TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE
# 257
warning...adult content
~
The biker, who was talking to Steve, hadn't noticed Ghost. He kept smiling, but he gave a subtle signal to his friends. They slowly began to separate, some going behind Linda's van, and some over toward the U-Haul.
"We don't want trouble. We just are going," Steve said. He clenched his hands into fists, though, ready for anything.
"Dude...we're not bringing any...just a friendly conversation," the biker said. He took a couple of steps closer toward Steve.
Linda revved the engine...a warning. Steve turned and walked toward the U-Haul. "We're leaving. Tell your guys to back off," he said. Inside his head, though, he was sending Ghost frantic mental thoughts. Steady, Ghost, don't shoot anybody, it's ok. He saw that Ghost was in total concentration. Either that, or he was reliving the time he'd shot Nothing's head off. Oh please don't let him think this dude is a vampire ...He walked by the guy who was on the driver's side of the U-Haul, and said nothing to him. The guy just gave him a nasty look. He'd not gotten a signal to attack from his biker friend.
Opening the truck's door, Steve climbed in. ok, ok, now what? He was panicking. Ghost was still outside the passenger side door. Get in, get in, get in...He hoped Ghost would hear him think. The guy Steve had just passed, slowly walked around to the back of the truck, still on alert for the go signal. As he came around the end, he came face to face with Ghost's gun.
"Oh, Jeeze," he said, and stumbled backwards. "Don't shoot, please don't shoot. I'm backing up...oh shit, dude."
Ghost hadn't moved, or said anything, but his eyes were staring the guy down, and he was pushing hard with his mind, giving orders mentally, Get away from us...tell the others to back off...give me a reason to shoot...
"Ok, ok, I'm going, take it easy," the guy said. He turned and ran to the others. "Oh, God...there's another one of 'em, and he's got a gun. Shit, he had it right up in my face. Let's get outta here."
"What, a gun? Where?"
"Over there, look." They both turned toward Ghost.
Linda revved the engine again, and pulled forward a little. Steve had opened the passenger door of the truck, and was now standing by Ghost.
"Easy, Ghost, they're backing off. Don't shoot," Steve said.
"Can I just scare 'em a little?" Ghost asked.
"No, they could go report us or something," Steve said.
Ghost snorted. "Hah, these ones? They've got outstanding warrants on 'em. They ain't gonna tell nobody. I want to shoot my gun."
"No," Steve said.
The two bikers were now joined by their other riders, and were getting on their bikes. "One thing before we go," said the leader of the gang. "Have a nice day...see ya in hell."
That was all Ghost needed. He stepped out from the truck, and pulled the trigger. The bullet struck the ground right in front of the guy's motorcycle.
"Fucker," the guy hollered, then they all roared out of the rest area, spraying gravel and dust behind them.
"Damn, Ghost, ya had to do it, didn't ya," Steve yelled.
"Yeah, I did," Ghost said, grinning. "Felt good, too."
Steve shook his head, and let out a big breath. "Ok, they're gone, now put it away. We gotta go, too." He walked over to Linda's car. She had turned off the engine, and was comforting the waking kids.
"The shot woke them up," she said, as Steve came up to the car door. She'd given the kids a juice box to sip on, so she got out to talk to Steve.
"What the hell was all that?" she asked. She grabbed hold of Steve's arm, and he pulled her into a hug. He could feel her shaking.
"It's ok, hon, they're gone. I didn't know what was gonna happen...and then Ghost had to go shoot at them. Oh, Lord, this could have gotten serious real fast," he said.
She nodded, and brushed away a few tears. "I know, Steve, and the kids...I was so scared, but I would have run over that guy if he'd come for you. You know that?"
"Um-hmm, and I'd be glad you did."
"And, Ghost?," Linda said. "You know he's a wild card. You just never know what he's gonna do, Steve." She was calming down some.
"I know," Steve said, "but he wasn't gonna really shoot them. He said he just wanted to scare them a little. Maybe you don't know, but he knows what he's doing with a gun. He never misses what he's aiming for."
"I had no idea," Linda said. "Didn't even know he had a gun...all this time?"
"Yeah, Sis, and so do I."
"What?"
"Yeah, Ghost taught me how to use it, and I'm pretty good, too."
"Good grief, I'm here with two outlaws, and I feel safe," she said, and laughed away some tension.
"Ya got that right. We'll protect you and the kids. Don't worry." He looked at his watch. "So, you ready to get back on the road?"
"Pretty much," she said, "but I want to take the kids over there to the rest room, and wash off a little. Then we'll be ready."
"Ok, we'll do the same, and then go find somewhere to eat breakfast, on down the road," Steve said. He headed off to the truck. Linda got the kids out of the van, and got them a fresh set of clothes to wear.
Back at the truck, Steve saw that Ghost had already changed, and freshened up, so he grabbed his own clean clothes, and did the same.
"Did you put it away?" he asked Ghost, when he returned.
Ghost nodded. "Yeah, back where it was. Are we going, now? I'm hungry."
"That's the plan," Steve said. They all drove out of the rest area, heading east.
"I'm glad you didn't shoot those guys, but I'm glad you had your gun. It scared them off. Linda was really scared," Steve said. "Oh, she didn't know either of us had a gun with us. I guess I never mentioned it."
"Are you mad that I shot it?" Ghost asked.
"No, not really. You weren't aiming for them, anyway," Steve said, laughing.
"I know, and if I was, I'd have hit 'em," Ghost said. He was smiling again.
~
Next part coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
Friday, December 18, 2015
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE ... # 256
TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE
# 256
warning...adult content
~
Ghost kept on talking about the way animals acted in the wild. "You know you should be friends with all of mother nature," he said, when he saw Steve rolling his eyes at him. "Yeah, Steve, you should always talk nice to animals, even if you don't really like them much, like skunks."
Steve raised his eyebrow, "Yeah, what about spiders, Ghost? What about them?"
"All but them. They're nasty and mean," Ghost said. "Don't squish them, but don't get to be friends with them, either, 'cause they are traitors." He shivered at the thought of them.
"We'll keep that in mind, for sure," Linda said.
Steve was yawning, now. "I need to get some sleep. How're we gonna do this?"
"I'm clearing a place in the back of the van, so the kids can stretch out," Linda said. "I'll do my best up front, and I'll be locking the doors." She looked over at the kids. "Ok, you two, let's go...camp out in the car tonight." Stevie and Mandy scampered over to the van, with Linda following.
Steve had stood up, stretching. "You go ahead, Steve," Ghost said. "You can lay down in the U-Haul seat. I'm not really sleepy, yet, and I'm gonna write awhile."
"I'm not even going to argue with you," Steve said. "If you do get ready to sleep, just crawl on in, and I'll scootch over."
"Ok, I will," Ghost said. They went over to the U-Haul. Ghost got out his back pack, and their flashlight. As he reached for a couple of candy bars to snack on, Steve grabbed him around the waist. Pushing back the hood of Ghost's shirt, he entwined his fingers through his hair, and pulled him close, for a kiss.
"We need to be alone, Ghost. I need you real bad, and soon," Steve said, breathing warm breath on Ghost's neck.
"I know, me too, Steve...now...here?" Ghost whispered. "It's ok."
"Umm, yes...now, here," Steve said. "I'll get a blanket." He went around back, and unlocked the door, then rummaged around for a couple of blankets. He got a couple for Linda and the kids, too. He took those over to the van.
"Here, sis," he said, when she rolled down the window. "Now, roll the window back up, and make sure all the doors are locked up. If you need something, call on the phone, or just start honking the horn, ok?"
"Ok, thanks, Steve, I will," Linda said. "Good night..."
Steve went back to Ghost.
~
Ghost was watching, as Steve walked back to him. His breath came faster, and he licked his lips. He grinned, when Steve kept walking on by, heading to the front of the truck, motioning for him to follow. There, in front of the U-Haul, but not quite to the bushes and tall grass, Steve spread out a blanket.
"Come here, Ghost," he whispered. They sank down onto the blanket, and kissed.
"It's been so long. I was wanting to be with you so much," Ghost said.
"Mmm, me too, with you. It's just hard to find a time when we can be alone together," Steve said, as he ran his hands up under Ghost shirt.
Ghost closed his eyes, and sighed. "Don't stop...keep going." He tugged at Steve's clothes, and soon they were skin to skin. As they made love under the stars, the warm breeze gently caressed them, then cooled them. Steve pulled the other blanket over them, and they fell asleep, with only the wild animals keeping watch.
~
As dawn broke, the sun tinged the sky a soft pink. Linda woke, feeling stiff from her night in the car. The kids were still sleeping soundly, so she eased herself out, wishing she had some coffee. In the back of the van, she looked into the cooler. It was just melted ice water, now, but floating around in it was a can of coke. She grabbed it, wiping it off on her jeans.
She walked over to the U-Haul, to peek in, wondering if they were awake. Standing up on the running-board, she was surprised to see neither of them in there. "Huh?" she murmured. Stepping down, she looked toward the picnic table, but no one was there, either. Frowning, she looked around the area, which was still mostly in shadows. She was getting worried, now, and confused. She walked back toward the table, and looked back toward the truck, finally seeing the two blanketed forms there in front.
"Oh, there they are," she said. She walked closer, noticing clothes flung haphazardly around. "Ohh...." she said, realizing what she was walking into. Turning away, she tip-toed back toward the van, trying to stifle a giggle, but she didn't quite manage either one. She tripped on a stick, the same one Ghost had used earlier. Falling down, she scraped the palms of her hands on the ground.
"Oww," she hollered, then just rolled on over, half giggling and half crying. She was making enough noise, now, that it woke up Steve and Ghost.
Steve, forgetting he was without clothes on, ran over to help his sister up. Ghost just sat and stared. "Steve, Steve..." he hissed, "your pants." But, Steve didn't hear him.
He grabbed Linda's hands to help her up, and she hollered again. "Oh, my God, Steve...get your pants on." She had covered her eyes, and now was laughing aloud at what they must look like.
"What? Are you ok?" he asked. Then it registered, what she had said. "Oh, shit." He ran back toward the U-Haul, to get his clothes, but still thought Linda was hurt, so he turned back toward her. This made Linda laugh even more, but she pointed, and said, "Go...I'm ok."
He went, but was so flustered, he couldn't find his clothes, so jerked the end of the blanket to cover himself, not seeing that Ghost had wrapped it all around himself, with only his face showing.
"Hey, stop," Ghost yelled, as Steve ripped the blanket from him. It came unwound.
"Oh, for Christ's sake, Ghost," he said, then started laughing. Ghost was scrambling to cover himself with whatever he could find. Finally finding his jeans, he stood up, turned around, and calmly put them on.
"Y'all are the crazy ones," Ghost said, as he faced Steve and Linda, again. Going over to Linda, he held out his hand to help her up. She was wiping her eyes of tears from laughing so hard.
"I'm sorry, Ghost. I couldn't help it...Steve was so funny." Ghost laughed too, now the the incident was winding down. Steve, by now, had gotten dressed, and he stalked over to the picnic table.
"Laugh, go ahead, both of y'all," he said, as he passed by them.
Ghost and Linda looked at each other, and shrugged. "Well, it was funny," Ghost said. He went over to Steve, sitting by him at the table.
"Steve?"
"What?"
"You're not mad, are you?"
Steve lifted a shoulder, and shook his head. "Naw, but it was embarrassing," he said.
"I know," Ghost said. They sat there a few minutes.
"We need to get back on the road, and find somewhere to eat breakfast," Steve said.
"Yeah, I'll go see if Linda's about ready," Ghost said.
Steve gathered up their scattered blankets, and began checking the U-Haul, while Ghost talked with Linda. They were just about to get going, when several guys on motorcycles rumbled into the rest area. They pulled in, one by one...five of them...two with their biker babes on the back.
"Let's go...now," Steve said. He saw Linda safely to the van. "Lock the doors," he said. He walked toward the U-Haul, urging Ghost silently to get in. One of the bikers noticed Steve.
