cop, you’re too short and stupid.” Another boy with a bloody nose taunted the blonder, more senior boy.
                “Shut up assholes and break this guy’s head in. Then we can all step on the stupid little girl.”      
                I put Missy behind me and became a shield between her and the now crazy eyed boys.
                “GOD DAMN PENALTIES TO ALL CITIZENS!!!!!!” Came the screaming from outside, it seemed all around us now. The cops were surrounding us, there was slowly no way out.
                “Ha look the old man thinks he’s going to fight us. Just try it you old prick.” The bloody nosed kid took a slab of brick and threw it at my face, I tried to duck but it hit me on the side of the head knocking me down and gushing my own blood down on the floor. The old coot I knocked over was on her feet and cackling at me and pissing towards us.
                “Get that piece of shit! Kill him, kill the girl too, she’s a little whore!” She was hopping up and down as the boys were descending down on me.
                “Ugh this god is so ugly,” an effeminate boy slammed his boot into my faces and I felt the white of being knocked out coming on. The cops were in the building and at the far end of the hallway.
                “Citizens! Watch out of fucking penalty!” The cop drew his rifle and started firing away hitting the old woman and taking out all of the boys in one foul swoop. I was saved, for at least a few seconds. The cop turned his rifle now towards little Missy who was crouched down in a ball and holding her ears, trying to avoid the violent cacophony going around her.
                I noticed the slab of concrete that was dropped by one of the boys only a few inches from me and I lunched with every piece of energy I could possibly muster at it, and in one motion fired it directly at the cop, hitting square across the jaw.
                Missy got out of her crouch and sprinted towards the dazed cop, disarmed him and without me realizing what was going on she flip his rifle around and fired in quick succession right into his temple. She turned towards me and pointed the gun directly at my face.
                “He was a bad man too.” She giggled and I shut my eyes, but there was no gun fire, and when my eyes opened she was gone. I was struggling to get up when four more cops came flying through the door. They seemed pissed. They all raised their guns, screaming about penalties and death, when firing came from the ceiling.
                There was little Missy, emptying the entire round into each cop and they dropped just as quickly as they appeared. She was truly a little ball of energy.
                She came sprinting towards me and helped me to my feet. “Ok Mr Frank you’re ok for a couple minutes, but you have to run away now. I’ll stay here to make sure you’re safe.”
                Before I could protest I could hear the cops coming up from down below. The little girl sprinted again and grabbed two guns this time and took aim at the door.
                “Get to the club and don’t look back.” She giggled again. “You’re going to die soon so be careful.”
                I got myself up and went to protest but the girl seemed to have everything in order.

                “I miss Amelie Mr Frank, when is she coming back?” Missy’s little face for the first time filled with a bit of horror, it sank, morose moods now taking over the adrenaline rush. A man with a hatchet came screaming out from a room, blathering obscenities, and Missy just shot him down, never breaking her stare at me.

                “I don’t know sweetheart, I hope soon.” I had no clue, I wish I did. I wanted to stay and question this little warrior, but I knew I had to get going, everyone seemed to be out to get me. My head pulsed and a massaged my temples looking for rest.

                “I’m not a sweetheart Mr Frank.” She sneered at me for the first time, it bore into my soul. “Are you a bad man Mr Frank? I feel you might be part bad man.” Her liquid cool green eyes were now upon me and the threat within her. The muzzle of the gun was about to raise when another group of cops came in and she unleashed hell upon them.

                I turned to run but two sniggling cops were now in my path, they had us surrounded. A jump of fear within me rose, when Missy shouted out.

                “Keep running Mr Frank, I’ll cover you.” And I now felt the energy back in me, blinded by a rage and blood I darted forward, there were threats of penalty but I just kept going, gaining speed and lowering my shoulder. There was a shot and it glanced my elbow, but I kept going, barreling straight into the cops and raising them off the ground.

                As they were thrown down Missy unloaded on them and I turned around with a lame “thumbs up.”

                She saw my thumbs up and raised me a “please find Amelie Mr Frank, I miss her.” She bolted through the door. I went the other direction, as what seemed right. I was on a beeline for the club. There would be little onion soup tonight, and I assessed my situation of having to be saved by a small little girl, who thinks I might be bad. 

