Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
by
Dan Morres
Hoyt gave Ari an lingering kiss as they met in the entry way
while heading for the door. Ari catching the metro to Foggy
Bottom and George Washington college where she is a professor of
mathematics, and Hoyt headed for 495 and Vienna were he develops
web application for the latest beltway bandit to hire him away
from the competition.
"We've been over this," Ari replied. "I just have to proctor
this final, and I'll be yours for the rest of the summer."
"Well just be sure to be home early tonight and maybe I'll give
you a preview of what to expect at the cabin this weekend." Ari
said as she gave Hoyt a wink and walked the door.
*******************
Then nothing...
*******************
“Hello.”
“Hello?”
“Oh good I can see you’re coming around,” Said the voice.
“Don’t try to talk. Just think what you want to say, and we
will be able to understand you.”
He paused.
Waited...
“That Greek guy with the sword over his head?” Asked Hoyt,
wondering why he would hallucinate about him.
“Those are more questions and will be added to the end of the
queue,” sighed Damocles “But for now allow me to finish the
initial batch of inquires before we go meandering off on that
tangent. Believe me, all will be covered exhaustively before we
are done.”
“You’re telling me I’m dead but still aware? Are you trying to
destroy my existential philosophy?” Hoyt inquired.
“I did what?”
“As I stated earlier, you are what we call a free spirit. There
are also conscious couples, basically it’s a marriage among us
ethereal forms except that it doesn't have to be between only
two people and the previous gender or species of the partners
has less to do with the coupling than do personality traits or
chemistry as the corporeal would say.“
“I can’t just let that pass!” Interrupted Hoyt. “Did you say
species?”
“But Wh…”
“Oh dear yes, yes.” Said Damocles. “Things have changed since
then. We can give you those abilities almost immediately, and
normally would have by now, but it requires that one of us
overlay ourselves on you to train your mind.”
“You had a bit of bad luck following you when you crossed over.
The brethren as we call them, are a tight cloud community who
were known as Contemporary Apostles while living.”
“Damn! Even in death I can’t get away from those freaks,” cursed
Hoyt.
“Oh, sorry about that, it’s just that I lived next to a couple
of those particular zealots.”
“What?”
Hoyt recalled the fleeting glimpse he had of the guy the other
car.
"Tight clouds track their members from life so that they can
‘greet’ and initiate them as quickly as possible after death;
prohibiting them from becoming aware of their freewill. I’m
sure this particular cloud could not believe its extraordinary
luck when it not only had a true believer that it could,
perhaps, groom to take control of its own cloud, but also fodder
it could absorb making it stronger.”
It could only have come from you Hoyt. Besides that fact that
the burst emanated out from where you were located, if it was
caused by an outside force you too would have expired.”
“But I would never kill anyone, to take away so many lives, It's
not possible!” Exclaimed Hoyt as the horror of what Damocles was
telling him sank in.
“Yes…” Thought Hoyt. “I’m still not convinced that I could have
caused that destruction, but I understand your caution.”