Dragonfly Dreams, Part Fifteen

Frank Mason realized that his mouth was hanging open in shock. He quickly closed it, but he still couldn’t believe who he was seeing standing….or rather floating….in front of him. It was…

“Mr. Jones!” Frank said in awe, “How in the world?”

“Mr. Mason,” Gordon Jones smiled, revealing his perfect white teeth as he floated at least a foot off of the ground, “I realize that you weren’t expecting to see me.”

“You’ve got that right!” Frank said, staring at his boss. He hadn’t seen the man in months…but he remembered how Gordon Jones had floated in the air during his job interview. He was still amazed to see him do it.

Gordon Jones floated a little closer. “Mr. Mason,” he said, his eyes blazing at the ruins around him, “Do you remember what I said when you were hired to work for us?”

“I…I can’t…” Frank stumbled over his words. He felt thick and dumb…like he was going into a trance. How long had Gordon Jones been following him? What was going on?

“If you recall,” Gordon Jones continued, “I stated that Gaia Pharmaceutical is an international conglomerate. We have offices and people working for us all over the world. We are one of the richest companies in the world.”

Frank nodded, “Yes…I recall. And you stated that your drugs were just one small part of your success…..and that you had other projects....other areas of interest….”

“Very good Mr. Mason,” Gordon said, “And this…place…just happens to be one of those areas.”

“This place?” Frank asked, “Well…it looks quite old. This place is just ruins. Why didn’t you just come on in? Why wait until now?”

Mr. Gordon began to laugh. It was an easy laugh, but Frank sensed some tension in it. It made him uneasy to hear that laugh. It sounded strained….practiced.

“Oh Mr. Mason,” Gordon said, “You still don’t get it…do you?”

“Get what?” Frank asked, noticing that he could see the large monkey from earlier once again. It was sitting on top of its house and peeking over the edge at the two men as they talked. It was eyeing them suspiciously.

“Mr. Mason,” Gordon said, “Has anyone ever told you that you are a very special person? You have a true talent…a gift. You are a Finder.”

Frank was sure that he had heard Chuck refer to him as a Finder once. Supposedly he had a power to find things that other people couldn’t. But what did that have to do with this place? It was just a bunch of ruins in the middle of the jungle. It wasn’t exactly some deep, dark secret.

“I see that you are still confused, “ Gordon said, his feet hovering inches now above the ruins of the bricks that lay on the ground, “Let me explain. You see….this city….this temple….hasn’t been a secret to Gaia. We knew about it….at least…we knew the stories ABOUT this place. We just couldn’t FIND this place.”

“Why not?” Frank asked, looking back at the monkey again. The monkey had closed its eyes…like it was asleep. Frank guessed that it was still listening very carefully to what they were saying though.

How can a monkey listen though, he thought….that’s just crazy!

Gordon Jones continued, “You see….there is something here that Gaia Pharmaceutical would like to own…to possess. Something that would give us great power. We just couldn’t find this place because…and I know that this is going to sound insane…but this place isn’t always in the same location. It….it travels! Sometimes I don’t even think that it is on this planet.”

Frank stood stunned. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said.

Gordon Jones touched down lightly on the ground. He reached down to straighten his jacket and then looked up at Frank, “Oh I assure you….I’m not. Surely you’ve seen enough of the hidden miracles by now to know that there is more to life on this little planet than you originally thought. Life is amazing…and there are more things on this earth that you haven’t even thought of.”

“So….what is it that you are after?” Frank asked, intrigued.

“How well do you know your Bible?” Gordon asked, walking up to Frank, “Have you ever heard about the story of the Garden of Eden?”

“Well…sure,” Frank smiled, “Most kids hear it in Sunday school. It was the place where Adam and Eve lived until they messed up. Then God kicked them out.”
Gordon laughed again…that forced, strained laughter. “Something like that,” he said, “But do you remember what was in the garden?”

“I don’t know,” Frank said, looking back at the temple which rose behind him like some misplaced mountain in a sea of green jungle, “Flowers, vegetables, trees…..the usual stuff.”

“Oh yes……I’m sure that it had all of those things,” Gordon said, eyeing the temple as well, “But do you remember what else was in there….the two special trees?”
“Well….one was the Tree of Knowledge,” Frank said, “The Bible states that was how Adam and Eve sinned…..they ate of the tree and then they knew that they were naked. But I can’t recall what else…”

“Why Mr. Mason,” Gordon stated quickly, “Think again….what was God keeping them from when he kicked them out of paradise?”

And then Frank remembered. “The Tree of Life!” he said.

“That’s right Mr. Mason,” Gordon smiled a slow, lazy smile. He pointed toward the temple which lay before them, “And if Gaia’s calculations are right….we will find that tree inside this temple. And with the Tree….we will find….immortality!”

Frank couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He turned completely around and took another look at the stone temple.

“How in the world could a tree live INSIDE that thing?” he said, “It wouldn’t be able to get sunlight….air….water!”

“Well Mr. Mason,” Gordon Jones’ voice came from behind him, “This is no ordinary tree. The fruit of it will let a man live forever….and I want that fruit! I want it so bad that I will do anything to get it. Even hire a stupid idiot like yourself to find it!”

“What are you talking…” Frank turned….and froze.

His blood ran cold. Gordon Jones was pointing a gun directly toward him.
“Unfortunately,” Gordon Jones smiled, “You won’t be able to live forever. You get to die….right now!”

And then….the world turned upside down.

Until next week….class dismissed.

Dragonfly Dreams, Part Fourteen

Frank Mason was running through the jungle. Any other person would have been overwhelmed by the immense, sticky heat and the smothering greenness of the Brazilian jungle. But Frank was in another place…a safe place inside his head. His body was running on autopilot.

The music! The music wouldn’t stop. Over and over, Billie Holiday’s voice rang out inside his skull:

Momma may have and Poppa may have
But God Bless the Child that’s got his own

And floating in front of his face…a dragonfly. Small and golden, the insect floated just out of his reach, although Frank was trying with all his might to catch it. He knew…just knew…that if he caught it and stopped the buzzing that everything would be alright. But it always seemed to be just a little bit in front of his clutching fingers. And still the songs of Billie Holiday kept playing…over and over inside his fevered brain.

Quickly covering ground, it didn’t take him long to enter parts of the jungle that were largely unexplored. The jungle began to fall back into clearing as his feet stumbled over rocks jutting up out of the ground. After almost tripping and splitting his head open, he finally stopped and looked down. No….they weren’t rocks. They were….they were….

“Bricks,” he whispered, looking up to see that the dragonfly had vanished. He wasn’t surprised. The music had stopped also. Somehow he knew that both the song and the insect had never been there anyway. They had just been illusions….ways to distract him….ways to make him enter into the jungle and find….this place.

Staring around in amazement, Frank saw that he was in the midst of a ruined city. Large, stone bricks lay like tombstones….marking the death of a civilization that had once stood in the middle of the Brazilian rainforest. From the appearance of the ruins, it looked as though nobody had lived here…or even had stepped foot here….for hundreds (if not thousands) of years.

Tall stone pillars rose up like soldiers to his left. Streaming from their tops, large green vines snaked their way to the ground. Frank saw that there were small yellow and red snakes crawling in the vines. He wasn’t too sure if they were poisonous or not, but he decided to err on the side of safety. He pulled away from the vines, eyeing a snake that was crawling dangerously close to his left foot.

On his right, the ground was clearer. He walked that way and was amazed to see the remains of what once was probably a paved road. It had been cobbled with smooth stones and could have served as a main way into the city. He stepped carefully among the stones which remained of the ruined street.

Now that the music has stopped, he sensed that everything was quiet….eerily so. It wasn’t just that he didn’t hear the sounds of the city which he wouldn’t have expected anyway. It was that he didn’t hear ANY sounds….no birds, no monkeys, and not even the buzzing of insects. There weren’t any sounds at all….not even the wind. It was like death had settled on the ruins and was forbidding even the breath of the wind to stir the air. Frank wondered if he was walking toward his own demise.

But he had come this far. He tried to remember what Irza had tried to tell him…but that was all a blur. He remembered the old woman’s nurse whispering something in his ear while he stared at Irza’s one good eye and Billie Holiday’s voice filled his head like a siren song….leading him to his fate. The rest of it was just like a deep dream….easily forgotten.

Now that he was on the street which had apparently led into the heart of the city, he started looking to his left and right. He could make out the remains of buildings now. Most of them were long gone, leaving only a basic outline of rocks to mark their location. There were a few that were still standing…though barely. Large weeds and even trees had started to grow inside most of these husks of a dead civilization. However, he was surprised to pass one house which looked surprisingly in good condition. The front yard was free of weeds and vines, the walls looked sturdy, and even the roof was still on the structure. None of the other buildings had that….

And then he noticed that there was someone standing in the doorway of the house….watching him. It startled him and he almost gave a yelp of terror….but then he noticed. It wasn’t a person standing there. It was a monkey…a very large monkey. He knew that it wasn’t a gorilla. They were only found in Africa. So what in the heck was this large monkey doing in Brazil?

The monkey was large…almost as tall as a short human. He guessed that it would have to be at least 4 and ½ feet tall. It didn’t move….it didn’t grunt….it didn’t even appear to breathe. It just stood in the door of the little house and watched him. He felt unnerved by the feel of the monkey’s eyes upon him, but he didn’t stop walking. He saw with some interest that the monkey was wearing a necklace….with a large stone dragonfly on it. What was it with the dragonflies around here?

Rising in front of him, a large stone pyramid rose to the heavens. It wasn’t very large, but it was larger than any of the other buildings…or ruins of buildings…in the area. He seemed to be headed toward this building.

“A temple,” he whispered to himself, “It was a temple.”

He didn’t know how he knew that….he just knew. He took one more nervous glance back over his shoulder. The monkey was gone.

Soon, he came to the base of the temple. The ruined steps of this once great building stretched almost straight up. He knew that he was supposed to climb them….make his way to the small dark door at the top. But as he stared upward, all of the steps seemed to flow together. He felt dizzy and sick. Perhaps if he just rested a bit then things would clear up. He wondered where the monkey had gone. Had it gone to get friends….were they coming back to rip him apart?

Behind him, he heard the rustle of feet on stone. He froze. He knew that it had to be the monkey. It had waited until he was too tired to fight back…and now it was going to attack. He turned to face the rabid jaws of the beast.

It wasn’t the monkey.

“You?” he asked in amazement as he saw the last person in the world he expected to see.

Until next week….class dismissed.