I wandered through the club dazed and feeling sick to my stomach. There was a pulse and energy in the air that was crushing my head and chest. A waft of spirits slide through me and I feel relief and ecstasy, leaving a trail of neon green and cobalt blue light streaks. My body buckled a bit under the pleasure and reset itself.
               There was a chromosome missing from me, a gene that made me strange, a valid play going on without reason, treading water in life like all the rest. I was standing in line like all the living, waiting to get into this club of death, where the parting will be hard, with no sign of god…
               “Frank you look cute today,” said a cute specter, that was blushing a bright yellow from her cheeks, which I touched, so icy yet pleasurable.  Her lavish lights bled onto me, glowing me green, I don’t look good in great.
               Rich dark sounds now pulsed from the speakers, growing progressively louder, cresting to life and reaching a melodic mood that sent me brooding into happiness, for a reason it seemed right at home. I split my lip not noticing that I was losing myself once again, and the green glow was strong than when it was initially greased on me. A pit in my stomach followed as end after end of dancing and gliding ghosts shocked through me, some causing chills, others warmth, others still nothing at all.
               “I always liked you,” A gorgeous blonde spirit with deep blue glowing orbs for eyes and white translucent legless spirit whispered to me.  “I’m not supposed to like you, but I do” She smiled and giggled at me.
               “Why aren’t you suppose to like me?” I was surprised but took it lightheartedly, wanting to flirt more than question.
               “I can’t tell you,” her teeth clenched as her white cheek quivered.
               “Well I like you,” I inadvertently bit my lip and slithered my tongue across my teeth.
               “Too bad you’re still mostly alive and I’m dead though. We can make love, but it’s never the same.”
               It dawned on me that this party was one filled not only with excitement, but also with the souls of those that were no longer struggling through this mortal coil. The gravity of the idea brought me down a bit and made me feel even more lonely. Most of the people I seemed to smile around were all dead. It was gloomy and passé.
               “Can I ask you how you…” I wish I hadn’t said it the minute it came out of my mouth. She put me at ease by putting her finger on my lips and wisped a glowing white light now upon them.
               “How I died? Of course I’ll tell you, it’s quite an interesting story. I really forgot what it’s like to be living and think that death is such a scary and taboo subject. I mean look around you and then look outside in the streets and tell me which you find more depressing.   Juvenile that we always think that it’s nothing more than a game, and on top of it, thinking the game will never end.” She floated next to me and kissed my cheek, it was warm and made me slightly drowsy. “It’s still cute. But enough reminiscing of the silly days, let’s go sit down and I’ll tell you how I lost my life.”
               She picked me up in her arms and carried me to a booth that would glow red, then striped lines spun around it, then red again, repeated.
               “Now if I tell you this, no being sad and no feeling bad got it?” I nodded and she began.