"Hey, dude...camp out here all night?" he hollered over. "Got any grub ya wanna share?" another guy asked.
Steve wanted to ignore them, but didn't think it would be a good idea, so he just said, "We're just leaving. No grub left, sorry." He kept walking.
"Wait up. Who's that pretty mama in the car? She yours? She got anything to eat?"
Steve stopped, facing the guy. "She ain't got any food, either. Leave her alone."
"Hey, you got a funny accent, dude...where ya from?" the guy asked. Then spying the license plates on the van, he said, "Oh, Cal-I-For-Ni-A," he laughed.
"Yeah, and we gotta get going," Steve said. "Nice talking to ya."
Giving him a look, the guy said, "Well, ain't you friendly." He nudged his buddy. "Ain't he?"
"Leave him alone," said one of the biker's women. "They're leaving, and we got things to do."
He brushed her hand off his arm. "Go back over there, now," he told her. At that, they all turned to look at Linda.
She had started the van's engine, and gave Steve a nod. He knew she would run the guy down, if he gave her a signal to. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Ghost was just out of the biker's sight, by the U-Haul. In fact, he'd not been noticed, yet.
Ghost was holding his pistol, and it was aimed right, straight at the biker.
~
Next part coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
# 256
warning...adult content
~
Ghost kept on talking about the way animals acted in the wild. "You know you should be friends with all of mother nature," he said, when he saw Steve rolling his eyes at him. "Yeah, Steve, you should always talk nice to animals, even if you don't really like them much, like skunks."
Steve raised his eyebrow, "Yeah, what about spiders, Ghost? What about them?"
"All but them. They're nasty and mean," Ghost said. "Don't squish them, but don't get to be friends with them, either, 'cause they are traitors." He shivered at the thought of them.
"We'll keep that in mind, for sure," Linda said.
Steve was yawning, now. "I need to get some sleep. How're we gonna do this?"
"I'm clearing a place in the back of the van, so the kids can stretch out," Linda said. "I'll do my best up front, and I'll be locking the doors." She looked over at the kids. "Ok, you two, let's go...camp out in the car tonight." Stevie and Mandy scampered over to the van, with Linda following.
Steve had stood up, stretching. "You go ahead, Steve," Ghost said. "You can lay down in the U-Haul seat. I'm not really sleepy, yet, and I'm gonna write awhile."
"I'm not even going to argue with you," Steve said. "If you do get ready to sleep, just crawl on in, and I'll scootch over."
"Ok, I will," Ghost said. They went over to the U-Haul. Ghost got out his back pack, and their flashlight. As he reached for a couple of candy bars to snack on, Steve grabbed him around the waist. Pushing back the hood of Ghost's shirt, he entwined his fingers through his hair, and pulled him close, for a kiss.
"We need to be alone, Ghost. I need you real bad, and soon," Steve said, breathing warm breath on Ghost's neck.
"I know, me too, Steve...now...here?" Ghost whispered. "It's ok."
"Umm, yes...now, here," Steve said. "I'll get a blanket." He went around back, and unlocked the door, then rummaged around for a couple of blankets. He got a couple for Linda and the kids, too. He took those over to the van.
"Here, sis," he said, when she rolled down the window. "Now, roll the window back up, and make sure all the doors are locked up. If you need something, call on the phone, or just start honking the horn, ok?"
"Ok, thanks, Steve, I will," Linda said. "Good night..."
Steve went back to Ghost.
~
Ghost was watching, as Steve walked back to him. His breath came faster, and he licked his lips. He grinned, when Steve kept walking on by, heading to the front of the truck, motioning for him to follow. There, in front of the U-Haul, but not quite to the bushes and tall grass, Steve spread out a blanket.
"Come here, Ghost," he whispered. They sank down onto the blanket, and kissed.
"It's been so long. I was wanting to be with you so much," Ghost said.
"Mmm, me too, with you. It's just hard to find a time when we can be alone together," Steve said, as he ran his hands up under Ghost shirt.
Ghost closed his eyes, and sighed. "Don't stop...keep going." He tugged at Steve's clothes, and soon they were skin to skin. As they made love under the stars, the warm breeze gently caressed them, then cooled them. Steve pulled the other blanket over them, and they fell asleep, with only the wild animals keeping watch.
~
As dawn broke, the sun tinged the sky a soft pink. Linda woke, feeling stiff from her night in the car. The kids were still sleeping soundly, so she eased herself out, wishing she had some coffee. In the back of the van, she looked into the cooler. It was just melted ice water, now, but floating around in it was a can of coke. She grabbed it, wiping it off on her jeans.
She walked over to the U-Haul, to peek in, wondering if they were awake. Standing up on the running-board, she was surprised to see neither of them in there. "Huh?" she murmured. Stepping down, she looked toward the picnic table, but no one was there, either. Frowning, she looked around the area, which was still mostly in shadows. She was getting worried, now, and confused. She walked back toward the table, and looked back toward the truck, finally seeing the two blanketed forms there in front.
"Oh, there they are," she said. She walked closer, noticing clothes flung haphazardly around. "Ohh...." she said, realizing what she was walking into. Turning away, she tip-toed back toward the van, trying to stifle a giggle, but she didn't quite manage either one. She tripped on a stick, the same one Ghost had used earlier. Falling down, she scraped the palms of her hands on the ground.
"Oww," she hollered, then just rolled on over, half giggling and half crying. She was making enough noise, now, that it woke up Steve and Ghost.
Steve, forgetting he was without clothes on, ran over to help his sister up. Ghost just sat and stared. "Steve, Steve..." he hissed, "your pants." But, Steve didn't hear him.
He grabbed Linda's hands to help her up, and she hollered again. "Oh, my God, Steve...get your pants on." She had covered her eyes, and now was laughing aloud at what they must look like.
"What? Are you ok?" he asked. Then it registered, what she had said. "Oh, shit." He ran back toward the U-Haul, to get his clothes, but still thought Linda was hurt, so he turned back toward her. This made Linda laugh even more, but she pointed, and said, "Go...I'm ok."
He went, but was so flustered, he couldn't find his clothes, so jerked the end of the blanket to cover himself, not seeing that Ghost had wrapped it all around himself, with only his face showing.
"Hey, stop," Ghost yelled, as Steve ripped the blanket from him. It came unwound.
"Oh, for Christ's sake, Ghost," he said, then started laughing. Ghost was scrambling to cover himself with whatever he could find. Finally finding his jeans, he stood up, turned around, and calmly put them on.
"Y'all are the crazy ones," Ghost said, as he faced Steve and Linda, again. Going over to Linda, he held out his hand to help her up. She was wiping her eyes of tears from laughing so hard.
"I'm sorry, Ghost. I couldn't help it...Steve was so funny." Ghost laughed too, now the the incident was winding down. Steve, by now, had gotten dressed, and he stalked over to the picnic table.
"Laugh, go ahead, both of y'all," he said, as he passed by them.
Ghost and Linda looked at each other, and shrugged. "Well, it was funny," Ghost said. He went over to Steve, sitting by him at the table.
"Steve?"
"What?"
"You're not mad, are you?"
Steve lifted a shoulder, and shook his head. "Naw, but it was embarrassing," he said.
"I know," Ghost said. They sat there a few minutes.
"We need to get back on the road, and find somewhere to eat breakfast," Steve said.
"Yeah, I'll go see if Linda's about ready," Ghost said.
Steve gathered up their scattered blankets, and began checking the U-Haul, while Ghost talked with Linda. They were just about to get going, when several guys on motorcycles rumbled into the rest area. They pulled in, one by one...five of them...two with their biker babes on the back.
"Let's go...now," Steve said. He saw Linda safely to the van. "Lock the doors," he said. He walked toward the U-Haul, urging Ghost silently to get in. One of the bikers noticed Steve.
"Hey, dude...camp out here all night?" he hollered over. "Got any grub ya wanna share?" another guy asked.
Steve wanted to ignore them, but didn't think it would be a good idea, so he just said, "We're just leaving. No grub left, sorry." He kept walking.
"Wait up. Who's that pretty mama in the car? She yours? She got anything to eat?"
Steve stopped, facing the guy. "She ain't got any food, either. Leave her alone."
"Hey, you got a funny accent, dude...where ya from?" the guy asked. Then spying the license plates on the van, he said, "Oh, Cal-I-For-Ni-A," he laughed.
"Yeah, and we gotta get going," Steve said. "Nice talking to ya."
Giving him a look, the guy said, "Well, ain't you friendly." He nudged his buddy. "Ain't he?"
"Leave him alone," said one of the biker's women. "They're leaving, and we got things to do."
He brushed her hand off his arm. "Go back over there, now," he told her. At that, they all turned to look at Linda.
She had started the van's engine, and gave Steve a nod. He knew she would run the guy down, if he gave her a signal to. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Ghost was just out of the biker's sight, by the U-Haul. In fact, he'd not been noticed, yet.
Ghost was holding his pistol, and it was aimed right, straight at the biker.
~
Next part coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
Sunday, December 13, 2015
TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE ... # 255
TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE
# 255
warning...adult content
~
Stevie and Mandy ran across the truck stop parking lot, with Linda running after them. As they approached the horse trailer, a man came around from the back. He was laughing at the eager kids.
"Hey, hey...hold up there," he said.
"I'm so sorry," Linda said, out of breath. "They wanted to see horses, and got away from me."
The man laughed. "Oh, no bother, ma'am. I was just about to take the ponies out for a walk around that grassy area over there. The kids can come watch."
"Well, ok..." Linda said. "But, stay back, Stevie...Mandy...don't get in the way." She smiled at the man. "We haven't been around horses, before."
"These are just little ones," he said. "They're Shetland ponies. They are going to a nice little farm." He opened the back of the trailer, and backed out the first of two. "This little guy is very calm. The other one is, too." He tied the first one up, and went back into the trailer for the other one. They were both tan, with white mane and tails.
"They're so cute," Mandy squealed. "Can we watch them, Mommy?"
"Yes, we will, but just for a few minutes," Linda said. She looked around for Steve and Ghost, seeing they were over by the U-Haul, talking. She waved and motioned that she'd be over at the grassy area. She and the kids followed the man and the ponies.
~
Over by the U-Haul, Steve and Ghost watched Linda and the kids. Steve thought the guy looked harmless enough, but he wanted to keep a eye on them. Looking over at Ghost, who was leaning against the door, he could tell he wasn't in a good place.
"Look, Ghost, I'm sorry. I should have remembered. We shouldn't have come near this place." He took Ghost's hand.
"It's ok...it didn't happen at this place. Just the smell of those trucks...it makes me remember, and feel sick," Ghost said. "I just wanna get out of here."
"We will," Steve said. "Get in the U-Haul, and I'll go get Linda. It's time to get going, anyway." He went over to where the kids were now getting a pony ride. He smiled, as they hollered, "Look, Uncle Steve." They were having fun.
"It's time to go, Linda...round 'em up," he said.
"Come on kids, we have to go now. Tell the man thank you for the ride," Linda said.
The man helped the kids down from the ponies. "Y'all have a nice trip, ya hear." He led the horses back to the trailer.
They walked back to Linda's van, the kids chattering all about the horses. Before buckling them into the car seats, Linda washed their hands off, then got them settled with their little toys.
Turning to Steve, she asked, "What were you going to tell me?"
"About what?" Steve asked.
"About Ghost...what was bothering him in the truck stop. Is he ok, now?"
"Oh, yeah, he's ok...it's just he said the diesel fumes from the trucks was making him sick...and brings back bad memories...uh, of that time he was lost in California. It was a long time ago, Linda. I thought I told you about it."
She shook her head. "Not much, just that he hitchhiked..." she paused..."oh, with truckers?"
"Yeah, and one of them raped him." Steve closed his eyes. "God, why did I even come to this truck stop? I should have remembered."
"Oh, Steve...that's horrible. I didn't know. Now I understand why he was feeling so bad."
Steve nodded. "He said he's ok...just bad memories, but really, we need to get out of here. I didn't like the way those guys were in there, ya know. Don't want to be around when they come out."
