As a captive, one could easily find himself in a prison much worse than Tommy Liu’s house. Tommy’s house was a sanctuary combining the best elements of East and West. At first glance, it was extravagantly simple, yet it contained many artifacts of mystery and wonder. Dave could have amused himself with a puzzle box, the Zen garden, a vintage Galaga arcade machine, or even countless stories from the amiable Tommy, but all he asked of Tommy was a pen and paper. Lester reassured Dave again before he left for Somerset that staying with Tommy was a protective measure. Dave knew it was protection he would not be able to deny.
“Lester, whom do you really work for?”
“Lester? Yeah, we don’t want to confuse Tommy. You can call me Lester.”
“You’re not going to tell me.”
“Dave, as off-the-wall as all this angel stuff is, it doesn’t even matter who I work for anymore. Right now, I’m working for you, Dave.”
“But you’re calling the shots.”
“Some people are good at talking into a camera to a bunch of people they can’t see. Some people are good at dealing with situations. I’m one of those guys who deals with shit. People are after you, Dave. And my bosses and our buddy, Mr. Face, don’t want anything bad happening to you. No one has caught up to us so far, and I ain’t about to let that happen. Tommy’s good people. You’ll have fun here. If anything happens to me, he knows what to do. I just need to figure out what’s going on in Somerset. Our guys were supposed to meet up with your folks.”
“Can’t you just call your guys?”
“I wish I could. Our organization is a little compartmentalized.”
“It sounds like your corpus callosum is severed.”
“That’s the left brain-right brain bridge, right? Yeah, it definitely feels a little like that sometimes.”
After Lester left, Dave fired off a text message to Pam. Last he saw her, she was being whisked away by Hrel, and he had yet to respond to her text from a few days earlier. The contents of the message:
Dave didn’t get the instant response from Pam he was used to. As tragic as it was to see Misty go, Dave would never be able to forgive himself if anything bad happened to Pam because of their closeness. Dave resumed his quiet meditation and waited while Tommy listened to a Bach fugue in the next room on a sound system both Harry and Lester would have appreciated.
As much as he loathed the idea, Lester forced himself to get back in the car to make the final stretch of highway to Somerset. He was really digging the vibe at Tommy’s pad. Hopefully Lester would be able to get a little more perspective in Somerset without too much of a hassle. Then he could get back to catching up with his old friend. On the surface, Lester played like everything about his current operation was a major inconvenience, but the fact was he and Harry had stepped into something huge—much bigger than any geopolitical shenanigans they had pulled in the past. Dave’s knowledge and his encounters with Mr. Face were telling Lester that a war between inter-dimensional beings was real, and the conflict had found its way to Lester’s home turf. His duty to humanity now trumped all other allegiances.
As he arrived a few hours later in Somerset, Lester wasn’t sure what he would find at the house in which Dave Bullock grew up. He was looking forward to sitting down with Mr. and Mrs. Bullock to find out what his colleagues had told them about David and his role in global security. Maybe Mrs. Bullock would have some fresh-baked blueberry pie, and she would offer Lester a piece. One of the few things Dave mentioned about his parents was the awesomeness of his mother’s blueberry pie. Lester was really getting his hopes up. When he finally rang the doorbell, he was surprised to see a much younger man open the door dressed strikingly similar to how Lester himself was dressed.
“Uh, can I speak with Mr. or Mrs. Bullock, please?”
“Uh, they’re not here. Sorry.”
Before the man had a chance to close the door on him, Lester spouted out a string of numbers and letters.
“ECHO-FOUR-DELTA-NINER-OH-NINER-CHARLIE-TWO-NIINER-OH-DELTA-OH-FOXTROT-BRAVO-ONE-CHARLIE-ALPHA.”
“OH-SIX-EIGHT-FOXTROT-FOXTROT-ALPHA-DELTA-DELTA-FOXTROT-TWO-TWO-CHARLIE-BRAVO-DELTA-OH,” the man replied.
They were on the same team. The completion of the code proved it. The man at the door was now more surprised than Lester.
“Well, holy Seahawk shit! You must be one of the Seattle guys. What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Things changed a little. May I come inside, please?”
The house had been transformed into a command center with laptops and satellite networking equipment strewn about. There were slices of pizza but no slices of blueberry pie. Lester’s heart plummeted.
“Let me guess. Someone got to the Bullocks before you guys did.”
“If you know something about it, we could use all the help we can get. I’m agent Dex Radley, by the way.”
“Lester Phfister. I’ve got our man, Brother Dave.”
