TALES OF GRASS

Chapter 4  

Jeb was standing there on the precipice looking down at the crashing waves, mesmerized by the swirling sea. Aristotle was whining and running back and forth, looking up at Jeb with that frenzied look he gets when something's wrong, as if praying for Jeb to flee that cliff at once. 

            Crack! Crunch! Crash!

            The lip of the cliff cracked neatly in a long line in back of Jeb's feet and opened up widely with a loud crunch and then the whole thing broke off and went plunging down, along with Jeb tumbling through the air. Aristotle stood there and watched Jeb with terrified eyes as he toppled down to the rocks. The rocks below appeared like huge hungry jaws opened wide, ready to swallow him whole. Jeb screamed as the world spun around him like a whirlwind and his breathing stopped. The gargantuan jaws opened, about to snap shut on Jeb's rear as the swirling waves appeared as a dreadful tongue licking it's chops, and then ... in a lightning flash ... there he was, back on the cliff again, looking down ... not remembering what happened. And Aristotle was again looking at him. Remembering.

            Then it happened again.

            And again.

            And again.

            "Helayelp! Aristo! Come on boy, help me out'a here! ... Argghh!" Sitting straight up with eyes wide open, Jeb looked around his room and thought, "Uh, what's happening? Where am I? Oh yeah ... yeah, I'm in my room, you dirty ole Jeb boy, you dirty old rascal you! I was only dreaming! Ha ha ha! Yeah, only dreaming! Whoa, was that a trip!

            "Yea, I'm alive! Let me out'a this bed," He said and jumped up. He fireballed into the shower, soaped up, brushed his teeth, dressed and bolted out the back door.

            "Yeah man, I'm alive!" he proclaimed to the air. "The sun is shining and breeze is blowing ... and I'm alive ... so alive! I'll just ramble around out here and check out the woods."

            Jeb tryed to penetrate the woodland boundary, but was denied entrance into the tangled moor. A maze of rotted tree trunks and thorny brambles and thick hedges formed a prison wall about the perimeters. Jeb marveled at the web-like infrastructure of trees whose very existence was to bury their secrets and spawn his wonder.

            Jeb worked his way around the far edge of the woods doing his favorite activity ... hard thinking.

            What's wrong with those guys out there, can't they hear what all the flowers and leaves and blades of grass are trying to say? How long can they turn a deaf ear to their tales? Can't they see the artwork of birds and sunshine? Why did they build all those thousands of nuke missiles? Nothing else to do? Can't listen to leaves and grass? Like they just had to have a job ... make a living, what kind of living is that? Death trade? All they know is to put people in boxes and stick them six feet under and forget about them? Man, let me out of this bozo trap! There's got to be something better!

            Jeb had these frequent frustration bouts in his mind. He was burnt out with this sick world and was looking hard for some real answers.

            Turning the bend on the far side, Jeb caught sight of a man coming around the far end with overalls and straw hat.

            "Yo boy!" He said with a foolish grin that exposed a toothless gap. "Pleas' ta meet ya! Merle's ma name. Yep, Merle Taggart it is. My boy, ole Zechariah, he said we had some new neighbers, and I came to meet ya all."

            Jeb nodded and stared in premonition. "Yes sir, pleased to meet you, and my name is Jeb, just moved in up there," Jeb glanced the other way as he spoke.

            "Yessiree, name's Merle," he said again and he stuck out a bony hand with old grease stains on them. Jeb shook.

            "I knew we'd get some fine neighbors one of these days. I ken see yer a fine boy, and what Zak told, Your pa and sis' are fine folk too. of course, Eh never met a man that I couldn't straight in the eye and find somein' good to like about em'." He looked Jeb straight in the eye for a few long seconds, just to make sure that Jeb got his point.

            "Yessiree, and I's nare a'feared to ever say what ere crossed my mind. Yeh."

            There was a brief moment of silence.  Jeb stood there … fake hearing Merle, or pretending to listen, nodding his he head, and meanwhile was thinking … of so many things … while the words of Merle sounded like a distant sound … like the sound of night crickets … his lips opening and closing like a veintriloquist’s puppet. Thoughts crowded Jeb’s mind as he nodded, “Been a mortal, seems like, such a long time … seems like …  even if its only 20 or if its 50 years, doesn’t matter the years, just numbers. Its the feeling of being here so long …  how does time seem long? What is this thing anyway? Supposing the saints are right? What that like? … eternity? Where there is absence of time? And why do we cry when someone near to us, leaves this mortal world and goes to that eternity?”

