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  “Earl,” I said, “we’re not on this again, are we?”

  He smirked, took a sip from his pint, and kept up the discussion with Caroline.

  “Do you think this’ll lead into his infamous end of the world speech?” I asked Connor.

  “Is the pope Catholic?”

  It didn’t take Earl long to find the opening he’d been waiting for. I heard Caroline say, “You actually believe we need world wars, famine and disease??? You think we need these things, things that extinguish the human race?”

  “Do you really think that with all of the pollution we pump into the atmosphere and the theft of the planets natural resources, it wouldn’t fight back to rid itself of the disease that’s killing it? Like a surgeon cutting out the cancer.”

  John attempted to speak but Earl raised his hand and continued.

  “With all of the new diseases popping up, earthquakes, forest fires and tornados, you have to see that the world is actually fighting back. It’s karma. There are too many people on the planet with no respect for what it can do for us. What it is doing for us. Nature’s a bitch, 300 million killed off in the 20th Century from smallpox alone, the Spanish Flu wiped out nearly 100 million during the Great War, the Black Death, 75 million over the course of 300 years.” He paused again, hand still up. His index and forefinger started to wiggle. “Jake, set me up with a butt.”

  Jake threw a cigarette to him without missing a beat. Earl lit it and continued. “And we’re not much better, nearly 60 million people killed during the second world war. Horrible statistics - but necessary? You bet! With fewer people to shelter and feed, the planet isn’t hit as hard by mankind’s abuses. Right now there are too many people on earth, so you can expect to see one of two things happening soon: war or global retaliation. Read Malthus man, it’s all there in black and white. My money’s on war. Look at the history of the world – did you know that in all of recorded history there have been only seven days of peace? And that’s seven in total, combined, taking an hour here, a few minutes there. War has been controlling population ever since we learned to fight.

  “So in answer to your question, Caroline: yes, we do need world wars. Imagine the damage the planet would unleash if we didn’t have them. The unfortunate thing about a world-wide war right now is that most life on earth would be devastated. That’s why we never see countries that have nuclear weapons use them in battle. They’re too efficient, too final. And the political implications of using a nuclear missile could just as easily propel the planet into a world war. Every shithole country on the globe has a half-ass copy of the bomb now and won’t be left out if someone decides to light one up.”

  “It looks as though we have a member of ‘The Four Horsemen’ among us,” Julia commented. The whole group laughed.

  Caroline staged a rebuttal. “So, Earl, with the shape the world is in right now, you’re suggesting that another war is imminent. Beyond population densities, on what do you base that profound prophecy?”

  “Think about it Caroline, everyone…” He paused for effect. “You’ve all heard of Revelations, in the Bible and the ‘seer’ Nostradamus. Not to mention the others who’ve seen the future, the dark future. They’ve all seen a third world war. Some say that the ‘war on terror’ is the third and final installment of world wars. A third global war with nukes would be the end of the world as we knew it. Radiation would permeate the soil and the air. The lucky ones would be those who happened to be at ground zero when their city was hit. With history, fact and the Bible backing up these arguments, I think I’ve pretty much covered my ass.”

  “I think you mean history, fact, and fiction, Earl. The Bible?” Connor shook his head. “Alright, I’m leaving this conversation.” He struggled to stand.

  “Connor,” Sara broke in, annoyed, “the Bible is the most real thing in this conversation. I believe in the Revelations. I don’t want to think it’ll happen in my lifetime, but I believe it will one day.”

  “It’s not a cop-out, Connor,” added Earl. “It’s as valid as anything you’ll hear on the news these days.”

  “It’s ancient history, I mean fictional history. It’s a piece of fiction. What can you draw on from the Bible that can make sense of the state of the world today?”

  “It’s not all fiction, Connor. It’s steeped in historical fact and to see into the future you have to look into the past. It’s that simple.”

  “I think we’re all a little too high right now to continue this line of thought,” I declared.

  “Joel!” Sara hissed. “I’m serious. Read it some time. I guarantee you’ll shit your pants.”

  “Hey, I was just saying that we should mellow out a minute. Don’t get all jerked off over nothing. You’re not exactly a Bible thumper.”

