Category: random

It has been nearly 84-hours since my visitation. My sleep, which has never been great, has been further disrupted with dreams bordering on nightmares of his coming and going.

Did I meet a man, a demon, an angel? I don’t know because of my confusion in this matter.

After analyzing and reanalyzing much of what he told me, I have drawn a startling conclusion that I find hard to wrap my head around. This man, if that is what he was, was also his own mother, father, and sibling.

Crazy. I know, but let me explain.

As a time traveler, he somehow manifested a loop in which he somehow created two other and separate self-entities. These entities found each other, procreated, and had a child that carried both male and female reproductive capabilities.

Doctors decided that this child would be a girl. She was named Johanna.

Here is where it grows increasingly confusing.

John appeared in a separate timeline and came into Johanna’s timeline when the two lines crossed. Since John and Johanna shared the same lineage, it stands to reason he to had both reproductive organs of the two sexes.

Since the mystery man could do nothing about Johanna, who was pregnant at the time, he was assigned to alter John’s timeline. Thinking a jump would end John’s heartache and fulfill his duties, he discovered the opposite, accidentally bringing the pair together.

My Cousin Elmo says, “Alcohol doesn’t make you fat, it makes you lean…lean against walls, tables, counters and ugly people.”

He grew more and more agitated as he talked. His pacing back-and-forth heightened my nervousness beyond what it had first been when he suddenly showed up.

His increased distress also caused Buddy to grow restless. The dog’s low growls had become louder, and I found it impossible to keep him quiet by then.

“So, what now?” I asked.

“First, I destroy Johanna and John,” he answered.

“Don’t you mean murder?” I asked.

“No,” he said. “You cannot murder what is replicated, only destroy.”

“I don’t understand,” I said.

“You will,” he said. “Right now, I must go. They are tracking me.”

“Where will you go?” I asked.

“A mad man named Mel, who disappeared in 1978 your time, went to Venus,” he said. “I shall join him.”

Suddenly, he began to vibrate and glow before evaporating into nothingness.

Buddy sprang to his paws, his white and brown hair hackled from neck to tail, and barking in confused terror. His fading from sight left me disoriented and with a deep sense of nausea, leaving me wanting to vomit.

I found it hard to keep my balance as I tried standing, and in the end, I sat, remaining there until I came back to my senses.

“Our jump was perfect,” he said. “But it was only after I saw the woman did I realize the mistake I had made. I suddenly became imperative that I correct the error before the time-lines became irreparably tangled and distorted.”

He paused for some time before continuing.

“As I approached him, he could see the look of fear in my eyes,” he offered. “I grabbed him and tried to drag him away, but she withdrew a can of hair spray from her purse and, with a lighter, turned the spray into a small flame thrower, melting the flesh from my face.”

“Severely injured, panicked, and in pain, I ran away and then transported myself to the agency seeking medical help,” he concluded.

“So you had to have plastic surgery,” I said.

“It was during my recovery that I told a councellor what I had done, what I had discovered and how I needed to correct the mistake,” he said.

“Later, I overheard their plans to erase my memory and retire me from service,” he said. “I escaped before they had the chance to do so.”

“And now, you’re on the run, right?” I asked.

“Correct,” he said.

“So why are you telling me this?” I asked.

“Because I am my only family, and I have no one to share it with or grieve for me when I’m gone, and I want my history to be told,” He said.

As he spoke, I took the time to look at him.

His skin was nearly flawless, with no hair on his head, brows, and eyelids. He wore a black dress suit, black dress shoes, a white button-down shirt, and a narrow black tie.

While talking, he continued to look at a device on his left wrist, tucked under his jacket sleeve, and which seemed to be communicating with him. I wanted to ask if I might look at it, but it did not seem to be the appropriate time at the moment.

He told me that his next assignment, in what he called “your year of 1990,” found him in a jail cell waiting to meet a man that he was to befriend and help guide from a life of violence. This man’s name was John, and he was in jail for being drunk and disorderly in San Francisco.

