Void, the wondrous fanatical lights of the thundering sky raging all around him, until, at last, it stopped.
Johnny.
He felt himself lift up, and up, and up, and away from the place, back to something so ancient that he didn’t recognize it. Back to flesh and bone and blood and brain and heart and life.
Johnny, wake up!
A Hospital in Georgia
Johnny Abram woke up.
Immediately, he turned to the side of the hospital bed and vomited. The chunks of pink sludge gushed out of him, and he felt the pain of every piece.
“Whoa, John! Easy there, man!” cried a familiar voice from his left. “Nurse! We got an emergency here!”
A woman rushed in, saw the mess, and called for assistance. Before he knew it, Johnny was surrounded by hospital staffers, frantically running back and forth between rooms, touching machines, knobs, needles, and bags of cold liquid intended for his veins.
“You don’t look so good, Johnny,” said the same voice from before. “Have yourself a hard night out?”
Johnny looked and saw a man sitting near the window. It was El, wearing blue jeans and a gray T-shirt with the words “NAVY” written in black letters across the front. His chair was turned around so that his hands could rest over the back, and he stared at Johnny with a gaping mouth.
“El,” muttered Johnny as best he could. “El, what happened?”
“You had a run in with a ’82 pick-up—took a beating. You should see the other guy.”
“Is he okay?”
“He’s fine. Front of the car took most of the damage, but you got hit in the side. You know you been out of it for almost three days? They said you might not wake up, man. Pretty scary.”
“Three days?” He said, rubbing his eyes. “When did you get here?”
“About eight hours after they brought you in, but they wouldn’t let me see you until you were done getting stitched up.”
“You mean you’ve been here this whole time?” Asked Johnny.
“Been trying my best to be here whenever you woke back up. I figured if you heard me bitching at you, you might snap out of it.” He looked at the floor. “Susie’s been real worried, you know. She was crying up a storm over all this. First Gale, and then you? Said she wasn’t sure she could take it.”
“I’m sorry, El,” he muttered.
“Dammit, Johnny,” El snapped. “Why you always gotta go apologizing for? Ain’t like you meant to get hit by the damn thing.”
“Did you come here all the way from Clearwater?”
El nodded. “Yeah, but don’t you go worrying about that. You got me down as your emergency contact, so they called me right away. Got my ass in the truck and started driving as soon as the wife let me.”
“Sir,” said a nurse, which had been standing by while the two had been talking. “I need to give you some medication. It’s going to put you to sleep for a few more hours. Okay?”
“Alright,” Johnny agreed, and laid his head back against the pillow.
“Rest easy,” said El. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”
Johnny looked at his friend, sitting in the chair, jokingly waving goodbye to him and half-smiling, and Johnny smiled, himself, glad to be back and feeling almost relieved by it. But as the medication took its hold, his eyes grew heavy and the world faded into thought, surrounding him in dreams.
He dreamed an imagination. He dreamed fiercely. He dreamed of images and wonders that his eyes had never seen: of Lu Mei Gou and the Han Dynasty; of Jeremy Jones from South Dakota; of a rock; of a single blade of grass in the backyard of his grandmother’s house; of a desert road without end; of stars; of being born and bathed in light so beautiful that it could bring a grown man to tears.
And, finally, as the images dissipated and he suddenly found himself alone, he saw what appeared to be a door, standing alone in the dark.
Chapter 1
Documents of Historical, Scientific, and Cultural Significance
Play Audio Transmission File 021
Recorded
Johnny.
He felt himself lift up, and up, and up, and away from the place, back to something so ancient that he didn’t recognize it. Back to flesh and bone and blood and brain and heart and life.
Johnny, wake up!
A Hospital in Georgia
Johnny Abram woke up.
Immediately, he turned to the side of the hospital bed and vomited. The chunks of pink sludge gushed out of him, and he felt the pain of every piece.
“Whoa, John! Easy there, man!” cried a familiar voice from his left. “Nurse! We got an emergency here!”
A woman rushed in, saw the mess, and called for assistance. Before he knew it, Johnny was surrounded by hospital staffers, frantically running back and forth between rooms, touching machines, knobs, needles, and bags of cold liquid intended for his veins.
“You don’t look so good, Johnny,” said the same voice from before. “Have yourself a hard night out?”
Johnny looked and saw a man sitting near the window. It was El, wearing blue jeans and a gray T-shirt with the words “NAVY” written in black letters across the front. His chair was turned around so that his hands could rest over the back, and he stared at Johnny with a gaping mouth.
“El,” muttered Johnny as best he could. “El, what happened?”
“You had a run in with a ’82 pick-up—took a beating. You should see the other guy.”
“Is he okay?”
“He’s fine. Front of the car took most of the damage, but you got hit in the side. You know you been out of it for almost three days? They said you might not wake up, man. Pretty scary.”
“Three days?” He said, rubbing his eyes. “When did you get here?”
“About eight hours after they brought you in, but they wouldn’t let me see you until you were done getting stitched up.”
“You mean you’ve been here this whole time?” Asked Johnny.
“Been trying my best to be here whenever you woke back up. I figured if you heard me bitching at you, you might snap out of it.” He looked at the floor. “Susie’s been real worried, you know. She was crying up a storm over all this. First Gale, and then you? Said she wasn’t sure she could take it.”
“I’m sorry, El,” he muttered.
“Dammit, Johnny,” El snapped. “Why you always gotta go apologizing for? Ain’t like you meant to get hit by the damn thing.”
“Did you come here all the way from Clearwater?”
El nodded. “Yeah, but don’t you go worrying about that. You got me down as your emergency contact, so they called me right away. Got my ass in the truck and started driving as soon as the wife let me.”
“Sir,” said a nurse, which had been standing by while the two had been talking. “I need to give you some medication. It’s going to put you to sleep for a few more hours. Okay?”
“Alright,” Johnny agreed, and laid his head back against the pillow.
“Rest easy,” said El. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”
Johnny looked at his friend, sitting in the chair, jokingly waving goodbye to him and half-smiling, and Johnny smiled, himself, glad to be back and feeling almost relieved by it. But as the medication took its hold, his eyes grew heavy and the world faded into thought, surrounding him in dreams.
He dreamed an imagination. He dreamed fiercely. He dreamed of images and wonders that his eyes had never seen: of Lu Mei Gou and the Han Dynasty; of Jeremy Jones from South Dakota; of a rock; of a single blade of grass in the backyard of his grandmother’s house; of a desert road without end; of stars; of being born and bathed in light so beautiful that it could bring a grown man to tears.
And, finally, as the images dissipated and he suddenly found himself alone, he saw what appeared to be a door, standing alone in the dark.
Chapter 1
Documents of Historical, Scientific, and Cultural Significance
Play Audio Transmission File 021
Recorded
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