Charlie's Story

CHARLIE'S STORY

Henry Kim

... I crashed heavily into the bushes, falling prone onto the moist grass. Racked with pain, bolts of lightening shot up my left leg and left me gasping for air. I was losing consciousness fast, and my sight was beginning to blur. But I could hear the footsteps of the pursuants echoing in my ear. I couldn't risk another encounter with them if my life depended on it. I shook my head, grit my teeth, and stifled my groan as I got onto my feet, and hobbled away.

It was growing dark, and trees were starting to look like phantoms. I looked around quickly to find somewhere to hide. But this was a park, and there was no sight of dense shrubbery. But wait, there are some people meandering on the walkway. Maybe, if I could just make it to them...

The footsteps rang in my ear again, and goosebumps pricked my pale skin. I couldn't believe what was happening to me; my life was going so well before this. I mean, a beautiful wife, and my baseball career just about to hit the big leagues. And now, it's all crashing down upon me.

A shot rang out into the darkness, and I leapt off my feet and to my right. But again, I spilled onto the grass, and the pain shocked me into submission. I turned onto my back, my sight dim, and pain everywhere. I couldn't move, couldn't get away. I just waited for the assailants to approach. And approach they did. "You're a hard man to catch when you're on the run," mocked a blurry face. "Hey, we're only trying to help you. Let me ease the pain a little for you..."

I could barely make out the man raise his arm and point his gun at my head. In my last effort to save myself, I raised my arm. But I could hear him squeeze the trigger, and I saw the bullet, come right at me...

"Aahh!" I jerked forward in my seat, my heart pounding wildly in my ears, and my temples drenched in perspiration. I breathed heavily in my excitement, and I frantically looked around for my assailants. All I saw was a train full of people, conversing and looking out their large windows.

"I'm safe, I'm safe, it was all a dream! A dream! A figment of my imagination! I'm alive! I'm alive!" I screamed in my salvation, unaware that everyone was suddenly casting strange glances in my direction. Then I remembered my leg, and looked hastily down at them. But they moved fine, and they didn't hurt at all. I was so relieved.

"Hey, Charlie, what's up with you?" A muffled but very familiar voice addressed him. He looked for its source, and saw Sally with her cheeks stuffed with food, and holding hor d'eurves in both hands. "Aahh!!" I screamed in terror, and fell back onto my seat, thinking that my dream had not yet ended. But wait, I started to remember where I was and who I was with. I sagged into my seat, and let my heart rate slow to acceptable levels.

"Uh, Charlie, is something wrong?" Sally, unbelievably, put down her appetizers, and stepped over to him, wrinkles creasing her large forehead.

"I'm fine Sally. Just a bad dream. Just give me some space." She was pretty close to me at this point, and that was about all I could stand at this point. Sally, being unsure how to take that, but wanting to help, sullenly re-occupied her seat.

Seeing a glass of vodka affronting Sally and her plates, I reached for it and chugged it down. Sally didn't even make a sound. She did look a little hurt now.

"Sally, where's Miles? And Tashi?" I was still trying to get my bearings, but that last shot really woke me up.

"Uh, Tashi went to the lavatory, and Miles is showing his new friend the mountains." With that, she looked out the window. The scene was breathtaking. "They are beautiful, aren't they?" asked Sally.

I simply nodded. Now she was describing what she liked about them. Wait some have snow on them! Charlie, isn't it beautiful?

This was not what I needed. But I was suddenly overwhelmed by a sudden urge to be close to a urinal.

"Sally, please excuse me. I've got nature knocking at my door." I got up and left. Sally was happy with that, simply re-establishing her relation with the food in front of her.

As I stood in front of the ivory urinal, and emptied my shellshocked bladder, my thoughts strayed back to that dream I had. Why on earth did I dream about baseball? I had aspirations when I was young, but they were never realistic. The dream though, reflected that interestingly enough. And who were those Cuban thugs? What do they mean to me? And really, did they have to shoot me twice?

I slowly, grudgingly returned to my seat, where Sally awaited. More goosebumps. Great. I'm living a nightmare now, I thought to myself as I saw her staring out the window. My eyes strayed out the window too, and I gazed at the treacherous terrain that the train had just entered. Mountains rose up majestically and defiantly, revealing their proud crowns. Unmoving, these great monuments forced the rail line to curve around them. My eyes followed the rail line, and noticed another train coming in the opposite direction, just showing itself around the bend. But for some reason, it was blaring its horn in a frenzied manner. Why? I looked carefully, and realized that there was only one track laid out. I froze in my stance. There was a train coming our direction, and it's on the same track as us. That only meant one thing. I ran towards Sally. Sally saw this, and started to look frantic.

"Charlie, you're starting to scare me. Now what's wrong?"

"Sally, brace yourself. The train is about to hit a real big speed bump," I explained, and then pointed at what I was referring to. Sally saw and screamed in utter panic. Others noted this, and then noted the oncoming danger. Panic arose, and people screamed and clambered each other to try to do something about the inevitable.

I watched the train come at us, and began to realize what my dream meant. Only, there was no bullet. Only a train. And baseball is my life about to come to a screeching halt.

The trains collided, being unable to slow down enough. A wicked cacophony of smashing metal emanated from the collision, and sent objects and people everywhere. I saw Sally being thrown forward, and felt myself becoming airborne as well. Pain erupted as I hit a pole, and all went suddenly black.

I awoke, suddenly, my senses in a complete disarray. I felt hideously sluggish, and I could hardly move, let alone open my eyes. But I could see a light through my eyelids. I stirred, and tried to open my eyes again.

"Charlie, are you awake? Charlie?" A voice so rich and soothing entreated my senses. I had heard that voice before, a long time ago...

"Charlie, are you okay? You're alright now. You're in the University of Calgary Hospital. Everything's going to be alright." That voice, I knew that voice! I could never forget a voice like that! Could it be? From my past, returned to me now? In desperation I turned my head to the source. I could see her now, in my mind, outside with me in the darkness of the London night, the Ganzelles fellifium flying between our faces so close together...

Slowly, painfully, my heart pounding once again in my ears, I opened my eyes...

Who is it? Has the past come full circle and come to rescue Charlie in his darkest of hours? Oh, the agony! Tell me now who it is! If you want to find out, stay tuned...

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