They returned, the sound of wings. Tomorrow I fall in line.
Nothing can save me, not wings.
Apples must be culled.
No matter how many lurk in the orchard.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Women's Clothes - JFHire
I am fashion.
I am changing.
I regenerate.
I die.
I envelope you,
I am holding you,
You move on from me.
I am discareded.
On a cold day, I am holding the homeless.
One a summer day, months since those homeless people have risked frost-bite,
Young money has re-connected with me, for a hobo-chic look.
I am now reborn, and trashy.
I am changing.
I regenerate.
I die.
I envelope you,
I am holding you,
You move on from me.
I am discareded.
On a cold day, I am holding the homeless.
One a summer day, months since those homeless people have risked frost-bite,
Young money has re-connected with me, for a hobo-chic look.
I am now reborn, and trashy.
No More Pants - JFHIRE
Imagine my life
with no slacks.
Pretend that you
could relax.
I'd walk into a room,
ignore stares of gloom,
And request to be seated in the no-slack zone,
Where legs are easier to tan.
with no slacks.
Pretend that you
could relax.
I'd walk into a room,
ignore stares of gloom,
And request to be seated in the no-slack zone,
Where legs are easier to tan.
Deep Sea - JFHire
An announcer comes over an intercom:
FOR ONE DAY ONLY, YOU CAN PURCHASE DEEP SEA DRONE FOR HALF OFF!
Join the rest of the world and dive to the depths of the unknown using state of the art cameras and technology.
We're glad to announce that the DSD is the newest device used in both marine biology and oil spill recovery.
There may be knockoffs, but don't be fooled.
This DSD, for such a low price, is color customizable and, get this, YOU pick where it is launched.
Want to be the first to discover sealife in the dead sea? Buy now!
Want to battle other drones in a sub v sub battle in local arenas? Buy now!
Want to just enjoy the last place on earth where oxygen won't cause combustion due to solar radiation? BUY NOW!
Listen to these testimonials!
"I'm Jim, and I'm a professional marine biologist-- and with the filters and different games within the DSD, I have seen the sea as never before!"
"I'm Andy, a schoolteacher, and our school dome has daily auditorium visits to the DSD scenes to learn about life.
"I'm Andre! I love opening LAN and joining my fiends in arena battles! I'm top of my clan, and #57 in worldwide leaderboards!"
FOR ONE DAY ONLY, YOU CAN PURCHASE DEEP SEA DRONE FOR HALF OFF!
Join the rest of the world and dive to the depths of the unknown using state of the art cameras and technology.
We're glad to announce that the DSD is the newest device used in both marine biology and oil spill recovery.
There may be knockoffs, but don't be fooled.
This DSD, for such a low price, is color customizable and, get this, YOU pick where it is launched.
Want to be the first to discover sealife in the dead sea? Buy now!
Want to battle other drones in a sub v sub battle in local arenas? Buy now!
Want to just enjoy the last place on earth where oxygen won't cause combustion due to solar radiation? BUY NOW!
Listen to these testimonials!
"I'm Jim, and I'm a professional marine biologist-- and with the filters and different games within the DSD, I have seen the sea as never before!"
"I'm Andy, a schoolteacher, and our school dome has daily auditorium visits to the DSD scenes to learn about life.
"I'm Andre! I love opening LAN and joining my fiends in arena battles! I'm top of my clan, and #57 in worldwide leaderboards!"
Living Books - JFHire
"Book seventeen, tell me about the woods."
In a moment, a holographic image jittered into position before me, focused and smiled at me.
"They are deep, and I have many miles to go before I sleep."
My own smiled recoiled, and I turned away from the image.
"Go to sleep, book."
As it faded out of the chamber, I returned to the raven perched on my work station.
"Nevermore," it chided.
I nodded, "nevermore."
In a moment, a holographic image jittered into position before me, focused and smiled at me.
"They are deep, and I have many miles to go before I sleep."
My own smiled recoiled, and I turned away from the image.
"Go to sleep, book."
As it faded out of the chamber, I returned to the raven perched on my work station.
"Nevermore," it chided.
I nodded, "nevermore."
Friday, January 10, 2014
72 Artificial Ignorance - RT Shores
The complaints at my second boutique were increasing daily. It was only one town over so I decided to check it out myself.
I looked in the mirror and knew I would have to adjust my look. I pulled my unwashed hair in a ponytail, didn't apply makeup and decided to wear my mother's purple running suit with loafers and white socks.
Glasses instead of contacts almost completed the look. I needed one more touch and slid a slim pillow so it looked like I had a tummy too.
I parked a few blocks away so I could go by the spy shop for a camera and microphone. They were installed in my purse and even linked to my iPhone.
I stopped in front of the store and pretended to window shop. The manager ignored me and a younger employee turned on her heel and walked to the back of the store.
I walked in and said, "Hey-ay! How you doin'?" She looked me up and down.
"We don't carry your size." She turned her back on me.
I laughed annoyingly. "It ain't fer me, but my niece and she is the size of the youngin' in the back there. Ask her to come on back out here, would ya?"
"Marisa?" The curtains flew black with annoyed force and she stormed forward on six inch stilettos. "This woman says her niece is your size and would like to shop for her."
Marisa sighed. "Listen, lady, you can't afford it here, so go to a discount store." She walked off again.
I called my original store and told them to close down and head to the second store. I just stood there and began to change my appearance a bit. I also pulled up the records of the manager and the clerk and selected termination papers. They were both at will employees still, so I then calculated their wages and printed their checks on their own printer.
The manager gasped and then the clerk came running out. I handed them their packets and checks and told them to get out.
They stood there open-mouthed and then walked out the door, both in tears.
My crew showed up and made sure all was secured and closed up the shop with a sign that said 'Closed for Remodeling'. I locked the door.
Sometimes intelligence can interfere with a simple matter while dealing with the ignorant.
"Marisa?" The curtains flew black with annoyed force and she stormed forward on six inch stilettos. "This woman says her niece is your size and would like to shop for her."
Marisa sighed. "Listen, lady, you can't afford it here, so go to a discount store." She walked off again.
I called my original store and told them to close down and head to the second store. I just stood there and began to change my appearance a bit. I also pulled up the records of the manager and the clerk and selected termination papers. They were both at will employees still, so I then calculated their wages and printed their checks on their own printer.
The manager gasped and then the clerk came running out. I handed them their packets and checks and told them to get out.
They stood there open-mouthed and then walked out the door, both in tears.