“Wait. He’s here now? I’m not sure here is the safest place for him.”
“Don’t worry. He’s in a safe place, and it ain’t here.”
“Where?”
“I’m keeping that one to myself. Unlike management, I like to paint the big picture for folks, but in this case, I really can’t risk anyone drawing a map to Dave. But you’ve got to let me know everything about his parents.”
“I’m with you. Well, Agent Kroger and I showed up Saturday morning to brief the Bullocks on their son and, of course, to keep an eye on them. They weren’t here, so we waited. We knew Claude would be giving a sermon the next morning. He didn’t show up to church on time or at all. Now the FBI is involved since we’re talking about missing persons.”
“FBI?”
“Don’t worry. Since it’s code 624, we’ve got overall jurisdiction. There was no forced entry. Both cars are here. We haven’t found any DNA evidence. Our timeline has them here Friday night. The only lead we have came from a neighbor down the street. He heard a car stop in front of the house around three A.M. well before we showed up on Saturday. The bad guys have them, we’re sure of it. We haven’t been contacted by the bad guys in any way to try to make a trade. It seems it was Claude and Agnes Bullock they were after. As usual, management doesn’t tell us if they have any significance other than they’re David’s parents.”
“Shit. I can’t go back now. We ran into some busters back in Washington. I’m sure they’re talking with their friends out here. The timing of this really has me rattled. We find Dave and Dave’s parents around the same time they do. Something ain’t right.”
Lester and Dex traded more details as Lester toured the house. He had to laugh a little when he arrived at Dave’s room. Dave had been holding back. It seemed the old Dave had much more in common with Lester than the new Dave. When it was all over, Lester promised himself he would get Dave on the basketball court, take him to a Rush concert, and of course show off the Nova. Lester was really missing the Nova.
Lester knew the Bullock house was off limits now. He made a big but necessary gamble by coming in the first place. Lester made a concerted effort to conceal his and Dave’s whereabouts. That meant staying out of contact with management. Running into another set of agents wasn’t the problem. Lester convinced Radley to keep quiet about bumping into him, at least for the next forty-eight hours. It was the fact that the Bullocks were abducted that left Lester a little uneasy about what eyes and ears might be aimed in his direction. When he got back to the rental car, Lester called Tommy on the encrypted mobile phone Tommy gave him.
“Hey, Tommy, it’s all fucked up over here. I’m not going to be able to make it back for a little while. I’ve got a little fishing to do, and it ain’t fish we’re talking about. How’s our boy?”
“He’s a little dull. I think you over-hyped him. He just meditates and writes.”
“He’s probably writing his memoirs. If you get a chance to read it, let me know if I’m portrayed in a positive light. This could become an historical document, and I don’t want to go down in history looking like a piss bubble.”
“Sure thing, Les. I’ve got my white out handy. I promise, you will come across as no less than an asshole.”
“I really appreciate that, Tommy. Stay cool. I owe you mucho for this. The drinks and women are on me when I get back.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got everything I could need or want. We’ll see you soon.”
“Peace.”
If he was being watched now after visiting the Bullock house, Lester could not even contemplate leading his pursuers back to Dave, the man of the hour. The ability to play host to an angel was a quality in short supply according to Dave. Those with the gift were often drawn together by nature of their connection to the higher plain. This attraction was a dangerous link to have if anyone of the few were to be discovered. The link to the exposed person would become a liability, bringing death or much worse at the hands of any demon supporter aware of the significance of the exposure. Much worse could mean possibly becoming a tool for demonic purposes.
Lester wandered aimlessly around town looking for signs that he was under surveillance. His paranoia was a finely tuned instrument, and nothing extraordinary struck him as he shopped for souvenirs and ended up buying a porkpie hat. He made his own appearance a little more extraordinary. If they were following him, Lester needed the bad guys to reveal themselves. He didn’t want them to lose track of him as he led them to nowhere in particular.
Lester found himself a couple hours later west of Somerset in Bowling Green. He had always wanted to see where Corvettes were manufactured, and his proximity gave him an excuse to visit. Lester found a quaint coffee shop downtown and asked his waitress if she knew of any good bed and breakfast establishments in town.
“Honey, if you’re looking for the best bed in town, it’s mine. I can make a mean omelet too, so I got breakfast covered for you.”
Lester wasn’t expecting such hospitality. The middle-aged woman wasn’t unattractive, but Lester didn’t want to put anyone at risk if he didn’t have to. He especially didn’t want to endanger a woman who apparently lusted after him.
