The technology was pioneered by some new-age scientist almost a century ago. The world hasn’t been the same since. What he discovered how to do was nothing short of revolutionary for the time; it changed the way people thought about mortality, morality, and the soul. It completely reinvented penal systems around the world – for the first time in the history of man and prison, consecutive life sentences actually meant something…...
I had always been told that “home is where the heart is” – and, so, why I was driving around the country that summer morning made perfect sense. You see, my heart wasn’t bound to any particular place. If anything, it was scattered piecemeal across twenty different states, and the more I traveled the more pieces I left behind. I had been on the road for an awfully long time, and couldn’t really see myself settling down any place until they put me in the ground....
“I’ve all that I need know… right here, in hand. Under my arm it travels… just… as… planned,” the little man, Dwain, practically skipped as he sang his song. Of course, with all of his melodious racket, he was bound to attract attention. “And, what, tell me sir, is that?” Dwain heard from within the woods. “And who… tell me sir, are you?” Dwain asked into the woods. “Someone very interested in what you have beneath your arm,” the shadows between the trees replied, “Call me Doubtful”....
I had woken up that morning only to find myself exceptionally hungry. Naturally, I walked to the kitchen, which was but a few feet away, and opened the fridge to partake of its contents. It was a fleeting attempt at satiation, because there was nothing edible inside of the stainless steel excuse for a food box. The pantry was likewise lacking. My stomach kicked me swiftly and I headed for the door....
There I was, half nude, standing in a pile of dried black beans. Completely unaware of what was going on, until she asked me that perfectly reasonable question – “What in the hell are you doing?” Those words shook me from my apparent dementia, and I couldn’t help but stare at the beans beneath me. Truth was, I had no idea what I was doing. I tried to tell her that, but when I looked up she was gone....
You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, but I must tell someone… and before I forget, too. My mind isn’t quite what it used to be… memories aren’t safe there anymore. Too many years of wandering and second guessing myself have taken a toll upon me. So listen, and tame your disbelief when it first rears its ugly head. What I say here is truth. It was a damp spring day and I was on my north-facing porch admiring the fog between the trees....
“Box shopping?” she queried the little fat man. “Indeed,” he replied. “One size fits most,” he went on. The fat little man was the proprietor of the only box shop in America. A cousin of that notoriously lanky and clean-cut Sam. In fact, the fat little man used his cousin extensively for advertising. “In a box!” He would hand write on the front of those iconic pointy posters. It was a sleazy marketing scheme, but the proprietor certainly had no qualms with being sleazy....