My crew showed up and made sure all was secured and closed up the shop with a sign that said 'Closed for Remodeling'. I locked the door.
Sometimes intelligence can interfere with a simple matter while dealing with the ignorant.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
70 Processed Foods - RT Shores (Sci Fi)
"Yummy! What's this called?" I asked the FoodBot.
His mechanical voice stated - 'Protein toast' and he rolled away.
The place was deserted, not many opting for the the latest in processed foods, but it was cheap and filling. Hell, the other stuff would kill you too, so might as well try something new.
There were shiny red walls with white stripes and a black and white checkerboard floor. The tables and chairs looked like retro soda shop and the music was all 1950's. It was fun and lively and if I didn't get sick, I would bring my friends.
The food tasted like cheese toast and then there was real Coca Cola. I tapped the menu and ordered fried starch and the bot was there rapidly with scalding hot, what looked like french fries. I would order these together next time! He scanned my forehead for debit points and I checked my comp unit and saw I had only spent three debits, so less than the old dollar, cool!
I took my trash to the receptacle and the bot thanked me and asked if I would do a survey for free credits on my next meal. He held out what looked like a large computer tablet with the questions.
Number 1: Do you have a garden? No
Number 2: Do you ever cook at home? Rarely
Number 3: Did you enjoy your visit to the AutoBot Cafe? Yes
I left and walked the short distance to my home. I lived in the back of an old shoe repair shop and inhaled the aroma of old shoe polishes, over a century old. It smelled wonderful. I had read the brochures of the shop and the polish was applied to leather shoes. I then had to look up leather and was disgusted and threw the brochure away.
Leather came from the time of meat eaters and animal killers. It was horrible. I shared my tiny home with many animals, free to come and go. I fed them from supplies dropped off weekly. I was told I had dogs and cats and something called a bird. We didn't quite know how to interact except when I slept and then I would feel the dog and cat get into bed with me and the cat would vibrate me with a soothing vibration, someone had told me was a purr. It was lovely.
I am female and older than most, at 33, but I am used to the stares. They say I am just healthy and could live to even 35 years old. I really do have a garden, but they are illegal, so I had to lie. I had found, in the the shoe shop, a wooden box of Heirloom seeds and studied them. I planted one seed as directed and grew a small plant called tomato. I ate all the red fruit and saved some of its seeds.
I am now growing a lettuce. It looks like leaves, but it is said to be good for you, so I will eat it too. The bird likes bits of the stuff I grow, but the cat and dog eat their kibble.
I don't cook at home, for there is no room to cook. My place is 10 feet by 10 feet, they said, but nice and warm with my own water and toilet and a thing called a sink to wash tings or myself. I found tiny bars of soap in the shoe shop too and it was said it was for washing, so I washed everything with it.
As you walk in, the door opens just enough for me to squeeze in, which is good since I am tiny at 98 pounds. No big folks could get in. Behind the door was my sink and toilet. Straight ahead was my bed, called a futon, that I could lift up and hang on the wall should I like to walk or have more space.
Next to the bed was a standing light and the other side of the room were pallets for the animals and a bird cage. I had a slit window for a little sun.
The Realtor told me the shop came with the home, but I had to enter through the attic (my choice) or the front door. I preferred the attic so no one knew there was anything in it. The windows were painted black and the door was braced from the inside.
I had been investigating the store for several years, starting at the left front corner. It was quite and adventure.
I stretched on the futon and before I knew it the animals were in bed with me. We all moaned in comfort and were fast asleep.
I bathed at my sink and donned a fresh jumpsuit; pink on Tuesday and left for work. I needed food first so went to the cafe for coffee and special of the day. Today it was tossed protein and fried starch with Tang, a leftover from the early space days. It was satisfying and the coffee was very good for once.
My job was at the aquarium and I did anything assigned to me; anything to work there. It was surreal! Water everywhere; all around, above and below your feet. I mopped, scrubbed, swept, emptied trash. I think my title was janitor, an upper level position someone of my age, but I never complained or missed work so they allowed me to work the position.
I watched the fish eat green stuff in the aquarium under the guise of cleaning the glass. It looked like my lettuce. I asked one of the keepers what the fish was eating and he looked it up on his wrist display. "Sea grass. Why?"
"Some eat pellets and see some eat the green stuff, so was just wondering." He nodded. "They all eat a little of the green stuff at times." He walked off.
"Ann Shoe to the office please." I gathered my equipment and loaded my cleaning cart and headed to the office. I parked outside and removed my gloves. The door opened for me automatically.
"Shoe, Ann age thirty three years old. You are oldest employee and are doing a wonderful job. You have to go for another physical though, due to your age."
"Yes, Ma'am, I am ready." She handed me a sheath of papers.
"Go now, then. Your area is sparkling, as usual." I nodded, put my work cart away and went to the medical clinic.
I had to sit awhile and decided to read my file. It was boring. All it said was, 'Health, excellent' all the way down to childhood.
"Shoe, Ann?" I stood and followed the MedBot. I was weighed and measured and had every body fluid examined. I sat in a paper covering while awaited the human doctor.
"Ann, hello again! I am always surprised to see you! We would love to know how you are living so long and are in excellent health."
I told her every detail of my life, except my plants, and she recorded every word.
"Maybe having pets is good for you. You speak of such relaxation when you sleep with them. We will try that on a group and see if that helps. How do you like the new fried starch at the cafe? Good, huh?"
"Delicious! I might put on a few pounds." She smiled.
"You are quite small and weigh so little. Maybe a lower weight is also helping you?"
She dismissed me with a note to take to work tomorrow. I was to go home to my pets now after a picked up a free dinner at the cafe. She gave me a voucher for anything I wanted. I wondered what the animals would like...
I ordered the 'cheese toast and fried starch and a coca cola for me and then two different proteins for the animals. I skipped home and people stared, so I slowed to an old woman's pace.
We all sat on the futon and shared the feast, but not before I went to the attic and grabbed some lettuce for me and bird. I should grow more up there. There was a skylight, so I couldn't let things be seen by the drones, but they needed sunshine, I had learned. I would have to ask my friend, Bob Book.
It was early, so I walked to his home, an old book store. I traded him shoe items for books.
He was delighted to have company and offered me a sweet, but I declined. My stomach didn't like sweets. He also had a secret, so I had told him mine. He was making sweets to sell.
"Do you have a book, or know, of glass that sunshine can get through, but the drones can't see through?"
