Right
now I
see the color lights on the lower part of the wall from the morning sun
shining
through the long stained glass window. Some of the story the window
tells is lighted
up on the opposite Library wall. There an outline of one of the pioneer
women projected
by the sun. She is wearing a full red dress with a red cloth hat. The
reflection flickers as rapidly moving clouds pass in front of the sun.
As the earth
rotates the image seems to slowly move along the wall. The Library Cat,
or one
of them the black one with white on front, is standing on hind legs
with one
paw on the wall and the other batting at the image of the red woman. At
times
the cat jumps up and tries to capture the image, its two paws hitting
together
empty as its fall back down to the floor. Fun to watch this, but now to
read Your News Today and then write
more in
my Journal.
I
can’t believe I read this stuff. A movement in LoneStar by grateful
citizens to
ask the Legislature there to honor the Cockh Bros. for their innovative
methods
to free gas that is trapped in the ground. The process uses just the
right
chemicals to force into the ground to bring the gas back up. This
innovation
has also joined the gas in the ground with the water supply in the
ground. And
now people can turn on the water at the sink and set it on fire for
especially
cold times. ‘Heck. I don’t have to be cold now when I go to the Ice Box
in the
Kitchen for a beer of an early morning’ reported just one citizen who
is able
to take advantage of this new technology. This heating system works
best with
the cold water faucet. The hot water doesn’t light up as easily because
it has
to go through the water heater first, which seems to chase a lot of the
gas away.
The industry is working on this problem.
Next
I read ‘Court Agrees to Review Ban
of Hover Disks on Hiking Trails.’ I start my real job in a few days,
then. No
more will I waste time on this nonsense!
***
And
so as I rushed out of the Library main entrance into the courtyard and
towards
the gate I almost hit a man with an expensive haircut dressed in a fine
tailored suit. “Willson is that you!” And that’s how that started. Or
should I
say stopped. Stopped me from my hike anyway. I recognize the voice
though as I
turned I did not recognize the man. “What’s the hurry my old friend?”
Old
Friend? He was dressed in the finest business suit I have ever seen,
both in
its materials and tailoring. The shoes and other accessories were of
like
quality. I did not say anything yet. “You look good Willson.” I look
good? His haircut
looked like barbers worked on it every day. And his face shined with
skin creams.
I continued to stare. “Where are you off to?” All I could say was “I’m
going
hiking.” “You can do that anytime; take a few hours to travel with me;
I will
show you something interesting.” I slightly turned to run for the gate.
Then I
realized as he moved and spoke it was Reuben. He moved the same, but a
little
hesitant like he was in pain. So I finally spoke; all I could say was
“where?”
An
armed Guard carrying an electrified rod stood next to Reuben. I think
he was
also holding a stack of Ax under
his
other arm. And next to the Guard a Chauffeur
dressed like an old-fashioned carriage
driver with cap and whip. Were we going to go someplace in a
horse driven
carriage? As we started out to the parking lot “you get that job
Willson?” I
mumbled some answer like yes, and that I start next week. I don’t know
if he
heard me or even if I was supposed to answer. We walked to a long limousine that took most all the space of
one of the rows for parking. There were armed Guards on motorcycles
parked in front and following the limousine. The
Chauffeur opened the rear doors for us. Reuben sat down carefully and
slowly in
the large back seat. Maybe he overdid it exercising. The Chauffeur
impatiently
motioned me towards a small bench seat in the middle that faced the
other side
of the limousine. I could see a clothing bag hanging there that
appeared to
hold new shirts. On the floor in front of me were several small sturdy
boxes
that had locks on them. The Guard threw the stack of Ax
on the rear floor next to the boxes and as he got into the front
seat his electrified rod sparked on the metal door frame. I could see
Reuben
jump slightly and turn pale. The Chauffeur started the limousine and a
glass
barrier between our seating and the front seat rolled up. I could see
but not
hear the motorcycles start, and feel but not hear the limousine move as
we slowly
pulled out of the parking lot.