       "So yer moved in the old Ginnard homestead, did ya? Hope ya do better than the lot of those hippie bums that liv'd there before. Stayin up all hours of the gal-dern nite, and blast'n that infernal music! Damn low-lifes they were, but they didn't last long ... no, not long ... of course, they twernt all bad, as Eh said, aint never met a man Eh didn't like at least one good thing about ... and if I has to looks real hard, with a magnerfyin glass or sompin, way down deep in 'em fer it, then I do just that, and I'll find that somepin good, yes. I quess they were a little buggered out by the go'ns ons in them here woods. All though there ain't nuttin as scarry and disqust'n as that crap they call music, Bezelbub's music I calls it, yes it was ... still they were dammed scared out'a thier minds bout these woods out here. Bad dreams. But o'course, who in their right mind wouldn't have bad dreams, with all that mexican stuff they were a'suckin down ther lungs, Myyys ... I jest don't understand some folks. Get all scared over nuttin ... well, almost nuttin, as I's said, ain't never a'feared of saying the truth of things and what's crossed my mind."

            "I'd have to tell ya the truth. All the truth about them woods, though's I ain't sure that I can believe it myselfs some times. By Gabriel, I ain't heard such strange folkish tales since I's moved meh family from Arkansas ... after I'd won that lotterie ticket ... yeh."

            "I means that, ohh, the crys and howlin warnt so bad till last year, about a summer and fall ago. It was just yer normal animal cries before, ya know, like some cayotes and the such, when the moon be full, or somepin. But never like ya'd think if'n ya heard some ... body ... or thing, a gettin' stretched out on the torture rack, and pulled apart limb from limb ... Argh! Ya know what Eh mean, I ain't ever heard such a carryin on and a screamin in pain, as I done heard some nites out there ... no. An sometimes I just wanna jump out of my bed and grab ma shotgun and run out there and blow those bastards all to hell. But as you can see, it's mighty hard to even get around those woods in the daylight ... Yeasiree, and I'd seen some mighty thick woods where I'd come from, the black oaks of Arkansas. Yes, and I'd knowd that there be wild cats out there, and some a times they like to play with a rat or mouse now and then ... and make'm suffer. Still ... You'll see whatin I mean some nite. You wait and see..."

                         * * *

            As Jeb began to listen to his neighbor, Fefe came out to the lawn and started working in the flower bed. She dug her hands into the dirt, running her fingers through the rich soil, scooping it up and making little mounds for her petunias.

            "That's a little too close together," said Wanda, as her mother took her for surprise.

            "Oh, didn't see you coming," gasped Fefe, looking up in surprise.

            "Put them at least six inches apart, the roots need lots of room," said Wanda as she chuckled.

            "Oh look, there's that yellow stripped one again, he's been coming around alot lately," said Fefe.

            "Yeah, that's the second one that we've seen in the last two days," laughed Wanda, "She's real foxy looking."

            "Mom, sometimes ... well, it's hard to talk about this, but, you know how I love cats ... and I can't help being friendly to them, and just can't turn them away ... and you know ... are you thinking what I'm thinking?       

            "Yeah," grinned Wanda.

            "But Dad'll be pissed."

            "Yeah, I know, ha ha ... now won't this be fun! You know, Fe ... he's got this crazy idea ... that we've got x number of pets, and that's that! Don't know who put that idea into his head, but if nature's telling you that these sweet adorable little furballs, are just made to be in your life, and if they just come around here by nature, then who's to say that we can have only x number of cats, and that's that? You know what it is? It's just that darn man's logic again ... got to be order to everything. But hey! Nature don't always work in order, sometimes she works in dis-order, and we just have to play along by her game rules! When Mother nature says, `take these cute little kit-kats, they belong in your yard,' then by golly, I just have to obey her!"

            "But mom, that will be five cats, and Dad will have a cow!"

            "We need a cow anyway," Wanda laughed, "the more animals, the merrier!"

            "But what if Dad won't buy enough cat food?"

            "That' ok. There are plenty of rodents around ... under the house, and there's groundhogs around here."

            "I saw a rat the other day," said Fefe," must have come from the woods."

            "Woods are probably full of rats and mice, just see what I say, Fe, ole mother nature is giving us the cats and the food to feed them with."

            "But mom, I still got to tell you about ... well what's been happening inside my head, you may think I'm a little daft, but I keep thinking that I hear these voices, like somebody is talking to me ... yes ... I know it sounds silly." She frowned and looked down.