Dragonfly Dreams, Part Thirteen

Chuck looked over at Harry McCain. It had been a tiring day so far…and the day was just getting started. A fly was buzzing around his head. With a swat of his hand, the fly disappeared. He felt a tingle on his arm and glanced down at it. There it was….a brand new tattoo of a fly. He doubted if he would be able to use that later for any practical purpose…but one never knew.

Harry grinned, “Since when did you start making tattoos out of little things like that? I thought you were more of a monkey man.”

“True,” Chuck said, “Monkeys are more valuable as far as causing commotions and such. But everything has its place. Surely you know that.”

Harry nodded his head toward Irza’s door, “What do you think is going on in there?”

“I don’t know mate,” Chuck said, “But if we need to know, we’ll find out. Hasn’t that always been our motto?”

“Right you are sir,” Harry said, but he stole another long look at Irza’s house. Chuck could tell that he was worried about what was going to happen.

And if by sheer thought alone, the door opened. A dazed looking Frank Mason stepped outside, squinting in the bright sunlight of the Brazilian countryside. He took a step forward…and then collapsed to his knees.

“FRANK!” Chuck yelled running toward him. It was his job to take care of Frank…to make sure that he got where he needed to go. The company…the Gaia Corporation…was paying him a lot of money to make that happen. He didn’t need Frank going all loopy now. What had Irza done to him?

“Frank,” Chuck repeated, catching the man before he could fall face first into the dust, “Hey mate…you okay? Harry! Get him some water….NOW!”

“Ammm okaaaaay,” Frank said. But his eyes weren’t right. They weren’t focused on anything. Instead they were just staring off into space, like he was seeing something far, far away.

Chuck asked, “Did you see Irza? Did she tell you what to do?”

Frank looked up at him at the mention of Irza’s name, “Irza? Oh yeeessss. I saw….I saw.”

Chuck knew that it had to have been a shock for Frank to see the old woman. To see who she looked like….who she was an exact copy of. Well…almost. Irza hadn’t had the privilege of wealth to keep her young and beautiful. Plus….it seemed that the copies…the clones…aged faster than normal. He knew that Irza wouldn’t be alive much longer.

“Irza,” Frank was mumbling again, “The one who has seen the face of God.”

“Well,” Chuck said, “That’s what they say. But then again…you don’t believe in God, so what do they know anyway?”

Harry came running up with a bowl of water. He gave it to Chuck who tried to get Frank to drink….but he wouldn’t.

“Look at the poor chap,” Harry said, “He is just staring off at nothing. What did she do to him?”

“I don’t know,” Chuck said, dipping his hand into the water and sprinkling it on Frank’s flushed face, “But whatever it was, it sure did a number on him.”

Frank began to mumble softly to himself. No…Chuck realized that he wasn’t mumbling…he was…

“Singing,” Chuck said slowly, “The guy is singing to himself.”

Both Chuck and Harry strained to listen to the low notes that Frank was singing…but it was hard to make it out. It was a strange tune….fast and low. They watched in amazement as Frank reached down and began to draw in the dust. His fingers worked quickly, making strange patterns and a hashing of crisscross lines.

“What’s he doing?” Harry hissed between his teeth.

“I don’t know mate,” Chuck whispered back, “But I’m not about to stop him to ask. Are you?”

Just then a shot rang out at the far end of the village…followed by screams. Chuck turned toward the sound. What in the world was going on?

The screams grew louder as villagers started running past him. Another shot rang out.

“Go get your gun Harry,” Chuck said, “Pronto!”

In the distance, running toward them, Chuck saw the cause of all the commotion.

“It seems that our lovely Miss Janet Jones has found us!” Chuck said, “I want to put a stop to her for once and for all. My dance card is full but she won’t take no for an answer!”

Harry ran off to get his gun. Chuck turned back toward Frank. He had to get him somewhere safe…away from that psycho Jones. She would stop at nothing, it seemed. He stopped and stared at the lines that Frank had drawn in the dirt.

It was a crude drawing…but there was no mistaking the picture for what it was: a giant dragonfly. Frank however was nowhere to be seen. He had vanished!

“Well that just makes my day,” Chuck muttered as a shot whizzed past his head.

Until next week….class dismissed!

Dragonfly Dreams, Part Twelve

The woman was old and wizened with years of living in the harsh jungles of Brazil. But there was no mistaking it. At one time, this woman would have passed for Oprah Winfrey’s twin. Sitting in a large red velvet chair underneath a softly twirling ceiling fan, she stared at Frank as the last notes of Billie Holiday faded away. One of her eyes had gone bad and simply stared forward with a milky whiteness. The other eye, however, was as sharp as ever.

He wondered how it had happened. How had this woman…this Irza…been created. And why did she look so much like Oprah Winfrey.

“It was an accident,” a voice startled him. It was a young girl who looked to be all of 12 years old. She was standing behind Irza’s chair. Dressed all in white, the girl had the appearance of a nurse. At least, that is what Frank was guessing that she was.

“The woman that you know as Mizzuz Winfrey visited this land many years ago,” the girl said, “Even back then she was looking for a place to build schools…to help people live better lives. She visited this very village. The day was hot and the pond….yes, that very same pond you saw earlier….looked inviting.”

“But didn’t the villagers warn her?” Frank was in shock. He was staring at a clone of Oprah Winfrey…but she looked so old. What had happened to her?

“Of course they did sir,” the nurse said, “But surely you know that strong-willed women will always be strong-willed…no matter what others try to do to dissuade them. Mizzuz Winfrey simply waited until nightfall…and then slipped away from the village.”

And then Frank knew what had happened next. She had gone for a swim…against the wishes of the villagers….in the pond. The magic pond. And then how long had it taken for her to see what had come out of the waters with her?

“So Oprah Winfrey knows about this place?” Frank asked.

“No sir,” the nurse reached out to stroke Irza’s hair, “When the villagers found out what Mizzuz Winfrey was doing, they came to the pond and ‘persuaded’ her to get out. Of course, Mizzuz Winfrey took it all wrong….she and her entire group left. No money…no school….nothing. And then….soon after….”

She looked down at Irza. She didn’t finish her sentence…..she didn’t have to. Frank knew what had come springing to the surface of the waters. The village had their own version of Oprah Winfrey to keep them company.

Just then Irza gave a moist, meaty cough that made Frank’s chest hurt just to hear. The nurse stepped forward with a cloth and wiped the old woman’s mouth. She offered Irza a glass of water but it was refused.

Her body is old, Frank thought, but her eye is as sharp as a hawk’s eye.

For some strange reason, Frank felt as though he should bow. He knelt forward and tipped his head in the direction of Irza.

She didn’t speak but only lifted her hand. The song changed into “God Bless the Child.” Yet again, it was Billie Holiday singing. Frank didn’t notice any speakers anywhere. The music seemed to be coming from the very air around him.

“Mizzuz Irza welcomes you…you who are most favored,” the young nurse said, not leaving her post behind Irza’s chair.

“Why thank you,” Frank said, “It is a pleasure to finally meet Miss Irza.”

The nurse held up her hand to silence Frank. He watched as she cocked her head to one side as though she was listening to someone speak directly into her ear.
“Mizzuz Irza says that you have come a long way,” the nurse continued, “She says that you are looking for something.”

Frank thought to himself about this strange journey that he had been taking. It seemed like it was months ago when he had landed in Brazil…on a mission by the Gaia Corporation. He knew that he was expected to find something…but he just didn’t know what. And now….would Janet Jones find it before him?

Irza’s hand flew up once again. The song changed. This time it was Billie Holiday singing “It Had to Be You.”

“Mizzuz Irza says that you are the one who are destined to find it,” the nurse said. Frank wondered what was stranger: the fact that the nurse was getting mental messages from the old woman or the fact that he didn’t find this in the least bit strange.

“But what is it?” Frank asked, wanting to get to the bottom of this once and for all.

“I can’t say sir,” the nurse said, “Mizzuz Irza won’t say. I just keep getting images of fire…hot fire….that leaps out at me. It….it scares me sir.”

Irza’s hand flew up once more. It wasn’t Billie Holiday this time. Frank recognized the song as “Tomorrow” from the musical Annie.

“Oh sir!” the nurse exclaimed, bending down to wipe Irza’s brow with a cool cloth, “Mizzuz Irza just told me that you have to hurry! The other one…the one named Mizzuz Jones…is on the right path. You have to hurry….you will find it….tomorrow!”

“But I don’t even know what I’m looking for!” Frank demanded angrily. He stared hard and deep at Irza. She wasn’t moving. Her skin was sagging with age. Her hair was a white, wiry mess. And what was with that eye? The other one stared at him with a ferocious strength that somehow kept him from running toward her and demanding answers to all of his questions.

Until next week……class dismissed!

Dragonfly Dreams, Part Eleven

The heat of the coming day was starting to become a more viable entity as Frank once again found himself following in the footsteps of Chuck. They were headed back through the village and away from the pond…the magic pond. Just moments before, Frank had seen it create an exact duplicate of a deer which had gone for a brief dip. He was still in shock that something like that could happen. He wondered if such a creature would be considered a clone. He wasn’t sure.

Just then Harry McCain, the shapeshifter, came trotting toward them. Thankfully (at least to Frank), he was in human form once more.

“Good morning!” he sounded more chipper after his rest. His British accent, however, sounded out of place in the rugged and primitive conditions found in this Brazilian village. Frank smiled grimly. He was nervous about meeting this woman…this Irza. Had she really seen the face of God? Not likely. But still…with giant dragonflies buzzing around in his dreams, magical tattoos coming to life, and people shifting into animal form at will…he guessed that anything was possible.

“Ummm,” Harry asked, “Where are you boys headed?”

“Where do you think, mate,” Chuck said.

“You mean….her?” Harry’s voice stressed the final word, “Are you sure that he is ready?”

“Hey!” Frank grunted, “You can quit talking about me like I’m not here.”

“Sorry old boy,” Harry threw a small smile toward Frank, “It’s just that….well…Irza is special. I thought that we would wait until…”

“No time!” Chuck interrupted..his Australian drawl resonating in the morning air, “And it doesn’t matter anyway. Remember what I told you about this guy….he’s a Finder. He KNOWS things already hat he shouldn’t know.”

“Like?” Harry asked, stealing a worried glance in Frank’s direction.

Chuck stopped. He turned toward Harry and gave him a long, hard stare.

“Well, for starters,” he said angrily, “Frank here asked me about dragonflies this morning….very LARGE dragonflies. And another thing…he has suddenly taken a strong interest in Oprah Winfrey. Now how do you explain that to me?”

Frank saw Harry’s face pale considerably. He was looking at him like he had three heads or something.

“Hey guys,” Frank said, “I don’t know what you all are so worked up about. It was just a dream…honestly!”