               Horace Grant Enterprises was a multinational consulting conglomerate that specialized in training management teams in both the private and public sector. Their offices spanned from Hong Kong to Istanbul, covering every possible piece of land that could possibility be tapped for profit.
               Within the New York office there was a young, gorgeous and extremely motivated manager name Wendy Mulligan. She was only 25 and making strides within the company. Her likeable, yet still aggressive salesman type approach, has led her to be a team leader, presiding over timid right out of college entry level kids, to grumpy middle aged men who would rather fawn and froth at the site of Wendy’s long glorious legs than listen to an actual word she said.
               It was difficult, for she was stunning, tall, almost 6 foot, slim athletic legs, pin straight blonde hair and aquatic colored eyes that lay within the confines of a slightly golden glow of her skin. To the surprise and excitement of her coworkers, she was very single, not even attempting to date, for her job took too much of her time and energy to even bother. She had her needs, which were fulfilled two or three times a month by a man she had met at the movies. She had no idea what he did for work, nor did she care. She liked his company, his taste in old 90’s music, a decent beer palate, and of course his cock. It was a perfect situation in a perfect city, with her perfect job.
               Today Wendy had gathered her group at 9AM for a quick go over a few new key accounts and some new initiatives that the Vice President, Honus Euro, had laid out before he left for one of his quad annual golf trips he seems to enjoy. She had spoken to him late the night before, it was as unpleasant as it always way.
               “Is there really a reason you are calling me when I am about to sit down to a dinner with my wife in the most expensive restaurant in Miami?” His voice was cool, almost a snake like hiss to it.
               “I’m sorry Mr. Euro it’s just with the Campbell account some of the number…”
               “I’m sorry Ms. Mulligan, but I must ask why I would give someone a management title if she can’t seem to manage without me.”
               “Sir I’m sorry I just thought…”
               “And I won’t be sorry Ms. Mulligan if you call me again with anything more than the building collapsing.” He turned away from his phone to his wife and  snidely remarked, “It’s a wonder why I ever put a little girl in charge of anything in the first place. I guess tits and ass do win over talent and brains.” Wendy could hear everything.
               “Ok Mr. Euro I will let you go, enjoy your dinner and your trip.”
               “Oh shut up you bitch, you’ve already ruined dinner, don’t be such a kiss ass. If my phone rings again I hope it’s for your resignation. And don’t expect any severance or recommendation.” The phone went dead.  
               She always resisted the urge to blow up, or to cry, or to blow up and then burst out crying and berate herself for being “weak.” Most of the time she succeeded, however today she couldn’t help it, she was growing tired of having to put up with Euro, who talked down to her at every moment, who mocked and laughed at her in front of her co workers and who brushed his hand across her cheek, or ass, or chest every moment he could get.
           He disgusted her, but what’s one to do in these times? We all needs jobs, we all must make sacrifices to ourselves, loved ones and even our own morals. Storybook freedoms and romances were there in fantasy, our great escape from life and it’s realties.
    Wendy looked out of her 24th floor office, half seeing the majestic city, false promises, and half seeing her reflection, perpetuating the city’s misdeeds, justifying it in the bloody excuses and passion for progress. She saw a woman who defied odds and made a name for herself, in a business world that was still a boy’s club.
    There was a rap at her open door.
    “Ms. Mulligan are you ok?’ It was Charlie, a 20 year old intern, so innocent and pure.
    “Oh hi Charlie, yes I’m fine I just had to take a call. Do you want to set up the conference room for the call with Bakersfield?”
    “Sure Ms. Mulligan.” He whipped around like a good little soldier.
    “Charlie wait I have a question for you,” he stopped at the door and stared puzzled at her. “Is this what you really want to do with your life?”
    “What do you mean Ms. Mulligan?”
    “I mean do you really want to spend a good deal of your life dealing with office politics, tyrannical bosses and bad coffee? Consulting billionaires on how many people they can lay off so they can take a bigger cut and see a larger profit, I mean does that actually sound fun to you?”
    “I dunno, I never really think about it. A job is a job in this economy. My dad says we have to take what we can get.”
    She pursed her lips and nodded in half agreement.
    “I guess your dad has a point.” She smiled at him and winked, “Let’s go get that conference call going. I’ll come with you.” He still looked puzzled when the entire building shook and rattled.
    There was a groan from the structure and then a blast from below from a raging fire. Charlie was knocked to the ground and pinned under a slab of ceiling, bleeding from his skull and shaking. A window was shattered and an account named Scott was slumped over his desk.

“Earthquake! Earthquake” Was screamed around the office. There was a mad cracking sound and the building began to lean towards the east, more screams and chaos.

Wendy went to help Charlie, but from the hole in his skull, she knew he was gone.She vomited on herself from the stench and brains.

    Just then her phone was ringing and she sifted through the rubble, as the building lurched and cracked again. She finally found the found under a dusty rubble of dusty  wall scraps and a pile of now useless papers.

“What the fuck is going on there?” It was Mr. Euro frothing at the mouth.

“Mr Euro,” she hacked and gagged, “there has been an earthquake and the building is on

fire we have to evacuate everyone the building looks like it’s going to collapse.”

“Mulligan first off stop coughing into the phone. Second I can see what’s happening on the news. And third NO ONE is to leave until all the files are secure and sent to our remote location in India.”

“Sir that might take…”

“Just get it done Mulligan and anyone who leaves is fired and I’m not giving out any fucking referrals do you understand? You were hired to do a job, now get it done. NOW.” The phone went dead and Wendy’s heart tore in two.

Everything inside her skidded to a terrifying halt, the abyss of loneliness, going back to where she came, her father’s hand, the cold desolate lands  like space, where no one can hear one scream. Her broken ugly mother staring back in the mirrors, slowly morphing into complacency and fulfilling life’s destiny. She gathered herself among the swaying rabble of her office building. She must fulfill her bosses wishes if she was ever going to make it anywhere.

She raced towards the man door where the herd were headed,trying to avoid the fire and not skid on the blood.

“Anyone who leaves now without permission will be fired immediately and never work in this town again. The bloody and battered group turned in awe and disgust at her, but Wendy just kept a stern stare.

“The building is falling down Wendy, we’re all going to die if we don’t leave.” Peter could barely keep his eye open and spit out black blood at her. The crowd cheered at him.

“I don’t care we have a job to do, you weren’t paid to do half a job, or part of a fucking job. This is what’s wrong with this country. Weak people afraid of every little thing that happens. It’s a little earthquake, so fucking what? It happens in Japan and California all the time. Do they run away, no they do not. They work harder than anyone else in this world. So sit down, all of you and get all the files transferred to the main frame. Once you’re down I’ll ask Mr Euro if we can all leave.” She nodded at the security guard who stood at the exit. “Sam lock the doors please until I say so.”

