A Freak Thing

"Help! Help!" I heard the voice. Where was it? "Let me out!" Going
through time&;#8230;"Don't touch me!" Coming as fast as I can. Hold
on, please, hold on! Where am I going? Lost like a corpuscle in a sea
of plasma. Can't see! Can't breathe! Suffocating under the weight of my
own sweat. Running&;#8230;Paranoia&;#8230;Panic. Shouldn't feel
helpless. Not moronic. Silence&;#8230;Is it deadly or golden? Can't
remember. Got to hurry. Must find out who's screaming. The voice is
louder now. Behind me! In front of me! Encompassing and suffocating
me.

Bzzzzzz! "Augh!" It's just the alarm. What a dream! Or should I call it
a nightmare? Anyway, time to get up. Living alone has its advantages.
If I wasn't alone, my screaming would've scared even the most manly of
men. Maybe I've just finally lost it. Insanity has its privileges haha.
I think I'll call Elisha and ask her about that sleepless trek.

Rring. Rring. Rring. "Hello?"

"Hi Elisha, it happened again. I can't stop shaking. This is getting so
scary."

"The dream?"

"Yeah. Sort of makes me want to stay up all night like the Elm Street
thing. I can't take too many more nights of this. I feel like I'm
losing my mind."

"Oh Jer, I'm sorry."

"Can I come by and see you later? I just need to talk and get out of
this apartment for a little bit."

"Yeah. Just make sure you bring some ice cream. Yesterday wiped me out.
I bet the ice cream companies are loving you haha. Hey, maybe it's a
plot to get you to buy more."

"Oh you are a riot this morning, eh? Okay I'll be over in a
bit&;#8230;And El? Thanks for, you know. I really appreciate
it."

"Not a problem Jeremy. Any time."

"See ya' later."

"Bye."

Hey Tweeps. How's my favorite little bird-guy doing? Silly bird,
doesn't do a whole lot other than make feather messes and that
incessant chirping and screeching. "Well, Nine o'clock. I guess it's
time to go get the ice cream. "Let's turn on the tunes for the
Tweepster." I once read somewhere that music will keep your pets
company. It's supposed to keep them calm and give them the feeling that
someone's in the room. I don't think Tweeps read the same book though
haha.

air&;#8230;I remember&;#8230;>

***

There's just something about riding in a corvette, with the top down,
on a spring day. Of course it also gives way to daydreams.

"Hey! Wake up stupid!"

Oh not again! I'm awake! This can't happen when I'm awake too! Damn!
"Leave me alone!" Why is this happening?

Beep! Beep! "Hey buddy! Get off the road!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry." I've gotta' get some sleep. I'm getting delirious.
That could've easily turned into a major accident or some kind of road
rage if that guy weren't in such a hurry. Guess I'd better pull over
and call El. She might worry if I'm late. Okay, there's got to be a
phone around here somewhere.

"Hey mister?"

"Yep."

"Where can I find a phone?"

"Yep."

"Okay, do you have a phone here?" What is with this guy? Maybe he's
hard of hearing or something.

"Yep."

"Well! Can I use it?"

"Yep."

Is this guy buggy or what? "You lead the way sir." This is so weird! I
feel like I just stepped into a hillbilly movie! All right there
grandpa. "Can I please use the phone?"

"Yep."

"Forget it! I'll find another stop!" I don't have the patience today to
deal with this nonsense. There's a nice older lady. I'll ask her.
"Miss? Miss? Excuse me ma'am?"

"Augh! El diablo! El diablo!"

What is it with this place? Everyone has gone bonkers! Was it a full
moon last night? I guess I'll just go to the store and then straight to
Elisha's. Once I tell her about this I'm sure she'll understand why I'm
late. I swear sometimes I'm in a hell on earth. What did I do to
deserve all this insanity?

