"Just how are we supposed to find his body, it has been missing for

almost forty years, hasn't it? I mean, it's not just gonna sit up and tell

us where it is, will it?" Asked Kyle, sarcasm creeping into his voice.

"Testy, aren't you? Maybe you need some time to process a few

things. Maybe I need time to plan that next move, huh? So, whaddya say

Mr. Wizard, you want to back off?" Julius said, voice growing louder as he

spoke.

"Man, fuck this shit!" Kyle exclaimed, "This is bullshit anyway.

Maybe I believe this shit first thing in the morning, or maybe it sounds

almost like you could believe it, but in the light of day you see what it

really is-bullshit!" Kyle stated vehemently, and stalked out the front

door.

"Well, some friend you got there, Justin. Hope you had a spare

buddy to replace him with." Julius drawled.

"Man, you have to admit it is hard to believe. And so what if he

doesn't understand it all, he doesn't know the whole story anyway. And

then you get pissed when he gets sarcastic? C'mon, Julius, what is up with

you?" I asked.

Julius sat motionless for a few moments, and then shuddered. He

stood slowly, painfully, and made his way towards his barren kitchen. Over

his shoulder he called to me.

"You best get him back, we are gonna need him, understanding or

not." And with that he ambled into the kitchen.

I left the house more than a little confused. This was all wrong;

I really thought this was about to play out the right way. Man, it went

wrong since this morning. Seriously wrong. And what the hell was eating

Kyle, anyway? He never swears, never. This was getting too weird. The

thought struck me funny, and a severe case of the giggles began to set in.

Weird? Gee, what was weird? In the last month I had been shifted cross

country, been outed by someone I was interested in, obviously he enjoyed

teasing me about that by the clothes he chose to wear, and lets not forget

the spirit in my house! I got Casper in my walls! And some potential

lunatic that wants to kill himself in order to join his long lost love!

Boy, I passed weird a long time ago. I sat down on the sidewalk with a

thump and began huge bellows of laughter that just wouldn't seem to stop;

it was just so damn funny! My life was so screwed up!

"Hey man, have you seen Kyle?" Came a voice suddenly stifling my

giggles. I think now that I stopped laughing for two reasons. Firstly

because I looked like a loon sitting on the sidewalk laughing at nothing,

with no one near me. The second was because I recognized the voice. I

looked up. Oops.

I tried to stand, really I did. Running was the next thing on my

mind, but the standing thing didn't happen so running was just a sweet

dream. I believe the term used for the punch I took is 'haymaker' a

country term to be sure, meant for people who work in the fields, have

ungodly amounts of muscle mass, and then wrap that package into a punch.

Of course it was the fellow I had helped Kyle get away from. And, oh my,

didn't he look even taller now?

The first shot landed squarely on my mouth and the issuance of

blood was immediate. The second shot was the real killer, though. I swear

it landed on the bridge of my nose with surgical precision, and blood

fairly burst from my nostrils. I tried to roll away, dazed as I was by the

suddenness and the ferocity of the attack, but I was too slow. All I

managed was a ball, and all I got for my efforts was a Nike to the ribs.

'That's goin' to hurt' I thought dimly as my mind tried to retreat from

reality. It was stopped in its traitorous tracks by the wrenching of my

arm behind my back, and the voice at my ear.

"Tell him it's too bad I didn't find him first, but he's next.

Tell him for me, won't you?" He panted.

Good, at least he was out of breath. So was I, and the world went

black.

I don't think I was out very long, momentarily would be most

likely. I stood slowly and began moving home. The few people I saw on the

way home showed no trace of being interested in what had happened to me,

which was ok since I didn't feel like discussing it. I entered through the

front door and went directly to the bathroom upstairs. I could dimly hear

my father calling to me from the kitchen, and I yelled something about

having to use the bathroom. Once I was safely ensconced, I went to the

mirror to survey the damage. Well, it could have been worse, like

Hiroshima. But it could have been a lot better too. The good news was that

my nose wasn't broken, although it was tender. My lip was split and I was

gonna have some shading around my eyes, oh and I was gonna get sore as the

muscles in my back tightened, but other than that I was ok. I gingerly

washed my face, and headed down to meet my dad.

"I was wondering if..What the hell happened to you?" He exclaimed.

"Got into a fight." I replied tonelessly.