  “I don’t have to be a Bible thumper to believe in something, Joel!”

  “Chill out,” I went to grab her hand, but she pulled away. “Settle down.”

  I stared at Connor, amazed at Sara’s attitude. He nodded and waved me over. On our way to the cooler, he settled me down with a show of acid.

  “Just let her cool off, old man. You must have struck a chord or some shit.” We snagged a beer each and sat on a large, protruding rock. “Do you want to do a hit?”

  “I didn’t know you brought this shit up.” I licked my finger and dabbed it on the paper holding the acid. Connor followed suit with a mischievous smile. While we waited for the drug to take hold, we listened to Kevin arguing with Sara over the ‘faith’ she had in the Bible.

  “Faith is the key word there, Kevin.” Her voice became louder. “That’s why religions are also called faiths. Faith requires no particular proof.” I followed her shadow with my eyes as the fire projected it ever closer to our position. “Faith is everything. I believe in heaven and hell with little more proof then the Bible can give me. I believe because I want to, and I pray that when I die heaven will be waiting for me.”

  Kevin went silent. Sara was blowing this way out of proportion.

  Sidney broke in. “Maybe you should read the Bible like Sara said. I skimmed through it once in a hotel room when I was traveling and the end of the book is in essence the end of the world.” With this said, the whole group exploded in conversation.

  “Intense, man,” Connor sighed as he studied the stars. “We wonder why wars break out over religion, and these people are friends. Man, everyone has their own ideas on how someone else should live.” A melancholy mood struck us both. I glanced over at him, and saw him regarding me with vacant eyes.

  Oh shit, not again.

  For as long as I’d known him, Connor has had what some called a ‘second sight’. He could often sense that something was going to happen before it did. He told me once that his grandmother had had the same ability. He’d never predicted anything that spooked me, at least nothing that he told me about in advance. Whenever one of those premonitions struck him, his expression would go blank and he’d stare off into space.

  “Shit, Connor, if you’re going into fortune-teller mode, keep it to yourself. I’m too buzzed to handle shit, good or bad. Call me when it’s over.” I turned to leave, but was unable to see in the dark and banged my head on a low-hanging branch. “Shit!”

  He jerked as if electrocuted, and watched me rubbing my forehead, his eyes slowly focusing. Then he started laughing. So did I, relieved that he was back and apparently without grim news. We wandered off into the trees, moving further from the noise, not stopping until the fire was a distant flicker. Finding a dry spot, we sat. Connor got cozy with the tree behind him, wrapping an arm around its trunk and resting his head against its rough bark.

  “This is a good tree. Put your hand on it, Joel.”

  I did, and the experience blew me away. A rush of energy shot through my body as my hand breached the tree’s aura, an aura I swear I could see. Connor watched the expression on my face change as I connected with nature. “Pretty amazing, eh buddy?”

  “Insane.” That was all I could say. Connor
knew what I meant. I got up and began touching as many trees as I could. The phrase ‘tree hugger’ had just clicked. I giggled.

  “Let’s start a fire of our own,” he suggested. “What do you think?”

  “Good call, but I think everything is wet from the storm this afternoon.”

  “We’ll find dry wood somewhere.” He rose with a grunt and stepped over me. “These are birch trees. We’ll peel their bark for kindling. Shit burns good. You got a knife?”

  “No, but I have a lighter.”

  “No worries.” I could hear the bark being pulled apart as I resumed my tree loving.

  A skunk crossed my path a moment after I left Connor. Not a bizarre thing in the north woods, but this was no ordinary skunk. My brain, still working on some instinctive level, recognized the threat in front of me. I froze. Raising my hands slowly, I massaged my eyes and prayed the image would fade away. “No, no, no....”

  Unfortunately, the scene did not diminish. In fact, it got more freakish as my vision cleared. The skunk had positioned itself on a dead stump and stared at me with an urgency that sent me reeling. My heart stopped as my gaze fell upon the animal’s distinctive and familiar abnormality. One front leg was shorter than the other.