"Hm, let me think about that one wile you get a free book for turning down a sweet!" I chose a gardening book, but had to hide it in my fake pouch in my overhauls. Luckily it was small. I thanked him and left ready for a new book.
Cat, dog and I opened the book, once I had disguised the cover with another book; drone check being due anytime now, and I began to read. I was so glad I had water in my home and was able to use soil from the basement, rich and almost black and it smelled wonderful. Now for the sunshine... I could use lamps, but power was monitored. I would have to wait for Bob.
I really just needed a way that the drones would see something else. A hologram! I would ask Bob. I would prefer being able to slide the window up on one side since glass filtered some of the rays they needed. Well, time to sleep on it.
When I arrived at work and turned in my medical file, the secretary told me to take it right back to medical for another consultation. I guess my age was catching up with me.
"Please, have a seat." Said the doctor. "We have some interesting findings on you and I would like to ask a few more questions. First, I see that you like to take walks, long walks on the weekend. Where do you go?"
"To where the plants begin, but I never cross the border, of course."
"Do you touch them?" I nodded.
"Have you ever eaten any part of one?" I knew not to lie, for I could see a monitor reading me.
"I pinched a leaf once and it smelled so good, I munched some. I think it is called mint? I do that once in awhile to different things I see."
"Aren't you scared to try them?"
"Not really. Some seem safe and some don't. Like some colored things... you see birds eat one kind, but then another animal won't. I guess I just know."
"Would you be willing to go with a researcher and show him what you have tried and what you think you shouldn't try?"
"Sure! When?"
"Now?" I nodded.
I met the researcher at the back dock and we rode in a vehicle. I had never been in one before. It was quite small with a cloth roof and open sides. He fastened a belt around me so I wouldn't fall out.
I told him where to stop and he pulled over with multiple sample bags and scissors.
"Can you show me some you have tried and some you won't?"
I found the mint first and he moaned at the scent, cutting off a large sprig for the bag and tagging the plant with a red marker that said MINT.
I showed him the different types of mint; different scents and then a plunk distracted us. A squirrel had dropped a nut.
"Oh! These are great! This is a nut. You crack the hard shell and eat what is inside."
The border was just a foot away, so we could go no further, but I showed him different berries that I hadn't tried.
UNTRIED BERRIES he marked each and gathered some.
"Some birds eat, some don't. Squirrels won't eat them." We went back to the vehicle.
"Let's have lunch before we go back, okay?" I nodded. Maybe he knew a new place.
We went to his home. It was a trailer.
"What is your first name Mr. or Dr. Trailer?"
"Mr. and it is Tom." He smiled and led me behind the trailer. I stopped and gasped. He had a garden!
"Don't get excited! It is for the lab and the fish, but I was wondering if you had tried any of these before in the wild."
Scared about saying to much, I pointed to the lettuce. "It didn't make me sick and I even took a pinch home to my bird who loved it."
"Anything else look familiar?" I wondered if it was a test.
I knew all the pictures and wondered if they could tell I had a tomato before. I saw a tiny bush of cherry tomatoes and pointed.
"All the creatures were eating from that kind of bush one day, so I had a tiny one. It was delicious. It is a tomato, I think. Have you never tried any of these?"
"Oh, no! We are all too scared, but with your advanced years and your lab work being so good, we decided to ask. The highly processed, uh, food, is not very good for us."
"It makes me sick sometimes."
"I have been given a grant, debits, to start growing real food and I wanted to ask you about your experience."
"I will reveal, only to you, what I know, but only with an secured oath of secrecy. I am too old to go to prison." He nodded.
We drove back to the the Aquarium and he led me to the legal office where an AttorneyBot sat at a desk. We discussed the matter with him and he sent for a SweeperBot to make sure the room was sealed from transmissions. It was.
The AttorneyBot had us slide our hands in an apparatus and it was like we were shaking hands. It was pleasant at first, holding a warm human hand.
"Tell Mr. Trailer what he must swear to." I felt a buzzing on my hand and began to speak.
"You must swear not to reveal what I show you at my house, any part of my house or anything in my house without permission. Also, anything I said to you regarding the matters of today and how they apply to the future endeavors. Do you so swear?"
We braced ourselves. "I so swear." A electric buzz seared the backside of each of our pinkie fingers OATH. We were branded. It released us and we were handed a soothing bandage.
"Time to test the Oath, Mr. Trailer. What did Miss Shoe show you today? Now try to answer the question honestly of what she would NOT want you to say."
"Miss Shoe showed me..." He yelped in pain and his finger flared red.
"Good."
"May I ask a question?"
"Yes, Miss Shoe."
"What if he were to lose that finger in an accident?"
"It transfers to the next finger and can be moved all over the body. It is permanent."
"Thank you." Tom and I stood and bowed.
Our fingers were all ready healing. "I hear this is how they do marriages too! Ouch!" we both laughed and went back to work after I told him we would set up an appointment for the weekend. He agreed.
Tom arrived early with a big sample kit and caught us still in bed.
"I am so sorry, but I brought coffee and fried sugar dough." I smiled and we made room for him on the futon and even the animals liked a bit of the sugar dough. The cat and dog went out and he spread out a big pad of paper and even had a pouch of writing utensils. I gasped.
"Where do you get those and are they expensive?" He pulled off a section of the tablet and gave me two utensils.
I hugged them to me. I had always wanted to learn how to write.
I watched him write quickly, but had no idea what it said, so I was glad we had done the oath. He didn't write like typing, but a different way, something called cursive.
"Where would you like to start?" I asked.
"Seeds? Have you heard of those?" I gestured him to follow me and we went to the shoe shop up front. I opened the wooden case and showed him the sealed jars of packs of heirloom seeds.
"Oh my gosh! This is what was supposed to be passed on from person to person as people died, so we would always have fresh food!"
"They came with the house." I smiled.
He closed it tightly again and followed me to the attic. I showed him my mini garden and handed him a cherry tomato. I took one too and he ate them with joy. I gave him a little lettuce too.
"Soil, seed, water, sun and then food."
"Where do you get healthy soil?" He followed again.
When he saw the heaps of dark rich soil he smelled it. "How do you keep it from ruining?" I showed him how I turned and mixed it with a pitchfork.
"How did you learn to do all this?"
"A friend lends or gives me plant books on organic gardening?"
"Organic?"
"No chemicals, like what we eat all the time." I showed him my hidden stack of books and he wrote down titles to research, if he could find them.