“I appreciate the offer, Ma’am, but I’m no good like that. I couldn’t impose on a fine woman like yourself.”
“Honey, don’t flatter yourself. I should have chose my words better. My son and I run a B and B.”
Again, Lester hesitated for he had a growing affection for the woman who took care of his dining needs for the past half hour. Thinking back on the day’s events though, nothing, other than his circumstances, convinced Lester that he really was being watched. A couple good nights of sleep in a warm bed were dangling right there in front of him. Jamie and her son would be good company too.
“Well, if your omelets are as good as this blueberry pie, how can I say ‘no’? Show me the way.”
During the drive over to Jamie’s, Lester called Tommy again on the secure mobile phone.
“Hey, Tommy, can you put Dave on? We’ve gotta talk next steps.”
“Sure thing, piss bubble.”
“Did you read his memoirs? It’s that bad?”
After a brief pause, Dave came through on the other end of the line.
“Hello.”
“Dave, I’m sure Tommy already told you about how I can’t make it back. Your parents are missing, and I’m worried someone might be trying to follow me back to you. So I’m having them follow me somewhere else. If they show up, then I’ll know who we’re dealing with and possibly who abducted your parents. If they don’t show, we can continue on with the Cumberland expedition. Is there anything else I can take care of in Somerset in the meantime aside from trying to find your parents?”
“My parents know nothing. I can’t believe they got sucked into this.”
“We thought maybe they would use your parents to flush you out, but they don’t seem to be making any demands or leaving any clues. This whole thing is frustrating as hell.”
“You can’t really do anything else. Just try to find them.”
“I’m trying. I’m hoping the other guys make a play, but it’s not looking good.”
Lester felt bad after talking to Dave. There wasn’t a lot he could do except wait around like bait on a hook—waiting at Jamie and son’s B&B. Jamie’s Victorian house seemed a bit ostentatious for a waitress and single mother to be living in, but Lester soon found out from Jamie’s son, Colin, the house had been in the family for four generations. Lester insisted on staying in the smaller and less accessible of the two available rooms. He vowed to be as unobtrusive as possible. He couldn’t afford to be distracted by too many country comforts. The sixteen-year-old Colin had a similar build to Dave’s forcing Lester’s hesitation to resurface. He was putting these people in peril possibly. The fact that Colin looked a little like Dave made him even more of a target if those after Dave somehow made it out to the B&B. Now Lester was hoping his paranoia would be unfounded.
The encrypted phone wasn’t the only thing Tommy provided to Lester. Tommy lent Lester a few spy gadgets just in case he’d need them. There were a couple remote micro-cameras which Lester set up at strategic locations leading up to Jamie’s house. Lester was using them as sensors for early intrusion detection. Jamie’s house was in a fairly unpopulated area away from a main road, so Lester wasn’t expecting a lot of traffic. Lester was also strapped with dual Glocks and a heap of ammo. There was a shotgun in Lester’s suitcase.
Colin offered to barbeque for dinner, and of course, Lester couldn’t decline. After a meal of mutton that put to shame the barbeque Lester had back in Kansas City, Colin discussed the problems he was having with girls, and Lester imparted what wisdom he could to the awkward boy while they sat on the porch waiting for Jamie to return from her shift. When Jamie finally made it back home, she found her son and Lester had formed quite a friendship. Colin got back to cleaning up.
“You’re not a musician, are you?” Jamie asked Lester.
“No, ma’am.”
“It’s just the hat and all. I thought you might be a jazz musician or something.”
“No ma’am.”
“I appreciate you taking the time to hang out with my son. He doesn’t get a lot in the way of male role models.”
“It was my pleasure talking with your son tonight, Jamie. He’s a fine young man, and if he doesn’t tell that Allison girl he likes her soon, I’m going to have to whoop him.”
Jamie laughed. “Yeah, he’s not much of a ladies’ man yet, but that’s part of his charm.”
The three said their good nights, and Lester settled into bed. It didn’t take long for Lester to fall asleep in the overly decorated little room. Lester dreamt of a sprawling unimaginable bass line thumping and undulating to the beat of one hundred skeletons in a giant fish bowl. The skeletons were scraping to get out of the bowl while the bass line grooved and curdled the thick water in the bowl. The whole time during the dream Lester kept telling himself, “I’ve got to remember this when I wake up. This is the greatest bass line of all time.” Shortly after three in the morning, the alarm in Lester’s phone that was set to go off when someone tripped the micro-cameras sounded waking Lester from his near perfect dream. Lester grabbed his Glocks.