And Wendy walked confidently down the hall, as her loyal subjects followed her orders, pushing aside rubble, doing their job without question, with body parts of fellow workers on their desks, they got the job done. Wendy felt powerful.

“So what happened?” I looked at the spirit, who was now glowing pale and grey and she could barely look at me.

“We got all the files out, kept everything intact for Mr. Euro and the shareholders and minutes later the whole building collapsed. I ensured the company would live while the rest of us died. All 60 of us.” She spun around and lifted 3 feet, glowing now a radiant white. “I have to go now, please remember all this Frank. It’s not my best hour but I’m here now.” She came down to face level, I could see how beautiful she must have been, the unhinged innocence and dejection. She stroked my face and I closed my eyes, as her spirit passed into mine, running my blood cold and shaking my fury within my bones.

I sat and cried by myself for what seemed like hours, as the spirits flew circling around my head. No one was there to save me, not even myself.

She took my hand and across the vacant and ghostly bar, dusty coated and the air sour with mold and evaporated liquors. Subtle crusted blood on a an overturned chair, sad bar fight or an all out war for power and passion? My teeth chattered, grinding gritty against themselves. I swear I heard a sad crooner singing, softly playing, framed by soft strings and a faint piano.

“Oh my god you are so funny…Frank.” Jennifer’s glassy gorgeous eyes were tired and drunk. He lapped up the chocolate orbs, which kept me feeling safe, and even horny.
“Oh no baby, I really really love Adele.” He gave her a snarky smile and slitted his eyes, “She kinda gets me you know…right here.” Frank pointed down at his crotch and laughed, while she rolled her eyes and snorted. “I’ll have two more.” He slurred to the bartender, pointed at his drink and sticking his tongue out in fake silly and flirty mockery.
“Wow you are so corny. Is this really how you talk to women, because let me tell you it’s really working.”
“You’re getting hot right?”
“Oh, unbelievably.” She puffed out her cheeks and I could tell I was losing her.
“Hey, at least I have a fucking job. In this economy, how many of this guys can even say that?” He took another drink and shook a finger at her. “So…there.”
“Oh yeah, you keep saying that. Is that all you have to offer?” She got close to my face, angry yet still talking to me. “And you still haven’t told me it is you exactly do.”
“I told you I can’t tell you, it’s one of those secret things that…

“Frank what are you doing? Let’s go.” Jennifer was calling me at the other side of the dusty bar. I found myself standing and just staring at the bar itself, my hands now covered in the same dust that covered the whole room. My head felt cloudy as I pulled myself away, a pang of anger and depression hit me. I had the urge of running up to Jennifer and fucking her right there in the dungy bar, pushing aside the bad vibes and just losing ourselves in lust and sweat. Then when we finish I would bury my head in her chest and just cry. It just all seemed right.
She finally led me into a back room that was a bit cleaned and set up as an office. It seems to be the old bar/restaurant’s manager’s office, covered with books, writing tools, a desk, leather swivel chair , complete with an old grizzled face dark skinned man, resting his hands palm down on the desk and smiling. I was startled as he spoke in his smooth, soothing voice.
“Well awesome, we finally got him back, though he looks a bit less in shape then the last time I’ve seen him.” He smiled again and let out a hearty laugh before rising and offering me his wrinkled hand. “It’s ok, you’ve been through a lot, I won’t hold it against you if you forgot who I am.”
“Frank this is Dr. Magnus Robinson. He used to be the head the military’s medical department and an expert in human psychology. Parapsychology to be exact.” Jennifer led the introductions as we both shook, hands. I didn’t want to lose eye contact with this fellow, there seemed to be something a bit off.
“Ah you’re wife is beautiful, brilliant and extremely generous with her words. It’s a shame that you let her go you old fool.” He broke the grip and slapped me on my back, hard like he meant it.
“Well Dr. Robinson I have no fucking clue what is going on so I don’t even know what I did to…” He waved me off as he walked back to his chair.
“First off we don’t need the formalities, please call me Maggie. I don’t need to feel like I’m more superior than anyone else here. We’re equals in our own ways.”
“Uh you want me to call you Maggie?” My eyebrows furrowed and I felt my palms sweating.
“Yes please and I will call you Frankie.” He again smiled and laughed, resting his head against the side his hand and stared at me.
“Well ok then. So, Maggie, I have no clue…” He waved me off again and started howling with laughter.
“Holy shit man I’m just kidding you, don’t fucking call me Maggie that is just ridiculous.” He slapped his knee and lost himself in uncontrollable hysterics.
“What is up with this fucking guy.” I was in awe as I spoke to Jennifer and pointed at the cackling doctor.
“Oh Magnus is a little stir crazy having to stay cooped up in here all the time. He’s just having fun.”
“Stir crazy, holy shit, it’s more like full on cabin fever.” He got up looking very serious. “You know all I want right now? More than anything? A fat, greasy medium rare cheeseburger, that I let drip down my chin as I wash it down with Guinness. Just like the one’s we used to have right out there. Back when we used to know how to live.” His eyes now glazed over, but in remembrance, rather than drunkenness.
“Get on top of me, I want you to fuck me.” Jennifer was tearing off her clothes, her sweaty body glistening in the bathroom glare.
“Here, now? I don’t think..” Frank was excited, yet still pulling back a bit.
“Stop being so god damn boring and fuck the shit out of me.” She grabbed the back of his head and slammed it to her mouth, and deftly using her other she snatched his wrist and plunged his hand down her skirt. She moaned and gasped, spitting as she spoke.
There was a flush of a toilet and a giggle, someone was in the bathroom with them.
“Let them watch, I don’t care, I just want you, now, here, now.”