"I will get to work and I think the first thing I want to do is find a place, maybe your roof, where we can grow more plants and see what happens. What do you think? How would you like that as your new job and teach others as well if it is all approved?"
"I would love it!" I let him out and was excited. Cat, dog and I took a nap dreaming of a new life.
All was approved within days and and engineer came to see how to open up the space, for it was all tiny rooms and narrow stairways. The basement would stay unchanged, but the front room would be combined with mine, with an office in the front for me to keep notes and then a larger living area for me and even an enclosed bathroom with a shower too.
They had moved us to a hotel, a fancy place that delivered food, but I began to feel sick, so Tom would bring anything growing so I could maintain my health.
I now entered in the front door and the back door was just for emergencies and the animal door. The office and living section were separated by a curtain that could be pulled back and there was a drop down table for eating.
The stairs to the roof were wide and deep now, with a conveyor system from the basement for soil. The roof, except the top was surrounded by smart concrete wall; I could see out, but no one could see in, except the drones, but they were part of the program now. The whole roof was a garden, with a table and chairs and watering system. The drones monitored the plants each twelve hours, but I still talked to them and even sang to them.
This behavior was reported and Tom came to see it.
"Why are you talking and singing to plants?"
"They are alive and it helps them grow." He nodded and made a note.
I showed him how to prune for shorter plants and all sorts of things I had read and learned. He recorded it all.
There was a group of select older citizens, 30 years old, to add fresh food to their diets and they began to flourish as I did.
The medical tests were all improving on them and the medical team wanted to try children and see how they fared. They too were vibrant and not Bot playing round balls of inactivity.
It was decided.
There was a citizens' meeting called and I was introduced as the city's oldest woman, thirty five now. I was also pregnant and married to Tom.
"We are honoring Ms. Shoe-Trailer as the Citizen of the Year for her contribution of fresh and healthy foods in our formerly processed food world."
I stood and bowed slightly.
"I will be glad to teach everyone to have their own home garden!" The crowd applauded.
I am fifty now and my children do most of the hard work, but I teach and select from the heirloom seeds. Every household found their own hidden supply, sealed for their use.
The AutoBot Cafe sat quiet as the aging and healthy population jogged by...
His mechanical voice stated - 'Protein toast' and he rolled away.
The place was deserted, not many opting for the the latest in processed foods, but it was cheap and filling. Hell, the other stuff would kill you too, so might as well try something new.
There were shiny red walls with white stripes and a black and white checkerboard floor. The tables and chairs looked like retro soda shop and the music was all 1950's. It was fun and lively and if I didn't get sick, I would bring my friends.
The food tasted like cheese toast and then there was real Coca Cola. I tapped the menu and ordered fried starch and the bot was there rapidly with scalding hot, what looked like french fries. I would order these together next time! He scanned my forehead for debit points and I checked my comp unit and saw I had only spent three debits, so less than the old dollar, cool!
I took my trash to the receptacle and the bot thanked me and asked if I would do a survey for free credits on my next meal. He held out what looked like a large computer tablet with the questions.
Number 1: Do you have a garden? No
Number 2: Do you ever cook at home? Rarely
Number 3: Did you enjoy your visit to the AutoBot Cafe? Yes
I left and walked the short distance to my home. I lived in the back of an old shoe repair shop and inhaled the aroma of old shoe polishes, over a century old. It smelled wonderful. I had read the brochures of the shop and the polish was applied to leather shoes. I then had to look up leather and was disgusted and threw the brochure away.
Leather came from the time of meat eaters and animal killers. It was horrible. I shared my tiny home with many animals, free to come and go. I fed them from supplies dropped off weekly. I was told I had dogs and cats and something called a bird. We didn't quite know how to interact except when I slept and then I would feel the dog and cat get into bed with me and the cat would vibrate me with a soothing vibration, someone had told me was a purr. It was lovely.
I am female and older than most, at 33, but I am used to the stares. They say I am just healthy and could live to even 35 years old. I really do have a garden, but they are illegal, so I had to lie. I had found, in the the shoe shop, a wooden box of Heirloom seeds and studied them. I planted one seed as directed and grew a small plant called tomato. I ate all the red fruit and saved some of its seeds.
I am now growing a lettuce. It looks like leaves, but it is said to be good for you, so I will eat it too. The bird likes bits of the stuff I grow, but the cat and dog eat their kibble.
I don't cook at home, for there is no room to cook. My place is 10 feet by 10 feet, they said, but nice and warm with my own water and toilet and a thing called a sink to wash tings or myself. I found tiny bars of soap in the shoe shop too and it was said it was for washing, so I washed everything with it.
As you walk in, the door opens just enough for me to squeeze in, which is good since I am tiny at 98 pounds. No big folks could get in. Behind the door was my sink and toilet. Straight ahead was my bed, called a futon, that I could lift up and hang on the wall should I like to walk or have more space.
Next to the bed was a standing light and the other side of the room were pallets for the animals and a bird cage. I had a slit window for a little sun.
The Realtor told me the shop came with the home, but I had to enter through the attic (my choice) or the front door. I preferred the attic so no one knew there was anything in it. The windows were painted black and the door was braced from the inside.
I had been investigating the store for several years, starting at the left front corner. It was quite and adventure.
I stretched on the futon and before I knew it the animals were in bed with me. We all moaned in comfort and were fast asleep.
Back To Work
My job was at the aquarium and I did anything assigned to me; anything to work there. It was surreal! Water everywhere; all around, above and below your feet. I mopped, scrubbed, swept, emptied trash. I think my title was janitor, an upper level position someone of my age, but I never complained or missed work so they allowed me to work the position.
I watched the fish eat green stuff in the aquarium under the guise of cleaning the glass. It looked like my lettuce. I asked one of the keepers what the fish was eating and he looked it up on his wrist display. "Sea grass. Why?"
"Some eat pellets and see some eat the green stuff, so was just wondering." He nodded. "They all eat a little of the green stuff at times." He walked off.
"Ann Shoe to the office please." I gathered my equipment and loaded my cleaning cart and headed to the office. I parked outside and removed my gloves. The door opened for me automatically.
"Shoe, Ann age thirty three years old. You are oldest employee and are doing a wonderful job. You have to go for another physical though, due to your age."
"Yes, Ma'am, I am ready." She handed me a sheath of papers.
"Go now, then. Your area is sparkling, as usual." I nodded, put my work cart away and went to the medical clinic.
I had to sit awhile and decided to read my file. It was boring. All it said was, 'Health, excellent' all the way down to childhood.