“Motherfucker.”
“Lester, whom do you really work for?”
“Lester? Yeah, we don’t want to confuse Tommy. You can call me Lester.”
“You’re not going to tell me.”
“Dave, as off-the-wall as all this angel stuff is, it doesn’t even matter who I work for anymore. Right now, I’m working for you, Dave.”
“But you’re calling the shots.”
“Some people are good at talking into a camera to a bunch of people they can’t see. Some people are good at dealing with situations. I’m one of those guys who deals with shit. People are after you, Dave. And my bosses and our buddy, Mr. Face, don’t want anything bad happening to you. No one has caught up to us so far, and I ain’t about to let that happen. Tommy’s good people. You’ll have fun here. If anything happens to me, he knows what to do. I just need to figure out what’s going on in Somerset. Our guys were supposed to meet up with your folks.”
“Can’t you just call your guys?”
“I wish I could. Our organization is a little compartmentalized.”
“It sounds like your corpus callosum is severed.”
“That’s the left brain-right brain bridge, right? Yeah, it definitely feels a little like that sometimes.”
After Lester left, Dave fired off a text message to Pam. Last he saw her, she was being whisked away by Hrel, and he had yet to respond to her text from a few days earlier. The contents of the message:
I m ok. Safe I think. Want 2 see how this plays out. What happened with Hr31?
Dave didn’t get the instant response from Pam he was used to. As tragic as it was to see Misty go, Dave would never be able to forgive himself if anything bad happened to Pam because of their closeness. Dave resumed his quiet meditation and waited while Tommy listened to a Bach fugue in the next room on a sound system both Harry and Lester would have appreciated.
---
As much as he loathed the idea, Lester forced himself to get back in the car to make the final stretch of highway to Somerset. He was really digging the vibe at Tommy’s pad. Hopefully Lester would be able to get a little more perspective in Somerset without too much of a hassle. Then he could get back to catching up with his old friend. On the surface, Lester played like everything about his current operation was a major inconvenience, but the fact was he and Harry had stepped into something huge—much bigger than any geopolitical shenanigans they had pulled in the past. Dave’s knowledge and his encounters with Mr. Face were telling Lester that a war between inter-dimensional beings was real, and the conflict had found its way to Lester’s home turf. His duty to humanity now trumped all other allegiances.
As he arrived a few hours later in Somerset, Lester wasn’t sure what he would find at the house in which Dave Bullock grew up. He was looking forward to sitting down with Mr. and Mrs. Bullock to find out what his colleagues had told them about David and his role in global security. Maybe Mrs. Bullock would have some fresh-baked blueberry pie, and she would offer Lester a piece. One of the few things Dave mentioned about his parents was the awesomeness of his mother’s blueberry pie. Lester was really getting his hopes up. When he finally rang the doorbell, he was surprised to see a much younger man open the door dressed strikingly similar to how Lester himself was dressed.
“Uh, can I speak with Mr. or Mrs. Bullock, please?”
“Uh, they’re not here. Sorry.”
Before the man had a chance to close the door on him, Lester spouted out a string of numbers and letters.
“ECHO-FOUR-DELTA-NINER-OH-NINER-CHARLIE-TWO-NIINER-OH-DELTA-OH-FOXTROT-BRAVO-ONE-CHARLIE-ALPHA.”
“OH-SIX-EIGHT-FOXTROT-FOXTROT-ALPHA-DELTA-DELTA-FOXTROT-TWO-TWO-CHARLIE-BRAVO-DELTA-OH,” the man replied.
They were on the same team. The completion of the code proved it. The man at the door was now more surprised than Lester.
“Well, holy Seahawk shit! You must be one of the Seattle guys. What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Things changed a little. May I come inside, please?”
The house had been transformed into a command center with laptops and satellite networking equipment strewn about. There were slices of pizza but no slices of blueberry pie. Lester’s heart plummeted.
“Let me guess. Someone got to the Bullocks before you guys did.”
“If you know something about it, we could use all the help we can get. I’m agent Dex Radley, by the way.”
“Lester Phfister. I’ve got our man, Brother Dave.”
“Wait. He’s here now? I’m not sure here is the safest place for him.”
“Don’t worry. He’s in a safe place, and it ain’t here.”
“Where?”
“I’m keeping that one to myself. Unlike management, I like to paint the big picture for folks, but in this case, I really can’t risk anyone drawing a map to Dave. But you’ve got to let me know everything about his parents.”