“I soon learned that his anger and pain had to do with a female he had met, fell in love with, and lost all in a years time,” he said.

“What did you do?” I heard myself ask.

“I broke a founding rule,” he said. “I took him back to the point where he had decided to leave this woman named Johanna behind, and I did it without permission.”

“It has had profound consequences for all three of us,” he added.

So, the guy might be crazy, and I even crazier for sitting and listen to him ramble on. And yes, I did think about what he said happened to Poe and a psychotic break, but what he first said had to be true for the second half to be authentic as well.

He said his name was John and that while there were hundreds of travelers, he was the last traveler. He claimed that the Clinton Administration had disbanded the program and that he was operating without authorization.

I asked, “How do you know me?”

“In another place in time, you are a big deal,” he said, “But you were never my first choice for this period of time. I don’t mean to sound insulting, but Stephen King nearly had me arrested.”

Next, he told me that in 1975, he had left a child he had kidnapped on the steps of an orphanage. That child, a girl, now grown, was living nearby after being raised by a family on the East Coast.

“This girl had a birth defect,” he said. “She was born with female and male reproductive organs. I was sent to steal her back so she could have corrective surgery. But I was too late. She was already pregnant.”

Upon his return to the agency, which he called ‘The Plumbers,” he said he was assigned a new case.

What to do with the strange situation I find myself in this evening.

Earlier today, I took my dog, Buddy, for a walk to a nearby park. And while sitting in the shade, resting, a man suddenly appeared out of nowhere and asked me if I like to write stories.

Alarmed, I wanted to rush home, but there was something about him that made me stop. The way he spoke and was dressed seemed out of place.

He claimed to be a dimensional traveler whose job it had been to fix errors in different timelines after riffs collide, creating out-of-place effects. I know it sounds crazy, but he told me a few things that kind of make sense.

For instance, he explained that Edgar Allen Poe was one of the first dimensional travelers and had suffered a psychotic break after one too many jumps. He also said that Ambrose Bierce didn’t disappear in Mexico but was “sanctioned by the federal government for sharing his experiences through his writings.”

There is so much more, and my head is swimming with everything he told me, and at this moment, I am trying to figure out how to write all that he told me. So please bear with me…

My Cousin Elmo says, “As I watch the price of lumber go up, I’m wondering if I should part out my house for extra cash.”

It is a “rather quirky thing,” as my wife calls it, that I do when I fuel up our vehicles, I write down what the price of a gallon of gas costs that day. I keep these figures in a small notebook on my desk.

Yesterday, May 2, 2021, I fueled up my wife’s car, where I noted the price of a gallon of regular gas as $3.37. The day before, I did the same thing for my truck when gas was three cents less per gallon.

This caused me to go back and look at what the price of gasoline was a year ago. I was not the least bit surprised.

On May 8, 2020, gas was $1.84 a gallon.

April 21

“Hey Tom. Are you there?”

“Yes.”

“There are a bunch of free pianos on FB. Do you still have your truck and the offer to help me get one?”

“Yes.”

“I will inquire and get back to you! You are a lifesaver…for real.”

“Okay.”

“I’m curious about how far you’re willing to drive? Like South Lake Tahoe? I’ll pay for the gas. Just think about it. Please!”

“I can do that.”

“There’s one in Fallon also. You’re saving my life, Tom. Thank you. As soon as I hear something I will let ya know. Is there a good time or a bad time to text you?”

“Text me anytime. I might not answer right away, but go ahead anyway.”

“Okay. Thank you so much. I just got a reply from the one in Tahoe. It’s still available. There is one is in Sparks, too.”

“Make the arrangements. Good night.”

“Tom, are you there? Well…let me know if you still want to help. Did you desert me?”

April 22

“I went to bed.”

“She said the weekend would be good for her. We need strong young backs to help. I don’t know anyone that can help.”

“I can do it on Sunday. I’ll see if my son is available to help me.”

“I know your back is messed up. I love you, my friend! Again, you’re saving my life. She’s trying to make sure everyone is safe. She will hold the piano no matter what.”

“Jus’ need a time and address.”