***

Okay&;#8230;What flavor today? Chocolate, vanilla, boring! Oh!
Here's a new flavor. Reaching all the way down to grab the pint of
'?clair Ecstasy'&;#8230;"Jeremy!" Not again! Who's calling me? "Help
me Jeremy!" From inside. The voice is
inside&;#8230;Inside&;#8230;Inside what?

"Jeremy, can you help me reach the strawberry or are you ignoring me
today?"

Slowly I looked up. "Of course I'm not ignoring you Mr. Fritz, I was
just&;#8230;"

"Just lost in daydreams again boy? You've got to stop that young man or
one of these days the men in the white coats are going to come get you
haha."

"Yes sir. Here's your strawberry ice cream."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Nothing like someone bugging out in the freezer
section to get the town gossip going on a Monday morning.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Thanks. I'm just getting some ice cream." I just wanted to pay
for it and get the hell out of the store. At least the voices I'm
hearing now have faces and bodies to go with them.

***

Finally arrived safely at her door. Elisha would love this new flavor.
"Hey El. I didn't think I was ever gonna' get here. You got some
coffee?" Caffeine was something I definitely needed at this point. Of
course a few Valium would've been nice too but some of us nuts aren't
afforded those luxuries.

"Yeah. This will only take a minute." She sashayed her way into the
kitchen, all the while humming some children's song about animals. What
was it? Oh yeah, 'Old McDonald'.

"Thanks hon." Elisha has always been the strong part of this
friendship. She always knows exactly what to do and she makes sure that
you know exactly what it is too.

"Sure, no problem. Don't expect me to make the weird sounds in the
kitchen though like on the cappuccino commercial haha. This will be
plain old 'I had a coupon and it was on sale' coffee."

"That's fine. Thanks."

"Here you go Jer.", she said with a motherly smile.

"All set?" I learned from the start that if you had something to say
you'd better just say it. Elisha had a lot of patience but she wanted
all the facts of the story straight away.

"Fire when ready."

I finished reliving the dream in every detail for her. Then I told her
about the happenings from earlier today. When I was done, Elisha was
just sitting there. She was gorgeous. I knew by the glazed darkness of
her eyes that she was in deep though, searching for a meaning to help
explain my late night expedition. Grasping at stray thoughts that were
whizzing by like papers swirling in a hurricane.

She was a small-framed woman with olive skin, brown eyes and that
blue-black hair of midnight. Sheer loveliness in every way. Elisha was
my best friend though. We'd never screw up the friendship with
something as trivial as sex.

"Jeremy?"

"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about this whole dream thing."

"Jeremy, do you remember when the dreams started?"

"Um, yeah. About two months ago I guess. I didn't really pay much
attention to them before because they only happened once in a while.
Now it's happening every night and I hear the voices sometimes during
the day too! What do you think El?"

"I'm not quite sure. I could be a lot of things. Stress, nervousness,
too much ice cream before bed haha."

"Haha. Very funny."

"Oh, I'm just trying to lighten the mood a little. You're way too tense
hon. You need to relax before you have a brain explosion. Sometimes the
reasons for these things are right in front of us and we never even see
them because they're too obvious."

"I know. I just don't know if I'm missing some important six-sense
message or something."

"Yeah. I never thought about it that way."

"Well, it's almost dinner time. I guess I'll go and get out of your
hair now."

"Jeremy?"

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you go ahead and crash here tonight. We can stay up late,
watch old movies and pig out! You want to?"

"I don't know Elisha. Do you really think it's a good idea? I mean,
haha, what will the neighbors say?"

"Silly, don't worry about them. There's always a fight somewhere in
this building and they are all more interested in a good squabble than
a guy in my apartment."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Okay El. I'll stay."

"Great! I'll make dinner. Hungry-man or Stouffer's?"

"You always were a great cook Elisha."

"Why thank you my good man." she said with a curtsy.

It was a great night. We talked, watched movies, and had a nice time.
No voices and no problems. Not even one! El made up the couch for me
and even though it was shorter than my bed, it was
perfect&;#8230;Maybe because it wasn't my bed.

***

"How'd you sleep?" El asked as she stretched.