"Yes, let's get going," Linda said, as she got into the van.
Steve went back to the U-Haul, started the engine, and pulled out, heading for the highway.
"You told her, didn't you?" Ghost asked.
Steve nodded. Ghost sighed, and leaned his head back against the seat, closing his eyes. Out of the corner of his own eye, Steve couldn't help but notice that Ghost would every few seconds reach up and wipe the tears away. No words would help, he knew, so he just kept driving.
~
It was getting on toward twilight, when they finally crossed over into Oklahoma. Steve had told Linda that at the next town that was big enough to have a motel, they'd stop for the night. He was getting tired of driving, and was sure Linda was too, but there weren't any towns coming up that would have a place to stay. The next one he could tell, was in the suburbs of Oklahoma City, and it looked like it was still several hours away. Up ahead, he saw a sign for a rest area, and he signaled that he was pulling in.
When they were there, and parked, he and Linda talked about what they should do. "The next motel is still a long way off, Linda. I'm not sure I can stay awake until then. I need to stop...somewhere," he told her.
"I know, me too," Linda said, and yawned. "But where? This out west business is weird...big empty spaces and no towns to speak of. How do people live here?"
"I don't know, but we gotta do something."
Linda was looking around the rest area. "Well, we could just stay here, and maybe get a little sleep. Would it be safe, though?"
Shrugging, Steve considered it. "I guess, if we lock the car doors. It'll be pretty uncomfortable, but we could do it."
"I know," Linda said. "The kids are already asleep, but they need to stretch out awhile. We have drinks and snacks...it'll be ok."
"Ok, but let's pull over closer to the back of this area...more out of sight," Steve said.
She agreed, and followed as they drove slowly back into the area. After parking, Stevie and Mandy woke up, and were hungry. Ghost was walking around, stretching his legs. Steve and Linda got out snacks for all of them, and they sat at a concrete picnic table. It was growing dark, and there had not been even one car driving down the highway since they'd arrived.
Linda turned on her flashlight, the only light they had out there, setting it on the table. Stevie and Mandy were at the other end of the table, and were giggling at their kid's conversation.
Whispering, Linda leaned over toward Steve and Ghost. "I don't want to scare them, but this is really eerie out here, guys."
"I know," Ghost whispered. "There's wild animals out here, back behind those trees. I can tell...they're watching us." He shivered, and pulled his shirt's hood up over his head.
"Wild animals...like what?" Steve asked, trying to sound skeptical and brave, but not quite pulling it off. He stared at the darkness, behind them.
"Don't you hear them?" Ghost asked.
They were silent...listening...and all three jumped, when they heard a rustling sound, back in the bushes.
"Oh my, God," Linda said, holding her hand over her heart. "That scared me half to death." She looked at the kids, but they hadn't even noticed or heard anything.
Steve got up, shining the flashlight around, over toward the dark shrubbery, his hand shaking. Linda started laughing.
"What?" Steve asked.
"He looks like the grim reaper," she managed to say, and pointed to Ghost.
Steve looked, and laughed, too. "You're right. Hey, what are you doing over there?" he hollered at Ghost.
Ghost had found a long stick, and was poking around in the tall grass by the trees. In his hoodie, and with only his face lit by the flashlight, he did look like the grim reaper come to life.
"Huh?" he asked, as he waved the stick around.
"What are you looking for," Steve asked.
"Oh, the wild animal...it's here somewhere, but it's scared and hiding, now." Ghost said.
"What kind is it," Linda asked. She'd gotten closer to the kids, in case they had to make a run for the car.
"I think it's just a little rabbit, or lizard, maybe...'cause they don't really say much," Ghost said. "If it was a turkey or a goose, they'd be making noise...and if it was a coyote, or a wild cat, they would have already run away. They don't freeze-frame...or if it is a raccoon, it would be trying to get our food...and..." he went on naming animals, and how they'd react.
Steve nudged Linda, "Yeah, and if Ghost don't stop naming things, he'll just talk it to death...hahaha, grim reaper..." he laughed along with Linda, and both had a hard time stopping.
"Ok, ok...we get the picture," Steve said. "Come back over here...leave the poor thing alone."
Ghost wasn't quite done, though. He began a little chant he was making up as he spoke.
"By the light of the stars, by the light of the moon, we mean you no harm, we'll be gone soon." He held up the stick, pointing at the night sky, and turned around three times.
"What's he doing now?" Linda asked.
"Beats me...he's just weird," Steve said. Linda giggled.
Ghost came back to the table. "I'm finished," he said, then sat down, grinning.
Linda cleared her throat..."Um...interesting..." she said. Steve kicked her under the table.
"No," he mouthed to her. "He'll never stop talking."
But, it was too late.
~
Next part coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
# 255
warning...adult content
~
Stevie and Mandy ran across the truck stop parking lot, with Linda running after them. As they approached the horse trailer, a man came around from the back. He was laughing at the eager kids.
"Hey, hey...hold up there," he said.
"I'm so sorry," Linda said, out of breath. "They wanted to see horses, and got away from me."
The man laughed. "Oh, no bother, ma'am. I was just about to take the ponies out for a walk around that grassy area over there. The kids can come watch."
"Well, ok..." Linda said. "But, stay back, Stevie...Mandy...don't get in the way." She smiled at the man. "We haven't been around horses, before."
"These are just little ones," he said. "They're Shetland ponies. They are going to a nice little farm." He opened the back of the trailer, and backed out the first of two. "This little guy is very calm. The other one is, too." He tied the first one up, and went back into the trailer for the other one. They were both tan, with white mane and tails.
"They're so cute," Mandy squealed. "Can we watch them, Mommy?"
"Yes, we will, but just for a few minutes," Linda said. She looked around for Steve and Ghost, seeing they were over by the U-Haul, talking. She waved and motioned that she'd be over at the grassy area. She and the kids followed the man and the ponies.
~
Over by the U-Haul, Steve and Ghost watched Linda and the kids. Steve thought the guy looked harmless enough, but he wanted to keep a eye on them. Looking over at Ghost, who was leaning against the door, he could tell he wasn't in a good place.
"Look, Ghost, I'm sorry. I should have remembered. We shouldn't have come near this place." He took Ghost's hand.
"It's ok...it didn't happen at this place. Just the smell of those trucks...it makes me remember, and feel sick," Ghost said. "I just wanna get out of here."
"We will," Steve said. "Get in the U-Haul, and I'll go get Linda. It's time to get going, anyway." He went over to where the kids were now getting a pony ride. He smiled, as they hollered, "Look, Uncle Steve." They were having fun.
"It's time to go, Linda...round 'em up," he said.
"Come on kids, we have to go now. Tell the man thank you for the ride," Linda said.
The man helped the kids down from the ponies. "Y'all have a nice trip, ya hear." He led the horses back to the trailer.
They walked back to Linda's van, the kids chattering all about the horses. Before buckling them into the car seats, Linda washed their hands off, then got them settled with their little toys.
Turning to Steve, she asked, "What were you going to tell me?"
"About what?" Steve asked.
"About Ghost...what was bothering him in the truck stop. Is he ok, now?"
"Oh, yeah, he's ok...it's just he said the diesel fumes from the trucks was making him sick...and brings back bad memories...uh, of that time he was lost in California. It was a long time ago, Linda. I thought I told you about it."
She shook her head. "Not much, just that he hitchhiked..." she paused..."oh, with truckers?"
"Yeah, and one of them raped him." Steve closed his eyes. "God, why did I even come to this truck stop? I should have remembered."
"Oh, Steve...that's horrible. I didn't know. Now I understand why he was feeling so bad."
Steve nodded. "He said he's ok...just bad memories, but really, we need to get out of here. I didn't like the way those guys were in there, ya know. Don't want to be around when they come out."
"Yes, let's get going," Linda said, as she got into the van.
Steve went back to the U-Haul, started the engine, and pulled out, heading for the highway.
"You told her, didn't you?" Ghost asked.
Steve nodded. Ghost sighed, and leaned his head back against the seat, closing his eyes. Out of the corner of his own eye, Steve couldn't help but notice that Ghost would every few seconds reach up and wipe the tears away. No words would help, he knew, so he just kept driving.
~
It was getting on toward twilight, when they finally crossed over into Oklahoma. Steve had told Linda that at the next town that was big enough to have a motel, they'd stop for the night. He was getting tired of driving, and was sure Linda was too, but there weren't any towns coming up that would have a place to stay. The next one he could tell, was in the suburbs of Oklahoma City, and it looked like it was still several hours away. Up ahead, he saw a sign for a rest area, and he signaled that he was pulling in.
When they were there, and parked, he and Linda talked about what they should do. "The next motel is still a long way off, Linda. I'm not sure I can stay awake until then. I need to stop...somewhere," he told her.
"I know, me too," Linda said, and yawned. "But where? This out west business is weird...big empty spaces and no towns to speak of. How do people live here?"
"I don't know, but we gotta do something."
Linda was looking around the rest area. "Well, we could just stay here, and maybe get a little sleep. Would it be safe, though?"
Shrugging, Steve considered it. "I guess, if we lock the car doors. It'll be pretty uncomfortable, but we could do it."
"I know," Linda said. "The kids are already asleep, but they need to stretch out awhile. We have drinks and snacks...it'll be ok."
"Ok, but let's pull over closer to the back of this area...more out of sight," Steve said.
She agreed, and followed as they drove slowly back into the area. After parking, Stevie and Mandy woke up, and were hungry. Ghost was walking around, stretching his legs. Steve and Linda got out snacks for all of them, and they sat at a concrete picnic table. It was growing dark, and there had not been even one car driving down the highway since they'd arrived.
Linda turned on her flashlight, the only light they had out there, setting it on the table. Stevie and Mandy were at the other end of the table, and were giggling at their kid's conversation.
Whispering, Linda leaned over toward Steve and Ghost. "I don't want to scare them, but this is really eerie out here, guys."
"I know," Ghost whispered. "There's wild animals out here, back behind those trees. I can tell...they're watching us." He shivered, and pulled his shirt's hood up over his head.
"Wild animals...like what?" Steve asked, trying to sound skeptical and brave, but not quite pulling it off. He stared at the darkness, behind them.
"Don't you hear them?" Ghost asked.
They were silent...listening...and all three jumped, when they heard a rustling sound, back in the bushes.
"Oh my, God," Linda said, holding her hand over her heart. "That scared me half to death." She looked at the kids, but they hadn't even noticed or heard anything.
Steve got up, shining the flashlight around, over toward the dark shrubbery, his hand shaking. Linda started laughing.
"What?" Steve asked.
"He looks like the grim reaper," she managed to say, and pointed to Ghost.
Steve looked, and laughed, too. "You're right. Hey, what are you doing over there?" he hollered at Ghost.
Ghost had found a long stick, and was poking around in the tall grass by the trees. In his hoodie, and with only his face lit by the flashlight, he did look like the grim reaper come to life.
"Huh?" he asked, as he waved the stick around.
"What are you looking for," Steve asked.
"Oh, the wild animal...it's here somewhere, but it's scared and hiding, now." Ghost said.
"What kind is it," Linda asked. She'd gotten closer to the kids, in case they had to make a run for the car.
"I think it's just a little rabbit, or lizard, maybe...'cause they don't really say much," Ghost said. "If it was a turkey or a goose, they'd be making noise...and if it was a coyote, or a wild cat, they would have already run away. They don't freeze-frame...or if it is a raccoon, it would be trying to get our food...and..." he went on naming animals, and how they'd react.
Steve nudged Linda, "Yeah, and if Ghost don't stop naming things, he'll just talk it to death...hahaha, grim reaper..." he laughed along with Linda, and both had a hard time stopping.
"Ok, ok...we get the picture," Steve said. "Come back over here...leave the poor thing alone."
Ghost wasn't quite done, though. He began a little chant he was making up as he spoke.
"By the light of the stars, by the light of the moon, we mean you no harm, we'll be gone soon." He held up the stick, pointing at the night sky, and turned around three times.
"What's he doing now?" Linda asked.
