“Well, Wheeler. What’s next for you… us?”
“Call me Kidd here. Billy Jean Kidd. Chroma who is Jimmy has fused with Wheeler and The Musician. The great 3-n-1. Norris.”
“Norris?” the great vampire Pitch Darkly questions. He did not know this name. “Do you mean Morris?”
“I do not,” replies The Kidd firmly, sitting forward with hands on knees now. She stares toward him.
Pitch decides to enter mouseview to get a better look at her.
Such an interesting simulation. Simulacrum. He takes up the thread again. “So, who is this Norris, then?”
“You know. 3-n-1,” she states once more.
“Humm, Sandusky,” Pitch says, nodding. Nodding off, that is.
—–
Blackness again.
Then falling. He recalls a brief glimpse of a large, many windowed building.
Something was lost. Not just eyesight. Earsight; speechsight. He falls and falls, then lands, upright, in the midst of animals.
Solid water. He thinks: ark. But then intuitively realizes this is more simulation and there is a door out of what is actually a small globe. Like a door from Earth to Heaven. He thinks of “The Truman Show” and going beyond “The Wall”. True man.
He finds the door in a logical seam, and faces a different, greener water. Atoll style.
He makes his way to a distant shore via an inflatable mattress.
On the beach, he looks back at the globe with the animals within, but knows the animals cannot see him. He thinks to check the owner of the globe, the inflatable mattress, the water itself and the beach and the rocks. All belong to The Kidd again. He is in her realm, he realizes.
—–
Pitch wakes up. A brief nap, but meaningful. Billy Jean Kidd is still staring at him, wide awake all the time.
“I have removed your cardboard eyes and given you back your sights, all 3 of ’em. All I do for this is to ask a small favor. Only one. Find Norris the Father. Look in Beaver City, Nebraska. Find him and tell him that the time has come to firewalk between Republicans and Democrats. He’ll understand. He’ll come here, then. I know you can pull this off. Else: darkness again. You have all the resources of this island at your disposal. And other entities will be dropping by to help.
“But…” he implores.
“Mary?” Billy Jean Kidd guesses correctly about what is foremost in his mind. “Yes. Her too.” Mary manifests beside The Kidd. Pitch Darkly wonders if she’s grown taller since they last met about a week back.
“One chance out between two words,” she chants.
“Worlds,” Billy Jean Kidd corrects. “You meant worlds there.” Mary turns toward her but doesn’t respond. Pitch blows out air in resignation before shutting his eyes and falling asleep again.
Because she was still around. We’ll revisit her soon and find out more of her story.
Sunklands 