“Are you listening to me?” Magnus was looking at me with a scowl.
“I’m sorry, I’m just…”
“Yeah I know, visions, it will come back slowly. It’ll be confusing and take you awhile to piece everything together.” He let up on his scowl and bent down eye to eye with me. “That’s why you’re here, I’m going to help accelerate the understanding.”
I looked at Jennifer who gave me the nod to trust the old man. I was seeing her now with more love, the time when you first realize you are falling in love. The magic time when nothing can wrong, you’re just learning about the other person, trying to impress them, the excitement of something new. Do they like you, do you like them? The chase, the wonder of what they look like naked. The idealness of it all, that first time you see the beauty in someone of the opposite sex. The best time of a human being’s life.
“So here you are Mr. Thames.” Magnus snapped me out of my daydreaming again. “As you can see our little city here has fallen into what can be called disarray. This is a byproduct of a civil war, which your past is deeply rooted in so I’ll let you find that out on your own. As you walk around this city you’ll see nothing more than dead bodies, robotic policemen and the whole population racing to educate themselves. Therein lies the joke of course. No one is gaining any wisdom, nor accomplishing anything outside of the theoretical. No one has a real pragmatic job for too long, as they have educated themselves till virtual death. Almost 90 percent of the population works for the universities now, with an average length of career spanning about 7 months”
“What about the police? Who is training them? They seem much younger than most others.”
“They do not come from the city, they come from the Gardens of Romae. Sent by what we can only call a higher authority.” He chuckled to himself.
“God?”
“Please Frank this is serious, don’t make jokes.” Jen looked at me, as I gave her a quick one up.
“Let me go on and you’ll understand a bit more.” He got up and started pacing, now talking with his hands. “You see the real problem isn’t the buildings, the wars, the education or all that. It’s what was done to the spirits of the world, Jennifer has shown you some of these crazy ghosts. She’s their keeper so to speak.”
“Don’t say it like that, they have their own free will.” Jennifer was very defensive at Magnus’s choice of words.
“Yes, yes I apologize.” He turned back to me. “She is more like their mother.” He looked at her for approval and she shrugged her shoulders. “I will let her settle that fact with you later. The point is the spirits, ghosts, souls, whatever word you want to use for them used to move freely with the living and with the dead. It bound the present with the past and prepared everything for the future. The natural harmonious cycle.”

“However now they are imprisoned, kept away from the people and their influence on life is fading, quickly.”
“Who can imprison ghosts, Pete Vekekmen? And why would someone even want to do that?”
Magnus shook his head at me, disappointed. “This is someone who wants to rule this world just as he conquered and ruled thousands of others. Someone without compassion and who’s grand plan supersedes any other want or need in the world.” He then lowered his voice and stuck his face two inches in front of mine. “A Dark King who has been able to extract our spirits from society, lock them up and soon will have the knowledge to eradicate each and every one of them.”
“Eradicate?”
“Yes, he’s learned how these spirits can, die, so to speak.”
“So this guy is going to run around killing all the ghosts?”
“No I didn’t say that at all, I’m saying he understands how, he’s not the trigger person.”
“So then who is?”
“We all are. At least that’s the plan. You, me, the person sitting next to you in your biology class. We’re all spun into the web, which is why we brought you back in. Frank you’re going to help us stop him before he’s able to kill every ghost in the world.”
“Is that so,” I leaned back in my chair and put my hands behind my head, taking a highly sarcastic tone. “And how do you think I’m going to do that?”
“Well one step at a time, tell me, what do you think of your Economics professor?”
“Um, that guy is a bit of psycho, I wouldn’t say I think very highly of him.”