They stood there for a moment….not saying a word. Suddenly, Harry just nodded and muttered something that sounded like “So be it.”

Chuck and Harry started walking again…a little more quickly this time. Frank let out a sigh and took off after them. Perhaps when he met this Irza then everything would make sense.

Coming over a small rise in the land, Frank saw that they were headed toward a hut that was larger than the others. Quite a bit larger in fact. And you couldn’t really say that it was a hut. As they got closer, he saw that it wasn’t made out of the crude materials like the other dwellings. In fact, he saw that it was a rather large, stucco building. Painted a soft brown, the colors mingled in with the others in the village so that it didn’t stand out. However, looking at it, one would know that this was the home of someone very special.

Another thing that was different about the house (because Frank could no longer think of it as a hut) was that it had several large windows and an actual door, large and red. When they got to the door, Chuck and Harry both stopped and turned to face Frank.

“We don’t go any farther mate,” Chuck said, “It’s up to you now.”

“What?” Frank was flustered, “You mean I’ve got to go in there myself? What if I scare her? This woman…this Irza…she won’t know me.”

Harry started to chuckle, “I think that you’d be surprised at what Irza knows. She has a certain gift at….seeing…things. Don’t worry friend…it’ll be alright. Or it won’t.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Frank was now confused as well as nervous.

Chuck and Harry both looked at each other and then they just shrugged their shoulders.

“It means what it means mate,” Harry said, “But when we were sent to get you, it was to bring you here. Everyone has their own journey to make Frank….and this is your journey. We were told to send you in….alone. And that is how you have to go.”

“Go on Frank,” Chuck smiled, “Don’t keep her waiting.”

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Frank reached out and turned the door knob. It creaked open a bit. From inside, he was surprised to find that he could hear the strains of music being played. It was an old song but one that he knew. It was a Billie Holiday song….what was the title of it? Wasn’t it Stormy Blues? Yes…he was sure of it! He looked over at Chuck and then at Harry.

“Do you hear that?” he asked, amazed to hear one of his favorite artists being played in this place….it was so surreal.

“Hmmm?” Chuck wondered aloud.

“No Frank,” Harry said, “But that doesn’t mean anything. If you hear something…just go with it. Things in Irza’s house….they don’t always follow the rules that the rest of us have to live with.”

Again, Frank found himself wondering what in the world he was getting himself into. But the strains of the song kept spilling out into the air around him….beckoning him. He loved Billie Holiday. The sound of her voice calmed him down….made him feel that everything was going to be okay.

“I’ve been down so long, that down don’t worry me………I”ve been down so long, that down don’t worry me……..I just sit and wonder……..where can my good man be?”

Closing his eyes, Frank stepped into Irza’s house. He heard the door click behind him. Billie Holiday’s voice swelled and washed over him.

Opening his eyes, Frank found himself in a narrow but long hallway. There was a room at the end of it….that was where the music was coming from. He walked down the hall….feeling strangely at peace. Was the music calming him down? The hallway was strangely devoid of any pictures or furnishings. It was almost like this wasn’t someone’s home. It was like it was just a generic EveryHouse….anyone could live here. What strange place was this?

Stepping into the room at the end of the hall, he saw something…someone… who totally shocked him.

“Oh my God,” he whispered.

Until next week….class dismissed.

Dragonfly Dreams: Part Ten

Frank’s eyes opened as he sat up with a stifled yelp. Sweat was pouring off of his face, but he felt like he was freezing. For a second, he could still hear the screaming of that woman: Oprah Winfrey. She had been sitting…reading…when he had entered her room. But how had he gotten there? And how had he gotten back? Had the whole thing been a dream? In the darkness of the hut where he had been sleeping, Frank could swear that he heard the soft shushing sound of a dragonfly’s wings. He hopped up and ran to the little window which was letting in the strong jungle moonlight, but he couldn’t see anything. And now…it was silent once again except for the sound of his own ragged breathing.

“You okay Hoss?” It was Chuck…the guy with the magic tattoos. He had stuck his head through the door of the little hut. “I thought that I heard you yell.”

“Fine,” Frank said, “I’m fine. It’s just…”

He hesitated.

“Yeah Hoss?” Chuck’s Australian accent seemed to be thicker than ever, even though he was trying to pull in some old Western dialect.

“I….I…can’t really explain it,” Frank shuffled over to his mat and sat down. The mat was thin and wasn’t very comfortable. But his legs felt wobbly….weak….and he was afraid that he might fall if he didn’t just go on ahead and sit.

He thought that Chuck might take that as a sign and leave…but he didn’t. He just kept staring at Frank: waiting.

“Have there ever been any reports of large insects around here?” Frank finally asked…faltering.

Chuck broke out in a fit of coarse laughter…his face scrunching up in a wild map of lines and contours.

“This is the blooming jungle!” he cracked, “There are large insects everywhere you look. You’ll have to be more specific than that mate.”

“Dragonflies,” Frank cut in quickly before he lost his nerve, “Any reports of large dragonflies.”

And with that, Chuck’s laughter stopped just as quickly as it had started. He was starting at Frank in the dimly lit darkness. Frank could see the large whites of his eyes…they looked huge.

“How in the he..” he started, “Did somebody tell you about that?”

“About what?” Frank said, standing up and walking toward Chuck, “What is it?”

“Dragonflies,” Chuck smirked and looked down at the ground, “They said that you were good…had a gift…but that was bloody FAST mate! How did you do it?”

“Do what?” Frank insisted on knowing what Chuck was talking about, “All that I know is that I just had a freaking weird dream about a large dragonfly taking me for a little journey over the jungle to a waterfall…and to top it off…to visit with one very frightened woman: Oprah Winfrey.”

It all sounded so ridiculous when said out loud. For a second, Frank thought that Chuck would just start laughing again. However, the sharp hiss of breath that he gave let Frank know that he had said something that had upset Chuck rather badly. His heart started to beat a little faster. What had he said? What did Oprah Winfrey have to do with this?

“Come with me mate,” Chuck held the door open, “I want to show you something.”

They didn’t speak as they walked through the dark village. Every now and then they would pass a startled villager: making a fire, cooking an early morning breakfast, or walking out for a morning visit to the bathroom. Nobody spoke to them…just stared with large, silent, dark eyes. Chuck was moving quickly, but Frank found that he was having a pretty easy time keeping up with him. He felt a little bit of pride in that…he must be getting in better shape. Of course, lately, he had been running for his life quite a bit.

Soon, they came to the edge of the village. Dawn was approaching. The moon had sunk below the tops of the trees, but the sun would be up soon. Already, the sky was starting to take on some of the light of the coming day. It wasn’t easy to see yet, but Frank could make out the shape of the large pond in front of them.

“The villagers don’t use this pond anymore,” Chuck whispered, suddenly quiet and reserved, “They say that it is maljita…it has ‘gone bad.’ But there’s more to it than just poisoned water. It’s something that the company has known about for quite some time.”

“What is it?” Frank shuddered. The lake lay before them. Nothing was growing near it…no flowers, no trees, no grass. It was like a great dead pile of ooze…waiting and rotting in the heat of the jungle. The pond was as smooth as glass…dark and deadly.

Just then, a small deer came walking out of the jungle. It walked toward the pond…slowly creeping toward the water.

“Hey,” Frank whispered, “I thought you said the waters were poison. Surely that deer isn’t going to drink!”

“Shhh,” Chuck shushed him, “The water isn’t poison. Lots of animals come to it and drink. Drinking it isn’t the problem. Just watch.”

The deer walked up to the edge of the pond and bent its head down, drinking deeply of the dark, still waters. Frank waited…hardly breathing…waiting for something to happen. Was some large fish or alligator going to pop up and eat the deer? Was the deer going to go into convulsions and die? He felt a sense of dread. Something was wrong…he just couldn’t put his finger on it.

Just then, Chuck let out a loud WHOOP and ran toward the deer, waving his arms. Frank’s breath caught in his throat. What was going on? He noticed that the deer was startled….and trapped. It couldn’t run back into the jungle because Chuck was blocking its way…and he was still running toward it. With a splash, the deer jumped into the pond and swam to the opposite side. It crawled out, gave a little shake, and ran off into the jungle.

Chuck was walking back toward Frank, his face grim.

“Well that didn’t accomplish anything except give me a heart attack,” Frank griped, “What in the world is supposed to happen here anyway?”

Chuck held up one finger, “Just wait a second Hoss. Wait…and watch.”

Frank waited….and waited. The seconds turned into minutes. Still nothing happened. He could feel the humidity starting to rise. It was going to be a sweltering day. He could feel it coming in. One of those days where the sweat just pours off of you like buckets of water. He dreaded it.

He had just decided to tell Chuck that he was fed up with this nonsense when something happened. The water on the pond began to stir. Small bubbles started to rise on the surface. Just a few at first…and then more appeared. The water started to churn and turn frothy. He could hear it sloshing and swirling from where he stood. He was glad that he wasn’t any closer to the water. It didn’t feel safe.
“What’s going on?” he demanded again, but Chuck wouldn’t answer.

Jus then, a head broke the surface of the pond as something came walking out of the water and onto the shore. It was a deer. No…not just a deer. It was THE deer. It was the very same deer that had been in the water just a few minutes earlier. But how? Frank felt his eyes pop.

“It looks….it looks just like…” he stammered.

“Yeah mate,” Chuck said as the deer gave a little shake and bounded off into the jungle, “It looks just like that deer that went for a little dip just a few minutes ago. In fact….it is a perfect copy of that deer….right down to the very last flea.”

“How….how did that just happen?” Frank started walking toward the water. He felt like he was in a trance.

Chuck grabbed his arm and pulled him back, “Don’t get too close mate. You don’t want to have a copy of yourself walking out of there, do you?”

Frank tried to picture that…but it was just too horrible to think about.

“It happens every time though,” Chuck was muttering to himself, “Something goes into the water….and a copy of it comes out with it. It’s actually pretty amazing. Nobody knows how it works. Heck….hardly anybody even knows that this pond exists. Even the company hasn’t figured it out….and that’s saying something.”

“But…but what does this have to do with me? My dream?” Frank stuttered, “Remember….my dream about the dragonfly? Oprah Winfrey?”

Chuck stared at him with cold eyes.

“I think that it’s time for you to meet Irza,” he said, “That will explain a lot.”

Frank shuddered. Irza: the one who had seen the face of God.

Until next week….class dismissed.