“Will Sunday work at around 10 am?”

“Yes.”

April 23

“She wants you to give her a call.”

“Will do.”

“Thank you so so so so much, Tom. Were you able to call her? She just said you haven’t called her. Do you not want to do this or not? Tom, are you there? WTF! Tom, please answer me. OMG! Are you flaking on me?”

April 24

“OMG! Okay, you haven’t said a word.”

“I’m still waiting for an address.”

“She’s waiting for you to call her.”

“I already did. She said she’d give you the address.”

“I just got home from getting a new cell phone so I had no idea what had gone down! Sorry if I’m a bitch. Hang on. Here’s the address…”

“It’s okay. Jus’ chill a little it is working out. My son and I will get it tomorrow. Get some rest. It’s all good.”

April 25

“One thing, I want you to please use your best judgment on the condition of it. If you think it’s going to be too costly for me to have it tuned and whatnot. I know it has a little damage on the top side and needs to be tuned and tender loving care, which I’m more than willing to do. I just don’t want it to be so far out of tune that there’s no hope for it. An I making any sense? I can’t fucking sleep…lol! Good morning. Okay, maybe not.”

“It a great instrument! Heavier than all hell. We have the music bench with the books.”

“Sorry, I was in the shower. Thanks for dropping that off.”

“You’re welcome. I know it is disappointing not getting the piano today, but my son and are getting a few more bodies to help lift it.”

“Thank you. Any idea when it might happen? I have gas money for you. It’s right here. I didn’t expect to be in the shower when you got here. You can come by and get it whenever.”

“No idea yet. And keep your money.”

April 27

No communication

April 26

“Is there a reason that you’re not talking to me?”

“I’ve been busy trying to meet my deadline for the paper. I’m not ignoring you, jus’ working.”

“Okay, cool. Thanks. I’ll wait to hear from you about the piano. Thanks again for everything.”

“We are working to get a couple, okay four other guys, together to lift the piano. It has wooden casters and we don’t want to roll it over cement or asphalt. It does need cleaning and tuning, but all-in-all it is a fine instrument — jus’ very heavy. The late 40s, early 50s.”

“Wow. I may have a big burly young man that can help. I’ll check. Thanks, Tom. I’m not trying to burden you.”

“All is okay.”

April 28

“No news other than the two other people that my son asked to help is suddenly quarantining.”

“Oh, crap. I think I may be able to find two…maybe.”

“Good. Lemme know.”

“I’m sorry this is becoming a pain in the ass. I need to know what day is good for you so I can ask the others? Ok. I have one guy. Anytime after 1 pm is good for him. He works graveyard at Walmart. He will help. Tom?”

“That’s good news about getting help. Sorry about the delay in responding. Internet would not come up. I’ll ask Kyle about what day.”

“Awesome. Thanks, Tom. Please let me know how soon we can do this.”

April 29

“Hey Tom, did your son give you any info yet?”

“Have not heard from him. He’s at work right now.”

“Can you contact him after he’s off, please? She says she’s in no hurry, but you know. I don’t want to overstay my welcome. Thank you. sir. Just remember you’re saving my soul…love ya, my friend.”

“Will do.”

April 30

“Did you speak with your son, Tom? Hello. Is there anybody in there. Okay. Please tell me what’s going on. If you don’t want to do it, it’s okay.”

“Jus’ got home. Been working.”

“Okay. So…”

May 1

“So I have a dialog going with a city councilman. Do you think I should ask him for help moving the piano? I’m sure he has some kind of contacts that could help make it easier?”

“That is a good idea. I have to replace a paper box and do an interview today. My son hasn’t been able to get anyone to help either. Gonna be on the road for about an hour. Chat later.”

“Wow, you shot off-line in a fucking hurry. I just asked the councilman. Waiting for response. He is getting a whole crew of guys and a truck to move my piano. So in conclusion, you’re off the hook. It’s obvious you don’t want to do it so I took the burden back and now you are free and clear of me forever. I’m sure that works for you. After all, I was never much to you anyway.”

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