"Fine, and you?"

"Great! Never better."

"Good. I think that rest did me a lot of good. I'm starved! Wanna' go
grab a bite to eat?" For some reason I'm starving this morning. It's
amazing what a good night's sleep can do for the appetite.

"Sure haha, as long as you're paying.," she said with a wink.

"Deal. Let's go Moe."

"Okay Ray."

***

After breakfast El went home and I headed to the store to grab a few
things. When I arrived home, feathers were everywhere! "Tweeps! What
the hell are you doing?"

Tweeps looked up from the floor of his domain and gave me an evil
little bird stare. Sometimes he gives me the creeps but he was a
birthday gift from Elisha so we are learning to live with each other. I
just wish she'd gotten me a fish or something quieter! "Don't give me
that look mister bird! Look at this mess? Why must you prune your
feathers all over my floor?" With that, the bird took a feather that he
had in his beak and flew over to the other side of his cage. Once on
the other side, he promptly spit the feather out between the bars where
it floated to the rug in a whirl-a-gig fashion. Ugh!

Elisha had insisted on getting Tweeps the largest cage she could find.
Not only did it take up one whole wall in the living room; it also gave
him access to almost all of the carpeted area. "Well, I guess I can't
have playtime with you today. Looks like I'll have to spend that time
cleaning the rug." Feathers were stuck to the rug so I couldn't just
vacuum most of them up. I had to pluck them individually by hand. How
could one bird pull this many feathers out and still not be completely
bald? I'll never know.

I'll be glad when the shop opens back up. All this time off is driving
me buggy! Renovations had to be done though. So, what's a guy to do? In
all the years I'd worked at the record shop, never once had Mr.
Trabucco closed the doors. Some grant thing came through though and he
was given a substantial amount of money to get the front of the
building redone so that it matched the new structures on Main Street. I
think free money was only the way to get him to do it too.

"Tweeps, I'm going to lay down for a while. If there's so much as ONE
feather on this floor I'll beat you with it!" Only a blank stare in
reply. That birds' eyes were spooky. They looked like black pearls,
shiny and smooth yet hard and solid. Oh well, at least he got the
message. Tweeps stomped his little bird feet back and forth across the
bottom of the cage, like a guard keeping watch over a diamond, never
blinking, barely breathing, and so unreal that it would scare the snots
out of anyone daring to come near him.

Just a small nap&;#8230;Resting my eyes&;#8230;Think happy
thoughts&;#8230;Clearly blowing bubbles&;#8230;A child full of
life with not a care in the world.

night&;#8230;Ooooh dreamweaver&;#8230;>

Running. "Jeremy! Let me out!"

"No! Leave me alone!" Stay away. I've got to find out who's calling
me.

"Jeremy! Help me Jeremy!"

"Oh no, what to do. What am I supposed to do?" Somebody! Anybody! Do
you hear me? Someone needs help! Please! Please! Please! Darkness
grabbing at every pore of my body. Sucking all of the life from me like
a pup on a teat. Clawing&;#8230;Pushing&;#8230;Pulling.
"Noooooo!"

"Huh?" Oh man! The dreams just keep getting freakier and weirder! What
time is it? Six o'clock is what the clock says. Whoa! My little nap was
two and half-hours long! Time for the three S's and then I think I'll
take a walk around town. I've got to get out of this place. Maybe this
apartment is haunted or something. I'll have to remember to ask Mrs.
O'Reilly about it. She's owned this place forever and she would know if
something awful had happened here.

"Check ya' later Tweeps."

Buffalo can be a gorgeous city, especially at night. Sometimes, when
it's really quiet out, I swear that Niagara Falls can be heard. I know,
that's nonsense, but you'd have to be here to understand it. Here we
go&;#8230;Hertel Avenue. The main strip through town. Everything
you'd ever want can be found within this emporium of camaraderies. It
can be as fulfilling as a good meal or as overwhelming as a muggy day.
It just feels great to walk in peace with not a care in the world.
Well, except for one.