Dragonfly Dreams, Part Nine

Frank Mason took another step back away from the large tent which was now housing Janet Jones along with an elderly man and his granddaughter. Only moments before, Frank had heard Janet Jones threatening to kill the girl if the old man didn’t show her the way to some place that she had called Sapphire Falls. The woman was just pure evil. He didn’t see how he had fallen so easily for her tricks earlier on the airplane. She had almost had him arrested for drug smuggling…and then had tried to kill him while he was in the taxi with Chuck. Now…she was heading toward the tent door…and she had a gun.

“I don’t know who’s out there,” Janet Jones called out, “But you have about 10 seconds to pray to whatever God you hold dear….and then you are going to die.”

Frank didn’t have time to think. He just felt the strange vibrations on his back and knew that the large dragonfly there was on the move again. The ground beneath his feet just became a memory as he floated into the midnight sky, leaving the firelight and soft glow of the tent below him. He looked down and saw Janet Jones emerge quickly from the tent. She was looking around wildly…trying to find out the source of the sound which she had just heard. She looked up and at first he thought that she had seen him….but then she just shook her head and went back inside the tent.

The scenery below changed and Frank found himself gliding gently over the rich, dark canopy of the jungle once more. The trees grew together so thick and dangerous making Frank wonder what secrets they kept hidden from the eyes of Man. So high in the air, everything was silent except for the soft buzzing of the dragonfly’s wings. Frank found that he wasn’t afraid anymore. If the insect had meant to hurt him, it would have done so by now. Instead, it seemed intent on showing him things. He wondered if it was taking him back to the village.

The roar of water soon answered his question. The jungle below broke into three parts where the trees were not as thick. He could see water….flowing fast and strong. Soon, the water converged from three separate streams into one large stream that gained speed. He could see the white foam of caps as the water crashed against sharp rocks and made its way toward one of the largest and most beautiful waterfalls that he had ever seen. And in the light of the full moon, he could see the sparkling stones that lay on the banks of the river….sparkling a deep, dark blue….they looked just like…

“Sapphires,” Frank whispered to the cold night air.

Surely, this was the same Sapphire Falls of which Janet Jones had been speaking. Without much surprise, Frank found himself being slowly lowered toward the water. The dragonfly flew him out over the waterfall…and Frank had to gasp. It was beautiful…and terrifying. The roar of the foaming water was enough to kill an entire army of men who happened to be so foolish as to get near the edge. And yet, it was so lovely to look at that one might be tempted to end it all for the brief moment of joy of becoming one with such a force of nature.

The dragonfly was lowering them even closer to the falls. Was it planning on dropping him in the water? He didn’t think so…and then he saw that they were not headed for the water. They were headed for a little cropping of rock that jutted out from the side of the cliff. As his feet touched the rocks, he found that they were slick with the mist from the falls. In front of him, hidden from view until now, was a cave. He knew that the dragonfly wanted him to go into the cave. He just didn’t know what he would find inside.

Slowly he made his way toward the dark crevice that lay before him. It gaped like a dark mouth, waiting to devour him body and soul. And yet he continued his slow and steady trek. He didn’t want to trip and fall to his death.
Entering the darkness, he was amazed at how quickly the deafening roar of the waterfall seemed to disappear. It was as though he had entered another world. And the darkness was alive and thick around him….pressing into his flesh and attaching itself to his clothing….making him feel sluggish and slow. He felt around for the walls and found that he could not find them.

This had been a mistake….he had to get out….he had to leave. He started to turn back toward the cave opening and head back toward the light of the moon and noise of the waterfall. As deafening as it was, it was better than the silent darkness of this tomb. He felt as though the very dead themselves were standing with him….watching him with eyes grown accustomed to such vile conditions.

And then the dragonfly buzzed its wings….sending tingles along his spine.
Small golden sparks flew into the air. They seemed to be coming from the dragonfly’s wings. Like silent moths, they fluttered and floated in the air sending out small but brilliant beams of light into the darkness. It wasn’t much….but in total darkness even the smallest light is a beacon. They seemed to converge into a line in front of him…..and Frank knew. He had to follow the line. There was no turning back.

Walking carefully so that he didn’t stumble over some rock (or dead body, he thought with a shiver), Frank made his way through the cave. The dragonfly kept up its rustling. It was strange, but the vibrations seemed to calm him. He felt that peaceful feeling that he had been feeling earlier. He didn’t know why he had been so afraid of this cave. It was actually a beautiful place. What had he been thinking? He smiled as the dragonfly’s buzzing wings and golden flakes of light prompted him onward.

Soon, he was able to make out another source of light in the distance. It wasn’t much…but then neither were the golden flakes which were floating around him. As he got nearer and nearer to the source of the light however, it grew stronger and stronger. He found that he no longer needed the golden bits of light to help guide the way. As if they had heard his thoughts, they blinked out of sight. The dragonfly’s buzzing wings kept up their comforting vibrations on his back though. He was glad of that.

Soon he was standing in front of another doorway in the cave. There was a strong light coming from the other side…but he couldn’t see clearly. He couldn’t make out what was on the other side. He saw moving shapes but whenever he tried to focus on them, everything got fuzzy.

“Well….I’ve come this far,” he said to the dragonfly, “I guess that I should take just one more step.”

And with that….he stepped through the door….and into bright daylight.
He was in a large, airy room. The walls were white….plaster. The rich green carpet under his feet was thick and luxurious. In front of him was a glass table with black metal legs. On it sat a large crystal vase full of freshly cut lilies. He could smell their sweet perfume floating in the air. But most amazing of all, he saw a woman sitting and reading a book on the large, plush sofa in front of him. She was so absorbed in her reading that she didn’t notice him…at first. Then…..noting a change in the room apparently….she raised her head. Her eyes grew large and the book fell from her fingers and landed with a silent thump on the carpet.

Frank tried to raise his hands and let her know that he wasn’t going to hurt her….but it was too late. The woman started to scream. And honestly….Frank felt like he was going to scream himself. The woman was someone that he knew….someone that he saw quite a bit, in fact. The woman was….Oprah Winfrey.

On his back, Frank felt the buzzing of the dragonfly. It was purring like a kitten….and the louder that Oprah Winfrey screamed….the stronger the dragonfly purred.

Until next week….class dismissed.

Dragonfly Dreams, Part Eight

Frank Mason was alone. All around him the village slept. Both Chuck and Harry had been shown to separate huts…after Harry had changed back from a horse to a human. Oddly enough, none of the villagers seemed to notice or care when it happened. Obviously, they had seen such things before. Frank wondered if people back in the United States would act the same. He chuckled to himself…picturing Harry doing one of his changing acts in downtown New York.

The moon was pregnant with light overhead…an orb of mystery and illusion. Frank stared at the full moon and breathed in deeply. The sweet scents of the jungle wafted in on a midnight current. He felt at peace. He needed that. He hadn’t felt peaceful since this entire crazy adventure had started.

In the distance, he could hear the calling of an animal…prowling the dark undergrowth for its next meal. It sounded like a wild dog of some sort. He contemplated returning to his hut but then decided against it. The animal sounded far away…and he felt safe enough in the village. He took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a long drag. The nicotine flooding his system woke him up a little more and made everything seem sharper in the moonlight. He had tried to quit smoking once but that had been years ago. Now….he was glad that he hadn’t.

A low buzzing sound made him take notice. It seemed to be coming from the jungle. It wasn’t very loud, but it caught his ear…probably because of the relative quiet that had descended upon the sleeping village. He put the sound out of mind, took another pull on his cigarette, and started to turn back toward his hut. And then he saw it. It was the largest insect that he had ever seen in his life.

The wingspan of the thing had to be at least 3 feet wide. The wings sparkled like rare jewels in the bright light of the moon….all deep purples and greens. A golden body completed the look of some mysterious treasure that had come to life. But Frank recognized the shape of the creature in an instant. It was a dragonfly. Of course, it was a monster of an insect…but it was a dragonfly nonetheless. However, the thing that disturbed him was the fact that it was headed straight for him!

Turning quickly, he started to run toward the safety of his hut. Why had he decided to come out in the first place? He should have known that something bad was more than likely going to happen. Hadn’t it been that way all day?

His feet felt like he was wearing shoes made of lead. His legs felt heavy and thick….and they didn’t want to work properly. The buzzing behind him grew louder and louder.

Frank looked over his shoulder and saw that he had been wrong about the size of the dragonfly. It didn’t have a 3 foot wingspan….they had to be at least 5 feet wide! He wanted to give a yelp in terror, but his throat wouldn’t work right. So instead, he just gave a little gasp. He saw the things mandibles working quickly. It wanted to chew right into him. He had to get away!

And he almost made it. He was just inches from his door when he felt the things pinchers dig into his shirt. His feet lifted off of the ground and he started rising higher and higher into the air. The dragonfly was so big that it was actually lifting him off of the ground! Soon he found himself impossibly high in the air. All that he could hear was the rapid beating of the things wings. He wondered if it was planning on dropping him and then eating his dead flesh. He shuddered at the thought.

But it seemed as though the dragonfly did not want to harm him…at least, not at the moment. It started flying away from the village with Frank dangling helplessly in its giant claws. Over the jungle, they swept through the moonlight and entered a world that was both strangely familiar but all too alien to Frank at the same time. The wind rushed cold and clean over his face, and he found himself relishing the feel…even though he was frightened out of his wits at the same time.

Just then, a light appeared in the darkness of the jungle. It looked like a fire, but from this height, Frank found it impossible to tell. Just as he was thinking this, the dragonfly began to descend. The ground came rushing up toward him at an alarming rate. But then, right before he crashed…the dragonfly pulled up and he landed gently on the ground. He felt a heavy weight on his back…and he knew that the dragonfly was still there….that it hadn’t flown away. He could feel it rustling down the entire length of him. He hated the feel of the creature, but he knew better than to fight it. Also…he was curious about the voices that he was hearing coming from the large tent that was right in front of him. One of the voices sounded very familiar.

“I don’t care what he says!” an angry female voice was yelling to someone, “I paid him a lot of money…and he is going to show me where the Sapphire Waterfalls are located. Tell him that I will double his money.”

It was Janet Jones! She was inside the tent…and she was arguing with someone!

Frank heard another voice…also female…speaking in Spanish. Then there was a reply. The voice was obviously male this time, but it was the voice of an old man, tired and broken.

“He says that some things are more important than money Senora,” the second female voice said slowly. The girl was obviously afraid.

Then Frank heard the click of a gun.

“Then tell him that if he doesn’t show me,” Janet Jones was saying, “That I will kill you in front of him…but that I will leave him alive to think about his decision for whatever time he has left.”

“NO SENORA!” the girl’s voice cried out, “PLEASE!”