“I’m with you. Well, Agent Kroger and I showed up Saturday morning to brief the Bullocks on their son and, of course, to keep an eye on them. They weren’t here, so we waited. We knew Claude would be giving a sermon the next morning. He didn’t show up to church on time or at all. Now the FBI is involved since we’re talking about missing persons.”
“FBI?”
“Don’t worry. Since it’s code 624, we’ve got overall jurisdiction. There was no forced entry. Both cars are here. We haven’t found any DNA evidence. Our timeline has them here Friday night. The only lead we have came from a neighbor down the street. He heard a car stop in front of the house around three A.M. well before we showed up on Saturday. The bad guys have them, we’re sure of it. We haven’t been contacted by the bad guys in any way to try to make a trade. It seems it was Claude and Agnes Bullock they were after. As usual, management doesn’t tell us if they have any significance other than they’re David’s parents.”
“Shit. I can’t go back now. We ran into some busters back in Washington. I’m sure they’re talking with their friends out here. The timing of this really has me rattled. We find Dave and Dave’s parents around the same time they do. Something ain’t right.”
Lester and Dex traded more details as Lester toured the house. He had to laugh a little when he arrived at Dave’s room. Dave had been holding back. It seemed the old Dave had much more in common with Lester than the new Dave. When it was all over, Lester promised himself he would get Dave on the basketball court, take him to a Rush concert, and of course show off the Nova. Lester was really missing the Nova.
Lester knew the Bullock house was off limits now. He made a big but necessary gamble by coming in the first place. Lester made a concerted effort to conceal his and Dave’s whereabouts. That meant staying out of contact with management. Running into another set of agents wasn’t the problem. Lester convinced Radley to keep quiet about bumping into him, at least for the next forty-eight hours. It was the fact that the Bullocks were abducted that left Lester a little uneasy about what eyes and ears might be aimed in his direction. When he got back to the rental car, Lester called Tommy on the encrypted mobile phone Tommy gave him.
“Hey, Tommy, it’s all fucked up over here. I’m not going to be able to make it back for a little while. I’ve got a little fishing to do, and it ain’t fish we’re talking about. How’s our boy?”
“He’s a little dull. I think you over-hyped him. He just meditates and writes.”
“He’s probably writing his memoirs. If you get a chance to read it, let me know if I’m portrayed in a positive light. This could become an historical document, and I don’t want to go down in history looking like a piss bubble.”
“Sure thing, Les. I’ve got my white out handy. I promise, you will come across as no less than an asshole.”
“I really appreciate that, Tommy. Stay cool. I owe you mucho for this. The drinks and women are on me when I get back.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got everything I could need or want. We’ll see you soon.”
“Peace.”
If he was being watched now after visiting the Bullock house, Lester could not even contemplate leading his pursuers back to Dave, the man of the hour. The ability to play host to an angel was a quality in short supply according to Dave. Those with the gift were often drawn together by nature of their connection to the higher plain. This attraction was a dangerous link to have if anyone of the few were to be discovered. The link to the exposed person would become a liability, bringing death or much worse at the hands of any demon supporter aware of the significance of the exposure. Much worse could mean possibly becoming a tool for demonic purposes.
Lester wandered aimlessly around town looking for signs that he was under surveillance. His paranoia was a finely tuned instrument, and nothing extraordinary struck him as he shopped for souvenirs and ended up buying a porkpie hat. He made his own appearance a little more extraordinary. If they were following him, Lester needed the bad guys to reveal themselves. He didn’t want them to lose track of him as he led them to nowhere in particular.
Lester found himself a couple hours later west of Somerset in Bowling Green. He had always wanted to see where Corvettes were manufactured, and his proximity gave him an excuse to visit. Lester found a quaint coffee shop downtown and asked his waitress if she knew of any good bed and breakfast establishments in town.
“Honey, if you’re looking for the best bed in town, it’s mine. I can make a mean omelet too, so I got breakfast covered for you.”
Lester wasn’t expecting such hospitality. The middle-aged woman wasn’t unattractive, but Lester didn’t want to put anyone at risk if he didn’t have to. He especially didn’t want to endanger a woman who apparently lusted after him.
“I appreciate the offer, Ma’am, but I’m no good like that. I couldn’t impose on a fine woman like yourself.”
“Honey, don’t flatter yourself. I should have chose my words better. My son and I run a B and B.”
Again, Lester hesitated for he had a growing affection for the woman who took care of his dining needs for the past half hour. Thinking back on the day’s events though, nothing, other than his circumstances, convinced Lester that he really was being watched. A couple good nights of sleep in a warm bed were dangling right there in front of him. Jamie and her son would be good company too.
