The Sanctuary Chronicles - Part 5

Part 5 (sections 30 through 42)

SANCTUARY

-30-

My 2 new friends disappeared for an inordinate amount of time. I feel abandoned and mystified. Why did they go? Where did they go? Will they ever return? It is inexplicable! This place is hollow. I can’t breath. I feel trapped….Well, that is due to the fact that I am under arrest, but beyond that….aside from being confined, a man like me should not be in a place like this. I am starting to twitch. I have got to get out! After my friend John James was killed or died from whatever cause, that left a large void in my life, as I now have no one else to call, no one else to help me. Meg is only a neighbor….a stranger….and she does not really know me. I would feel odd calling her to try to get me out. She might not want to help me as I might be a criminal. She would need to know why I am in jail. She would have no way of knowing one way or the other. Police don’t go around arresting people and putting them in jail for no reason. The Police are smart! They have the law on their side! I’m ready to puke. I remember I didn’t want to call the police in the first place and I told Meg as much the last time I saw her. The boys are back! “Did you guys have time to think about what to do about the criminals at the dock?” The small one said, “Food!”…. “We needed food…so we got some….Want some?” I said, “Yes, why not….not much else going on.” My primal captors kept me supplied in food to their credit but my condition was becoming less and less appetizing. I had to get out come hook or crook. I asked them for the key so I could clean up. They gave it to me. I went out back, threw the wash room key at the building, and ran for my life, and never looked back. I didn’t want them to think I was a key thief in

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addition to the scooter caper, so I rationalized my escape by returning their key, though via the building. They probably thought I would not or could not escape because they brought me a warm meal and that I would probably not want to complicate my life any further by running away. Thank God I am not them. Thank God I can reason beyond the boundaries of a hamburger. True, I am an escaped convict, but I have not been convicted yet, however, the law will hunt me down, and put me down if they see fit, or feel they have to, but when it is time to go it is time to go, and I’ve done enough, “time”. Their boss, the big fat cop is going to be so pissed off when he returns and sees me missing, that I feel more sorry for those 2 than me. I still don’t know why the judge died but this must all be fate. My case was never heard, and I, hope never to be heard from again, around here, wherever that is. I’m back in the same soup, no direction, no transportation, no one to bring me food, and I don’t know if I am more the hunter or the hunted. I am still fiercely dedicated to my cause of finding the guy who broke into my home and the punks who stole my wallet and accosted me. Justice will be mine! I will prevail….I think….

Now there are no more jungles, only jungles of street wires, homes, factories, other fabrications of the technological era, gauging out the landscape like a monolithic modern glacier as far as the eye can see. I had no job so I have no job to go back to but I do have bills. Not too many but enough to keep me on my toes. My parents

are long gone. They passed when I was very young. They made me the keeper of the house. They paid for it so I keep it. They left me a stipend to keep things going

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and to keep me going. The house keeps me and I keep the house. It is a simple but noble arrangement. Unfortunately, I have neglected my duties of late, being that my world tumbled unexpectedly into chaos, and I don’t foresee the light at the end of the tunnel any time soon. There was very little perishable food in the frig. so I’m not as concerned about the electric service being turned off for lack of payment causing a health hazard with spoilage. I am concerned about the house being dark in the evenings which presents an open invitation for crime. I understand evil doers operate in the dark and love the dark. My house has become a delectable target. If I could reach Meg I could ask her to watch it for me for a short time. I would pay her for her service. It would be simple. I have not pets….They would be dead by now anyway, so, so much the better. I have no plants inside. The ones outside will have to fend for themselves. As far as maintenance, the place is pretty tight, and the pipes & plumbing are solid from what I can judge. I left the door open when I ran out that day and I don’t remember about the TV. I guess it could start a fire after so many days being on……I hope it runs on low wattage…but that won’t matter if the electric company turns the electric off. Everything in life is timing. Will the house burn down because the electric company showed me mercy for a few months because I did not respond to their late notices. I have always been a faithful customer. Will they simply turn it off because business is business. It might be a

good sign that I am preoccupied with these trivial matters. The rest in jail did me some good. I have no fear of dyeing though that option is always there. I do need

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money. A job is the answer. A part time job doing anything is the new plan. I want to get far from my captors. How far is far enough? Police and police communities are everywhere. I have never liked them but I never viewed them as a threat before. Now I view them as an obstacle getting in the way of progress. I have never worked before but I am healthy and able. I will stop in the next town and ask around.