Then the girl started rattling off in Spanish. Frank wanted to get closer to the tent so that he could see what was going on. The voices were all mixing together….shouting and pleading . Frank crept closer and peeked through a crack in the door flap. It was Janet Jones! She was pointing her pistol to the head of a young Brazilian girl….she couldn’t be more than 14. An old man was gesturing wildly and crying out.

“HE SAYS OKAY!” the girl cried out, “YOU WIN! HE WILL SHOW YOU THE WATERFALL.”

“That’s better,” Janet Jones smiled, dropping the pistol but keeping it at hand so that she could wield it when necessary.

“But Senora,” the girl looked toward the floor.

“WHAT!” Janet snapped.

“He says that you won’t like what you find there,” the girl looked up, her eyes fearful and large.

“Hmmmph,” Janet Jones pulled out a booklet and made some notes in it with a stub of a yellow pencil, “Tell him that I’ll decide that…not him. Who do you two think you are anyway? I hired you all as guides and translators….not to tell me what to do!”

Just then, the dragonfly shuffled on Frank’s back and made a buzzing sound. Janet looked toward the flap. Frank stepped back into the shadows…but it was too late. He heard the click of the gun once more.

“Someone’s out there,” he heard her say, “But they won’t be alive for long.”

Until next week….class dismissed.

Dragonfly Dreams, Part Seven

Coming out of the tall grass toward them was a large, bushy brown and black animal. It took Frank a second to realize it for what it was…a bear! It was making a large mewling, screeching sound and was shaking its head wildly from side to side. It stopped in front of them and raised up on its hind legs. Frank guessed that it had to be at least 7 feet tall. His legs felt like water. Was this the end?

Suddenly Chuck burst out laughing. Frank once again wondered about the man’s mental state. But, the laughter did seem to have an effect on the bear. It slowly lowered itself to the ground and shook its head one last time. And then…it began to talk.

“Honestly Chuckie, old boy,” it stated in a rough, deep voice that had a bit of British accent, “I really thought that I hit that one head on. I could have sworn that I had you fooled this time.”

“Oh…oh…” Chuck tried to talk through his laughter, “Honestly, mate, you would have. You look like a great bear….but you got…you got….”

And then he started laughing again. Frank was still in shock that the bear could talk. And apparently, it knew Chuck!

Finally, Chuck was able to get in a breath, “You got the tail wrong, my friend.”

Frank looked at the bear’s tail. Indeed, it was wrong. Instead of the short stubby tail of a bear, Frank saw the fluffy white tail of a bunny! What in the world was going on?

“Oh….bloody hell,” the bear muttered, looking back over its shoulder, “These bigger animals require so much concentration. I was so worried about the front that I didn’t pay much attention to the back. Enough already!”

And then the bear began to change…a little at first and then faster. The fur seemed to draw back into the skin, the claws retracted into the paws (which were beginning to grow longer and look more like fingers), and the fluffy, bunny tail simply disappeared. Soon, instead of a bear, there stood a very large man. He was very hairy…almost too hairy….which was a good thing at the moment since he was completely naked. He grinned sheepishly at Chuck and then nodded toward Frank.

“Is that him?” he asked, staring at Frank with eyes that were dark and wild. Frank noticed that the man still had large, bearlike teeth.

“Yep,” Chuck stated, turning to Frank, “In the flesh….but where are my manners? Let me introduce you two. Frank, this is my old friend Harry….Harry McCain. And Harry….as you already know….this is Frank. He’s the…”

“The Finder,” Harry said, still staring at Frank.

“You were a bear,” Frank said, trying to soak in all the strangeness that had been happening to him lately, “A real, live bear.”

“Oh…that?” Harry chuckled, his mood suddenly seeming to lighten, “Yep…I was a bear. The fact is….I can be any animal that I want to be.”

“Harry is a shapeshifter,” Chuck looked over at Frank as if that explanation would clear everything up, “He can change shape at will.”

“I just have to concentrate pretty hard is all,” Harry said, “And…as you just saw…it doesn’t always work out the way I want it to!”

Both men started to laugh again. Frank tried to join in, but it was just too bizarre. He just felt hot…and thirsty. Suddenly, he was craving an ice cold Sprite more than anything else in the world.

“I’m glad that I found you though,” Harry said, suddenly serious, “SHE sent me. She seemed to know that you all would be in this area….but I don’t know how she knew. She said that I needed to bring you to her….immediately.”

“She?” Frank asked.

“Irza,” Harry said, looking down at the ground as though he were embarrassed to be saying the name out loud, “The one who has seen…”

“The face of God,” Chuck finished, making Harry draw in a hiss of breath and stare coldly at Chuck.

“You told him?” he asked.

“I didn’t see the reason to keep it a secret,” Chuck said, “After all….he’s supposed to be finding the thing, isn’t he?”

“Yes,” Harry said, “But still….”

“ENOUGH ALREADY!” Frank yelled out, “Stop talking about me like I’m not here!”

Chuck and Harry looked at each other. Some sort of silent communication seemed to be going on between them. Finally, Harry nodded his head.

“Okay,” he said, “Enough talking. This place isn’t safe. We need to get out of here and fast.”

Frank watched with amazement as Harry closed his eyes and a look of intense concentration came over him. Slowly, he began to change. His nose pushed out…longer and longer. His ears turned up at the corners and grew longer. And his hands folded in on themselves into hooves. Soon, there was a fine looking horse standing before them.

“Climb on, you two,” Harry the horse neighed to them in a gravely sort of voice, “I can get us there in just under an hour.”

Chuck let out a whoop and jumped up on Harry’s back. He held out a hand to Frank.

“Come on mate,” he grinned, “Why walk…when we can ride?”

“Just don’t get too comfortable up there,” Harry said, kicking up dust as they started out, “This is a RARE occurrence. I’m not a pack animal.”

“Oh come on Harry old boy,” Chuck laughed, slapping Harry on the neck, “You know that you love it!”

“Watch it!” Harry warned, bucking a little underneath them.

Frank sat cautiously behind Chuck. He didn’t know how he felt riding this horse…that used to be a man…who used to be a bear. But….he wasn’t in any position to argue. He just hoped that this nightmare would be over soon.

With a loud snort, Harry the horse took off at full gallop. The beautiful Brazilian countryside was whizzing past them in a maddening whirl. Soon, the grasslands were left behind and the three of them were entering a village on the outskirts of a large rainforest. It was here that Frank first met Irza.

It was here that Frank had his first encounter with the Dragonfly.

Until next week…class dismissed!

Dragonfly Dreams, Part Six

Another shot rang out, making their taxi swerve wildly from side to side. Frank was kneeling in the backseat in a pile of broken glass. They were being shot at by Janet Jones…the crazy woman from the airport. Apparently she wasn’t going to let her job go undone this time!

“What does she want?” Frank yelled out as Chuck tried to take a quick peek out of the shot-out window.

“She wants us dead mate!” Chuck yelled back, his Australian accent coming out thick and strong.

Chuck yelled something in Spanish to the taxi driver that Frank didn’t recognize fully. He must have promised the driver something good…probably lots of money….because their speed picked up considerably.

“What do you see?” Frank called out, hoping for good news.

“I can’t see…” Chuck was cut off as another shot whizzed past his ear. He practically fell back down into the floor, on top of Frank.

“Well, I saw that,” he grinned, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead, “It was a little too close for comfort though.”

“Don’t you have a gun….weapon…anything?” Frank was exasperated. What had he gotten himself into?

“Nope mate,” Chuck looked grim, “Told ya’. I only deal in tattoos.”

Just then another bullet whizzed into their car. Frank heard a sharp cry and the taxi swerved dangerously making them tumble to the side of the car. Both men stared at each other with wild eyes and then glanced up over the seat. The driver was lying in the front seat in a quickly spreading pool of blood.

“Awwww no!” Chuck yelled, “She took out the driver. Well….nothing much else to do except…”

And with that, he hopped over into the front seat so quickly that Frank could hardly comprehend it. He did hear another shot ring out though. Chuck yelped loudly but took control of the taxi, pulling it back onto the road.

“Are you okay?” Frank yelled, feeling helpless in the backseat.

“Just a graze mate…just a graze,” Chuck called back, “But I may have a painful time sitting on my bum for a few days.”

Frank couldn’t believe that Chuck was trying to make jokes at a time like this.

“I’m gonna try to lose her,” Chuck yelled out over the noise of the racing engine, “Hold on!”

As the taxi swerved violently to the left, Frank found himself being thrown against the other side of the cab. He tried to grab the seat….the floor mats….anything to give himself purchase. But he just found himself in a pile of arms and legs. He prayed that he would survive both Janet Jones and the crazy driving of Chuck.
He could feel the taxi accelerating and then there was another wild swerve as the taxi skidded on two wheels around another sharp corner. Frank could see dust boiling up outside the taxi.

“Look out the back and see if you see her still,” Chuck yelled back, “I’m trying not to kill these fools playing in the street!”

Frank said a silent prayer and peeked up over the back seat. The jagged glass of the rear window was all over the top of the seat. It danced and glinted like diamonds in the hot Brazilian sunshine. Hot dusty air was rushing past his head, making his eyes instantly water. He scanned the street behind them. There was nothing there.

“I think….I think you lost her,” he called out, “I can’t see her anywhere back here.”

Just then the car started to hitch and give. They started to slow down.

“It’s a good thing, mate,” Chuck was trying to get the slowing taxi over to the side of the road, “I think that this car has seen its last mile….or it could be the fact that we are out of gas. I guess that could be the problem.”

Again with the jokes! Frank wondered if Chuck had some sort of mental deficiency. The car slowed to a crawl and instantly the two men were out and in the dusty dirt road that Chuck had driven them onto. There were a few people walking along…mostly local farmers and a few scrappy looking children. Several of the men were leading horses packing large bundles of bananas.

“Come on then!” Chuck said, taking Frank by the arm and tugging him toward the field beside the road, “I think that it’s best if we just clear the area. You know what I mean?”

“What about him?” Frank asked, pointing to the driver who was slumped over in the front seat.

“Who….him?” Chuck asked coolly, “Well Frank….there isn’t much we can do for him now. He’s dead….and I don’t want to end up that way. Do you?”

Frank shook his head.

“Good!” Chuck said, eyeing an approaching pair of scraggly looking girls who were giggling and waving bunches of red flowers, “Now let’s get out of here before the locals notice Senor Deadman there! Plus….Janet Jones and her taxi could be just a minute behind us. I think that I did a pretty good job losing them, but I want to get off this road!”

Soon they were far off the road. Nobody seemed to notice….or care….that they were leaving a dead driver in the taxi as they slipped into the tall grasses that lined the road. Just a few minutes later, Frank looked behind him and was surprised to see that he couldn’t see the road anymore. It was like they had stepped into another world.