            "That's ok Fe. Voices are beautiful! It's all part of nature, cosmic vibrations, you know. They might be angels, or fairies, or nature spirits!" Wanda looked Fefe straight in the eyes and smiled, as she tipped her chin upward with a fingertip.

            "Nah mom, I don't think they are angels. The weird part is, that I think they are cat voices, like the cats are talking to me. As if anyone ever heard a cat talk, you know. They don't open their mouth or make noise, they just get me this strange look and I seem to hear words. And sometimes the voices come from the woods, and I know they are cat voices too. I'm not going crazy, am I? If only I could see my friends again."

            "I know that it's tough to leave your friends," said Wanda. "No I don't think you're going crazy."

            "Fuzzball especially, she just yaps all the time ... about the woods, they all say the same thing, that the woods are bad, and we should go away, before it's too late."

            "Now there, isn't that just really beautiful! You have a rare gift Fefe! Yeah, really! Some people can talk to animals, it's a rare gift! Oh how wonderful this is!"

            "But mom, they say scary things, about the woods!"

            "Nonsense! They are just scared of the woods themselves. You know, there's probably coyotes or coons out there, and they are just scared."

            "Well, I hope you're right ma."

            "Sure I'm right baby!"

            Wanda stopped and glanced at the woods, in a long moment of hesitation ... she wondered if she believed it herself ... was there a part of her inside that was ripe for this believing? This wild tale of Fefe's? Of how the cats are talking of bad woods? And running for their lives before it was too late? The woods always did look rather strange. No! She shut those dark thoughts out, or rather ... she drove them down into some hidden cavern in her mind, so they could fester there awhile, and creep out some other day.

            "Oh Fe, you know my past-life class is coming up real soon, and I'm so excited about it."

            "Oh yeah, what is it all about?"

            "It's about going back, way back ... even back to a previous life. (Fefe's eyes popped out in wonder) Yeah, you know sometimes there's stuff buried way down there, deep inside us. Stuff that's bugging us for so long. Stuff we would just love to know, just love to remember, but we can't, because we're afraid. Scary things that we try to blot out forever. We're so afraid to face it, because we can't understand why bad things happen to us, or why they happen to anyone for that matter. I mean ... why does anyone deserve these bad things? Like they just come with no rhyme or reason to people who didn't do anything to deserve them. We bury these things down deep, because we can't forgive them for happening, and we wish them to be gone forever. But they do exist, and they come bubbling up into our minds and prick us with pain and disease."

            "Gee, mom, what you said about bad things happening to people who don't deserve them ... why, that's happening all the time! And I don't think we'll ever know why, even if we searched for 10,000 years, we still wouldn't find the answer to that question. Because mom, because that answer doesn't exist."

            "Oh, maybe it does ... maybe bad things happen, so that we can forgive them ... and then we can feel unconditional love."

            "But what good is unconditional love ... when the same shit happens over and over again?"

            "Fe! Watch your language, I'm your mother!"

            "Ok mom."

            "Yes ... dear, all these bad things will go away someday, I know, don't ask me how, just believe that they will ... someday. We can fix our karma."

            "But mom, if one person fixes their karma, then the bad things will just happen to another person, then another ... it ain't ever going to stop mom, it's going to go on forever, mom ... forever."

            "Nah sweetie, we can fix it."

            "But mom, all the hate and greed and war and poverty, and all those fricken nuke heads ... they ain't going away ... not until we're all dead!"

            "No sweets, there's a new age coming ... I know it seems impossible now, but I know it's coming ... and then we're going to fix all our karma."

            "But mom, even if our karma's fixed, we still gotta die!"

            "Don't worry your sweet little head about those things."

            "But it's true, ma."

            "Even dying can be beautiful."

            "Yeah, sure."

            "It's all in how you feel about it."

            "Ok mom, death can be beautiful ... yeah, ha ha ... maybe that's why I listen to my music, huh?"

            "Yeah, maybe. So, by past-life regression, we go back to that bad thing in another life, and we face the monster and forgive it with unconditional love, and then we can truly love again. "

            "Gee mom, that would be wonderful!~"

            "I hope so, my dearest. I hope I can go back in time and face the monster, you know I've been seeing him in my dreams."

            "Really."

            "Yes, I've been having vague dreams that I just barely sort of remember, but don't actually remember. Something about these horrible men and ... ahhhh, I won't remember it, because something is so bad and unthinkable, that if I could remember all that pain, I think I would die!"

            Wanda's face shuddered in dread at these thoughts and her hand went to touch Fefe, and their hands held gently as a kind of electricity flowed each other's eyes and fingertips.

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