I stowed away the ladder. “How many do you reckon are in there?” I asked, pointing at my head.
He shrugged his shoulders and chuckled. “According to my calculations… at least several thousand. Probably more.”
“Humph… don’t you think they would have somewhere better to go? Like into Elvis Presley or Valentino?”
“Oh, I’m sure they get their fair share of viewers. But, they’re kind of at a disadvantage compared to you.”
“How so?” I questioned.
He fired up the little outboard engine, and then shouted over the noise,
“They didn’t know Melody!”
Chapter 38
On the way back to the dock, I contemplated the possibility that there were people inside my cranial vault living vicariously through me. I didn’t really buy it at the time, but, still, the thought was disconcerting. If they could see through my eyes, could they also hear my thoughts? Would they feel what I felt? There are some things I would rather keep private… actually, there are lots of things I would rather keep private. It just seemed impossible to me that they were in there… but, then again, cell phones and computers would have seemed impossible to a cave man, too.
The more I thought about it, though, the more I had to concede that with so many infinite realities (and, I had personally seen evidence of those) the chances that a civilization in the future would eventually develop such interfacing technologies were good.
I took some solace in the argument that reasoned that if time travel was possible we would have already been visited by people from the future. The fact that we haven’t had visitors is considered by some as proof that it’s impossible. The problem with such a line of logic is that it’s hard to prove a negative. What if our descendants are just very well behaved and don’t interfere?
I pondered all of this as we made our way through the bay. Finally, I decided that although there could be something preventing actual bodily transport through time, the same rules might not apply to the transfer of consciousness. Maybe that was still possible. Kind of like when Gid and I sampled alternate realities but didn’t ‘crash’ the systems. I thought to myself that if they were in there, the ‘firewall’, or something like it, could be separating them from me like it had me from Gid.
I shook my head and let the wind dry my hair. I took in the day around me; the air was clear and sweet as is often the case near the island. I certainly understood why tourists from all over flocked to Coronado for vacation. Could it be that maybe the same holds true on a larger scale? I wondered, on the ride back to the dock, if the island was a place so unique that everyone wanted to visit… even those from the future.
I didn’t know, but I supposed that if there were people in my head they may as well have a good view. I turned this way and that, taking in the scenes all around me. The bridge aft and the island to my right. The green of the golf course and red roof of The Del in the distance. Masts of sailboats in the marina pointing skyward with seagulls and pelicans flying in and out of frame. Pretty much a living postcard. Nope… I couldn’t really blame them for wanting to come here. I couldn’t blame them at all.
__________
I could feel a song forming in my brain. I had come to recognize that feeling… I knew the finished product was in there, and all I had to do was uncover it. When we were docked, I went straight for the Ovation and Giddeon grabbed his Martin. This is what came out in the next twenty minutes:
There’s a revolution in my head.
There’s a revolution in my brain.
They say if I don’t get out of bed,
There’s gonna be a revolution of pain.
They say they’re from the future.
They say they’re from the past.
They say they paid good money,
They say they’re here to have themselves a blast.
And, they want it all real fast.
And, video killed the radio star, and the radio
Killed the stage.
We all killed adventure,
When we printed out the page.
Simple evolution, that’s what they said.
Ain’t no entertainment like being there,
In someone’s head.
So, let’s dance…
Let’s sing…
Let’s laugh…
And, show them everything.
Let’s love…
And, let’s sigh…
Let’s live…
‘Cause it ain’t time to die…
Inside my head.
There’s a revolution in my head.
There’s a revolution in my brain.
Every time I get out of the bed,
I love to see the sunshine and rain.
I say there ain’t no future,
I say there ain’t no past.
I say I paid good money,
And, I say I’m here to have myself a blast…
And, I want it all to last.
And, Video killed the radio star,
But, the radio, it ain’t dead.
I tried to change the channels, but, they’re
Changing me instead.
Simple evolution, that’s what I say,
Ain’t no entertainment like being here,
All the way.
So, let’s dance…
Let’s sing…
Let’s laugh…
And, show them everything.
Let’s love…
And, let’s sigh…
Let’s live…
‘Cause it ain’t time to die
Inside my head…
Inside my soul,
There’s a common thread
We all love rock and roll,
Inside my head…
Inside my soul,
There’s a common thread
We all love rock and roll,
Rock and roll, rock and roll…inside my head!