Frank was thrashing away at her, she was pleading for it to never stop. The giggling turned into outright gawking, as the skinny girl was licking her lips, dirty voyeur.

“Good, because first things first you’re going to have to kill him.”

“I think I’m about to…” Frank was ripping back out of her.

“Which shouldn’t be so hard, except he’s always surrounded by those damn cops.”

“No, no in me, I want you to do it in me…” Giggles giggles snort…

“Oh I’ve estimated we have about 5 days to get it done, before that whole little club of spirits are eviscerated.”

“What are you serious? I don’t know…”

“No pressure Frank my boy…” Magnus cracked his knuckles

“Just do it, now, I love you.” She pleaded and came, sending a reaction through Frank where he joined her in the spunk.

“Welcome to your rebirth my old friend.” Magnus smiled as I was left in shock, awe and a thick wad sticking to the insides of my pants.

Frank sat with Amelie on his lap reading a story about some gator that was the prince of some fictitious swamp and how his was mad and evil and the other strange animals rose up and threw him out of the swamp and took it over for themselves and other such things you read in children’s stories.

“Daddy why was the alligator so mean to all the other animals? He had lots of food and the other animals brought him sticks to build a big house.” Amelie’s eyes were giant black pools, filled with innocence and life.

“Well sweetie some people are very greedy and just mean. I don’t know why they are, some people are just different.” Frank smiled and kissed his daughter on the forehead.

“Daddy silly! Alligators aren’t people, they are an animinaals!” Amelie laughed and playfully tapped Frank on the thigh.

“But sweetie people are animals, just like the cats and dogs and the crickets.”

“Daddy that’s stupid. I want to go see mommy.”

Frank let the little girl, with flowers in her hair, slide from his lap and proudly pecked the top of her head and sent her off. He shredded a tear and smiled, and then was startled by a sound in the corner of the room. From out of the darkness a cold tap on the shoulder lead him to jump as he was face to face with…

—————————————————————————————————————————-

“Daddy daddy look what I made!” Little Amelie burst with joy shoving a distorted picture of a man standing in what seemed to be the little girl’s room. “It’s Ian and me daddy.” She turned to her mother, Jennifer, who was looking concerned but still told her wee one that she had done a great job.

Frank stroked Amelie’s hair, which was in on long ponytail and looked at Jennifer.

“That’s great sweetie, but who’s Ian?” Frank was slightly drunk and there was a tenseness ripping through his biceps as anger was boiling beneath his skin.

“Honey it’s her imaginary friend, she’s allowed to have an imagination, even if you have no idea what that is.” Jennifer sneered at her husband and looked back at Amelie.

“Someone is pretty fucking defensive.”

“NO NAUGHTY WORDS DADDY!” Amelie shouted and pointed at Frank, wagging her finger and looking comically stern.

“Why don’t you go back to watching TV and getting drunk, it seems to be the only thing you’re good at anymore.”

“Oh is that what you think of me?” Frank belched and staggered backwards. “I wouldn’t touch you if…”

—————————————————————————————————————————-

The bombs were going off one after the other and nuclear winter was taking over dawn. There was the metallic smell of blood everywhere, the air so gritty with dirt and soot that it got in your mouth and ground against your teeth from just breathing it. Another shot rang out and the ground shook with the force of a massive earthquake. Another scream, terror cries and silence.

Jennifer was was one of those screams, pushing past rushing dirty humans trying to escape the chaos. They were her former friends, neighbors, condensed to a confused mass trying to find shelter from the fire and inevitable death.

“AMELIE!” Jennifer was screaming as she tore past the group, going against the current of people back into the fire. A hand grabbed out to halt her.

“Jenn where the fuck are you going, everything is gone back there.” It was Ben Matson, a family friend and former city detective.

“Let go of me. My baby is still back there.” She tore Matson off her and sprinted off. Ben was right on her tail. “AMMMMMELIE!” She roar with fright.

“Jenn wait up, wait up I’ll come help.” But she ignored him and continued through the thick crowd when gunfire erupted in the distance, people tripped and others purposely hit the deck.

“The Dark Brigade is coming, run!” A man in the crowd shouted and pointed as Jenn ducked between an ally where Matson rejoined her.

“Jenn the ground troops are here, you can’t get by them. We have to get out of here now.”