"Shoe, Ann?" I stood and followed the MedBot. I was weighed and measured and had every body fluid examined. I sat in a paper covering while awaited the human doctor.
"Ann, hello again! I am always surprised to see you! We would love to know how you are living so long and are in excellent health."
I told her every detail of my life, except my plants, and she recorded every word.
"Maybe having pets is good for you. You speak of such relaxation when you sleep with them. We will try that on a group and see if that helps. How do you like the new fried starch at the cafe? Good, huh?"
"Delicious! I might put on a few pounds." She smiled.
"You are quite small and weigh so little. Maybe a lower weight is also helping you?"
She dismissed me with a note to take to work tomorrow. I was to go home to my pets now after a picked up a free dinner at the cafe. She gave me a voucher for anything I wanted. I wondered what the animals would like...
I ordered the 'cheese toast and fried starch and a coca cola for me and then two different proteins for the animals. I skipped home and people stared, so I slowed to an old woman's pace.
We all sat on the futon and shared the feast, but not before I went to the attic and grabbed some lettuce for me and bird. I should grow more up there. There was a skylight, so I couldn't let things be seen by the drones, but they needed sunshine, I had learned. I would have to ask my friend, Bob Book.
It was early, so I walked to his home, an old book store. I traded him shoe items for books.
He was delighted to have company and offered me a sweet, but I declined. My stomach didn't like sweets. He also had a secret, so I had told him mine. He was making sweets to sell.
"Do you have a book, or know, of glass that sunshine can get through, but the drones can't see through?"
"Hm, let me think about that one wile you get a free book for turning down a sweet!" I chose a gardening book, but had to hide it in my fake pouch in my overhauls. Luckily it was small. I thanked him and left ready for a new book.
Cat, dog and I opened the book, once I had disguised the cover with another book; drone check being due anytime now, and I began to read. I was so glad I had water in my home and was able to use soil from the basement, rich and almost black and it smelled wonderful. Now for the sunshine... I could use lamps, but power was monitored. I would have to wait for Bob.
I really just needed a way that the drones would see something else. A hologram! I would ask Bob. I would prefer being able to slide the window up on one side since glass filtered some of the rays they needed. Well, time to sleep on it.
Back to Medical
"Please, have a seat." Said the doctor. "We have some interesting findings on you and I would like to ask a few more questions. First, I see that you like to take walks, long walks on the weekend. Where do you go?"
"To where the plants begin, but I never cross the border, of course."
"Do you touch them?" I nodded.
"Have you ever eaten any part of one?" I knew not to lie, for I could see a monitor reading me.
"I pinched a leaf once and it smelled so good, I munched some. I think it is called mint? I do that once in awhile to different things I see."
"Aren't you scared to try them?"
"Not really. Some seem safe and some don't. Like some colored things... you see birds eat one kind, but then another animal won't. I guess I just know."
"Would you be willing to go with a researcher and show him what you have tried and what you think you shouldn't try?"
"Sure! When?"
"Now?" I nodded.
I met the researcher at the back dock and we rode in a vehicle. I had never been in one before. It was quite small with a cloth roof and open sides. He fastened a belt around me so I wouldn't fall out.
I told him where to stop and he pulled over with multiple sample bags and scissors.
"Can you show me some you have tried and some you won't?"
I found the mint first and he moaned at the scent, cutting off a large sprig for the bag and tagging the plant with a red marker that said MINT.
I showed him the different types of mint; different scents and then a plunk distracted us. A squirrel had dropped a nut.
"Oh! These are great! This is a nut. You crack the hard shell and eat what is inside."
The border was just a foot away, so we could go no further, but I showed him different berries that I hadn't tried.
UNTRIED BERRIES he marked each and gathered some.
"Some birds eat, some don't. Squirrels won't eat them." We went back to the vehicle.
"Let's have lunch before we go back, okay?" I nodded. Maybe he knew a new place.
We went to his home. It was a trailer.
"What is your first name Mr. or Dr. Trailer?"
"Mr. and it is Tom." He smiled and led me behind the trailer. I stopped and gasped. He had a garden!
"Don't get excited! It is for the lab and the fish, but I was wondering if you had tried any of these before in the wild."
Scared about saying to much, I pointed to the lettuce. "It didn't make me sick and I even took a pinch home to my bird who loved it."
"Anything else look familiar?" I wondered if it was a test.
I knew all the pictures and wondered if they could tell I had a tomato before. I saw a tiny bush of cherry tomatoes and pointed.
"All the creatures were eating from that kind of bush one day, so I had a tiny one. It was delicious. It is a tomato, I think. Have you never tried any of these?"
"Oh, no! We are all too scared, but with your advanced years and your lab work being so good, we decided to ask. The highly processed, uh, food, is not very good for us."
"It makes me sick sometimes."
"I have been given a grant, debits, to start growing real food and I wanted to ask you about your experience."
"I will reveal, only to you, what I know, but only with an secured oath of secrecy. I am too old to go to prison." He nodded.
We drove back to the the Aquarium and he led me to the legal office where an AttorneyBot sat at a desk. We discussed the matter with him and he sent for a SweeperBot to make sure the room was sealed from transmissions. It was.
The AttorneyBot had us slide our hands in an apparatus and it was like we were shaking hands. It was pleasant at first, holding a warm human hand.
"Tell Mr. Trailer what he must swear to." I felt a buzzing on my hand and began to speak.
"You must swear not to reveal what I show you at my house, any part of my house or anything in my house without permission. Also, anything I said to you regarding the matters of today and how they apply to the future endeavors. Do you so swear?"
We braced ourselves. "I so swear." A electric buzz seared the backside of each of our pinkie fingers OATH. We were branded. It released us and we were handed a soothing bandage.
"Time to test the Oath, Mr. Trailer. What did Miss Shoe show you today? Now try to answer the question honestly of what she would NOT want you to say."
"Miss Shoe showed me..." He yelped in pain and his finger flared red.
"Good."
"May I ask a question?"
"Yes, Miss Shoe."
"What if he were to lose that finger in an accident?"
"It transfers to the next finger and can be moved all over the body. It is permanent."
"Thank you." Tom and I stood and bowed.
Our fingers were all ready healing. "I hear this is how they do marriages too! Ouch!" we both laughed and went back to work after I told him we would set up an appointment for the weekend. He agreed.