  He stood on his hind legs, like a puppet. Suddenly light from an unknown source illuminated his stage. “Joel, you know who I am,” he said. “You need to know why I am here. Please don’t be frightened, I am only a vision.”

  I cut him off.

  “You’re right about that!” I pointed an accusing finger. “You’re nothing more than a vision. And a bad one at that.”

  I’d lost any ability to move and in trying, fell to my knees. Now face to face with the talking skunk, sure I had lost my grip on reality, I could only listen. It was all so very real, palpable. I giggled at the thought, shaking my head. “Joel, please, you must know. You must be prepared….”

  Before he could say more, Connor’s voice broke the spell and the skunk ran off.

  “Joel! Where the hell did you go?” He slapped me on the back and knelt down beside me. “Freaking out a little bit? Don’t love it too much, man.”

  Feeling had returned to my legs, so I stood up. “You have no idea, buddy. No idea. I just had a conversation with the skunk. Explain that shit to me.”

  “Cool. Acid agrees with you. The night of the beer gardens you followed your hands around as though they were blazing a path for you.” He led me back to our new fire. “What do you think? There wasn’t a lot of dry wood, but it’s cooking now, old man.”

  I sat. Then, pondering the events that turned an otherwise good trip into something of a nightmare, I clutched my stomach and threw up all over my shoes.

  Chapter Seven

  “Whoa, you sick, Joel?” Connor, now laughing, picked me up and assisted me to the water’s edge. Taking off my shoes, I threw up again. “Let’s get you back to the camp.”

  “Sorry, man,” I groaned. “That vision messed me up.” I remained by the lake while Connor went back to extinguish the fire. Feeling confident that I’d finished puking, I dragged myself to dry land and disrobed.

  Back at the camp, the group was going strong except for Jake, who was lying in someone’s lawn chair, a bag of pot on his lap. Sonny, John, and Caroline had pushed their chairs together and were howling over some joke. Freddy crawled into his tent with a beer and a magazine. Sidney and Julia both looked at a newspaper while Tom stood close enough to be part of their conversation but not have to contribute to it. Kevin lingered at the water’s edge, shooting the shit with Gil and Seth while Earl concentrated on keeping the fire hot.

  “Look who’s back!” Earl announced. “Thought we’d lost the two of you.”

  Everyone turned. Sara’s head poked out of our tent. I waved, wiping my mouth. Then I looked down at myself, remembering I only had my boxers on.

  Noting everyone’s stares, Connor spoke in my defence. “What? He went for a swim.” Leaning toward me, he then whispered, “Why don’t you throw on something dry. I’ll set us up with a night cap.” I shook my head. I wasn’t ready for bed yet.

  After assuring Sara that all was well, I joined the diehards at the fire. The group, now quiet, gazed at the night sky. I followed suit and picked my star. I noticed something strange though- tonight the earth seemed to stand still. The mood was right and the sky was clear, so I should have been cruising through the universe on my little planet, secure in the passenger seat. What was wrong? I felt panic set in again. Next black soot began to fill my field of vision, floating silently down all around me, like a dirty snow. I swatted at the flakes as they fell on my shoulders and in my hair.

  Was it from the fire? No, no one else was being bothered by it, though it fell on them as well, on their shoulders, their laps, at their feet. I closed my eyes hard. Opening them again, I saw that all had returned to normal.

  “I could see it too,” Jake said to me.

  Shivers ripped through my body. I sat up, slowly. “See what?”

  “The... snow?” He paused. “The black snow.” He pointed a hesitant finger above my head.

  “You saw it?” I was floored.

  Jake rubbed his eyes hard. Then he massaged his face roughly. He was now waking from his drug-induced nap. He steadied himself and lit a cigarette. Seeing that the drink at his side was still full, he took a nervous swallow. Scanning the ground and the group, he began to realize what he experienced hadn’t actually happened. “Just what the… what did I see?”

  I retreated tactfully. “Jake, I was just messing with your head, buddy. I don’t know what it is you’re talking about.” A forced smile followed the lie. Jake squirmed a bit in his seat. Then he began to laugh.