"Beats me...he's just weird," Steve said. Linda giggled.
Ghost came back to the table. "I'm finished," he said, then sat down, grinning.
Linda cleared her throat..."Um...interesting..." she said. Steve kicked her under the table.
"No," he mouthed to her. "He'll never stop talking."
But, it was too late.
~
Next part coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
Friday, December 11, 2015
TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE ... # 254
TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE
# 254
warning...adult content
~
Steve grabbed his things from their motel room, and went to help Linda and the kids with their packing up. Ghost got his backpack and jacket, and paused a minute, looking around the room. He knew he'd gotten everything, but it felt like he was forgetting something important.
"You ready," Steve asked, when he got back. He was ready to lock up the door and turn in the key.
"I think so," Ghost said, "but something feels weird. I can't remember what it is."
"Well, maybe you'll think of it later...let's get going," Steve said, as he locked the door. "I'll be back in a minute...need to turn in the key."
Ghost got up in the U-Haul, and was flipping through his journal, when Steve got back.
"It's here somewhere...I know I wrote it down," Ghost said. "Or, maybe I didn't, but it was part of the cowboy story."
"Whatever...no need to get all worked up about it," Steve said. He started the truck up. "You'll either think of it or not."
Ghost sighed, and stopped flipping the pages of his book, and stared out the window. Steve concentrated on his driving, getting them out onto the highway. Soon, they were at cruising speed, and there wasn't much traffic. When he relaxed a bit, he saw that Ghost was still staring out the window...or maybe sleeping...maybe both...his eyes were half shut.
"You awake?" he asked.
"Um-hmm, but it won't happen like I said," Ghost said.
"What won't?"
Ghost looked over at Steve. "The cowboys...they won't. We can't stop at all in Texas, so just keep going, ok?"
"Huh?" Steve asked. "I'll try, but we probably will need to stop, you know, to get gas, go to the bathroom, get snacks. Anyway, why can't we stop?"
"'Cause I remembered," Ghost said. "The story I told the kids was fun, and they got to see the horses, but if we stop and go in the diner, it won't be fun. They'll be mean, and it will scare Stevie and Mandy."
"The horses?"
"No, the cowboys. They will be mean to us, and call us names, and hit us with a bat, and cut us, Steve." Ghost was getting really upset, now. "Don't let them...I'm scared." He was breathing hard, and he reached over, clenching his hand on Steve's arm.
"Ghost, snap out of it...nothing's gonna happen," Steve said. He could tell that somehow, Ghost was somewhere else in his head, and was reliving the past. He was getting alarmed, now, himself. "Wake up, Ghost. You're getting mixed up. That all happened in the past...a long time ago. It's not happening now. I will pull over, if you don't wake up...I swear I will," Steve shouted.
Ghost kept staring at Steve, but Steve could tell he wasn't seeing him, yet. He needed to think of something fast, to bring Ghost back to the present. He started singing one of their oldest songs, one they both knew by heart, but purposely left out some of the words...to see if Ghost would pay attention. It had worked before, when Ghost was lost in his head. Sure enough, it worked this time. Ghost shook his head, reminding Steve of the right words.
"Huh? I was singing it wrong," Steve asked. "So, how does it go, then?"
Ghost sang it to him the right way. "Why you not remember, Steve? We sing it all the time." He started laughing. So did Steve...seeing Ghost was acting normal again.
~
A half hour later, they passed a big sign saying 'Entering Texas - Welcome to the Lone Star State'.
"Well, it don't look any different," Ghost said.
"We're still on the same road...what did you expect?"
"I don't know...like in the movies or something..."
"Oh, you mean like cattle drives, and shoot-outs at saloons?" Steve asked.
"Well, something like that..." Ghost said. He kept looking at the passing scenery...dried grass in the fields, mesquite trees, a cactus or two...then a sign, saying the next town was twenty miles farther on.
"You know I have to stop up there for gas, don't you?" Steve asked.
"Yeah, I know."
"I'm hungry too. I'd like to find a place to eat, and take a break from driving," Steve mentioned casually.
"Why are you telling me this?" Ghost asked. "We already planned on it, this morning."
"Oh, right...I forgot," Steve said, but really, he felt like he was in the twilight zone, or something, after their conversation a little while ago. "You ok with it?"
Looking at Steve, a bit confused, Ghost asked, "Why wouldn't I be? I'm hungry too, and I think Linda and the kids are, too. Just find somewhere we can eat."
Steve shrugged. "Ok, no problem...I will."
The city they were entering was a big one...Amarillo. It was easy to find a place to stop for food and gas. While Steve and Linda filled the gas tanks, they discussed where to eat. Steve told her of what Ghost had said.
"Oh, I get it...the kids were going on about seeing horses and cowboys, because Ghost said they would," Linda said, looking around. "I don't see any, though, do you?"
"Nope, at least not right here. Maybe I could ask inside, see where they hang out," Steve said.
"Ok, you go do that," Linda said.
When he got back from inside the little convenience store, he said, "They said there's a truck stop about a mile east, with good food, and he said there's usually a cowboy or two hauling cows or horses, who have stopped there."
"Good, let's go there, then," Linda said.
"Ok, but I hope they're not mean, like Ghost said," Steve said.
"Me too, but we're hungry, so we have to stop somewhere," Linda said. They got back in the van and U-Haul, and arrived soon, at the truck stop.
"Come on, let's go in and eat," Steve said.
"I'm gonna stay out here," Ghost said. "Just bring me something."
"Uh-uh...you're getting out, too. Let's go," Steve said.
Reluctantly, Ghost got out, and they all went inside the truck stop.
Steve did feel eyes staring at them, as they walked around, looking for an empty booth. The place was pretty crowded. Steve led the way, with Ghost close behind, his head down, and his long hair obscuring his face. Linda was herding the kids, behind Ghost. Steve had immediately felt out of place here. He had on his usual black outfit, and looked more like a biker, than anything else. The other people there were mostly long-haul trucker types, and must have been regulars on this I-40 route, because the waitresses were joking and calling them by name. Steve did hear a few rude comments, as they passed by the tables, but he didn't acknowledge them. ...hey, studly...who's your sissy boy?...come over here...aw, he ain't no stud...they both a couple'a queers...hahaha...ain't 'cha? ... Pretty mama, we got some real men who'll show ya around... There were a few wolf whistles, too.
After sitting down at their table, the waitress came over with the menu. "Don't pay no attention to those jerks...they holler at everybody that comes in here. They're a bunch of assholes," she said loud, looking the truckers' way. "Ok, y'all look over the menu...I'll be back."
Ghost had still not looked up. Stevie and Mandy were cutting up, punching each other's arms, and giggling. Steve had a frown on his face. Linda took a menu, and decided what she and the kids would order. "Here, Steve...find something...let's just eat and then get out of here."
Steve took the menu, but didn't look at it. "Let's go somewhere else. I don't like this place."
"Steve, we're here, we're hungry. It's a public place. I'm staying and will not let rude people upset me...now, hurry up," Linda said.
"We wanna see horses...we wanna see cowboys," the kids were saying over and over.
"Hush, you two, behave yourselves. We're eating politely, and then leaving," she scolded them.
"Fine...I'll just get a hamburger. Ghost...what do you want?" Steve asked, sliding the menu across the table.
"Nothing..."
Steve sighed. "Listen, Ghost, you have to eat. We're here...now pick something."
Ghost shook his head. "These people are mean. I feel sick." He put his head down on his arms, on the table.
The waitress came back, bringing water for everyone. "Y'all ready to order?" she asked.
Steve looked at Linda. "Let's get it to go, ok?" he asked.
She nodded, and told the waitress what she and the kids would have, and Steve ordered two burgers, fries, and cokes for him and Ghost. "Make it all to go," he said.
"Ok, no problem...it won't be long," she said, and was gone again.
Linda had brought out coloring books for the kids to keep busy with. "Ghost, you going to be ok? Drink some water, honey." Ghost just moaned. She looked at Steve, shrugging. "I'll tell ya later," Steve mouthed back to her.
Their order was ready, and put into bags, so they all filed out of the truck stop, amid more heckling.
"Look, horses," Stevie hollered, and ran toward a truck, with a horse trailer, that was parked over to the side of the parking lot.
"Stevie, come back here...leave them alone," Linda yelled, as she hurried after him.
~
Next part coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
# 254
warning...adult content
~
Steve grabbed his things from their motel room, and went to help Linda and the kids with their packing up. Ghost got his backpack and jacket, and paused a minute, looking around the room. He knew he'd gotten everything, but it felt like he was forgetting something important.
"You ready," Steve asked, when he got back. He was ready to lock up the door and turn in the key.
"I think so," Ghost said, "but something feels weird. I can't remember what it is."
"Well, maybe you'll think of it later...let's get going," Steve said, as he locked the door. "I'll be back in a minute...need to turn in the key."
Ghost got up in the U-Haul, and was flipping through his journal, when Steve got back.
"It's here somewhere...I know I wrote it down," Ghost said. "Or, maybe I didn't, but it was part of the cowboy story."
"Whatever...no need to get all worked up about it," Steve said. He started the truck up. "You'll either think of it or not."
Ghost sighed, and stopped flipping the pages of his book, and stared out the window. Steve concentrated on his driving, getting them out onto the highway. Soon, they were at cruising speed, and there wasn't much traffic. When he relaxed a bit, he saw that Ghost was still staring out the window...or maybe sleeping...maybe both...his eyes were half shut.
"You awake?" he asked.
"Um-hmm, but it won't happen like I said," Ghost said.
"What won't?"
Ghost looked over at Steve. "The cowboys...they won't. We can't stop at all in Texas, so just keep going, ok?"
"Huh?" Steve asked. "I'll try, but we probably will need to stop, you know, to get gas, go to the bathroom, get snacks. Anyway, why can't we stop?"
"'Cause I remembered," Ghost said. "The story I told the kids was fun, and they got to see the horses, but if we stop and go in the diner, it won't be fun. They'll be mean, and it will scare Stevie and Mandy."
"The horses?"
"No, the cowboys. They will be mean to us, and call us names, and hit us with a bat, and cut us, Steve." Ghost was getting really upset, now. "Don't let them...I'm scared." He was breathing hard, and he reached over, clenching his hand on Steve's arm.
"Ghost, snap out of it...nothing's gonna happen," Steve said. He could tell that somehow, Ghost was somewhere else in his head, and was reliving the past. He was getting alarmed, now, himself. "Wake up, Ghost. You're getting mixed up. That all happened in the past...a long time ago. It's not happening now. I will pull over, if you don't wake up...I swear I will," Steve shouted.
Ghost kept staring at Steve, but Steve could tell he wasn't seeing him, yet. He needed to think of something fast, to bring Ghost back to the present. He started singing one of their oldest songs, one they both knew by heart, but purposely left out some of the words...to see if Ghost would pay attention. It had worked before, when Ghost was lost in his head. Sure enough, it worked this time. Ghost shook his head, reminding Steve of the right words.
"Huh? I was singing it wrong," Steve asked. "So, how does it go, then?"
Ghost sang it to him the right way. "Why you not remember, Steve? We sing it all the time." He started laughing. So did Steve...seeing Ghost was acting normal again.
~
A half hour later, they passed a big sign saying 'Entering Texas - Welcome to the Lone Star State'.
"Well, it don't look any different," Ghost said.
"We're still on the same road...what did you expect?"
"I don't know...like in the movies or something..."
"Oh, you mean like cattle drives, and shoot-outs at saloons?" Steve asked.
"Well, something like that..." Ghost said. He kept looking at the passing scenery...dried grass in the fields, mesquite trees, a cactus or two...then a sign, saying the next town was twenty miles farther on.
"You know I have to stop up there for gas, don't you?" Steve asked.
"Yeah, I know."
"I'm hungry too. I'd like to find a place to eat, and take a break from driving," Steve mentioned casually.
"Why are you telling me this?" Ghost asked. "We already planned on it, this morning."
"Oh, right...I forgot," Steve said, but really, he felt like he was in the twilight zone, or something, after their conversation a little while ago. "You ok with it?"