The Weekend Meeting
"I am so sorry, but I brought coffee and fried sugar dough." I smiled and we made room for him on the futon and even the animals liked a bit of the sugar dough. The cat and dog went out and he spread out a big pad of paper and even had a pouch of writing utensils. I gasped.
"Where do you get those and are they expensive?" He pulled off a section of the tablet and gave me two utensils.
I hugged them to me. I had always wanted to learn how to write.
I watched him write quickly, but had no idea what it said, so I was glad we had done the oath. He didn't write like typing, but a different way, something called cursive.
"Where would you like to start?" I asked.
"Seeds? Have you heard of those?" I gestured him to follow me and we went to the shoe shop up front. I opened the wooden case and showed him the sealed jars of packs of heirloom seeds.
"Oh my gosh! This is what was supposed to be passed on from person to person as people died, so we would always have fresh food!"
"They came with the house." I smiled.
He closed it tightly again and followed me to the attic. I showed him my mini garden and handed him a cherry tomato. I took one too and he ate them with joy. I gave him a little lettuce too.
"Soil, seed, water, sun and then food."
"Where do you get healthy soil?" He followed again.
When he saw the heaps of dark rich soil he smelled it. "How do you keep it from ruining?" I showed him how I turned and mixed it with a pitchfork.
"How did you learn to do all this?"
"A friend lends or gives me plant books on organic gardening?"
"Organic?"
"No chemicals, like what we eat all the time." I showed him my hidden stack of books and he wrote down titles to research, if he could find them.
"I will get to work and I think the first thing I want to do is find a place, maybe your roof, where we can grow more plants and see what happens. What do you think? How would you like that as your new job and teach others as well if it is all approved?"
"I would love it!" I let him out and was excited. Cat, dog and I took a nap dreaming of a new life.
My New Job
They had moved us to a hotel, a fancy place that delivered food, but I began to feel sick, so Tom would bring anything growing so I could maintain my health.
I now entered in the front door and the back door was just for emergencies and the animal door. The office and living section were separated by a curtain that could be pulled back and there was a drop down table for eating.
The stairs to the roof were wide and deep now, with a conveyor system from the basement for soil. The roof, except the top was surrounded by smart concrete wall; I could see out, but no one could see in, except the drones, but they were part of the program now. The whole roof was a garden, with a table and chairs and watering system. The drones monitored the plants each twelve hours, but I still talked to them and even sang to them.
This behavior was reported and Tom came to see it.
"Why are you talking and singing to plants?"
"They are alive and it helps them grow." He nodded and made a note.
I showed him how to prune for shorter plants and all sorts of things I had read and learned. He recorded it all.
There was a group of select older citizens, 30 years old, to add fresh food to their diets and they began to flourish as I did.
The medical tests were all improving on them and the medical team wanted to try children and see how they fared. They too were vibrant and not Bot playing round balls of inactivity.
It was decided.
The Announcement
"We are honoring Ms. Shoe-Trailer as the Citizen of the Year for her contribution of fresh and healthy foods in our formerly processed food world."
I stood and bowed slightly.
"I will be glad to teach everyone to have their own home garden!" The crowd applauded.
Now
The AutoBot Cafe sat quiet as the aging and healthy population jogged by...
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
69 Phobias - RT Shoresmystery
"Would you set up the Skype for me, son?" I asked my oldest son, sixteen and a pro at anything electronic.
"Another blind date, mom?" He looked at my outfit; sweats on the bottom and a pretty blouse of light blue on top. "You look pretty, Mom."
"Thank you! I feel pretty."
"Thank you! I feel pretty."
"This one is agoraphobic, so we will have our first date here, or there." I was multi-phobic, so had a complicated life at best.
"Sounds good! Need some condoms?" He laughed, as did I. "Ha ha, smart ass."
I gave myself a pep talk and made sure the camera angle diminished my emerging double chin. I was sneaking up on fifty and gravity was taking its toll.
He was online suddenly, watching me fluff my hair.
"Oh! Hi, Daniel!" I know I blushed.
"Sorry, didn't mean to catch you mid-fluff." We both laughed; great ice breaker.
"How is the outside world, Julie?"
"More of the same... I went to the grocery and the prices are sky high, but nothing eventful."
"Back before dark, right?"
"Oh yes! My after dark hours are over." It was so cool to have someone who understood.
"What are you other phobias, if you wanna tell me, I mean... " He smiled softly.
"The usual, really: heights, spiders, stuff like that." No one, not even my shrink knew all I was scared of and would never know. No one could be trusted with that knowledge.
"What are you other phobias, if you wanna tell me, I mean... " He smiled softly.
"The usual, really: heights, spiders, stuff like that." No one, not even my shrink knew all I was scared of and would never know. No one could be trusted with that knowledge.
Our 'date' went well and we planned for tomorrow night as well.
The kids were gone for the night, a sleepover at Dads, so I checked all the doors and windows an extra time, leaving lights on timers to go on and off at random times.
I dead bolted my bedroom door and sealed the space where dark might come in. My phone was under my pillow and my gun was holstered under my night stand.
I looked around. What else? The TV was on TCM and I lowered the lights. Sleep...
The clock glowed 3:33 AM and then went black. My phone worked though. I tapped 911 and told them I may have an intruder.
"A noise awakened me and now the power is out!" I said breathlessly.
"Officers are in the neighborhood, Ma'am. Stay where you are and they will come to you."
I stayed on the line. "The officers are at your bedroom door. You are safe now." She disconnected. How had she known I was in the bedroom?
I looked out the peephole and there was no one there. My kids were too far away to help.
I called Daniel. He couldn't come, but could dial 911 from his number.
No answer.
I called my neighbor, but no answer again. I was hyperventilating, so I grabbed my paper bag, my tranquilizers and tapped in the code for my panic room. The door sealed and it came to life.
Daniel was in my house! The cameras recorded everything. I took a tranq and breathed into my bag. No one could get in here.
He broke down my hardwood bedroom door with an ax. I was fine.
He found the camera and began to speak.
"What a loser you are? How many phobias do you have? Jesus! You need to die."
I was safe. There was no way he could get in. My land line was still live so I dialed my shrink and then 911. I hoped it was the real one this time.
Time passed slowly, so I checked all the dates on my supplies, muting the CCTV volume so the maniac couldn't be heard. I could see him in my peripheral vision though. He was planted in front of the CCTV and I wondered what he was up to. Was it a diversion? I looked at all the other views and saw nothing amiss.