Chuck noticed that he was looking. He smiled grimly, “You gotta love those Brazilian grasses. They are good for something.”

Frank tried to smile, but found that his face just wouldn’t do it. He felt hot, tired, and thirsty. Every part of him seemed to hurt. He just wanted to get to a nice hotel….have a hot bath….have a good meal….and not have someone trying to kill him. Isn’t that what anyone wanted?

Just then there was a rustling in the grass beside of them. Both men froze.
“What was that?” Frank whispered. He kept trying to think about what wild animals were prevalent in Brazil. Jaguars? He was pretty sure that jaguars were found in Brazil. He cursed his lack of knowledge about the world. If he got out of this alive, he was going to buy himself every Frommer’s Guide that was ever made and read them all.

“Shhhhh,” Chuck placed a finger over his lips. The two men stayed deathly still. The movement of the grasses came closer….and a screech started to sound out around them.

Frank didn’t know what it was. But whatever it was….it was headed right toward them!

Until next week.....class dismissed!

Dragonfly Dreams, Part Five

It didn’t take long for something to happen. It was merely seconds between Chuck letting the monkey (which only moments before had been just a tattoo on his arm) out the door and the screaming to begin. Frank was still slightly in shock about seeing the monkey come to life. Of course, when you have seen your boss floating in the air, nothing keeps you in shock too long. He decided that he would just file that image away in a little place in his mind that he had recently labeled “True but Unbelievable.” It was just easier not to think too much about these events.

It sounded like a war had broken out in the airport. There were screams and the sound of running feet. Frank flinched when a gunshot rang out followed by the sharp, crisp scream of a woman. Chuck stuck his head out the door, apparently not concerned if he was going to be shot or not. He motioned for Frank to follow him as he slipped out the door.

If the sounds had been bad, the actual scene was even worse. People were running and screaming. Frank saw some of the nuns from earlier kneeling next to the women’s bathroom and praying. Perhaps they were praying for salvation. Perhaps they had eaten a bad burrito. Frank didn’t care. Another gun shot rang out. The place was totally wiped. Had one little monkey caused all of this commotion?

As he ran behind Chuck, trying to keep up with the slightly younger but definitely more athletic man, he saw the cop who looked like George Lopez go running past. The cop didn’t see him. He couldn’t see him. There was a monkey on top of face, clinging and screeching like a rabid beast.

Moments later, he was free of the hot, stale air of the airport and running in the hot, sticky air of a typical Brazilian summer day. Chuck stopped just in front of him and whistled for a taxi. After a quick negotiation which Frank couldn’t hear or understand, they piled into the back of the broken down little car and were on their way.

Frank took a moment to get his bearings. He was in the back of a taxi (if you could call it that) and was barreling down a crowded street in Brazil. He didn’t even know what city he was in. And the taxi....my God, Frank thought….it was covered with little pictures of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. There were a set of rosary beads hanging from the rearview mirror.

“You a religious man Frank?” Chuck asked.

Frank didn’t say anything….just shook his head. He had gone to church pretty regularly at one time in his life…but that had been many years ago. In another life….in another time.

“Yeah…well…by the time this is all over,” Chuck rubbed the place on his arm where the tattoo of the monkey had been, “You just might find salvation.”

Frank decided that he was just going to play mum. He would go along with this freak for the moment until he could find some time to get away….get off to himself….find some time to think. Everything was happening too fast. He needed to call home…to check in with the company. He needed to know what he was supposed to be doing.

Chuck reached in his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He handed it to Frank.

“Just in case you don’t believe me,” he mumbled.

Frank looked down at the paper which was slightly damp and very wrinkled from being in Chuck’s pocket. He was surprised to see a picture of himself! Underneath it was a message which at one time had been neatly typed. Now it was smudged and hard to read. Swerving from side to side in the rocking taxi, Frank deciphered the note.

Find Frank Mason. Take him to the village. Let him meet the old woman.
He MUST meet the old woman. She knows the way. She has seen it before!
Above all else, protect Frank Mason. He is a Finder.


Frank was amazed to see that it was written on the company’s own letterhead. He guessed that it could have been forged….a copy….but he doubted it. Why would someone go to so much trouble. But then….there had been Martha Miller….or was it Janet Jones? He wondered what was so important that someone would try to get him arrested….make him attack the very person who was sent to meet him? His head started to swim. Partly it was from the crazy driving and the heat….partly it was from all of the things that were happening.

“Who is the old woman?” Frank finally asked, handing the note back to Chuck who waved it away. Apparently he didn’t need it anymore.

“I’ve only met her once myself,” Chuck said, “But that was over a year ago. All that I know for sure is that the company is after something…amazing. It is something that is lost somewhere in the Brazilian jungle….and that place is pretty freaking huge! But this woman…her name is Irza….has seen it.”

“But what is it that we are supposed to be finding?” Frank asked, his curiosity peaking.

Chuck just smiled and his face lit up, “I can’t really say. I don’t really know. I just know that it is something…FANTASTIC. The locals talk about it though. They say that in the jungle…if you look hard enough….you can find the face of God!”

Frank just stared at Chuck. If it had been a few months earlier, he would have considered Chuck to be just another loony. Now….well, now….he wasn’t so sure. Was he supposed to find the face of God? Just what exactly did that mean anyway?

A loud honking sound pulled him out of his thoughts. Another taxi was careening toward them from the left side. Frank saw movement in the back seat. It was a woman…a very familiar woman….Janet Jones! She was leaning out the window….she was holding something in her hand.

“Get down you fool!” Chuck yelled, pulling Frank down into the floor so quickly that he didn’t have time to register the fact that a loud bang had filled the air. Glass was falling all around him. They were being shot at….and by the looks of things, Janet Jones was not out to just get them arrested. She was out for blood!

“What do you know?” Chuck smirked, “Stuck in this cab….and I’m fresh out of tattoos!”

Dragonfly Dreams, Part 4

The little office was hot and smelled of stale cigarette smoke and urine. After being whisked away by the two policemen, Frank Mason found himself seated in this room at the far end of the airport. The two cops had left the room momentarily but then had returned. They were each smiling at him in a way that he didn’t quite like…but at least he had gotten away from the man with the monkey tattoo. He wondered where Martha Miller had gone. Surely she would come looking for him and help him get out of this mess.

“Is this your bag, senor?” one of the cops said, holding up Martha’s black bag. Frank thought that he looked a little like George Lopez.

“Uh no…no it isn’t,” Frank said, “Actually, I was holding it for a friend.”

Both of the cops looked at each other. The one holding the bag reached inside it and pulled out a little blue book. He threw it down on the table in front of Frank. Opening it, Frank was amazed to see that it was his own passport!

“Isn’t that your passport, senor?” the fatter of the two cops said, wheezing slightly.

“Ummmm….” Frank began, “I don’t know what’s going on here..but…”

The cop who looked like George Lopez asked again, “Isn’t that your passport?”

“Yes,” Frank couldn’t deny it. How had his passport gotten into Martha’s bag? He didn’t know what was going on.

With one swift movement, the cop turned the bag over. Three large plastic bags clumped out onto the table. They were filled with a white powder. Frank had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He didn’t need to ask what was in the bags.

“Cocaine, senor,” George Lopez said, “And I take it that it belongs to you as well.”

For the next hour, Frank was interrogated. They asked him every question in the book. They asked him about his job…which he couldn’t really say anything about other than that he worked for a pharmaceutical company. They asked him why he was in the country…which he couldn’t really say because he didn’t know himself. They asked him why he was trying to smuggle drugs INTO the country.

And Martha Miller? There was no sign of her. Nothing was in the bag except his passport and the drugs. There was no Martha Miller to be found in the airport. And to top it off, there was no record of a Martha Miller ever being on his flight. Even the flight attendants that they questioned stated that they didn’t remember anyone being with him on the flight.

“You are in serious trouble my friend,” the cop who didn’t look like George Lopez stated, “BIG trouble. If I were you, I would talk now…and maybe it will go easier for you.”

“But I don’t know anything!” Frank stammered….angry at being in this situation to begin with, “I told you….that bag belongs to…”

“Yeah yeah,” the cop laughed, “The mysterious woman who just happened to disappear from the women’s bathrooms.”

Laughing the cop walked out of the room, leaving Frank alone with his thoughts. He put his head down on his arms. How in the world was he going to get out of this mess? Should he try calling the company back in the States? He didn’t know. He just knew that something was wrong.

He heard the door open and someone walk into the room. The cops were back. Looking up, though, he saw that it wasn’t the cops. It was a man….a man who looked all too familiar. Frank found himself staring at the tattoo of the monkey holding the large banana.
“Well Frank,” the man spoke with an Australian accent, “You’ve really gone and messed everything up big time.”

“Who are you? What do you want?” Frank asked, “Don’t try anything….the cops are right outside! Hey….how did you get in here anyway? And how did you know my name?”

“Questions….questions…so many questions,” the man smirked, “Perhaps you should have asked some of those questions before you started swinging that bag of yours.”
“It isn’t MY bag,” Frank said, “It belongs to…”

“Martha Miller,” the man said, “Only her name isn’t Martha Miller. Her name is Janet. Janet Jones. And she’s no good Frank. She’s a spy. She’s trying to beat us to the….well….you’ll find out in time. How much has the company told you?”

“Nothing,” Frank said, “You mean…you work for Gaia Pharmaceutical?”

“For fifteen years now,” the man said, “My name’s Chuck. No last name…just Chuck. Now….if you want to get out of here before the cops come back, I suggest that you do exactly as I say.”

Frank nodded. He still didn’t trust this stranger…but anywhere would be better than staying here and being thrown in a Brazilian prison.

“What do we have to do?” Frank asked.

“Just watch,” Chuck smiled.

Chuck began to flex his arm. His muscles began to move, making the tattoo of the monkey appear to dance and move around. It looked almost real….very real. And then it moved. It began to pull itself right off of Chuck’s arm. Frank couldn’t believe what he was seeing as the tattoo came to life right before his eyes. But there it was…standing on the table right in front of him. The monkey looked silently up at Chuck.

“You know what to do,” Chuck whispered.

The monkey nodded and headed for the door. Chuck opened it and let it out into the hallway.

Dragonfly Dreams, Part Three

The flight had been long and tedious. Frank Mason just wanted to have a vodka tonic (or three) and take a nap. Martha Miller, the self-proclaimed psychic, on the other hand turned out to also be a chatter box. She talked nonstop the entire trip. She asked about his job with the company. She asked about his hobbies and what books he liked reading. She even asked if he was dating anyone!