Looking at Steve, a bit confused, Ghost asked, "Why wouldn't I be? I'm hungry too, and I think Linda and the kids are, too. Just find somewhere we can eat."
Steve shrugged. "Ok, no problem...I will."
The city they were entering was a big one...Amarillo. It was easy to find a place to stop for food and gas. While Steve and Linda filled the gas tanks, they discussed where to eat. Steve told her of what Ghost had said.
"Oh, I get it...the kids were going on about seeing horses and cowboys, because Ghost said they would," Linda said, looking around. "I don't see any, though, do you?"
"Nope, at least not right here. Maybe I could ask inside, see where they hang out," Steve said.
"Ok, you go do that," Linda said.
When he got back from inside the little convenience store, he said, "They said there's a truck stop about a mile east, with good food, and he said there's usually a cowboy or two hauling cows or horses, who have stopped there."
"Good, let's go there, then," Linda said.
"Ok, but I hope they're not mean, like Ghost said," Steve said.
"Me too, but we're hungry, so we have to stop somewhere," Linda said. They got back in the van and U-Haul, and arrived soon, at the truck stop.
"Come on, let's go in and eat," Steve said.
"I'm gonna stay out here," Ghost said. "Just bring me something."
"Uh-uh...you're getting out, too. Let's go," Steve said.
Reluctantly, Ghost got out, and they all went inside the truck stop.
Steve did feel eyes staring at them, as they walked around, looking for an empty booth. The place was pretty crowded. Steve led the way, with Ghost close behind, his head down, and his long hair obscuring his face. Linda was herding the kids, behind Ghost. Steve had immediately felt out of place here. He had on his usual black outfit, and looked more like a biker, than anything else. The other people there were mostly long-haul trucker types, and must have been regulars on this I-40 route, because the waitresses were joking and calling them by name. Steve did hear a few rude comments, as they passed by the tables, but he didn't acknowledge them. ...hey, studly...who's your sissy boy?...come over here...aw, he ain't no stud...they both a couple'a queers...hahaha...ain't 'cha? ... Pretty mama, we got some real men who'll show ya around... There were a few wolf whistles, too.
After sitting down at their table, the waitress came over with the menu. "Don't pay no attention to those jerks...they holler at everybody that comes in here. They're a bunch of assholes," she said loud, looking the truckers' way. "Ok, y'all look over the menu...I'll be back."
Ghost had still not looked up. Stevie and Mandy were cutting up, punching each other's arms, and giggling. Steve had a frown on his face. Linda took a menu, and decided what she and the kids would order. "Here, Steve...find something...let's just eat and then get out of here."
Steve took the menu, but didn't look at it. "Let's go somewhere else. I don't like this place."
"Steve, we're here, we're hungry. It's a public place. I'm staying and will not let rude people upset me...now, hurry up," Linda said.
"We wanna see horses...we wanna see cowboys," the kids were saying over and over.
"Hush, you two, behave yourselves. We're eating politely, and then leaving," she scolded them.
"Fine...I'll just get a hamburger. Ghost...what do you want?" Steve asked, sliding the menu across the table.
"Nothing..."
Steve sighed. "Listen, Ghost, you have to eat. We're here...now pick something."
Ghost shook his head. "These people are mean. I feel sick." He put his head down on his arms, on the table.
The waitress came back, bringing water for everyone. "Y'all ready to order?" she asked.
Steve looked at Linda. "Let's get it to go, ok?" he asked.
She nodded, and told the waitress what she and the kids would have, and Steve ordered two burgers, fries, and cokes for him and Ghost. "Make it all to go," he said.
"Ok, no problem...it won't be long," she said, and was gone again.
Linda had brought out coloring books for the kids to keep busy with. "Ghost, you going to be ok? Drink some water, honey." Ghost just moaned. She looked at Steve, shrugging. "I'll tell ya later," Steve mouthed back to her.
Their order was ready, and put into bags, so they all filed out of the truck stop, amid more heckling.
"Look, horses," Stevie hollered, and ran toward a truck, with a horse trailer, that was parked over to the side of the parking lot.
"Stevie, come back here...leave them alone," Linda yelled, as she hurried after him.
~
Next part coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE ... # 253
TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE
# 253
warning...adult content
~
As morning dawned, Steve and Ghost were awakened by a knocking on the motel room's door. The policeman from the night before was there.
"We caught the vandal," he said. "He's in lock-up. We need to know if you are going to press charges, because your's isn't the only cars he broke into last night. The other victims have already made their statements, and charges have been filed, already," the cop explained.
"So, he's already going to be getting charged?" Steve asked.
The cop nodded.
"Ok, then...guess we won't. Nothing was stolen, and the insurance will cover the cost of the window repair. We just want to get going. We have a long way yet to go."
"Ok, then," the policeman said. "Good luck, and have a safe journey."
Steve went back into the room. Ghost was still trying to wake up. "I'm going to go check on Linda, and I'll bring back coffee," he said.
"Ok," Ghost said, sitting up, running his hands through his tangled hair.
Steve left, going next door to Linda and the kid's room, and knocked. She opened it, then went back to getting Stevie and Mandy dressed.
"Everything ok over here?" Steve asked.
"Um-hmm...I just got off the phone with a repair shop," Linda said. "They'll be able to fix the window in about an hour."
Steve nodded. "Ok, I'm going to go get us all some coffee, and donuts, then we can go on over there," Steve said.
"Oh, get the kids some milk, too," Linda said.
"Right...be back in a few minutes." He walked down the block to a convenience store.
Linda finished getting the kids ready for the day, and by then, Steve was back. They all went over to Steve and Ghost's room to eat. Ghost was just finishing a shower, so he grabbed his coffee. They all sat there, watching the tv for a few minutes. The kids were watching some early morning cartoons.
"Ok, here's the plan, y'all," Steve said. "We get the car fixed, then head on out of here."
Linda nodded. "The sooner the better." She looked over at Ghost, who was propped up on the bed pillows. "Ghost...would you want to stay here with the kiddos...keep them occupied, while we're gone?"
"Sure, if you want me to...I'll watch them," Ghost said.
"Yes, that would be best. I think they'll probably just keep watching tv, and it shouldn't take long at the repair shop," Linda said.
"Ok, we'll be fine, don't worry." He did pick up a small hint of worry from Linda, though.
She smiled. "Yeah, I always worry a bit, but I know you can handle it, Ghost." She and Steve finished their coffee, then left to get the broken car window repaired. The drive to the place was short, and they got right in.
Ghost got out his journal and wrote in it, while the kids flipped the tv channels.
"Where we going next?" Stevie asked.
"Umm...down the highway and into Texas, I think," Ghost said.
"Oh, that's cool. Will we see some cowboys and Indians and horses?" Stevie asked.
Ghost shrugged. "I don't know...maybe. I've never been there, so we will just get to see what we see."
"See what we see...see what we see..." Mandy said, in a squeaky voice, over and over, until Stevie pushed her off the bed.
"Stop saying that," he said. He looked at Ghost. "I know...why don't you use your super-secret powers to see what we'll see, Ghost."
"My what?" Ghost asked.
"You know...when you see things, like a dream. I heard Uncle Steve say you can see things nobody else can...so do it...do it now...please?" Stevie begged.
"Maybe I shouldn't," Ghost said. He was surprised that Stevie knew about his psychic abilities.
"Oh, please...tell me what we'll see in Texas," Steve kept on.
Sighing, Ghost thought about it a minute. He knew he could just pretend, and talk about horses or something.
"Ok, I'll try...give me a minute...and be quiet, ok?" Ghost said, and closed his eyes, concentrating. Stevie watched intently. Even Mandy was keeping quiet for a change.
"What'cha see?" Stevie whispered.
"Mmm...just the highway, so far," Ghost said. "There's open spaces, fields, a little town, with a tall tower...it holds water, I think..." Keeping his eyes closed, he continued to tell the kids what he was seeing. "Ok, I see us stopping to eat at a little diner. There's just regular people in there, but...wait...two guys come in, and I'm not sure, but they might be cowboys..."
"Yay...cowboys," Stevie hollered. "What do they do?"
"Hang on...hang on...they have on cowboy boots, and hats, but no guns, and they drove up in a pick-up truck...not a horse...but on the back of their truck is a big long trailer, and...there's horses in there." He opened his eyes, to see Stevie all smiles. "Well, that's what I think we'll see, but we'll have to just see if it happens, ok?" Ghost said.
"Yeah, I can't wait," Stevie said.
"I can't wait," Mandy yelled.
They hopped off the bed, and started jumping around the room, pretending to ride horses. Ghost grinned, as he watched them. Playing with the kids was fun. He continued to write, but something was nagging at his thoughts, just beyond reach. If he tried to bring it to his conscious mind, it would fade away. All he could tell, so far, was that there was some kind of trouble up ahead, as they drove east. He wrote what he could about it, in his journal, then tried drawing pictures of Mandy and Stevie. They had settled down a bit, by now, and were coloring pictures, as they sat on the floor. He enjoyed listening to their kid's conversation. After a few minutes, Mandy came over to show him what she drew.
"Look, Ghost, look at my picture." She handed her paper to him.
"Oh, that's really good, Mandy," Ghost said. And, it was. He could see she had artistic talent, even at her young age.
"It's a picture of where you live, Ghost...you and Uncle Steve. See...here's the front door, and the porch," she continued, pointing out places on the page.
Ghost smiled. "You know what? This is just what our house looks like. How did you know?"
"Because Mama told us what it looked like," Mandy said. "She was at your house one time."
"Hey, yes she was," Ghost said. "I'll be glad to be home, again, and I'll show you around, ok?"
Mandy nodded. "Mmm-hmm, I want to see your house. I think it's a magic house."
"Magic?"
"Yeah, 'cause you're magic," she said.
He smiled. "Who told you that?"
"Nobody, I just know it. You look magic, and tell good stories," she laughed.
"Oh...well, guess that makes me magic, then," Ghost said, and laughed, too.
"Can I braid your hair, again?" she asked.
Ghost nodded. "Ok, go ahead."
She fished around in her little purse, and brought out a brush. She hummed a song, while she braided his hair.
"You sing good, Mandy, just like your Uncle Steve," Ghost said.
"Really?"
"Yes, really...keep going, maybe you can sing with us on stage, someday." They continued this awhile, as he finished his drawing of Stevie. He was wondering when Steve and Linda would be back, and then, they were there.
"Mama," Mandy hollered, when she came in the door. She ran to hug her.
"Hey, sweetie, did y'all have fun?" Linda asked.
"Yeah, and we colored pictures, and Ghost told us stories."
"Oh, looks like you fixed his hair, too," Linda said, and smiled.
"Everything ok," Steve asked.
"Yeah, we're good," Ghost said. "We had a good time. Is the window fixed?"
"It is...and we found out that the punk who did it is going to jail, too. This wasn't the first time he'd been in trouble," Steve said. He reached over and flipped a few of Ghost's braids. "Mandy do this?"
"Uh-huh...just now got it done."
Steve smiled. "You know you can take these out, anytime."
"I know, but I'm gonna leave them awhile. I don't mind," Ghost said.
"Suit yourself," Steve said. "Ok...y'all ready to hit the road again?"
~
Next part coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
# 253
warning...adult content
~
As morning dawned, Steve and Ghost were awakened by a knocking on the motel room's door. The policeman from the night before was there.
"We caught the vandal," he said. "He's in lock-up. We need to know if you are going to press charges, because your's isn't the only cars he broke into last night. The other victims have already made their statements, and charges have been filed, already," the cop explained.
"So, he's already going to be getting charged?" Steve asked.
The cop nodded.
"Ok, then...guess we won't. Nothing was stolen, and the insurance will cover the cost of the window repair. We just want to get going. We have a long way yet to go."
"Ok, then," the policeman said. "Good luck, and have a safe journey."
Steve went back into the room. Ghost was still trying to wake up. "I'm going to go check on Linda, and I'll bring back coffee," he said.
