Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 15:33:44 PST
From: da Beagle <dabeagleywing@hotmail.com>
Subject: Moving is hard 6

Authors Note: Thanks to all who wrote about chapter 5.  One prevailing note
seemed to be the length of the chapter.  Nothing is worse than waiting for
a chapter, or story, to continue, then have it fail to meet expectations in
some ways, so perhaps this will make amends for that.  At least that is the
intention as I start this.  As I have said before, stories write
themselves, and often I have little control over the burst of creativity
that that gives birth to the story.  I wonder if this is how Stephen King
feels about the Dark Tower series? And so, constant reader, once more I ask
you to tightly hold my hand..Not that tight dammit!
	"Just how are we supposed to find his body, it has been missing for
almost forty years, hasn't it? I mean, it's not just gonna sit up and tell
us where it is, will it?" Asked Kyle, sarcasm creeping into his voice.
	"Testy, aren't you?  Maybe you need some time to process a few
things.  Maybe I need time to plan that next move, huh? So, whaddya say
Mr. Wizard, you want to back off?" Julius said, voice growing louder as he
spoke.
	"Man, fuck this shit!" Kyle exclaimed, "This is bullshit anyway.
Maybe I believe this shit first thing in the morning, or maybe it sounds
almost like you could believe it, but in the light of day you see what it
really is-bullshit!" Kyle stated vehemently, and stalked out the front
door.
	"Well, some friend you got there, Justin. Hope you had a spare
buddy to replace him with." Julius drawled.
	"Man, you have to admit it is hard to believe. And so what if he
doesn't understand it all, he doesn't know the whole story anyway.  And
then you get pissed when he gets sarcastic? C'mon, Julius, what is up with
you?" I asked.
	Julius sat motionless for a few moments, and then shuddered. He
stood slowly, painfully, and made his way towards his barren kitchen.  Over
his shoulder he called to me.
	"You best get him back, we are gonna need him, understanding or
not." And with that he ambled into the kitchen.
	I left the house more than a little confused.  This was all wrong;
I really thought this was about to play out the right way.  Man, it went
wrong since this morning. Seriously wrong.  And what the hell was eating
Kyle, anyway?  He never swears, never. This was getting too weird.  The
thought struck me funny, and a severe case of the giggles began to set in.
Weird? Gee, what was weird? In the last month I had been shifted cross
country, been outed by someone I was interested in, obviously he enjoyed
teasing me about that by the clothes he chose to wear, and lets not forget
the spirit in my house!  I got Casper in my walls! And some potential
lunatic that wants to kill himself in order to join his long lost love!
Boy, I passed weird a long time ago. I sat down on the sidewalk with a
thump and began huge bellows of laughter that just wouldn't seem to stop;
it was just so damn funny! My life was so screwed up!
	"Hey man, have you seen Kyle?" Came a voice suddenly stifling my
giggles.  I think now that I stopped laughing for two reasons.  Firstly
because I looked like a loon sitting on the sidewalk laughing at nothing,
with no one near me.  The second was because I recognized the voice.  I
looked up.  Oops.
	I tried to stand, really I did.  Running was the next thing on my
mind, but the standing thing didn't happen so running was just a sweet
dream.  I believe the term used for the punch I took is 'haymaker' a
country term to be sure, meant for people who work in the fields, have
ungodly amounts of muscle mass, and then wrap that package into a punch.
Of course it was the fellow I had helped Kyle get away from. And, oh my,
didn't he look even taller now?
	The first shot landed squarely on my mouth and the issuance of
blood was immediate.  The second shot was the real killer, though. I swear
it landed on the bridge of my nose with surgical precision, and blood
fairly burst from my nostrils.  I tried to roll away, dazed as I was by the
suddenness and the ferocity of the attack, but I was too slow.  All I
managed was a ball, and all I got for my efforts was a Nike to the ribs.
'That's goin' to hurt' I thought dimly as my mind tried to retreat from
reality.  It was stopped in its traitorous tracks by the wrenching of my
arm behind my back, and the voice at my ear.
	"Tell him it's too bad I didn't find him first, but he's next.
Tell him for me, won't you?" He panted.
	Good, at least he was out of breath.  So was I, and the world went
black.

	I don't think I was out very long, momentarily would be most
likely. I stood slowly and began moving home.  The few people I saw on the
way home showed no trace of being interested in what had happened to me,
which was ok since I didn't feel like discussing it. I entered through the
front door and went directly to the bathroom upstairs.  I could dimly hear
my father calling to me from the kitchen, and I yelled something about
having to use the bathroom.  Once I was safely ensconced, I went to the
mirror to survey the damage.  Well, it could have been worse, like
Hiroshima. But it could have been a lot better too. The good news was that
my nose wasn't broken, although it was tender. My lip was split and I was
gonna have some shading around my eyes, oh and I was gonna get sore as the
muscles in my back tightened, but other than that I was ok. I gingerly
washed my face, and headed down to meet my dad.