“Fuck you. My daughter is out there and I’m going back for her whether I live or die…”

A shot rang out and a smattering of blood splashed the alley wall and the body slumped wearily…

—————————————————————————————————————————-

I shot up in a gasp, hacking and short of breath. Jennifer and the spirit Keith were standing above me and looking grim, like a doctor having to give a patient the news that he has cancer of the everything.

“Are you ok Frank? I think that was way too much for you at once.” Jennifer wiped my face, I was sweating, or tearing or vomiting. Some sort of liquid was coming out of me.

“What happened? I had these intense dreams that I had a daughter and then you were in it and bombs were…” I couldn’t go on as I was too worked up.

“Frank they weren’t dreams, you are getting your real memories back. You had too many intense ones come back at the same time. You’re all worked up. Come on we’ll go walk and relax.” She helped me up but I was too weak to stand.

“Hold on, you and I had a daughter right?” She nodded and lowered her head. “And something happened to her, right?”

“Look asshole you’re not ready for all of this shit so fucking relax and let’s go.” Keith was gruff and cold, staring me down with harsh intimidation.

“Look Casper I think I have a right to know what happened…”

“Frank enough you don’t have the right to anything.” Jennifer sneered at me and jabbed a finger into my chest. “You’re in my house pretty much so you do as I say.”

I noticed I was sitting in the middle of the ghostly club and all around me the music was blaring and the silly spirits were floating and glowing and doing their smooth gliding dance moves.

“I’m just saying I think I deserve to know where my daughter is.”

“And you’ll know, when you’re ready. If we tell you too much you can go into cognitive shock and we could lose you forever. So why don’t you relax, trust someone else for a change.”

I nodded and was about to get up.

“Why don’t you do us all a favor and get dressed before you go walking around dipshit?” Keith put his hands on his hips and shook his head in disgust. Indeed I was naked from the waist down.

“What the fuck, why am I naked?”

“I don’t know Frank, you insisted before we started.” Jennifer threw up here hands and walked away.

Nothing like being confused naked with a bunch of sexy ghosts flying above your head, while your ex wife you never knew had and a ghost of an asshole were watching you pull your pants over your limp dick. Times are good.

A pale cold hand smashed onto the desk in front of me, attached to a face of fury, bleating red, perfectly white gnashed teeth, spittle raining through the tight cracks between them. The bloody red eyes of Super Ultra Amazing Professor Elite Honus Euro bore into me, his anger rippled through my heart causing a slight delay in it’s pumping. Fear

waterfalled within me, chilling me from my face down to my toes.

Despite the S.U.A.P.E. Euro’s slight and brittle frame, he demanded discipline and respect. It didn’t hurt the economics teachers were the only ones that conducted lectures with a small brigade of police scattered about their class room.

“Is there a reason you don’t feel it necessary for you to take notes Mr. Thames?” He was much younger than all the other professors, perhaps even a few years younger than me. A bead of hate filled sweat dropped off his sharp pale chin onto my shaking hands, as I attempted to hold them still, splayed open on my desk.

“I just thought that…”quickly Euro backhanded me across the face. It would have been virtually painless, due to the weakness of his skeletal hands, had it not been for the small treasure trove of jewels than spattered and spangled on his fingers. Rich jewels and heavy diamonds cut to a razor’s edge, slide and sliced across my face.

“You are not to think in this class.” He turned towards of the cops,

who dug the muzzle of his rifle into the back of my neck. “One more thought that comes out of you and I will have your fucking brains removed for you.” He slithered back to the front of the class, leaving the cop with me, digging the muzzle deep into my scalp, no doubt leaving a round indent in it.

“Now you have all learned your first lesson of Economics. Questioning is for liberal pansies, sycophants and faggots. If you wish to find question take it to one of your disgusting science classes. Here, we talk faith and devotion.” He licked his lips which now were glowing

red with sexual arousal. Without warning, he leapt onto the desk of an unsuspecting student, a woman, red headed, scared shitless and quaking.

“Tell me woman,” He roared, fist clenched and now spitting uncontrollably, “what besides the Almighty Market, dictates the economic well being of the country?”

The woman, shaking and shrugging putter out just a few words, “I ggguess environmental…” Before another syllable could come from her mouth the enraged teacher pulled a short dagger from his waist and slashed the students throat. There was a yelp from a boy in the back and I could smell someone has pissed and/or shat themselves. The teacher didn’t stop and leapt onto the desk to his left, like a giant leaping cockroach.

“You stupid boy, what is the answer? NOW!” He pointed his bloody dagger in a curly haired speckled boy’s face, who was lifting his finger as if he had a clue, “Political factors always…” But the teacher was engorged with loathing for his students.