In the next town is a large restaurant called Tetra Slider. I cleaned up at the Gas-a-GoGo near by and made my way to Tetra Slider. The proprietor looked me up and down. I smiled and said, “Sir!...I’m looking for work.” I need extra money for some night adult classes I’m taking to become a short order cook.” He said, “We already have a cook.” I said, “I’m looking to do any kind of work to pay for the classes. I only need a little money…I can work cheap.” I could tell he liked that idea. He told me I could clean up in the kitchen and do dishes. He asked me if limited values an hour, perhaps 4 values was ok. I said, “Great!” When can I start. He said, “Grab an apron.”

After a week at my new career in the service industry my new boss paid me 192 values for 6 days of work. No, he does not pay overtime. The good news is I was paid under the table so no taxes. My philosophy is; No taxes---No bombs. The government is famous for not spending our money wisely. Even though I made small money…it is my money….and now I am going to spend my money. The other good thing about my new job with Fred, (Fred is the boss of Tetra Slider), is Fred fed me. I’m sure that the cost of my meals far out weighed my wages.

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$192.00 should keep me in good survival mode for about a month. I do not like to burn bridges behind me so I told Fred up front that I would work for him for only one week. I’m off. No more restaurants for me. No more dining out. I can stretch this little bit of money a little further by buying a small back pack and filling it with non perishable foods and dry goods. Survival foods and water who could ask for more? The new tactic is to stay close to the road but travel in the woods that are not too thick with vegetation. If I spot the police or other dangers I can dive into the undergrowth and disappear for awhile. After a few miles of fast paced walking I fell into a ditch, which turned out to be a deep hole, which turned out to be a grotto that had a narrow winding path. I was quite a distance under ground. There was no way up. I started moving through the path in total darkness. Every step was a step into the unknown. Did this underground world have an end? What about creatures? What about falling even deeper by the earth giving way to newer depths? What about a snack? The only thing to do is stop, size up my situation, and eat a granola bar. Too much thinking leads to disaster.

It is a strange hole that tumbled into. I can stand upright and my shoulders touch either side of the walls. It’s like it was man made and in particular, a perfect fit for me, and the soft ground makes it easy to move along. There is nothing to see as I am in utter darkness. There was only light above me were I fell in. I have made enough twists and turns through this labyrinth to safely say I am completely lost and no light in sight. The hole is getting smaller and smaller. I am at a crawl. The air is cool and breathable but for how long? If the passage gets any smaller it will be impassable. If I get stuck it will be

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over. It is very cramped. I can’t go back and I don’t know if I can go on so I will just stop and sleep. The earth started to tremble and it startled me from my slumber. Who knows how fragile this grotto is? I’m waiting for it to cave in on me. I hear a noise just ahead. I struggle through the narrow clearance. Not far…not too far now…just over there, as I feel my way through, I can hear and feel and smell and taste the environment changes. The place is opening up into a chamber. I step down into water still in the pitch black world. It is a stream racing past my ankles. I follow it down in the direction of it’s flow. This might be a good sign or it might be leading me into some other deeper more desperate realm. Since I have no place to go and no plans for this evening and plenty of time on my hands I think I will follow wherever it leads. As I progress through the water my surroundings become more expansive. I can’t see it but the echoes tell the tale. The air inside the chamber is starting to move around. There is the distinct smell of fauna and vegetation in the definable distance. I sense an end in sight even though I can’t see it. I’m taking definitive steps to reach it. Life in the Quarellinium underworld outer world is concluding without having to employ drastic measures. Life is severe enough. The light floods my being and hurts my eyes as I step into it as if stepping on to another planet. The light of day carried me away in a smile that reached into the void. I came out of the cavern in a daze, staggering about, as if I had drunk more than 2 drinks of my favorite cognac. The day was still full but emptying fast so I moved on at a brisk pace.                   