Frank thought that she asked an awful lot of questions, but the even stranger thing about it was that he found himself just blabbing away. It was almost as if he couldn’t help himself. There was something strangely comforting about the woman…even if she did get on his nerves. Now how was that for an oxymoron!

He closed his eyes as the plane began its descent into the sticky heat of a typical Brazilian day. Even in the air-conditioned comfort of first class, he could feel the strength of the sun bursting through the little window. He lowered the shade. He hated to watch the ground rush up toward him. Too many things could go wrong.

“Don’t worry,” Martha Miller said beside him, “We aren’t going to crash. I’m psychic…remember? I haven’t had any bad omens for this flight.”

She tapped her forehead. Frank smiled wanly and gave her a nod. He still wasn’t sure if she was serious or just a little kooky. Was it possible to be a little of both? Maybe she could tell him what the company wanted them to do in Brazil. He was just getting ready to ask her when the plane bumped onto the runway.

“Welcome to Guarulhos International Airport,” a pleasant female voice announced over the intercom, “We hope that you enjoyed your flight and that you have a pleasant time in the beautiful country of Brazil. Please have your passport ready for customs. Have a great day!”

The message was immediately repeated in Spanish. While this was going on, Martha had jumped up and was quickly rummaging for bag in the overhead compartment. She moved quickly for a larger person. Frank was impressed.

“Listen Mr. Mason,” Martha said, “When we get off this plane, I’m gonna run to the bathroom real fast. I am about to bust! I hate peeing in these little airplane bathrooms. I’m always afraid that I’m gonna get stuck in them…or worse, fall out into the aisle!”

Frank nodded and tried not to act embarrassed. Martha, meanwhile, continued to rummage in the overhead compartment.

“I swear,” she said irritably, “I just hate the way that everything gets all jumbled on these planes.”

She finally managed to drag her large, black bag out of the overhead. People were already starting to line up to get off of the plane. Martha stood to block the people behind and allowed Frank to get up. Grabbing his own case, he walked slowly up the aisle.

Everybody seemed to be moving slower than ever. He hated to be jammed in a plane like this. Martha was pressed right up against him. He could feel her breath on the back of his neck.

“I wish that they would hurry up,” she whispered in his ear, “I’ve really gotta go!”

Soon they were off of the plane and into the equally crowded airport. Frank had only traveled out of the country once before, and the experience of being in a foreign place was still a strange experience for him. All around him people were scattering to the left and right. And Spanish filled the air. He had learned a few phrases since joining Gaia, but he couldn’t rely on what few phrases he had picked up…unless he just wanted to ask for a cheeseburger or where the bathrooms were.

And speaking of bathrooms, Martha Miller flung her big, black bag toward him and headed off toward a sign which read banos…or bathrooms.

“Hold that, will ya’ sweetie?” she called out over her shoulder, “I don’t want to set it down in…something. I won’t be too long.”

If Frank had ever been a married man, he would have known what it felt like to hold a woman’s purse while she shopped, tried on clothes…or visited bathrooms in foreign lands. As it was, he felt a little bit awkward. Nobody was paying him any attention though. They were all too busy gathering their paperwork together for customs, stretching after long flights, or lighting up a cigarette. Apparently, smoking wasn’t frowned upon in airports here!

Just then Frank saw him. A man was leaning up against the wall at the far end of the hallway. He was staring at Frank and then looking at a piece of paper which he held crumpled in his left hand. He looked once more at Frank and frowned. Then he started to walk slowly toward him. But all that Frank saw was the tattoo on the man’s bulging bicep. The tattoo was of a large, brown monkey holding a banana that was larger than its entire body. Frank was looking at the man with the monkey. And the man with the monkey was headed straight for him!

Panic rising in him like high-tide, he quickly glanced toward the bathrooms. There was no sign of Martha Miller anywhere. She was the one who had told him to watch out for the man with the monkey! Why hadn’t she warned him that the man with the monkey was going to be so close? What good was a psychic if they couldn’t be any clearer than that?

He looked back. The man was almost up to him. Frank let out a hiss. The man was reaching into his pocket! Was he going to pull out a knife….a gun? With a loud whoop, Frank swung Martha’s bag, knocking the man ( and a few other people ) down to the floor. Without looking back, he ran wildly down the hallway, pushing through the crowd like a madman. He had to get away. He would find Martha later.

People started screaming. He knew that he was causing a panic, but it couldn’t be helped. Up ahead, he saw a group of nuns walking toward him. They were practically blocking the entire hallway! He ran toward them, pushing people out of the way to the left and right.

“Out of the way sisters!” he yelled. He didn’t know if they just didn’t understand English or if they just liked getting in the way….probably a bit of both…..but the nuns just stood there. He started to push his way through….and that is where his luck ran out. More screams….more pushing….and then the sharp, shrill whistle of the police sounded.

Two cops pounced on him. They were both large men….heavyset due to the low demand of an airport security job. But now they had a new victim. Frank fell to the floor as the cops landed on top of him. He guessed that pushing nuns wasn’t allowed….even in a country where people smoked in the airports.

Frank glanced around as he felt a pair of handcuffs clap around his wrists. Someone was shouting angrily at him in Spanish. It was one of the nuns! One of the other nuns crossed herself and started to pray. There was no sight of the man with the tattoo of the monkey.

Later, Frank would remember that this was the exact moment when things went from bad….to worse.

Until next week, class dismissed!

Dragonfly Dreams, Part Two

Frank Mason shifted in his seat. First class was very comfortable…better than he was used to. But there was just something about sitting on an airplane that made him uncomfortable. He wasn’t used to flying…had never cared for it. But, ever since taking the job with Gaia Pharmaceutical over three months ago, he had found that it was a necessary evil.

Hoping to relieve some of his anxiety, he closed his eyes and replayed the scene in his head again…the one where he had been confronted with Mr. Gordon Jones (now his boss) floating in the air. At first, he had thought that it was just a trick of the light…that he wasn’t really seeing what he was seeing. But it had been too simple…too obvious…to be a trick. Mr. Jones had been floating. It was the plain and simple truth.

“Come back and sit down Mr. Mason,” Gordon Jones had said, as he slowly lowered back down onto the white plastic cube that seemed to serve the purpose of a chair for him.

Unable to speak, Frank had stumbled over to the sphere on which he had been sitting earlier. Although it was bulky and uncomfortable, it offered the support that he needed. Especially now that his legs felt like they were going to buckle underneath him.

“You were….ummm…you were…” he had stuttered.

“Floating,” Gordon Jones had opened his eyes. Although they had still been a shocking color of pale blue, they had also had a tired look to them…an old look.
Frank hadn’t known what to say. He had just stared at the floor. The silence in the room had been a creature that had clawed at his mind until Gordon Jones had finally spoken again.

“Gaia Pharmaceutical is an international conglomerate,” he had stated, “We have offices and people working for us all over the world. We are one of the richest companies in the world. And do you know how we got that way Mr. Mason?”

Frank had only shaken his head…however, he had somehow found the strength to look at Gordon Jones again. Thankfully, Mr. Jones had just been sitting there….and had not turned into a tiger or some other sort of creature.

“Because Frank,” Gordon had said, “Our public drugs are just a small part of what we do. Sure…we have all the latest miracle drugs. We can cure everything from heartburn to impotence. But we also had another side. We have a very lucrative deal with the government. We are working on finding plants and herbs that can enhance….abilities….in the everyday person. That little demonstration of floating that I just gave you was just one of the abilities that we have been unable to unlock. Power like that is very desirable to certain people in the government. Power like that is very….expensive.”

Frank had swallowed hard. He had hardly been able to believe what he was hearing. If he hadn’t had seen it with his own eyes then he still probably wouldn’t have believed it.

“Why are you telling me this?” he had asked, “What if I decide to not take a job here? What if I decide to talk?”

Gordon Jones had only smiled and stated, “I think that you and I both know that you aren’t going anywhere. You really need this job…for one thing. And also….like I said….we know that YOU are the right person for this job. It’s your destiny.”
And although it hadn’t been spoken aloud, Frank knew that he wouldn’t have left that office alive if he had tried to walk out the door. He shuddered to himself and opened his eyes. People were still boarding the airplane. He fumbled with the air conditioning controls and turned the steady, stale stream of air directly into his face.

So far, his job hadn’t been very demanding. He had been working in a large greenhouse that was located on company grounds. There were all kinds of plants in this monster of a building that had to be at least as big as 10 football fields. He could recognize many of the plants. But there were some that he had never seen before. For the last three months, he had been busy entering data into a computer about plant growth, moisture content, and fertilizer. But he hadn’t felt right….something was wrong. He was doing a job that any high school dropout could do. Surely this wasn’t why he had been hired….and yesterday, he had found out that he was indeed moving up in the company.

A note had arrived in his email. It had been plain and simple.

Mr. Mason,
Tomorrow you will board Flight 379 to Brazil. A company car will take you to the airport at 8 AM. Your tickets will be waiting for you. You will pack one bag of clothing only. Do not tell anyone where you are going. Further instructions will await you in Brazil.

And that had been it….no signature…no explanation….no apology for the late notice. And Frank knew….he just KNEW….that he wouldn’t be able to refuse this assignment. That is….if he still wanted to live.

And now….here he was. He had been sitting on this forsaken plane for what seemed like hours….but in reality was probably only minutes. He looked around at the people around him….tourists mostly. They were chatting excitedly about their plans in Brazil. A couple next to him were giggling and whispering to each other between kisses. Newlyweds probably.

Just then a loud wheezing sound made him turn his head toward the front of the plane. A large, heavyset woman was making her way down the aisle. She was dressed in a purple billowing dress that flowed around her like smoke. She struggled to shove her ample girth between the seats as she continued to walk toward him. Frank was amazed to see that she smiled at him and gave a little wave. What in the world was going on?

“Mr. Mason,” her voice tinkled in his ears like a wind chime. It was enticing. He had never heard a voice like it before. It was almost like a waterfall made out of diamonds.

The woman reached out a plump hand toward him. On habit, he reached and grabbed it. Her skin was soft and warm…and not entirely unpleasant.

“Mr. Frank Mason?” the woman asked.

“Why yes I am,” he said, releasing her hand as she placed her large black handbag in the overhead compartment, “And you are?”

“Martha,” she smiled down at him, “Martha Miller. I’m from the company. I’ll be going with you to Brazil…although honestly I don’t know why I am going at all. Usually I do all of my work at home.”

“Oh really,” Frank shifted over to the window seat so that Martha could plop down beside him, “Do you do data entry or something?”

Martha laughed. Her tinkling voice rang out and filled the airplane.