	"I was wondering if..What the hell happened to you?" He exclaimed.
	"Got into a fight." I replied tonelessly.
	"With who? Never mind, are you ok?" He ran a hand along my swelling
nose and lip.
	"Yeah, I'll live.  An ice pack would help the swelling though." I
tried to smile a bit, but not too much.
	"Yeah, jeez. Who did this?" He asked as he prepared the makeshift
ice pack.
	"That kid that I helped Kyle out with a few days ago." I dimly
thought I should call and warn him that gorilla boy was looking for him,
but I pushed it away. Just didn't feel like dealing with it right now.
	"Maybe we should call the police." He said.
	"No, dad, it's not that big a deal." I pleaded, "If that happens
before I get into school it'll just make things harder for me. Please, just
let it go."
	"Well," he considered, "No stitches, so ok this time, for you. But
if it happens again.." He left the statement unfinished.
	We ate dinner and I headed to my room, intending to lie down and
sleep.  Once again sleep proved to be too elusive for me and my mind turned
relentlessly to the days events. What was going on with Kyle? And why was
Julius short tempered? Maybe people who planned to off themselves got
pissed towards the end? Who knew?
	Anyway, answers were not forthcoming from my own mind, but I did
have an idea.  Maybe I could find Jake myself.  After all, he does like me
right? So maybe he will lead me there? I sat up and glanced around the room
expecting him to appear, I guess. No such luck.  I got up and put on some
sweatpants and sat in the window.  I looked out on the park and considered.
What was Julius planning? I thought he was planning to kill himself, but
why would he need Jakes body then? And Kyle was right, just how were we
supposed to find it? Corpses don't have 'little black boxes' to tell where
they are hidden or detail their last moments like airplanes.
	And then a thought occurred to me. What if Julius was wrong? Or
lying? What if Jake hadn't died here, but was living somewhere else even
now?  But then who was the spirit in the house if it wasn't Jake?
	The muscles in my back slowly began to relax as the knots worked
out, the gentle kneading undoing the damage from the beating I took. I
rolled my neck and it cracked audibly, releasing tension and relieving some
discomfort.  If I could just get in touch with the spirit again maybe I
could stay intelligent long enough to ask it a few questions.
	Warmth radiated through my back and I twisted side-to-side
listening to my back adjusting. I suddenly stiffened as I realized that my
back was undergoing a massage.  I turned slowly to see..nothing.
	This was frustrating to say the least. The heat from my back had
faded, and even though it felt worlds better, I need to talk to it.
	"Jake?  If that is your name, I need to talk to you. Please, it's
important." I whispered. At first there was no response, then the world
began to gain new and wondrous hues. Colors no rainbow had ever imagined.
The sight was slightly sickening, but the figure hat issued from it was
anything but.  He was clad in jeans, sneakers that looked suspiciously like
Converse All Stars, you know the canvas ones.  A NY Mets jersey fit loosely
over a white tee shirt, the jersey unbuttoned and the tee untucked,
spilling over the waist of the jeans.  Perched on his head was a NY Mets
baseball cap, and a crooked grin.
	The lights began to fade, but he didn't go with it.  He seemed
substantial, but I had the feeling that he was weightless, or damn close to
it.
	"Jake?" I asked
	He didn't reply, just grinned.  He walked over to me slowly, as if
I were some wild animal that he musn't spook.  Slowly he lifted his left
hand and placed it on the middle of my chest.  The touch was everything and
nothing all in one. Physically there was no hand, but spiritually my skin
was in another dimension.  And then his hand moved forward and into my
chest.  In case I failed to mention that my heart was nothing more than a
mindlessly fast drumbeat galloping in my chest, let me state it now. As his
hand settled in my chest warmth spread, that familiar warmth that comes
with seeing someone you care for deeply, and the weightlessness that goes
hand in hand with that warmth.  My heart rate slowed and seemed normal to
me again.  His hand moved to my neck, and I felt the muscles easing at the
touch, and finally his hand was in my face, passing over my bruised face
that suddenly felt better, not so sore.  Then his hand rested on my
forehead.  It must have been quite a sight, me with this other fellow in
front of me and his left hand buried wrist deep in my head.
	Understanding crept over my face as Jake's melodious voice filled
my head, indeed my being as I heard his tale. His voice rippled through me
much as a stone disturbing a pond's surface, and I noticed that my vision
seemed to ripple with his voice.  The room changed, subtly at first, and
then more obvious to reveal a room that existed out of time, my room, as it
had been so long ago, and then Jake's story began.