Surprised at my calmness, I patted myself on the shoulder. Glancing at the camera, I saw him make a show of dousing the bed with gasoline. A match or lighter would be next and my house would burn down around me. My steel box would be all that was left. Luckily, my ventilation was multi-routed just in case this may happen.
He tossed a match and my bed went up in a flash. There were no curtains or carpet so that is all that would burn unless he emptied my closet, which he did next.
I saw him turn to laugh at me and then his forehead exploded. Thank goodness someone had arrived! I had no bed, no clothes, but I had my life.
Hours passed and the smoke cleared and my burned items were removed.
The firefighters talked to me through the two way speaker.
"You can come out now, Julie." One said.
"No thanks. I am staying in here." The firefighters looked at each other.
A female firefighter was sent next, but I still wouldn't leave. I had made the decision to live in my panic room.
Next was my shrink. I waved to him and thanked him for getting help, but I still wasn't going to leave.
"Are you going to live in there forever?" I nodded.
"Who will bring you food and see to your needs?"
"My children, a home health worker, neighbors... " I smiled and felt wonderful. No one could hurt me in here.
"How long can you live in there?"
"Ah ah ah, no, no, I am not telling you. Maybe you were the one that gave him the info in the first place." I looked at him wide-eyed and watched as he whispered to a detective.
I zoomed in and recorded their conversation to have my lip reading program translate it later. They were all in this together. I knew it, but they didn't know I knew it.
I doused my lights and kept recording and slept the best sleep of decades.
***
My children were there when I awakened. I waved and smiled while I keyed the two way.
"Mom! You can come out now!" They both pleaded.
"No, no! I am fine, just fine."
"Your food will run out and your water."
"Then I will die in here, safe and sound. It is so relaxing in here! I haven't felt like this since, since the first event." I soured for a moment and then was back.
"The doctor thinks you should come out too."
"So? He probably set me up with that fake agoraphobic! I don't trust him!"
"Do you trust us, mom?"
"Of course!"
"Will you come out while we are here?"
"Nope! It is a trap. Time for breakfast! Talk to you later." I darkened the window and cooked my food while reviewing the recordings. They talked about having me committed, of course. I knew it! I can see me in some crazy psych facility living with crazies. I would rather die alone and safe.
***
Two weeks passed and they saw I was fine and security slowly backed down. When it was down to one old security guard, I made my move. I cranked open the door to the crawl space where I had stashed the body of the panic room designer and left. I just walked out of the neighborhood, dark wig in place and a padded coat so I looked heavier. I also wore heavy rimmed glasses.
My spare car was in a rental garage about a mile away. I keyed in my code and then slid into the nondescript, but brand new Toyota. I had an old friend rough it up a bit so it was inconspicuous. I tested all the lights and anything that could get me pulled over. All was well.
I had cleared out my vault and took my fake ID's, credit cards and cash. I stashed my jewels and all my old ID's. I was ready to hit the road.
I was close to the border of Texas, so headed south. I would become invisible within the day. I rented a room for a week at La Quinta near Galveston, Texas and then went shopping for dark brown hair dye, Wal Mart clothes and anything that would help me blend in with the masses. I even bought crappy food so I could put on some weight.
After a week, I left and headed for Brownsville, Texas, just across the border from Matamoras, Mexico. I found a job at Waffle House, but was terrible and was fired. I went to Wal Mart and found a job in the home section.
No one would recognize me here. I wore stretch pants, too tight, with a tummy now and sensible shoes, no make up and even filled in my designer eyebrows.
I was invisible. All I had to do was rid myself of my fingerprints and it was done. Funny how disappearing helped me fear less,
The fingerprinting changing was the worst part, but now I was pretty much lost to the old world. I jumped from job to job in Brownsville and decided to just stay there and make some friends.
Not many wanted to hire me with such scarred hands, but one old man, with poor vision, hired me for his hardware store. I learned every product and every way I could think of to use each as a weapon.
My boss was obsessed with wanted posters and also had a section of missing persons. My face was there, well the old one. I chuckled at it. I looked nothing like that anymore, I had dark hair, thick eyebrows, no makeup, fake glasses and had gained about twenty pounds, I also had no fingerprints now.
He rented me the room above the store so I never had to leave the place if I didn't want to. I took him to the grocery once a week and bought mine then too. I slumped over and maintained my new persona when I was out.
In the checkout, I saw my kids on TV and choked. Luckily the old man pounded me on the back and no one noticed. I listened to their pleas, but wasn't affected by them. They just wanted me in an asylum. No one noticed me in the line as the person on TV.
***
Life went on. I was the old man's eyes now and was fifty pounds heavier, I would die alone and fat, invisible and sick... excellent! I was happier than I had been in years, but also felt terrible physically. I had to stop eating some of the crap food and get back some of my health. I could still hide, thirty pounds lighter.
I lost ten pounds and began to feel better, but still looked gross to myself. My job was fun since I had to keep things very organized and priced. I was a little OCD too, so that helped. When someone knocked over a whole bin, it was heaven and hell at the same time.
***
Years passed and the old man died and left me the store. He was a good guy. The same customers came and I was getting older, but kept my weight just below feeling sick. I still had to hide. He had married me, at my request, so I had a new name too.
I was set: new name, my own business, money and even a little home. No one was ever allowed in the upstairs apartment though. That is where I would die in any number of ways, taking any number of people with me.
They had no reason to go up there though, so I was happy. I ate all my meals at the diner and worked and then hid in my room until the next day. The diner was open seven days a week so I was too. The rural folks loved having a source for broken tractors and parts on the weekend.
***
My hair is white now and I sleep on a cot in the back of the shop. Those stairs stopped me, except once a week for tending the traps. I ate at the diner about once a day; not much appetite anymore.
Old doc said I was dying and that was okay with me. Said I was eat up with cancer and gave me all kinds of medicines to take when I was ready to lie down and rest.
I had to write a letter first. I told them not to go upstairs for it was rigged with bombs and I wasn't sure I would be able to defuse them all before I died. I told them who I really was and thanked them for a good life. I told Old George and Bertie to use the money I left them in the Will to rebuild or move on.
I pinned the big envelope on my nightgown, marked "DON'T OPEN UPSTAIRS ROOM! BOMBS!"
***
I took a mess of pills and some whiskey and then some more pills. I was smiling, last thing I remember. I wasn't scared of anything anymore...
Time passed slowly, so I checked all the dates on my supplies, muting the CCTV volume so the maniac couldn't be heard. I could see him in my peripheral vision though. He was planted in front of the CCTV and I wondered what he was up to. Was it a diversion? I looked at all the other views and saw nothing amiss.