“Well, if your omelets are as good as this blueberry pie, how can I say ‘no’? Show me the way.”
---
During the drive over to Jamie’s, Lester called Tommy again on the secure mobile phone.
“Hey, Tommy, can you put Dave on? We’ve gotta talk next steps.”
“Sure thing, piss bubble.”
“Did you read his memoirs? It’s that bad?”
After a brief pause, Dave came through on the other end of the line.
“Hello.”
“Dave, I’m sure Tommy already told you about how I can’t make it back. Your parents are missing, and I’m worried someone might be trying to follow me back to you. So I’m having them follow me somewhere else. If they show up, then I’ll know who we’re dealing with and possibly who abducted your parents. If they don’t show, we can continue on with the Cumberland expedition. Is there anything else I can take care of in Somerset in the meantime aside from trying to find your parents?”
“My parents know nothing. I can’t believe they got sucked into this.”
“We thought maybe they would use your parents to flush you out, but they don’t seem to be making any demands or leaving any clues. This whole thing is frustrating as hell.”
“You can’t really do anything else. Just try to find them.”
“I’m trying. I’m hoping the other guys make a play, but it’s not looking good.”
Lester felt bad after talking to Dave. There wasn’t a lot he could do except wait around like bait on a hook—waiting at Jamie and son’s B&B. Jamie’s Victorian house seemed a bit ostentatious for a waitress and single mother to be living in, but Lester soon found out from Jamie’s son, Colin, the house had been in the family for four generations. Lester insisted on staying in the smaller and less accessible of the two available rooms. He vowed to be as unobtrusive as possible. He couldn’t afford to be distracted by too many country comforts. The sixteen-year-old Colin had a similar build to Dave’s forcing Lester’s hesitation to resurface. He was putting these people in peril possibly. The fact that Colin looked a little like Dave made him even more of a target if those after Dave somehow made it out to the B&B. Now Lester was hoping his paranoia would be unfounded.
The encrypted phone wasn’t the only thing Tommy provided to Lester. Tommy lent Lester a few spy gadgets just in case he’d need them. There were a couple remote micro-cameras which Lester set up at strategic locations leading up to Jamie’s house. Lester was using them as sensors for early intrusion detection. Jamie’s house was in a fairly unpopulated area away from a main road, so Lester wasn’t expecting a lot of traffic. Lester was also strapped with dual Glocks and a heap of ammo. There was a shotgun in Lester’s suitcase.
Colin offered to barbeque for dinner, and of course, Lester couldn’t decline. After a meal of mutton that put to shame the barbeque Lester had back in Kansas City, Colin discussed the problems he was having with girls, and Lester imparted what wisdom he could to the awkward boy while they sat on the porch waiting for Jamie to return from her shift. When Jamie finally made it back home, she found her son and Lester had formed quite a friendship. Colin got back to cleaning up.
“You’re not a musician, are you?” Jamie asked Lester.
“No, ma’am.”
“It’s just the hat and all. I thought you might be a jazz musician or something.”
“No ma’am.”
“I appreciate you taking the time to hang out with my son. He doesn’t get a lot in the way of male role models.”
“It was my pleasure talking with your son tonight, Jamie. He’s a fine young man, and if he doesn’t tell that Allison girl he likes her soon, I’m going to have to whoop him.”
Jamie laughed. “Yeah, he’s not much of a ladies’ man yet, but that’s part of his charm.”
The three said their good nights, and Lester settled into bed. It didn’t take long for Lester to fall asleep in the overly decorated little room. Lester dreamt of a sprawling unimaginable bass line thumping and undulating to the beat of one hundred skeletons in a giant fish bowl. The skeletons were scraping to get out of the bowl while the bass line grooved and curdled the thick water in the bowl. The whole time during the dream Lester kept telling himself, “I’ve got to remember this when I wake up. This is the greatest bass line of all time.” Shortly after three in the morning, the alarm in Lester’s phone that was set to go off when someone tripped the micro-cameras sounded waking Lester from his near perfect dream. Lester grabbed his Glocks.
“Motherfucker.”
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2 comments:
Very interesting! Found this blog through my standard vanity search. Is there a way to download the whole thing as a PDF? The reverse chronological order of blogging format makes for difficult reading.
I'm sure by the end of this story cycle we'll put in the correct order so people can read it straight through - right now we're doing the serialized format so it is (hopefully) read weekly as each chapter comes out (or more to the point, written).
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