                                                 SANCTUARY

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The day finally collapsed in on itself and turned a light gray at the sinking of the sun. I laid back on a patch of grass and followed the movements of the wind through the thin clouds. There to my amazement was a high atmospheric anomaly never seen before. The sky was vaster than usual. Shiny gold flake like structures, something on the order of very large snow flakes, but more rigid, and approximately 7 to 9 feet in diameter, were spinning slowly and moving in a clockwise direction. They filled the entire sky in the uppermost atmosphere with the blackness of space as their backdrop. Each large gold flake moved independent of the others. All of them moved in one direction pulled by the strong currants, to the laws of convection, on the upper winds going north. The other oddity was, that perhaps a mile lower in the atmosphere where thin and thick gray and white clouds being pulled along and down in a southerly direction. I should follow the news more closely. I wonder if anyone knows what those structures are. They look innocuous and strange. The unknown element of them gives rise to their origin and meaning. Where did they come from? What is their purpose? What would or could cause such a display. There is a certain intrigue and beauty in seeing something you have never seen or experienced before. I should buy a small pocket radio to see if anyone knows anything about this and to just to keep up with things. Someone said, “Nature is not as natural as it looks.” So true on a night like tonight.

This is something that will have to be sorted out later. On to the more important things in life….eating, drinking, and sleeping….complements of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

SANCTUARY

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Understanding and working with the laws of man and the laws of God is a full time job. It is difficult to be true to them and to ourselves at every moment of every day, all the time, but as they say, take care of the particulars and everything else will take care of itself. The law is the law. Rest is rest. This is rest. It is something I do with pleasure.

Guilt will have to wait another day. My sojourn is far from over. The day’s indulgences have come and gone. Though I need to get to the bottom of these mysteries, as time sensitive as they are on some levels, this time in the here and now must be respected. Certain matters at home must be cleared up soon. Finding stability is imperative. I hope to dream about skies and tranquility streams first. I sleep the deep sleep of a baby. Ants marching on my body remind me that I am in the great outdoors as they wake me to a startled state. They are like little points of electricity prodding me to recognize their numbers. I do, as I brush them off and stand to face the brilliant sun, which is already speeding through the wind swept sky. I try to read the meanings of my surroundings like a business man trying to read his newspaper over coffee.

This day, a new day, like the last day, is not so new. Quantitatively the same perplexities that vexed me in the beginning are with me now on the road. I will continue north….only because it sounds good. That would be door #3 if I were playing a TV game show. There are plenty of landmarks. I pray there aren’t too many land mines. These are peaceful times or so I’m told. I march on no longer bothered by the ants or inquisitors sun. My next investment will be a brimmed hat and sun glasses. Incognito is the way to go and protection from the sun is a necessity.

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Soul searching the observable potentials out there, a black tar path looks inviting, so I gravitate towards it at medium speed and meander on. 2 hours down and a crowd or group or gang emerges on the road. As I approach, I feel their eyes penetrate me in a cruel way, to where I am inclined to run in the opposite direction. This does not have a good feel to it. Perhaps I’m paranoid. The group gets closer. They are clearly focused on me. If I run I will give my fear away. I need to hold it close to my heart for safety sake. I slow my pace as they approach. It is a gang of white male youths and they are nasty. They are all young, about 17 to 20 years of age, and dressed in dark shabby cloths. They were despicable. None of them looked as if they’ve seen soap or water in many months. Most of their attire could be defined as rags in shambles and their boots too. I estimated there were about 15 to 20 of them in total. They rained down on me like savage locust. The gang leader stopped them so he could interrogate me. He was a bald, not soft spoken thug with large round blood shot eyes, and a bobbing head that moved around in an exaggerated manner. If it was attention he wanted, it is attention he got…..loud…obnoxious….a regular barbarian that stank to high heaven and he is in need of severe dental care. I surmised they were a pack of wild animals who had not or could not evolve to human form. Sadly I was a target of their miscue in development and was about to suffer the consequences of that lost opportunity. Baldy grunted at me in broken human something about, “mormy or money and gimmie dat bark or prarck or pack.” So I ended up giving him my money and back pack with all my worldly goods inside. The grunter did not believe me when I told him my wallet had been stolen. (As if they had the