"Ok," Ghost said, sitting up, running his hands through his tangled hair.
Steve left, going next door to Linda and the kid's room, and knocked. She opened it, then went back to getting Stevie and Mandy dressed.
"Everything ok over here?" Steve asked.
"Um-hmm...I just got off the phone with a repair shop," Linda said. "They'll be able to fix the window in about an hour."
Steve nodded. "Ok, I'm going to go get us all some coffee, and donuts, then we can go on over there," Steve said.
"Oh, get the kids some milk, too," Linda said.
"Right...be back in a few minutes." He walked down the block to a convenience store.
Linda finished getting the kids ready for the day, and by then, Steve was back. They all went over to Steve and Ghost's room to eat. Ghost was just finishing a shower, so he grabbed his coffee. They all sat there, watching the tv for a few minutes. The kids were watching some early morning cartoons.
"Ok, here's the plan, y'all," Steve said. "We get the car fixed, then head on out of here."
Linda nodded. "The sooner the better." She looked over at Ghost, who was propped up on the bed pillows. "Ghost...would you want to stay here with the kiddos...keep them occupied, while we're gone?"
"Sure, if you want me to...I'll watch them," Ghost said.
"Yes, that would be best. I think they'll probably just keep watching tv, and it shouldn't take long at the repair shop," Linda said.
"Ok, we'll be fine, don't worry." He did pick up a small hint of worry from Linda, though.
She smiled. "Yeah, I always worry a bit, but I know you can handle it, Ghost." She and Steve finished their coffee, then left to get the broken car window repaired. The drive to the place was short, and they got right in.
Ghost got out his journal and wrote in it, while the kids flipped the tv channels.
"Where we going next?" Stevie asked.
"Umm...down the highway and into Texas, I think," Ghost said.
"Oh, that's cool. Will we see some cowboys and Indians and horses?" Stevie asked.
Ghost shrugged. "I don't know...maybe. I've never been there, so we will just get to see what we see."
"See what we see...see what we see..." Mandy said, in a squeaky voice, over and over, until Stevie pushed her off the bed.
"Stop saying that," he said. He looked at Ghost. "I know...why don't you use your super-secret powers to see what we'll see, Ghost."
"My what?" Ghost asked.
"You know...when you see things, like a dream. I heard Uncle Steve say you can see things nobody else can...so do it...do it now...please?" Stevie begged.
"Maybe I shouldn't," Ghost said. He was surprised that Stevie knew about his psychic abilities.
"Oh, please...tell me what we'll see in Texas," Steve kept on.
Sighing, Ghost thought about it a minute. He knew he could just pretend, and talk about horses or something.
"Ok, I'll try...give me a minute...and be quiet, ok?" Ghost said, and closed his eyes, concentrating. Stevie watched intently. Even Mandy was keeping quiet for a change.
"What'cha see?" Stevie whispered.
"Mmm...just the highway, so far," Ghost said. "There's open spaces, fields, a little town, with a tall tower...it holds water, I think..." Keeping his eyes closed, he continued to tell the kids what he was seeing. "Ok, I see us stopping to eat at a little diner. There's just regular people in there, but...wait...two guys come in, and I'm not sure, but they might be cowboys..."
"Yay...cowboys," Stevie hollered. "What do they do?"
"Hang on...hang on...they have on cowboy boots, and hats, but no guns, and they drove up in a pick-up truck...not a horse...but on the back of their truck is a big long trailer, and...there's horses in there." He opened his eyes, to see Stevie all smiles. "Well, that's what I think we'll see, but we'll have to just see if it happens, ok?" Ghost said.
"Yeah, I can't wait," Stevie said.
"I can't wait," Mandy yelled.
They hopped off the bed, and started jumping around the room, pretending to ride horses. Ghost grinned, as he watched them. Playing with the kids was fun. He continued to write, but something was nagging at his thoughts, just beyond reach. If he tried to bring it to his conscious mind, it would fade away. All he could tell, so far, was that there was some kind of trouble up ahead, as they drove east. He wrote what he could about it, in his journal, then tried drawing pictures of Mandy and Stevie. They had settled down a bit, by now, and were coloring pictures, as they sat on the floor. He enjoyed listening to their kid's conversation. After a few minutes, Mandy came over to show him what she drew.
"Look, Ghost, look at my picture." She handed her paper to him.
"Oh, that's really good, Mandy," Ghost said. And, it was. He could see she had artistic talent, even at her young age.
"It's a picture of where you live, Ghost...you and Uncle Steve. See...here's the front door, and the porch," she continued, pointing out places on the page.
Ghost smiled. "You know what? This is just what our house looks like. How did you know?"
"Because Mama told us what it looked like," Mandy said. "She was at your house one time."
"Hey, yes she was," Ghost said. "I'll be glad to be home, again, and I'll show you around, ok?"
Mandy nodded. "Mmm-hmm, I want to see your house. I think it's a magic house."
"Magic?"
"Yeah, 'cause you're magic," she said.
He smiled. "Who told you that?"
"Nobody, I just know it. You look magic, and tell good stories," she laughed.
"Oh...well, guess that makes me magic, then," Ghost said, and laughed, too.
"Can I braid your hair, again?" she asked.
Ghost nodded. "Ok, go ahead."
She fished around in her little purse, and brought out a brush. She hummed a song, while she braided his hair.
"You sing good, Mandy, just like your Uncle Steve," Ghost said.
"Really?"
"Yes, really...keep going, maybe you can sing with us on stage, someday." They continued this awhile, as he finished his drawing of Stevie. He was wondering when Steve and Linda would be back, and then, they were there.
"Mama," Mandy hollered, when she came in the door. She ran to hug her.
"Hey, sweetie, did y'all have fun?" Linda asked.
"Yeah, and we colored pictures, and Ghost told us stories."
"Oh, looks like you fixed his hair, too," Linda said, and smiled.
"Everything ok," Steve asked.
"Yeah, we're good," Ghost said. "We had a good time. Is the window fixed?"
"It is...and we found out that the punk who did it is going to jail, too. This wasn't the first time he'd been in trouble," Steve said. He reached over and flipped a few of Ghost's braids. "Mandy do this?"
"Uh-huh...just now got it done."
Steve smiled. "You know you can take these out, anytime."
"I know, but I'm gonna leave them awhile. I don't mind," Ghost said.
"Suit yourself," Steve said. "Ok...y'all ready to hit the road again?"
~
Next part coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
Sunday, December 6, 2015
TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE ... # 252
TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE
# 252
warning...adult content
~
Steve found a radio station that came in good, and Ghost wrote in his journal, as they continued their way down I-40 toward home. Missing Mile was still so far away, though, but they were making good time on the road now. There were increasing signs of trees, as they were coming out of the desert lands, and getting closer to the Lincoln National Forest, in New Mexico. They were happy to see mountains again. It reminded them of home.
Steve was getting tired of driving, after awhile, and he yawned. It was growing dark, but there were still around forty miles yet, until the next town, where they planned on spending the night. Ghost had fallen asleep a little while ago, his journal still open, with the marker ink soaking into the page.
Remembering Ghost's UFO stories, Steve kept scanning the darkening sky for one. Finally, they approached the town of Tucumcari, and Steve reached over to wake Ghost up.
"Hey, we're almost there...wake up."
"Ok, ok...are we getting out?" Ghost asked.
"Yeah, help me look for a motel sign," Steve said, and in a few minutes they did spot one, and he pulled into the parking lot. Linda was close behind them in her van.
"I'll go in and get a couple of rooms," Steve said. When he returned, they drove around, and were able to be right in front of their rooms. They began unloading a few essentials that they'd need for overnight. Linda, Stevie and Mandy went inside theirs, to get ready for bed. She settled the kids and herself onto the bed, watching the tv until they all fell asleep.
Steve and Ghost did the same in their room. Ghost took a shower, then climbed into bed. Steve was next, and as Ghost listened and smiled, as he heard Steve singing. Steve usually didn't think he had a good singing voice, but Ghost liked hearing him.
"Was that the new song you've been working on?" Ghost asked, when Steve came back into the room.
"Yeah...you could hear me?"
"It sounded good. I want to hear some more," Ghost said.
"Ok, let me get my guitar, then you can hear what I've got so far." He sat on the edge of the bed, and played and sang the words. It wasn't finished, but the theme of it was about traveling on the road in the desert, including moonlight, UFOs and the both of them."
"I love it already," Ghost said.
Steve shrugged. "Really? The words just sorta came to me, and then I just played some notes I was thinking of. I think it goes together ok, do you?"
"Yes, it's kinda eerie, too...I like that sound," Ghost said. "We'll have to record it for our next CD. I need to do some, too."
Steve laughed, and agreed. "We've been so busy lately, but we'll be back to normal real soon. We'll get back to our songs and gigs again." Then, yawning, he put the guitar down. "I'm beat...I've gotta get some sleep. You can keep watching tv, if you want to. It won't bother me."
"Ok...yeah, since I slept some already today, I'm kinda awake now," Ghost said. "I'll turn it down low, though."
Steve lay down, and was out in no time. Ghost got his back-pack, and found a half package of peanut butter crackers, and a bottle of water. He finished writing what he'd started earlier, in his journal. On the tv, there was an old black and white, scary movie, so he watched most of that, then went outside for a few minutes.
Looking up into the night sky, the stars seemed closer, and brighter, here in the mountain atmosphere. He figured he wouldn't really know what to do if he actually saw a UFO...probably wave at it, or something just as silly. He giggled at the thought. In a few more minutes, he went back inside, having not seen one.
Getting into the bed with Steve, he pulled up the covers, snuggling into the warmth, after being chilled from the night air. Steve stirred, coming half-awake.
"Did ya see any?" he asked.
"No, but I looked," Ghost said.
"Well, maybe tomorrow then," Steve said. They both fell asleep.
~
Some time later, before dawn, there was a loud banging noise outside. Steve jerked awake, disoriented in the dark, unfamiliar room. The only light was from the neon motel sign.
"Ghost...did you hear that?" Steve shook Ghost awake. "Was that noise real, or was I dreaming it?"
The sound of breaking glass, made them both to sit straight up in the bed.
"That was real," Ghost said, grabbing hold of Steve. "What is it?"
Steve went to the window. "Aww, shit...call 911...some asshole just broke into our cars," he yelled. He leapt over to the door, and yanked it open. He saw a figure running away into the darkness.
Without thinking, Steve ran after the person, hollering curses at him. Ghost had found the phone, and actually remembered the letters for 911, and was now talking to the dispatcher.
"Yeah, they broke into our car and the U-Haul," he told them. "Steve is chasing them, and we're at a motel. Huh? ...I don't know the address or the name...just a minute, I'll go see." He ran outside to look for the motel sign. "It's the Road Runner Motel, and it says, free cable tv, and pool..." he read. He stayed on the line, until he heard sirens coming down the street. "Ok, yeah, I hear them coming," he said, "thank you."
He looked around for Steve, and saw him walking back. "Did you catch him?" Ghost asked.
"Naw, I almost did, but he got away," Steve said, shaking his head. "Those cops for us?"
"Uh-huh...go tell them."
Steve went to talk to the police, telling them what had happened, and they all went over to look at the damage to the van and U-Haul. Linda had come out of her room, to see what was going on, along with several other motel guest. The motel manager was there, too. Assessing the damage, they found the U-Haul's back loading door had been dented, and the lock cut, but evidently the thief hadn't been able to get in. Linda's car, though, had a window broken out, and the door was standing open. Things were scattered out on the pavement...mostly the kid's toys. Taking the description of the vandal for their report, the police then left, saying they'd be in touch, when they found the person.
Linda couldn't tell if anything had been taken, but there wasn't much of value in the van, anyway. But now, everything was covered in shattered glass. She began picking up items and shaking them off. "Why...why me...why now?" she kept muttering to herself.
There wasn't much they could do about the damage, until morning, and insurance would cover the repairs to the window. The manager brought out a sheet of clear plastic to tape over the window for now. Linda thanked him, and he mentioned a window repair place in town.