"Jeremy!" What? "Jeremy! Get up here!" Why? "Help me! Please!" I can't
help you, I screamed in my mind! "Jeremy please!" No! Stop it! Just
shut up and go away! Please! "Jeremy! Now! Please Jeremy!" Noooo!

Not even two steps out my door and the voices are starting again. I
can't take this. It's too much! There's a payphone on the corner.
Elisha will know what to do.

Rring. Rring. Rring. Rring. "Hello?"

"El? Are you awake?"

"Yeah, I guess so. What time is it?"

"Three in the morning. Listen Elisha, I'm having a really rough night.
Do you feel up to talking?"

"Sure. You want me to come over?"

"Could you? I just don't think I should drive right now. El I wouldn't
ask if&;#8230;"

"I know Jer. It's okay. Give me an hour and I'll be there."

"Thanks. You're the greatest."

"See you in a bit. Bye."

***

Ding-dong. I ran to the door, trying not to seem too enthusiastic about
her arrival. I swung open the door, reached out to hug her
and&;#8230;"Mr. Gibson!" Huh? Oh gracious!

"Mrs. O'Reilly? What can I do for you at this hour?"

"I'll tell you what you can do! Stop all that screeching and screaming
and carrying on at all hours of the night! You're going to have to get
rid of your roommate if she can't keep that ruckus down!"

"I don't even have a roommate Mrs. O'Reilly and I'm sorry if I've been
keeping you awake but&;#8230;"

"I don't want to hear any of your excuses Mr. Gibson. Mark my words
though! Any more trouble out of you and you'll be out on your keister
young man! Understand?"

"Yes ma'am. I'm sorry."

"All right now. I'm going back to bed. No more trouble ya' hear
me?"

"Yes ma'am. No more problems." I closed the door slowly trying to
figure out exactly what she was talking about. Maybe the old lady has
finally wigged out. Elisha will love this story, especially since she
knows there's never women here.

Ding-dong. Please be Elisha. I can't take much more tonight.

"Jeremy? Are you okay? You're so pale!"

"Oh El! I've had such a mind-boggling night. I don't know what's going
on anymore!"

"Jer, have you ever thought about talking to a specialist about all of
this?"

"A shrink? You think I need a shrink? I have nightmares El! I'm not
crazy, loony or bonkers! I'm just under a lot of pressure okay? Okay?"
Why doesn't she understand? Am I really going crazy?

"Okay fine. If that's how you feel but, in all of the years I've known
you, never once have you spoken to me like that", she said with a
sigh.

Oh man. "Hey El, I'm sorry. Really. Please don't be mad. Maybe I do
need some help. If you really think it's best&;#8230;"

"Well, it can't hurt just to see what a doctor thinks and I'll go with
you. Afterwards we'll stop for ice cream okay?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever&;#8230;"

El sat on the couch and I lay down with my head in her lap. She stroked
my hair and told me that everything would be okay. How I wanted to
believe those words. I had to believe them though, right? Because if I
didn't put faith in what she said, I would truly be insane.

"Jeremy! Let me out! Jeremy! Please help me! Jeremy! Jeremy!"

"Elisha! Do you hear that voice? Do you hear it? Please say you hear
this El!" I looked over at her. She was just staring across the room. I
followed her gaze slowly, like a tiger tracking an antelope. What I saw
almost threw me into hysterics! Two months of voices! Two months of
nightmares! Two months of pure hell! Elisha still hadn't blinked. She
was frozen and the corners of her mouth were slightly turned down,
giving her a menacing leer. She looked salacious, as if she were a
vulture waiting for someone's last breath.

"Another leg El?" Who'd have thought it would all end this way.

"Yeah. This is great! See? Try something new and it can be awesome! I'm
finally seeing you in a different way Jer."

"Yeah? A good way?"

"It could be. Come here my little nut."

"I love you El."

"I love you too Jer."

"Hey! Maybe later we can stop by the fish store." Then in unison, "Naw!
Hahahahaha!"