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market cornered on theft.) No Sir! They had to wait in line to steal from me. This was turning into a tragic event. The interrogation was over. I think they ran out of words in their lexicon. Speech was not their strong suit. They pushed me around and made me give them my cloths and shoes and socks. I don’t know what they want with my dirty socks and underwear. I’m speechless. I’m naked! They gave me a final heave into the bushes and took off down the street. They got the last of my money which was only $100.00 after I went shopping for survival goods. I only used a fraction of the food and water so it was like I worked for free or for these hooligans. Where are the police when you need them? That was only a rhetorical question. This is my fate and it is gloomy. Again, I am happy to be alive….but not too happy. Normally I would feel embarrassed about walking down the street in the light of day naked but I am in too much pain from the beating and truly disturbed about loosing all my stuff. I hope that they have a less than perfect day in Hell….I retract that. It is not correct or proper to damn people. I just hope if they do fall off a cliff collectively or individually that it will not be a pleasant experience and that they do not have a nice day. I need aspirin….I mean morphine….I mean I got to get out of here. Down the street I go more lost than found. Questions, questions, questions, there’s no end in sight. Not a soul on the street. I need a quick plan of action. Going around nude is no good. It draws attention from all the wrong sources. In this instance I’m not inclined to see the police. I should report this crime but I am also

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a subject of a criminal investigation. As I recall I can add, “scooter theft” to my resume. This is not my style but I’m about to become a back yard bandit. It must be wash day

somewhere in this town. After sneaking through dozens of backyards I stumbled upon men’s cloths….simple stuff like blue jeans and pull over shirts so I’m good to go.  

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They are still a little damp but it beats being naked. My stealth tactics paid off. In and out without a hitch. It is time to leave this town before I break any more laws or commandments. I will blend into the figure and ground of my surroundings in a calm manner as I proceed onward.

On being or non-being….existing….non-existing….and not too much in between. These many diversions, I call them episodes, coming my way, or I their way, weather I prompted them or they prompted me into action or reaction is insignificant, what is important is the overall effect or meaning of all these things going on. I can’t put a value on it. I can only say that I continue living and breathing with or without cause focused on the task at hand. Being in the here and now is all I have and even that is not too much as most of the here and now that I have belongs to others. My abject poverty or lack of riches is astounding. I’ve lost track of time on my trek. Under the cover of an ordinary day, blending in with the underbrush just off the primary road, a direction forward is forged. My new goal in life...invisibility…out of sight….out of mind…out of trouble….imperceptibility my only ability….ephemeral quiet….nobody into nothingness.

A non day would be a perfect day but a non day is not today and not to be, so my plan, though a simple plan, is grand. Hours sink into minutes that sink down to moments as I travel than something new and unexpected arises. Emerald green is a nice color, for certain things, and sometimes, but not for an entire community. The road took me into this valley. It was sharp angled and deep. From high up I could see every building in the village below. They were all the same size and box shaped. Every building, every shop,

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everything was emerald green. They must have gotten a super deal from some paint factory but how do you convince everyone in one community to paint their house the same exact color? Something was a little strange here. In keeping with my invisibility scheme I wanted to get in and get out of this place as quickly and quietly as possible. Upon first contact the people of the village were all dressed in pure white shirts and pants. I feared I had fallen into a weird cult haven. There was a small crowd gathered at the entrance to the community as if anticipating my arrival and studying my every move and perhaps knowing my every move. As I approached, doing everything to keep my eyes to myself, and pretending everything was normal, suddenly I was stopped by one of them. She said, “Yes!” I said, “Oh nothing…Just passing through.” I tried to proceed and an elderly man said, “We don’t receive unknown people here.” I said, “Fine, than I will just move on.” The lady interrupted, “Stay the night. We will feed you and you can stay over there.” She pointed to a spot that looked like a patch of ground in the center of the complex. I said, “I don’t want to be any trouble.” The old man looked troubled but gazed in the same direction as the lady so I took up camp on the ground that was designated for me. As I found my way over to the spot of soil reserved for me, I figured this would be a good time to break in the newly washed clothes that I permanently borrowed. Though there were no iron bars around me and above me to cage me in, I felt I could not move from my spot more than a few feet, because any movement I made seemed to be sensed by the crowd and they would turn or twitch. My motions would set them off like an alarm. They would become uneasy. I would become uneasy. It was a mess.

(Section 43 forthcoming in next installment)

Author's Note

Sanctuary Section 43 will follow in Part 6.