  “I must really be over the edge tonight, man.” Jake continued to laugh, chalking the vision up to substance abuse. “I’m FUCKED!”

  Sonny scowled. “Yeah, we know you’re fucked, you idiot. Now shut up before I knock you out. You’re ruining my trip.”

  Connor was now staring at me with that damn look on his face, that knowing look. “Something going on? You want to tell me anything, man?”

  Get outta my head, Connor. That’s what I wanted to say to him. Actually I would have loved to tell them all about what I’d just witnessed, but doing so would have gotten me tagged as a whack job, or an asshole. No thanks. For all I knew, I was just having a bad acid trip.

  “What would I have to say about anything, Connor? Jake was just freaking out at something he thought he saw. I’m fine.” I could tell that he wasn’t buying it, but he let it go.

  The Sweet Bitch came out and made the rounds. As I passed it to Connor, he attempted to read my mind again. I gazed at the sky just to avoid his prying eyes. Remembering my last vision, I quickly shifted my attention to the soil surrounding my bare feet. Playing with it soothed my soul.

  Gil, Seth, and Kevin returned from their nighttime stroll in the forest. “We spotted a nasty cloud south of our position, blacker than the sky,” Seth reported. “We should bear down for a crazy storm in about an hour or so.”

  Gil nodded as he gestured at a fine mist that was drifting off the water into our midst. “The wind’s picking up off the lake, blowing this fog to shore. The cloud has blotted out the moon.”

  “You should be pleased, Joel,” added Kev, remembering my love of storms. “This one’s going to be a competitor.”

  Connor challenged me. “Going to ride this one out? Sounds like a rough one.” He was pushing my buttons. If I could stay up for another hour I would fight it. I shook a lame fist at the sky. Nature’s power. I respect it, that’s why I challenge it.

  *****

  Gazing up at the ominous sky, I remembered a time, not long ago, when I was in the forest behind my house, facing a storm of similar size and fury. With me were Connor, Earl, and Jake - before Jake had ruined his life. The wind was wreaking havoc on the treetops and screaming through the fields, ushering in the rains. We stood our ground, leaning into the powerful gusts, shielding our faces with ou
r hands and shirts as breathing became a chore.

  We’d been playing war games all afternoon. No one had successfully ambushed anyone else the whole day, so I tuned into channel three on our communications gear and directed everyone to emerge from their positions to rethink our game strategy. They came, trigger fingers ready, when BOOM! Thunder crashed in the distance. We flinched. A wind pounded through the trees, knocking Jake on his ass. This gale had twister characteristics, so we planted ourselves.

  “So, what do we do? Stick it out?” Connor asked. The rain was getting thick, making it hard to see the person in front of you. It was even harder to hear anything. About ten seconds later, the wind changed direction drastically, now pulling rather then pushing. Then it all came to a screeching halt: the wind, rain, all of it.

  Drenched to the bone, we looked at the devastation around us, wondering how in the hell we’d managed to survive it unscathed. The forest was a mess. All around us trees were split or uprooted – only the very largest or the youngest remained. Yet not one of us incurred a single injury. Later we learned that we’d survived a mini-twister that killed five people and injured twenty others.

  It made you wonder. Ever since that fateful day I’d adopted the practice of challenging every storm that came my way. Connor was the same. Earl considered himself lucky but didn’t invest any deeper meaning into it. Jake, I think, just got the shit scared outta him.

  *****

  Half an hour had passed without a word from the circle. We listened to the wind sweep the fog past our camp. Thunder soon broke our trance, obscure and still very distant. I glanced in the direction of my tent as Sara wandered out. Looking around and rubbing her eyes, she noticed me rooted to my chair. I smiled. She came over and planted herself on my lap, wrapping her warm arms around my neck. I kissed her exposed shoulder while she pulled her fingers through my matted hair. We were back.

  The rain never arrived. It could be heard on the far side of the lake, keeping its distance. We joked about how the storm didn’t want to challenge us to a fight tonight. Waiting made everyone tired. Some slept in their chairs while others made it to the safety of their tents. Ending the weekend was tough; no one really wanted to be the first to crash on the last night. It was hard to let go of a good thing.