"With who? Never mind, are you ok?" He ran a hand along my swelling

nose and lip.

"Yeah, I'll live. An ice pack would help the swelling though." I

tried to smile a bit, but not too much.

"Yeah, jeez. Who did this?" He asked as he prepared the makeshift

ice pack.

"That kid that I helped Kyle out with a few days ago." I dimly

thought I should call and warn him that gorilla boy was looking for him,

but I pushed it away. Just didn't feel like dealing with it right now.

"Maybe we should call the police." He said.

"No, dad, it's not that big a deal." I pleaded, "If that happens

before I get into school it'll just make things harder for me. Please, just

let it go."

"Well," he considered, "No stitches, so ok this time, for you. But

if it happens again.." He left the statement unfinished.

We ate dinner and I headed to my room, intending to lie down and

sleep. Once again sleep proved to be too elusive for me and my mind turned

relentlessly to the days events. What was going on with Kyle? And why was

Julius short tempered? Maybe people who planned to off themselves got

pissed towards the end? Who knew?

Anyway, answers were not forthcoming from my own mind, but I did

have an idea. Maybe I could find Jake myself. After all, he does like me

right? So maybe he will lead me there? I sat up and glanced around the room

expecting him to appear, I guess. No such luck. I got up and put on some

sweatpants and sat in the window. I looked out on the park and considered.

What was Julius planning? I thought he was planning to kill himself, but

why would he need Jakes body then? And Kyle was right, just how were we

supposed to find it? Corpses don't have 'little black boxes' to tell where

they are hidden or detail their last moments like airplanes.

And then a thought occurred to me. What if Julius was wrong? Or

lying? What if Jake hadn't died here, but was living somewhere else even

now? But then who was the spirit in the house if it wasn't Jake?

The muscles in my back slowly began to relax as the knots worked

out, the gentle kneading undoing the damage from the beating I took. I

rolled my neck and it cracked audibly, releasing tension and relieving some

discomfort. If I could just get in touch with the spirit again maybe I

could stay intelligent long enough to ask it a few questions.

Warmth radiated through my back and I twisted side-to-side

listening to my back adjusting. I suddenly stiffened as I realized that my

back was undergoing a massage. I turned slowly to see..nothing.

This was frustrating to say the least. The heat from my back had

faded, and even though it felt worlds better, I need to talk to it.

"Jake? If that is your name, I need to talk to you. Please, it's

important." I whispered. At first there was no response, then the world

began to gain new and wondrous hues. Colors no rainbow had ever imagined.

The sight was slightly sickening, but the figure that issued from it was

anything but. He was clad in jeans, sneakers that looked suspiciously like

Converse All Stars, you know the canvas ones. A NY Mets jersey fit loosely

over a white tee shirt, the jersey unbuttoned and the tee untucked,

spilling over the waist of the jeans. Perched on his head was a NY Mets

baseball cap, and a crooked grin.

The lights began to fade, but he didn't go with it. He seemed

substantial, but I had the feeling that he was weightless, or damn close to

it.

"Jake?" I asked

He didn't reply, just grinned. He walked over to me slowly, as if

I were some wild animal that he musn't spook. Slowly he lifted his left

hand and placed it on the middle of my chest. The touch was everything and

nothing all in one. Physically there was no hand, but spiritually my skin

was in another dimension. And then his hand moved forward and into my

chest. In case I failed to mention that my heart was nothing more than a

mindlessly fast drumbeat galloping in my chest, let me state it now. As his

hand settled in my chest warmth spread, that familiar warmth that comes

with seeing someone you care for deeply, and the weightlessness that goes

hand in hand with that warmth. My heart rate slowed and seemed normal to

me again. His hand moved to my neck, and I felt the muscles easing at the

touch, and finally his hand was in my face, passing over my bruised face

that suddenly felt better, not so sore. Then his hand rested on my

forehead. It must have been quite a sight, me with this other fellow in

front of me and his left hand buried wrist deep in my head.

Understanding crept over my face as Jake's melodious voice filled

my head, indeed my being as I heard his tale. His voice rippled through me

much as a stone disturbing a pond's surface, and I noticed that my vision

seemed to ripple with his voice. The room changed, subtly at first, and

then more obvious to reveal a room that existed out of time, my room, as it

had been so long ago, and then Jake's story began.