“Oh no,” she giggled, “I do readings for the company. I’m a psychic. By the way…when we get to Brazil, don’t talk to the man with the monkey. Something bad will happen…I’m pretty sure of it. I saw a little psychic flash when we shook hands.”

Frank just sat there. He didn’t know what else to say. At least he could feel the airplane starting to taxi down the runway.

Until next week…class dismissed.

Dragonfly Dreams, Part One

“Mr. Mason?” a twenty-something receptionist was looking at Frank Mason with some concern. Frank jumped a little in his seat. He had been lost in his thoughts again. His mind usually wandered whenever he was bored…or kept waiting at a job interview. He had been planning out what he wanted to say to come across as the best possible candidate for the job. He really needed the work.

Shuffling to his feet and trying to regain his composure, Frank walked toward the receptionist who was now smiling slightly at him. He smiled back. Have to keep that friendly face on for a little while longer, he thought. The long-haired bimbo probably didn’t even know what this company was about. She was just the window-dressing. A pretty face in the front office made people feel at ease. Frank saw on her nameplate that she was Maria L.

“You can go in now,” Maria smiled again. Frank thought that her smile seemed a little forced….a little fake. He didn’t care. As long as he got the job. That was all that he cared for at the moment.

He walked nervously up to the door of the main office. The door was made of a smoky, dark glass. The gold lettering on the door reminded him (as if he could forget) that he was here to see Mr. Gordon Jones – Marketing. He took a deep breath and tried to look confident as he entered Mr. Jones’ office.

The office was unlike any other offices that he had seen before. He had been expecting the traditional office of a desk, chairs, a lamp, and maybe a plant or two. Instead, the inside of the office was almost completely bare. The walls were painted a dark blue that seemed to shimmer in the soft lighting that dripped from the recessed overhead lighting. A large Oriental rug covered most of the floor, and Frank considered taking off his shoes before stepping on it. He didn’t want to mess things up before they even started by tracking dirt over an expensive rug.

“Come in Mr. Mason,” a voice called to him from the far side of the fairly large office. The room was rather gloomy and Frank felt his nervousness rise just a bit as he walked across the floor. He noted that there were no plants, no chairs, and not even a desk. Instead there was a large white cube which appeared to be made of plastic. A man was sitting upon it, his legs crossed under him. He appeared to be in his late 40’s, his salt and pepper hair long and flowing down his sides. He was dressed in a white linen suit and had two golden earrings in each ear. He had his eyes closed and was humming slightly to himself. Frank saw that he had no shoes.

Frank cleared his throat nervously, “Mr. Jones?”

The man opened his eyes which Frank saw were a surprisingly pale blue color….it was almost startling. He grinned with a boyish charm that seemed to warm the coolness of the room immediately.

“Why yes I am,” he smiled, “But you can just call me Gordon. I prefer it that way. And shall I call you Mr. Mason…or is it Frank?”

Frank shuffled nervously. What kind of freak was this? This wasn’t what he expected from a company that made nearly $500 billion dollars a year in the pharmaceutical business. Was the head honcho on some of his own drugs that the company made?

“Ummm….whatever…..Frank is fine,” he said.

“Please Frank…sit down,” Gordon Jones motioned with his hand to Frank’s left.

Frank looked over. There was a white plastic sphere sitting on the floor. Taking a deep breath of frustration, he tried to balance himself on the odd shaped seating. He considered bolting for the door. But then again….he really needed this job.

He looked over at Gordon Jones. The man had his eyes closed again and was breathing deeply. Frank wondered if he had passed out or had fallen asleep. He felt one hip trying to slide off of the large white sphere.

Taking matters into his own hands, he decided to move things along.

“Ummm….I guess that you had ample time to read my resume. I have an extensive background in marketing and in web-design. Due to downsizing, my last company unfortunately…” he began before being interrupted by a loud snort from Mr. Gordon Jones.

“No…I didn’t read your resume,” Gordon smirked, opening his eyes, “In fact, I threw it in the trash. It had so many words. I try not to read a whole lot of words at one time. It isn’t good for the eyes.”

“You didn’t read my resume?” Frank asked, shocked into disbelief, “My letters of reference?”

“Nope,” Gordon smiled again, closing his eyes, “Didn’t need them. I don’t believe in fluff.”

Frank felt his face begin to flush an angry red. Was this some kind of joke? Or an initiation of some sorts? He looked around to see if there were any hidden cameras. He didn’t know what was going on…but he did know that he was wasting his time. He stood up briskly and bowed once toward Mr. Gordon Jones.

“Mr. Jones,” he quipped, and turned quickly on his left heel. Heading toward the door, he heard Gordon’s voice call out behind him.

“I didn’t need to see those things Frank. I didn’t have to. I just KNEW that you were the one that we needed for our company. The job is yours if you want it.”

“Listen Mr. Jones,” Frank’s anger was evident in his voice as he turned back toward the freak in white linen, “I don’t know what is going on here……”

His words stopped dead in his throat. He could feel his heart start to beat wildly in his chest. His brain rejected everything that he was seeing.

Mr. Gordon Jones was floating 5 feet in the air above the white plastic cube that he had been sitting on. His eyes were still closed.

“I think that you should come back over and sit down,” he said.

Until next week…..class dismissed!

Florida Fun!

Hey hey everybody! July is here! My birth month! It is so hard to believe that I am going to be 33 years old this month. Wow….time surely does fly by when you’re having fun, doesn’t it? Oh well….wish me a happy 33rd birthday on the 19th of this month. I’d appreciate it!

First of all, some news on the adoption front. As of yesterday, Lisa and I are now number 184 on the referral list. I’m hoping that at least half of the people in front of us are waiting for a girl. That could mean that we are (maybe) just about 92 people away from bringing Jacob Bryson Fugate home to us. I appreciate everyone who talks to us on the street and lets us know that they are thinking about and praying for us. Adoption is a long and tiring process, but it will be worth it in the end. If you want to read more about our adoption process, you can read our adoption blog at alonzoandlisa.blogspot.com .

Okay…now, on with my story of our vacation. Last week, I told you about our trip to the wonderful Georgia Aquarium. After we left there, we headed on down to Daytona Beach, Florida. As you may know from earlier articles, Lisa and I used to live in Daytona Beach when we first got married. Although a lot of places are different now, much of Daytona is exactly the same as it was 16 years ago!

We had booked our hotel through Expedia….a week’s stay at the Inn on the Beach. We usually stay at a little place across the street from the beach because of the low, low prices. However, when we saw this deal, we just had to take it. It wasn’t much more that we usually paid….and the Inn on the Beach is right on the beach.

The hotel was wonderful. It was 7 stories…and Lisa and I got room 718. We were right on the top floor and had a FANTASTIC view of the ocean. You could see the ocean from the bed! It was so cool to wake up in the morning and have the first thing I see be the Atlantic Ocean.

Our room was larger than I had expected. We had two queen size beds, dresser, table and chairs, night stand, color television, large closet, large bathroom with separate vanity, and a FULL kitchen (stove, refrigerator, sink, microwave, dining table, etc.). The best part was the private balcony that looked out on the pool, beach, and ocean. It was so nice to sit out on the balcony at night and look at the moon reflected in the ocean. My blood pressure lowered by 20 points right then!

The hotel was an older hotel, but it has recently been remodeled. The sundeck was newly tiled and very clean. The pool was HUGE and felt great after playing in the ocean or lying out in the sun. There was a nice hot tub over on the side for late night soaking. Plus, there was a nice refreshment station right there at the pool so that we could order drinks. Overall, it was a great place to relax.

I don’t know about your vacations, but when Lisa and I go on a beach vacation, our day is pretty much laid out for us. First, we get up and have breakfast in the room. Then, we pack a beach bag and head to the beach or pool. We lay out in the sun for several hours and then go have lunch in the room. Then, we will lay out in the sun some more. After that, we will take a long nap. In the evening, we will go out to eat somewhere that serves the freshest seafood that we can find and then we will find something fun to do.

Let me tell you about the seafood first of all. When you are in a coastal region, you have to order seafood at every meal! There is just no comparing the fish you get here to the fresh fish that you can get near the ocean. It is so fresh that it nearly flops off of your plate! I think that I swam by a fish one morning and had it for supper that evening! We ate at some great restaurants including Barnacle’s and the Montgomery Grill.

However, the best place that we found for seafood was a place called Aunt Catfish by the River. This place was to DIE for!
The wait was over an hour for a table, but it was very much worth it! When we put our name on the waiting list, the hostess gave us a lobster shaped buzzer that let us know when our table was ready. When we were finally seated, we ordered some of the freshest seafood that I have ever eaten. Lisa had fried tilapia (a very flaky, white fish) and fried popcorn shrimp. I had salt and pepper tilapia, shrimp, scallops, and stuffed crab. In addition, we were able to eat at their wonderful salad bar that was full of everything you could imagine a salad bar would have…and more. The potato salad was wonderful. They also had a Fish Camp Fixin’s bar with cheese grits, fried apples, baked beans, coleslaw, and cornbread. Each meal also came with fries or baked potato, hushpuppy, and a cinnamon roll. There was so much food that even I couldn’t eat it all…LOL….and that is saying something. I had to take some of it back to the room with me. If you are ever in Daytona Beach, you will HAVE to eat at Aunt Catfish on the River. It is the best place that I have ever been for fresh seafood.

As far as fun things to do, we did the usual. We played bingo with the retirees a couple of nights, watched a couple of movies, and went to the Sterling casino cruise. However, the most fun thing that we did was go to a luau show at the Hawaiian Inn. This was an amazing experience. When we first walked in, we were presented with a lei (necklace of flowers) and had our picture taken with one of the cast members. We were seated and had appetizers and drinks. Then, the meal arrived. We had a wonderful salad with sesame dressing, coconut beef, chicken teriyaki, beef noodles, rice, steamed vegetables, and rolls. Dessert was a coconut-pineapple cake and coffee. I was stuffed!



However, the best part of the luau was the SHOW! There were lots of dancing girls doing various forms of the Hawaiian dance…the hula. There was lots of audience participation and everyone was laughing and having a great time. At one point, the Chief (a male dancer) came onstage and performed a traditional fire dance. He would dance around, hopping over a burning baton-like object. He even touched it to his tongue and left fire burning on his tongue! At one point, he even placed his feet on the fire and left them there for several seconds. I don’t know how he did it, but I am glad that they didn’t ask for audience participation for that!
After 7 days in wonderful Daytona Beach, our vacation came to an end. All good things have to come to an end though…don’t they? We returned home with our pictures and our tans to bring us memories of our great time. Now….we are busy planning our next trip…LOL! Hopefully, it will be to Vietnam to get our baby boy! We will keep you informed!

Until next week….class dismissed!