Boris once again meowed his approval. He had come in halfway through the process and sat there watching, silently letting us work. When we were done, it occurred to me that since the cat could see us, he might possibly be aware of… others. I observed as Boris rubbed up against the leg of the table, the corner of the couch, and then came and jumped in my lap; he looked hilarious with his head poking out from the center of my guitar. I played a few chords and let him watch my fingers on the frets.
I supposed maybe anything was possible.
Chapter 39
Life is a wonderfully strange phenomenon in the circus of strangeness all around each and every one of us.
Sharing a life exponentially increases that effect.
I never used to sit and think about such things. Not like I do, now. I was mainly concerned with golf, work and keeping my boat afloat, both literally and financially… introspection and altruism weren’t my strong points. I wasn’t much of a student, so classes didn’t really interest me much… I pretty much just kept going to school because I didn’t know what else it was I was supposed to be doing.
Maybe some of my aimlessness was due to having lost my parents at the end of my adolescence… I had no real guidance. My brother, bless his heart, tried, but he had his own fish to fry at the time. He always told me just to do what it was that I really wanted to do… the only problem was, I didn’t have any idea of what it was that I really wanted to do.
So I drifted… always on the surface, like a piece of wood. Luckily for me, Coronado was a good place to drift to. Had I not encountered the woman of my dreams and then been hit in the head by a golf ball, I don’t think I ever would have been able to go any deeper into the strange waters of life than a broken bit of flotsam on the bay. For all practical purposes, that’s what I was. A lump of carbon-based molecules with no real goals or appreciation or insight… a floating, bobbing cork with no true intention or meaning.
Only when I met Melody, did I get a flash of what could be.
Only when I was next to her, did the expansion of the universe begin to make sense�
�� there simply isn’t enough room for the way she makes me feel.
__________
I knew instantly that I was inadequate compared to her… mentally, physically, emotionally and any other ‘ally’ you can possibly think of.
Yet, as perfect as she was, oddly, my deficiencies didn’t seem to matter to her. I know she didn’t really know me, but, I have the feeling that my lackluster performance on this planet wouldn’t have been a big deal. She probably would have intrinsically understood that she had the ability to help me evolve and live up to my potential, if that was what I wanted. Had I not gone into a coma, I’m sure we would have both totally enjoyed the process.
With her by my side, in that reality, maybe I could have even grown into something she would have been proud of. I still can’t believe I didn’t trust her enough to tell her about my situation with school and work.
Looking back on it, she most likely would have just laughed and thought it was cute.
__________
In our brief time together that afternoon, I feel like we connected so deeply that she knew things about me that I didn’t quite realize, myself. Like I said before, I don’t know what she saw in me… but, now that I think about it, maybe she saw something that I didn’t even know was in there.
Maybe she saw Giddeon.
__________
As far as my perceptions went, I understood that day that she was smart… and, beautiful. Also, that she was kind. It would be hard not to be attracted to those things. Mostly, though, I think I was drawn to her wonder. The way she looked at everything in a low-grade state of awe. She took in her Greek Salad as if each bite was a prayer, and each sip of tea as if it was a blessing.
Her overall attitude was one of thanks.
She was simply mesmerized by the sights and sounds all around her, and fortunately, those sights and sounds included me.
I don’t know how I knew all of this so instantly, but, I was as sure of her inner landscape as I was of gravity. It’s like when a vibrating tuning fork is held next to another one of the same note; the quiet one picks up the resonance and begins to sing, also. I somehow just absorbed what she was feeling and thinking because natural laws that I don’t really understand transmitted her essence to me. I had lived for over two decades, and had never vibrated. Had never heard the sound I was born to make. Only when I was next to her did I feel the harmonics that were buried in my soul.
For the first time in my life, I knew that I was part of a song, and that the song was, also, part of me.
The Aborigines say that the world was sung into existence. I think they may be as close to the mark as anyone.
Chapter 40
One night, Giddeon and I went to the restaurant at the top of the Hyatt. I could see the outline of Coronado across the bay in the light of a full, alabaster moon. The bridge was illuminated by the amber of mercury vapor bulbs, and periodically a boat would glide past in the waters, below, surrounded by semi-darkness.
