Lord of Time by Michele Amitrani

Author:Michele Amitrani [Amitrani, Michele]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781988770086
Publisher: Michele Amitrani
Published: 2019-08-19T16:00:00+00:00

8

Hodie

They walked off church property and back to the residential neighborhood. Pacific glanced up and down the street then hailed a passing cab.

“Saint Expeditus Hospital,” Pacific instructed the driver as he and Alfred got in the back seat.

“I’m hungry,” Pacific said to no one in particular when the driver started the engine. He began searching inside his coat. “Are you hungry?”

“Not really,” Alfred said.

“Where did I put them? Oh, yes … Here.”

Pacific emerged with a bagel, a zipper bag with banana chips, and a small water bottle.

“Where did you get all that stuff from?” Alfred eyed the food suspiciously.

“A coat is worth only as much as the number of pockets it hides,” Pacific said while munching on his bagel. “And mine hides many.”

Pacific finished the chips and the bagel in less than two minutes then drank eagerly from his water bottle.

Alfred realized only then how thirsty he was. “Can I have a sip of that?” he asked. “Is it water?”

“Water?” Pacific raised an eyebrow, looking at Alfred with amusement. “Do you think I’m some kind of plant? Water is boring.”

“Okay.” Alfred rolled his eyes in exasperation. “What exciting thing are you drinking, then?”

Pacific peeked inside the container. “Here I’ve got two delicious raw eggs blended with a ripe avocado, blueberry, spinach, banana, and carrot juice, if you want to sip at this ambrosia.” He offered the bottle to Alfred, who tentatively sniffed at it.

“Good grief!” The young man jerked his head back as if struck by an invisible punch.

“What?” Pacific looked at him curiously.

“It smells like a used pair of socks filled with fresh vomit.” He raised a hand, warding away the awful smell. “I’ll pass, thank you.”

Pacific shrugged off Alfred’s comment and continued drinking.

For the next five minutes, the tune on the radio lulled Alfred’s thoughts into a stream of blurred images and sensations.

He looked out the window at the city streaming by, an ever-changing mixture of people, cars, and buildings.

Alfred was thinking quietly but profoundly of events up to that point. He lifted a hand and realized it was shaking, a remnant of the dark feeling that had seized him just moments before. He balled his hand into a fist. “You’re not in Kansas anymore,” he whispered to himself, amused by his own thought. He looked up and found Pacific looking back at him.

They remained in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Then Pacific put his small bottle back inside his coat, took off his sunglasses, and started polishing them with a piece of cloth.

“You have a question,” he said matter-of-factly. “But you are afraid to ask it. There are no safe questions anymore, Alfred White, only dangerous ones. You can either venture and ask it, or let your skull burst open with unsatisfied curiosity.” He smiled, as if envisioning the event happening right there and then. “Either way, I’ll have fun watching you deal with your thirst for knowledge.”

Alfred shifted uncomfortably on his seat and glanced at the driver, who was busy talking with somebody on the phone.

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