“NEVER IN MY LIFE!” He screeched at such a decibel that it caused the class, and even the cops around the room, to cover their ears in fright. The teacher then sliced his student’s finger off and quickly cut his throat. He then bounded across the desks, like a mad frog o, leaping on the Lilly pad desks and stood once again in front of the room.

“I will dispose of each and every one of you scumbags and feed you to them.” He points towards the cops who licked their lips and raised their rifles towards the students. “Now, someone answer me….” Then the bullets rained down and bodies and blood and screams filled the air. I hit the ground looked for an escape, there was a door only a few yards from me, but it was blocked by two guards, shells raining down from their seemingly endless amount of ammo.

“What is wrong with education today if one can not answer a simple fucking question?” The teacher was bouncing around, stabbing, laughing manically through gun fire and screams. He spots me and leaps to my level, grasping me by the hair, exposing my neck to the mercy of his blade.

“How about you, my little slug, any…thoughts on the matter?” I was about to give him a quick lesson in irony, feeling if I died I might as well be smug about it. However as my mouth began to open and the blade drew back, someone yelled out.

“NOTHING.”

Everything stopped, the air was quiet with death, everyone turned to a young woman standing amidst the corpses of her fallen alum. She was beautiful, easily recognizable and her streamlined muscles were clenching beneath her clothes. It was Jennifer.

“I beg your pardon?” The teacher was inquisitive, no sense of spite or malice, pure curiosity.

“I said nothing. Nothing dictates the economy of the country or the world for that matter, other than the Great Market. The Market is unquestionable, the Market is all powerful and the Market transcends everything living or dead.” She spat it out, seeming to actual believe what she was saying.

But what was she doing here? I hadn’t seen her in the class before. She had mocked my education. What the fuck?

“Young lady I am impressed. We should all learn from the dirty slut.” He looked around the class, only myself, Jennifer and a wheezy fat man had survived. “Well, survival of the fittest don’t you say?” He licked the blood off his blade and sheathed back into his waist. “I will have to get some more students to fill this out for next time. Class dismissed.”

When we walked outside I took Jennifer’s hand.

“Thank you so much. I would be dead without you.”

“No shit dumb ass. You better start learning some survival skills, fast.” She lit a cigarette and offered me one, which I of course took. We walked in what was a moist, humid night. Just yesterdayI thought there was snow.

“I don’t understand it though, why can’t I remember how to act, I think I know what’s right but then I put it in question because everyone else is doing something different. I don’t understand though why they follow these things. It just doesn’t seem right. I looked at her and frowned and she stopped and stroked my face.

“Aww you are so cute when you look pathetic.” I roll my eyes and she laughs, “You don’t understand because you don’t have any perspective on life.”

I look puzzled taking a final drag of my butt before stomping it out. “I don’t think I follow.”

“Well let’s put it this way, what would you call light, if there was no darkness? What would you call heat if there was no coldness?”

“Uhhhh…” I lifted my hands in shame.

“Ugh, look everyone acts the way they do because they know no other way. Or if you want to be more confused, they have forgotten any other way and in turn have forgotten how to change. They are stagnating and going nowhere, stuck too much in the present. They have forgotten their true past and don’t see any future.”

She could almost read my mind, for I didn’t even have to ask the next question.

“But I remember. And slowly, you’re starting to remember too. You becoming alive Frank. Oh and yes that is your real name, unfortunately.” She sticks out her tongue in disgust.

“So now what are we going to do?”

“Well first things first. You’re kinda covered in your classmates blood, so let’s get you cleaned up. Then let’s go out and have some fun.”

“What do you mean go out and have some fun?” I always remembered it was school work, sleep, onion purchases and more school work. Ah the damn onion! “And what about my wife.”

“Frank don’t worry about your wife I’m sure she’s just fine.” She then stopped, wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled in close, she smelt sweet and light, I got lost in her aroma. “And for fun, I thought we could get drunk, go dancing and fuck for four hours straight. You know like old times.” She winked at me and kissed my neck.

I pushed her back and stared her down, in awe and stood with my mouth a gape.

“Starting to feel it, right Frank?” She shook her head in a playful manner. “Why would you think that I would ever think I would like onion soup? Though it’s really sweet of you to be so loyal. By the way I hate your new haircut. I was mostly loyal to you, but there was one night like 2 years ago where I was, ah whatever. You turned into a real prick, but I forgive you”

“What what, umm.”

“Nevermind, let’s get you a shower and go confuse you some more. It’ll be like an acid trip, everything will make sense except for any of it.” She looked at me and laughed. In a way I wish I was dead. In other way I feel that I had already done that, and it wasn’t all that. If I knew what a drink was, I’d want one.