Surprised at my calmness, I patted myself on the shoulder. Glancing at the camera, I saw him make a show of dousing the bed with gasoline. A match or lighter would be next and my house would burn down around me. My steel box would be all that was left. Luckily, my ventilation was multi-routed just in case this may happen.
He tossed a match and my bed went up in a flash. There were no curtains or carpet so that is all that would burn unless he emptied my closet, which he did next.
I saw him turn to laugh at me and then his forehead exploded. Thank goodness someone had arrived! I had no bed, no clothes, but I had my life.
Hours passed and the smoke cleared and my burned items were removed.
The firefighters talked to me through the two way speaker.
"You can come out now, Julie." One said.
"No thanks. I am staying in here." The firefighters looked at each other.
A female firefighter was sent next, but I still wouldn't leave. I had made the decision to live in my panic room.
Next was my shrink. I waved to him and thanked him for getting help, but I still wasn't going to leave.
"Are you going to live in there forever?" I nodded.
"Who will bring you food and see to your needs?"
"My children, a home health worker, neighbors... " I smiled and felt wonderful. No one could hurt me in here.
"How long can you live in there?"
"Ah ah ah, no, no, I am not telling you. Maybe you were the one that gave him the info in the first place." I looked at him wide-eyed and watched as he whispered to a detective.
I zoomed in and recorded their conversation to have my lip reading program translate it later. They were all in this together. I knew it, but they didn't know I knew it.
I doused my lights and kept recording and slept the best sleep of decades.
***
My children were there when I awakened. I waved and smiled while I keyed the two way.
"Mom! You can come out now!" They both pleaded.
"No, no! I am fine, just fine."
"Your food will run out and your water."
"Then I will die in here, safe and sound. It is so relaxing in here! I haven't felt like this since, since the first event." I soured for a moment and then was back.
"The doctor thinks you should come out too."
"So? He probably set me up with that fake agoraphobic! I don't trust him!"
"Do you trust us, mom?"
"Of course!"
"Will you come out while we are here?"
"Nope! It is a trap. Time for breakfast! Talk to you later." I darkened the window and cooked my food while reviewing the recordings. They talked about having me committed, of course. I knew it! I can see me in some crazy psych facility living with crazies. I would rather die alone and safe.
***
Two weeks passed and they saw I was fine and security slowly backed down. When it was down to one old security guard, I made my move. I cranked open the door to the crawl space where I had stashed the body of the panic room designer and left. I just walked out of the neighborhood, dark wig in place and a padded coat so I looked heavier. I also wore heavy rimmed glasses.
My spare car was in a rental garage about a mile away. I keyed in my code and then slid into the nondescript, but brand new Toyota. I had an old friend rough it up a bit so it was inconspicuous. I tested all the lights and anything that could get me pulled over. All was well.
I had cleared out my vault and took my fake ID's, credit cards and cash. I stashed my jewels and all my old ID's. I was ready to hit the road.
I was close to the border of Texas, so headed south. I would become invisible within the day. I rented a room for a week at La Quinta near Galveston, Texas and then went shopping for dark brown hair dye, Wal Mart clothes and anything that would help me blend in with the masses. I even bought crappy food so I could put on some weight.
After a week, I left and headed for Brownsville, Texas, just across the border from Matamoras, Mexico. I found a job at Waffle House, but was terrible and was fired. I went to Wal Mart and found a job in the home section.
No one would recognize me here. I wore stretch pants, too tight, with a tummy now and sensible shoes, no make up and even filled in my designer eyebrows.
I was invisible. All I had to do was rid myself of my fingerprints and it was done. Funny how disappearing helped me fear less,
The fingerprinting changing was the worst part, but now I was pretty much lost to the old world. I jumped from job to job in Brownsville and decided to just stay there and make some friends.
Not many wanted to hire me with such scarred hands, but one old man, with poor vision, hired me for his hardware store. I learned every product and every way I could think of to use each as a weapon.
My boss was obsessed with wanted posters and also had a section of missing persons. My face was there, well the old one. I chuckled at it. I looked nothing like that anymore, I had dark hair, thick eyebrows, no makeup, fake glasses and had gained about twenty pounds, I also had no fingerprints now.
He rented me the room above the store so I never had to leave the place if I didn't want to. I took him to the grocery once a week and bought mine then too. I slumped over and maintained my new persona when I was out.
In the checkout, I saw my kids on TV and choked. Luckily the old man pounded me on the back and no one noticed. I listened to their pleas, but wasn't affected by them. They just wanted me in an asylum. No one noticed me in the line as the person on TV.
***
Life went on. I was the old man's eyes now and was fifty pounds heavier, I would die alone and fat, invisible and sick... excellent! I was happier than I had been in years, but also felt terrible physically. I had to stop eating some of the crap food and get back some of my health. I could still hide, thirty pounds lighter.
I lost ten pounds and began to feel better, but still looked gross to myself. My job was fun since I had to keep things very organized and priced. I was a little OCD too, so that helped. When someone knocked over a whole bin, it was heaven and hell at the same time.
***
Years passed and the old man died and left me the store. He was a good guy. The same customers came and I was getting older, but kept my weight just below feeling sick. I still had to hide. He had married me, at my request, so I had a new name too.
I was set: new name, my own business, money and even a little home. No one was ever allowed in the upstairs apartment though. That is where I would die in any number of ways, taking any number of people with me.
They had no reason to go up there though, so I was happy. I ate all my meals at the diner and worked and then hid in my room until the next day. The diner was open seven days a week so I was too. The rural folks loved having a source for broken tractors and parts on the weekend.
***
My hair is white now and I sleep on a cot in the back of the shop. Those stairs stopped me, except once a week for tending the traps. I ate at the diner about once a day; not much appetite anymore.
Old doc said I was dying and that was okay with me. Said I was eat up with cancer and gave me all kinds of medicines to take when I was ready to lie down and rest.
I had to write a letter first. I told them not to go upstairs for it was rigged with bombs and I wasn't sure I would be able to defuse them all before I died. I told them who I really was and thanked them for a good life. I told Old George and Bertie to use the money I left them in the Will to rebuild or move on.
I pinned the big envelope on my nightgown, marked "DON'T OPEN UPSTAIRS ROOM! BOMBS!"
***
I took a mess of pills and some whiskey and then some more pills. I was smiling, last thing I remember. I wasn't scared of anything anymore...
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