It
was silent as we joined the main road heading East. Until I said “Ax must be doing pretty well.” Reuben
smiled and looked like his old self for a moment. And I see he still
has that
movie script next to him on the seat. “That’s why we stopped by the
Library. To
recover the last of the issues we had out before anyone else took
them.” I say
that I am sorry and that I liked reading it (which I didn’t). “No you
didn’t
Willson. But it turned out well. The Family liked it I found out but,
as they
told me, ‘it’s good but nobody knows it’s good until we [family
publishing
empire] do it’.” I wondered where we were driving to and as I looked
out the
darkened window I could see the Black Mountains in a distance. I felt
disgusted
with myself and thought I might jump out if we slow down enough. “So
Willson,
we are going to Spring Desert City and I am going to show you around
the Family
Compound. They are all away to a conference in High Centennial and
there might
not be another chance. Someone should see this, for future history.” I
am a
historian now? Why
did I let myself get
into this. It will be most of a day before I ever get back home. I
don’t see
how to open the doors from the inside.
“I
have to go out to the Compound to deliver the developed drafts of my
new
project to the Secure Vault and I thank you for your company.” Because
I couldn’t
jump out of the car; or say no to anyone. Reuben pushes the buttons on
a
control and the window between us and the drivers’ section darkens. He
then
takes out a key and opens one of the two boxes on the floor. He leans
over to
me, shields his face with an issue of Ax,
and very softly “what I am going to show you; don’t say anything about
it aloud.”
He nods towards the driver’s compartment and softly adds “we’re
supposed to be
soundproof…but.” He takes a small stack of papers stapled together from
one of
the boxes. He hands it to me; the title is Summary:
The Scrupps; a Family Series for Our Times. The Introduction
describes the
concept as a situation comedy that
‘incorporates the style of the reality
shows that have changed Television at this point in time.’
“This is my own
project Willson. The Family trusts my abilities now.”
I read on to see that the series is about a family, father and mother and several children, in-laws, and neighbors. Part of the back story (what happened before) is that the oldest son, (Junior), is in prison. Shortly before the story begins the summary says two other kids asked Junior for a ride home in his car; on the way the kids asked him to stop in front of a small store and to keep the motor running. The two robbed the store and jumped in the car and Junior ran into a tree as he drove away. At the trial the other kids agreed to testify for the State against Junior, said it was all his idea. Daddy Scrupps the father decides they don’t need a lawyer insisting he knows enough law to defend Junior (he thinks so because he successful defended himself in Court after he was arrested for eating a chicken sandwich in Church).
[These
Reality Shows are television shows
that are made by recording the things people who are not professional
actors do
in their daily lives. These are apparently very popular in Willson’s
world. We
did not make this up. Editors]
I
don’t say anything; good that I am not supposed to say anything out
loud. Reuben
watches me. So I read on and see that the first episode is about the
Scrupps
going to the prison on visiting day for their first visit with Junior.
They get
lost on the way, a lot of arguing over that. ‘Why didn’t anyone look at
a map
before they left.’ They arrive at the prison on the wrong day for
visiting. ‘Why
didn’t anyone find out about visiting days and hours’. More arguing. The
arguments
show that someone always says they ‘know the way, know the hours’, and
so on.
On the way back they run out of gas. More arguing. And as they walk in
the cold
and dark to find a gas station more screaming and going back over the
things
that went wrong that day and other things that went wrong on other days
before.
Like Daddy Scrupps defense of Junior in the Court; ‘Junior had low
blood sugar.’
And finally the episode concludes with tears and group hugs where they
tell
each other that they are ‘family and that is all that matters.’ At that
point
the summary says an applause recording will start. This is a comedy? I
look
back at the beginning of the Summary
and it says this is a comedy.
I
try not to look at Reuben and try not to have any facial expressions
that would
show what I think. With the motorcycle escort we are moving very
quickly. I
read through several more of the episode summaries. They all follow the
same
structure. Daddy gets on the wrong bus to get to new job first day, loses
job.
Parents get lost driving to school and missing child’s mid-school
graduation. And
it was the wrong day. And kid didn’t have enough work done to graduate
anyway. Bright
daughter wants to go to college. Parents don’t want her to go; the
application
is too long – too many papers to fill out. Mama Scrupps fakes illness
to stop
daughter going away to college, the family needs to ‘stay together’ and
so on. Daddy
tries to outdoor cook inside and burns down half the house. Family has
lost a
bond or deed they need to take to the bank. And more of the like. And
all stories
conclude with tears and a group hug where they tell each other that
they are ‘family
and that is all that matters.’ Oh my! I pretend like I am still reading
and
interested. I feel bad for Reuben. His wife’s relatives have set him up
for a
big failure. This idea surely will not work. People are smarter than
that. He
would have done better to stay writing Ax.
We are close to Spring Desert City now; I see some roadside signs, Where Dead is the New Alive and Live like Your Dead. We turn off onto an
unmarked highway.
(continued
on Page 2)
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