"I don't think he'll be coming back tonight, but if you and the kids want to stay in our room, you can," Steve said.
"Thanks, Steve, I'll be ok, and the kids are still asleep. We'll just stay in our room." She looked at him. "I can't believe you chased after him...and you're in just your underwear," she said, and laughed. "I was scared he might have a gun, or something."
"I know, me too," Steve said. "Probably wasn't the smart thing to do, running after him like that. Well, if you're sure y'all will be ok over there, I'm going back to bed for awhile."
"Me too, Steve. We'll get the window fixed, then I want to get going again," Linda said.
~
Steve paced around the motel room, too agitated to try and go back to sleep. Ghost had gotten back in bed, and was watching Steve go back and forth.
"I do, too" Ghost said.
Steve looked over at him. "Huh? You do too, what?"
"Want to get out of this state. That's what you were thinking, wasn't it?" Ghost asked.
"Oh, yeah...it was."
"I heard you, and I know why...'cause just bad stuff has happened, ever since we got here, and maybe more bad stuff is gonna happen."
Steve nodded. "Yeah, I mean, New Mexico is cool and all, but just too weird for me, I guess. I know you wanted to see a UFO, but with our luck, if we did, it'd probably suck us up, and we'd never be seen again."
Nodding, Ghost said, "It'd disappear us, huh?"
"Yep, or take us underground in those tunnels I heard about."
"Ooo, I don't wanna go in no tunnels, Steve," Ghost said. "But, we could go in that big 'ol cave, though, 'cause other people would be there...not just aliens. That would be ok."
Steve rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but we're not gonna do either one...we're getting the hell outta here as soon as we can, in the morning." He took another look out the window, then came and got into the bed. Slipping under the covers, he snuggled close to Ghost.
"I just really want to be home, Steve," Ghost said.
"Me too, this road trip adventure is just a bit too much..." Steve said, and Ghost finished, saying, "adventure..."
"Mm-hmm," Steve said, right up next to Ghost's ear.
Ghost turned toward Steve, running his hand lightly over Steve's face. "I love you."
"I love you, too," Steve said. They kissed and fell asleep holding each other close.
~
Next part coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
# 252
warning...adult content
~
Steve found a radio station that came in good, and Ghost wrote in his journal, as they continued their way down I-40 toward home. Missing Mile was still so far away, though, but they were making good time on the road now. There were increasing signs of trees, as they were coming out of the desert lands, and getting closer to the Lincoln National Forest, in New Mexico. They were happy to see mountains again. It reminded them of home.
Steve was getting tired of driving, after awhile, and he yawned. It was growing dark, but there were still around forty miles yet, until the next town, where they planned on spending the night. Ghost had fallen asleep a little while ago, his journal still open, with the marker ink soaking into the page.
Remembering Ghost's UFO stories, Steve kept scanning the darkening sky for one. Finally, they approached the town of Tucumcari, and Steve reached over to wake Ghost up.
"Hey, we're almost there...wake up."
"Ok, ok...are we getting out?" Ghost asked.
"Yeah, help me look for a motel sign," Steve said, and in a few minutes they did spot one, and he pulled into the parking lot. Linda was close behind them in her van.
"I'll go in and get a couple of rooms," Steve said. When he returned, they drove around, and were able to be right in front of their rooms. They began unloading a few essentials that they'd need for overnight. Linda, Stevie and Mandy went inside theirs, to get ready for bed. She settled the kids and herself onto the bed, watching the tv until they all fell asleep.
Steve and Ghost did the same in their room. Ghost took a shower, then climbed into bed. Steve was next, and as Ghost listened and smiled, as he heard Steve singing. Steve usually didn't think he had a good singing voice, but Ghost liked hearing him.
"Was that the new song you've been working on?" Ghost asked, when Steve came back into the room.
"Yeah...you could hear me?"
"It sounded good. I want to hear some more," Ghost said.
"Ok, let me get my guitar, then you can hear what I've got so far." He sat on the edge of the bed, and played and sang the words. It wasn't finished, but the theme of it was about traveling on the road in the desert, including moonlight, UFOs and the both of them."
"I love it already," Ghost said.
Steve shrugged. "Really? The words just sorta came to me, and then I just played some notes I was thinking of. I think it goes together ok, do you?"
"Yes, it's kinda eerie, too...I like that sound," Ghost said. "We'll have to record it for our next CD. I need to do some, too."
Steve laughed, and agreed. "We've been so busy lately, but we'll be back to normal real soon. We'll get back to our songs and gigs again." Then, yawning, he put the guitar down. "I'm beat...I've gotta get some sleep. You can keep watching tv, if you want to. It won't bother me."
"Ok...yeah, since I slept some already today, I'm kinda awake now," Ghost said. "I'll turn it down low, though."
Steve lay down, and was out in no time. Ghost got his back-pack, and found a half package of peanut butter crackers, and a bottle of water. He finished writing what he'd started earlier, in his journal. On the tv, there was an old black and white, scary movie, so he watched most of that, then went outside for a few minutes.
Looking up into the night sky, the stars seemed closer, and brighter, here in the mountain atmosphere. He figured he wouldn't really know what to do if he actually saw a UFO...probably wave at it, or something just as silly. He giggled at the thought. In a few more minutes, he went back inside, having not seen one.
Getting into the bed with Steve, he pulled up the covers, snuggling into the warmth, after being chilled from the night air. Steve stirred, coming half-awake.
"Did ya see any?" he asked.
"No, but I looked," Ghost said.
"Well, maybe tomorrow then," Steve said. They both fell asleep.
~
Some time later, before dawn, there was a loud banging noise outside. Steve jerked awake, disoriented in the dark, unfamiliar room. The only light was from the neon motel sign.
"Ghost...did you hear that?" Steve shook Ghost awake. "Was that noise real, or was I dreaming it?"
The sound of breaking glass, made them both to sit straight up in the bed.
"That was real," Ghost said, grabbing hold of Steve. "What is it?"
Steve went to the window. "Aww, shit...call 911...some asshole just broke into our cars," he yelled. He leapt over to the door, and yanked it open. He saw a figure running away into the darkness.
Without thinking, Steve ran after the person, hollering curses at him. Ghost had found the phone, and actually remembered the letters for 911, and was now talking to the dispatcher.
"Yeah, they broke into our car and the U-Haul," he told them. "Steve is chasing them, and we're at a motel. Huh? ...I don't know the address or the name...just a minute, I'll go see." He ran outside to look for the motel sign. "It's the Road Runner Motel, and it says, free cable tv, and pool..." he read. He stayed on the line, until he heard sirens coming down the street. "Ok, yeah, I hear them coming," he said, "thank you."
He looked around for Steve, and saw him walking back. "Did you catch him?" Ghost asked.
"Naw, I almost did, but he got away," Steve said, shaking his head. "Those cops for us?"
"Uh-huh...go tell them."
Steve went to talk to the police, telling them what had happened, and they all went over to look at the damage to the van and U-Haul. Linda had come out of her room, to see what was going on, along with several other motel guest. The motel manager was there, too. Assessing the damage, they found the U-Haul's back loading door had been dented, and the lock cut, but evidently the thief hadn't been able to get in. Linda's car, though, had a window broken out, and the door was standing open. Things were scattered out on the pavement...mostly the kid's toys. Taking the description of the vandal for their report, the police then left, saying they'd be in touch, when they found the person.
Linda couldn't tell if anything had been taken, but there wasn't much of value in the van, anyway. But now, everything was covered in shattered glass. She began picking up items and shaking them off. "Why...why me...why now?" she kept muttering to herself.
There wasn't much they could do about the damage, until morning, and insurance would cover the repairs to the window. The manager brought out a sheet of clear plastic to tape over the window for now. Linda thanked him, and he mentioned a window repair place in town.
"I don't think he'll be coming back tonight, but if you and the kids want to stay in our room, you can," Steve said.
"Thanks, Steve, I'll be ok, and the kids are still asleep. We'll just stay in our room." She looked at him. "I can't believe you chased after him...and you're in just your underwear," she said, and laughed. "I was scared he might have a gun, or something."
"I know, me too," Steve said. "Probably wasn't the smart thing to do, running after him like that. Well, if you're sure y'all will be ok over there, I'm going back to bed for awhile."
"Me too, Steve. We'll get the window fixed, then I want to get going again," Linda said.
~
Steve paced around the motel room, too agitated to try and go back to sleep. Ghost had gotten back in bed, and was watching Steve go back and forth.
"I do, too" Ghost said.
Steve looked over at him. "Huh? You do too, what?"
"Want to get out of this state. That's what you were thinking, wasn't it?" Ghost asked.
"Oh, yeah...it was."
"I heard you, and I know why...'cause just bad stuff has happened, ever since we got here, and maybe more bad stuff is gonna happen."
Steve nodded. "Yeah, I mean, New Mexico is cool and all, but just too weird for me, I guess. I know you wanted to see a UFO, but with our luck, if we did, it'd probably suck us up, and we'd never be seen again."
Nodding, Ghost said, "It'd disappear us, huh?"
"Yep, or take us underground in those tunnels I heard about."
"Ooo, I don't wanna go in no tunnels, Steve," Ghost said. "But, we could go in that big 'ol cave, though, 'cause other people would be there...not just aliens. That would be ok."
Steve rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but we're not gonna do either one...we're getting the hell outta here as soon as we can, in the morning." He took another look out the window, then came and got into the bed. Slipping under the covers, he snuggled close to Ghost.
"I just really want to be home, Steve," Ghost said.
"Me too, this road trip adventure is just a bit too much..." Steve said, and Ghost finished, saying, "adventure..."
"Mm-hmm," Steve said, right up next to Ghost's ear.
Ghost turned toward Steve, running his hand lightly over Steve's face. "I love you."
"I love you, too," Steve said. They kissed and fell asleep holding each other close.
~
Next part coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
Friday, December 4, 2015
TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE ... # 251
TWO SOULS: INTO THE FIRE
# 251
warning...adult content
~
"I'll order whatever sounds like UFO food," Ghost said, still talking about what he wanted to eat when they stopped in New Mexico.
"You're weird, ya know," Steve said.
"I know," Ghost said. He got out his journal and pen, and began drawing pictures of aliens and UFOs. He'd show Steve what he drew, every once in awhile. "How do you like this one?" he kept asking.
"I like all of them," Steve said, glancing at the page. "You draw really good. Where do you get ideas for aliens, anyway...tv?"
"Nuh-uh...them shows are fake. I seen real ones before...in a dream, but it wasn't a dream. I think I was there where they were, looking at them," Ghost said.
Steve knew Ghost was off and running with another fantastical story, but he loved hearing them, so he kept asking questions. "When was this dream, not a dream deal?"
"Oh, a long time ago, before I was here." Ghost said.
"Up in the mountains?"
"No, before that...another time," Ghost said. "I was here before this time...you know..." he sighed. "I still miss it sometimes...that other time."
"You're not making sense...what other time?" Steve asked.
Ghost thought a minute. "Didn't I tell you before, that we both knew each other a bunch of other times? That's why we're together now, 'cause we always were supposed to be. We'll always be together...even when we're gone from here."
Frowning, Steve was still confused. "You told me before?"
"Yeah, I think so. My grandmother told me, and she told you. Then I told you again. Remember?"
Steve thought about it, trying to get what Ghost was talking about. He vaguely remembered the strange conversation he'd had with Ghost's grandmother, Miz Deliverance, that day he rescued Ghost behind the school, many years ago. What had she said...that he and Ghost were meant to meet again, but only when the time was right...and then...it was the right time.
"I kinda remember that, Ghost. I didn't get it then, though, and I still don't, but it is a familiar feeling...I get this weird knowing about us, that I can't put into words."
"Yeah, that's it," Ghost said. "Exactly. There's a word for it, for when you come back, and another word for what we are...re...something..." he tried to think of the words.
"Oh, you mean reincarnation?" Steve asked. "Is that it? I've heard of that, and it's like you said...we come back again and again."