Steak and lobster were cooked to perfection, as was the case with all of our meals. I had grown accustomed to gustatory excellence, and, also, with not having to interact with wait-staff. I missed the interface with real people in those situations, but I have to admit it cut down on the frustration of trying to flag down a waiter or waitress when it came time for a drink refill. I had just finished a succulent, butter-soaked piece of crustacean and reached for my nearly empty glass of iced tea… by the time it made it to my mouth, it was brimming with fresh liquid. I took a swallow or two.
“Whoa, dude! Way to go!” said Gid.
“What are you talking about?” I replied, re-depositing the caffeinated beverage onto its coaster.
“You filled up your glass.”
I blinked in surprise. “That wasn’t you?”
“Not me… I didn’t even notice it was empty. I was checking out the chick in the red dress.”
I looked over at a table across the way. A gorgeous Hispanic woman was at a table for two, apparently waiting for her date.
“Are you sure?” I questioned.
“Absolutely. She’s a lot more interesting than an empty vessel.”
“You are talking about the glass, right?”
He grinned. “You’re not empty… you’re at 5.9 percent and rising.”
“For real? I’m up 2 tenths?” I looked back in his direction… I was actually excited to hear this news.
“Before you know it, you’ll be tying your own shoes,” he ribbed.
“Humph,” I grunted. We turned our attention back to the beauty in the red dress. Her profile was exquisite… kind of a cross between a twenty-something Rachel Welch and a more mature Selena Gomez. Her long, dark hair was all one length and parted down the middle. She was stirring a drink with a straw and checking the door every few seconds. In a minute or two, a happy-looking, clean-cut fellow came in.
She waved to him and her whole demeanor changed; she reminded me for all the world of an elegant canine, like an Afghan Hound, that looks so regal when sitting in repose, and then, upon seeing its master, becomes an excited puppy.
Not that he was her master, but, you get the picture.
She jumped from her chair and planted a kiss firmly on his cheek. Her face was alight with animation, and her enamel flashed white even in the low light. If she had a tail, it would have certainly been wagging, slapping her shapely thighs on both sides.
“Wow!” said Giddeon, obviously much impressed with her proportions.
I watched Gid as he watched the interaction between the two people. It occurred to me that he had never really experienced such a meeting for himself. He was stuck in ‘Ever-Never Land’… where you have everything, but, nothing. For the first time, I actually felt sorry for him. Able to see and hear, smell and taste… but, unable to touch anything that really mattered. Unable to share. Unable to commune… like the couple at the table was doing.
Giddeon didn’t seem to mind… however, that existence was all he had really ever known. I was just thinking that he deserved more than that when he interrupted my thoughts.
“Want to go to the moon?”
The question took me aback. “I haven’t finished my supper.”
“Not right now,” he said. “When you’re done!” He looked genuinely excited.
I cut a piece of steak and dipped it in ketchup, glad that no waiter was there to frown at my ability to ruin a work of culinary art. “I don’t see why not,” I replied. “Can I bring my golf clubs?”
“You read my mind… your mind! The golf balls are already there. So is the flag!”
I was sure he was talking about the Red, White and Blue.
“Aw, man… this is gonna be great!” he gushed. “You need some sand practice, anyway!”
I nodded. The background music in the restaurant, which I hadn’t really noticed before then, changed to Frank Sinatra singing ‘Fly Me to the Moon’. I smiled, shook my head, and cut another piece from my steak.
Chapter 41
How can I describe the moon? The stark isolation. The silence. The magnificent views of the heavens and the earth. We were basically in a large crater; an area known as ‘The Sea of Tranquility’. The landscape around us was pockmarked with impacts from meteorites that had been colliding with the surface for eons. We were right next to the base of the Lunar Lander, and the sands around it still bore an imprint of the exit blast from the life support capsule back in 1969.
It was hot, as Giddeon had relayed, but I didn’t really feel it. I had the strange sensation that my skin was burning, yet, I was somehow jumping into alternate realities every few microseconds with completely reconstituted epidermis. It was quite odd… however, after a while I soon became accustomed to it.
I looked over and saw Gid straightening the faded American flag… it had pretty much toppled over, either from the blast of the spaceship, or from the loosening of material around its base over time, or, both. We then explored the area near the NASA dinosaur. I noted the footprints scattered all around
it so many years later, and even though I could feel my tennis shoes sinking into the surface as I navigated near the craft, they left no marks as I went. It felt as though I was breathing, but I realized that nothing was actually entering or leaving my lungs.
Coronado Dreaming (The Silver Strand Series) Page 15