"That's the word, Steve, and that's what we did. And, the other words is soul-mates, I just remembered. That's what we are...our souls are meant to be together, no matter what, no matter when, and in every lifetime we're in...every one of them." Ghost laughed. "And, here we are today."
Steve laughed, too. "That's so cool. That's the connection we have. I get it, now."
Ghost nodded, "And our name too...Lost Souls?...'cause it fits...we are lost souls 'till we find each other again. I'm glad it's you, Steve. I wouldn't want it to be anybody else."
"Me too, Ghost...it wouldn't work any other way," Steve said.
They rode in silence a little while, both thinking of it. Then, Steve asked, "What's that got to do with UFOs?"
"Huh?" Ghost asked. "Oh, you mean me seeing them in a maybe dream, and the stuff between us? Nothing, I guess, except I remember this other place and time I was in, and they were there. I don't think I stayed very long in that place, that time, 'cause I couldn't find you, and I had to keep searching. You weren't one of the aliens."
"But, you kind of miss that place?"
"Yeah, 'cause it was pretty neat. I didn't live very long...didn't get to know it much."
"Would you go back there, if you had a chance?" Steve asked. "If a UFO stopped us, right here in the road, and asked you to come back...would you go?"
"No, why would I?" Ghost said, shaking his head. "You are here, Steve. This is where I belong."
"Good, I want you to stay here with me," Steve said, smiling.
~
After awhile, they came to the next city, Albuquerque. Steve pulled into a large parking lot, and waited for Linda to catch up. "Here she is," he said, getting out of the U-Haul.
Linda pulled her van up next to them, and rolled down the window. Steve leaned in, and asked, "Just wondering if you have any idea of where you and the kids want to eat."
"Anything but fast food and sandwiches," she said. "I need a break, and want some real food, today." She laughed.
They scanned the area of town they were in, but didn't see anything likely. "Maybe we could ask someone over in that convenience store? Surely, they'd know a good place to eat," Linda said.
"Ok, I'll go ask," Steve said, and walked over to the little store.
The kids were getting fidgety, wanting to get out and run around. "We'll get out in a few minutes. Uncle Steve will be right back, then we'll go eat."
When Steve rejoined them, Linda asked, "What did you find out?"
"Ok, there's a restaurant about two blocks over there," he said, pointing. "It has all different things. Then there's a diner, about a mile up the road, and a truck stop on the way out of town. Which one sounds the best?"
"The restaurant, will be fine," Linda said.
Steve went back to the U-Haul. "Did you find a place?" Ghost asked. He began putting away his book and markers.
"Yep, and looks like it's right over there," Steve said, as he was pulling into the parking lot.
Inside the restaurant, they were led to a booth, and given menus. Ghost looked it over and laughed. "See...I told you there'd be UFO food," he showed Steve, pointing out the names of some of the choices.
"You're right," Steve said, reading them off out loud.
About half the menu did have funny UFO names for the pretty much ordinary food. There was 'planetary meatballs and spaghetti', 'flying saucer tortillas' for a build your own burrito, 'E-T tacos', 'alien appetizer platter', 'close encounter' enchiladas, and 'galaxy grilled chicken', among other things. They made their choices, and drank iced-tea while they waited for their order to be ready.
"This is the weirdest place I ever ate at," Steve said, as he looked around.
"I know," Linda said. "I don't even know what it's supposed to be...is it a Mexican food place?"
"Kind of, but the waiters are all dressed...well, like Mexicans from outer space." He snickered at that.
Ghost was taking it all in. He had a grin on his face, and was enjoying the spectacle. There was a hodge-podge of costumes the waiters and waitresses were wearing, from serapes and sombreros, to alien ears, and antennas, in any combination. The décor was just as mixed up, and the music playing over the speakers was western songs, alternating with sci-fy movie themes.
Their waiter came by to let them know it wouldn't be long. "Y'all's order is working, but if the kids want to burn off some energy, there's a kid space over through that door," he said, pointing to the back of the room.
"Thanks," Linda said. "That's just what they need." She and Steve took Stevie and Mandy over to play. Ghost got out his camera, and wandered around snapping pictures. Several other customers were doing the same, and he got to talk to them about where they were from, and where they were going. It was like a family party atmosphere in the restaurant. He found his way into the play area, to take pictures of the kids. They were having a ball, hollering and playing on all the equipment, with some other kids. After a little while, their waiter motioned to them that their food was ready, so they rounded up the kids, and went back to their table. There was so much food there, the table was filled.
"Oh, my...we ordered a lot," Linda said.
"Well, let's get started, then," Steve said.
They ate until they could hold no more. "I'm dying," Ghost said. "I ate too much."
"But it was so good," said Steve, pushing his plate away. Even the kids had eaten a lot, for them. They paid their way out, and went back to the cars.
"Ready to get back on the road?" Steve asked. "There's a few more hours until it gets dark."
"Sure, we really should," Linda said. "Then we can all sleep good tonight at a motel."
They pulled out of the parking lot, and found the Interstate highway, again. Everyone was refreshed from their break.
~
Next part coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
# 251
warning...adult content
~
"I'll order whatever sounds like UFO food," Ghost said, still talking about what he wanted to eat when they stopped in New Mexico.
"You're weird, ya know," Steve said.
"I know," Ghost said. He got out his journal and pen, and began drawing pictures of aliens and UFOs. He'd show Steve what he drew, every once in awhile. "How do you like this one?" he kept asking.
"I like all of them," Steve said, glancing at the page. "You draw really good. Where do you get ideas for aliens, anyway...tv?"
"Nuh-uh...them shows are fake. I seen real ones before...in a dream, but it wasn't a dream. I think I was there where they were, looking at them," Ghost said.
Steve knew Ghost was off and running with another fantastical story, but he loved hearing them, so he kept asking questions. "When was this dream, not a dream deal?"
"Oh, a long time ago, before I was here." Ghost said.
"Up in the mountains?"
"No, before that...another time," Ghost said. "I was here before this time...you know..." he sighed. "I still miss it sometimes...that other time."
"You're not making sense...what other time?" Steve asked.
Ghost thought a minute. "Didn't I tell you before, that we both knew each other a bunch of other times? That's why we're together now, 'cause we always were supposed to be. We'll always be together...even when we're gone from here."
Frowning, Steve was still confused. "You told me before?"
"Yeah, I think so. My grandmother told me, and she told you. Then I told you again. Remember?"
Steve thought about it, trying to get what Ghost was talking about. He vaguely remembered the strange conversation he'd had with Ghost's grandmother, Miz Deliverance, that day he rescued Ghost behind the school, many years ago. What had she said...that he and Ghost were meant to meet again, but only when the time was right...and then...it was the right time.
"I kinda remember that, Ghost. I didn't get it then, though, and I still don't, but it is a familiar feeling...I get this weird knowing about us, that I can't put into words."
"Yeah, that's it," Ghost said. "Exactly. There's a word for it, for when you come back, and another word for what we are...re...something..." he tried to think of the words.
"Oh, you mean reincarnation?" Steve asked. "Is that it? I've heard of that, and it's like you said...we come back again and again."
"That's the word, Steve, and that's what we did. And, the other words is soul-mates, I just remembered. That's what we are...our souls are meant to be together, no matter what, no matter when, and in every lifetime we're in...every one of them." Ghost laughed. "And, here we are today."
Steve laughed, too. "That's so cool. That's the connection we have. I get it, now."
Ghost nodded, "And our name too...Lost Souls?...'cause it fits...we are lost souls 'till we find each other again. I'm glad it's you, Steve. I wouldn't want it to be anybody else."
"Me too, Ghost...it wouldn't work any other way," Steve said.
They rode in silence a little while, both thinking of it. Then, Steve asked, "What's that got to do with UFOs?"
"Huh?" Ghost asked. "Oh, you mean me seeing them in a maybe dream, and the stuff between us? Nothing, I guess, except I remember this other place and time I was in, and they were there. I don't think I stayed very long in that place, that time, 'cause I couldn't find you, and I had to keep searching. You weren't one of the aliens."
"But, you kind of miss that place?"
"Yeah, 'cause it was pretty neat. I didn't live very long...didn't get to know it much."
"Would you go back there, if you had a chance?" Steve asked. "If a UFO stopped us, right here in the road, and asked you to come back...would you go?"
"No, why would I?" Ghost said, shaking his head. "You are here, Steve. This is where I belong."
"Good, I want you to stay here with me," Steve said, smiling.
~
After awhile, they came to the next city, Albuquerque. Steve pulled into a large parking lot, and waited for Linda to catch up. "Here she is," he said, getting out of the U-Haul.
Linda pulled her van up next to them, and rolled down the window. Steve leaned in, and asked, "Just wondering if you have any idea of where you and the kids want to eat."
"Anything but fast food and sandwiches," she said. "I need a break, and want some real food, today." She laughed.
They scanned the area of town they were in, but didn't see anything likely. "Maybe we could ask someone over in that convenience store? Surely, they'd know a good place to eat," Linda said.
"Ok, I'll go ask," Steve said, and walked over to the little store.
The kids were getting fidgety, wanting to get out and run around. "We'll get out in a few minutes. Uncle Steve will be right back, then we'll go eat."
When Steve rejoined them, Linda asked, "What did you find out?"
"Ok, there's a restaurant about two blocks over there," he said, pointing. "It has all different things. Then there's a diner, about a mile up the road, and a truck stop on the way out of town. Which one sounds the best?"
"The restaurant, will be fine," Linda said.
Steve went back to the U-Haul. "Did you find a place?" Ghost asked. He began putting away his book and markers.
"Yep, and looks like it's right over there," Steve said, as he was pulling into the parking lot.
Inside the restaurant, they were led to a booth, and given menus. Ghost looked it over and laughed. "See...I told you there'd be UFO food," he showed Steve, pointing out the names of some of the choices.
"You're right," Steve said, reading them off out loud.
About half the menu did have funny UFO names for the pretty much ordinary food. There was 'planetary meatballs and spaghetti', 'flying saucer tortillas' for a build your own burrito, 'E-T tacos', 'alien appetizer platter', 'close encounter' enchiladas, and 'galaxy grilled chicken', among other things. They made their choices, and drank iced-tea while they waited for their order to be ready.
"This is the weirdest place I ever ate at," Steve said, as he looked around.
"I know," Linda said. "I don't even know what it's supposed to be...is it a Mexican food place?"
"Kind of, but the waiters are all dressed...well, like Mexicans from outer space." He snickered at that.
Ghost was taking it all in. He had a grin on his face, and was enjoying the spectacle. There was a hodge-podge of costumes the waiters and waitresses were wearing, from serapes and sombreros, to alien ears, and antennas, in any combination. The décor was just as mixed up, and the music playing over the speakers was western songs, alternating with sci-fy movie themes.
Their waiter came by to let them know it wouldn't be long. "Y'all's order is working, but if the kids want to burn off some energy, there's a kid space over through that door," he said, pointing to the back of the room.
"Thanks," Linda said. "That's just what they need." She and Steve took Stevie and Mandy over to play. Ghost got out his camera, and wandered around snapping pictures. Several other customers were doing the same, and he got to talk to them about where they were from, and where they were going. It was like a family party atmosphere in the restaurant. He found his way into the play area, to take pictures of the kids. They were having a ball, hollering and playing on all the equipment, with some other kids. After a little while, their waiter motioned to them that their food was ready, so they rounded up the kids, and went back to their table. There was so much food there, the table was filled.
"Oh, my...we ordered a lot," Linda said.
"Well, let's get started, then," Steve said.
They ate until they could hold no more. "I'm dying," Ghost said. "I ate too much."
"But it was so good," said Steve, pushing his plate away. Even the kids had eaten a lot, for them. They paid their way out, and went back to the cars.
"Ready to get back on the road?" Steve asked. "There's a few more hours until it gets dark."
"Sure, we really should," Linda said. "Then we can all sleep good tonight at a motel."
They pulled out of the parking lot, and found the Interstate highway, again. Everyone was refreshed from their break.
~
Next part coming soon!
Peace, Love, & Writing
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