Later, in the evening, Shorty and Mama come in. They sit down on either side of me on the bed and exchange some deep, meaningful looks that I entirely fail to comprehend.

“You’ve had a day, huh?” Shorty says, it’s not really a question.

“That would be a way of putting it.” I sigh to the ceiling.

“We’ve… got something to talk to you about,” says Mama.

“D’jleena,” says Shorty.

“She’s, not from here. Kinda like you, I guess,” Mama continues.

“But she didn’t come in through a door,” adds Shorty, “One day she was just here, nobody knows how. That was almost thirty years ago, and she hasn’t aged a day in all that time. She’s a little, different, but everybody likes her. She’s good people. And she… knows things.”

“She’s some kind of empath, or telepath, or something,” Mama takes over, “Every once in a while she’ll just come up to somebody and say ‘Do this’ or ‘Avoid that’ or ‘Try such and such this way instead’ and avert some kind of catastrophe. So we’ve all learned to take her very seriously when she talks about something like that.”

“And now,” says Shorty, with something in her voice that I can’t quite place, “She needs to… bond with you. She says that you are her reason for being here, that she’s been waiting for you all this time,” she swallows, “She says she has to do this to help you carry out your plan.” She starts to sob, softly.

“A plan that you have forgotten,” adds Mama softly, “She needs to help you remember,” tearing up as well, “She’s here now. We’ll be at the Door.”

They stand up and walk out softly.

A moment later D’jleena is in the doorway.

“May I enter?” she asks politely, in her strange accent.

I don’t really feel much like talking right now. I just wave her in and she comes over to the bed and begins to undress.

“Woah, wait a second…” I start.

“I must bond with you. It is my… purpose,” she says, “Contact between the skin will make it possible for me to synchronize with your vibration.”

“Oh, ok. Now I get it.”

“You must disrobe,” she’s very matter of fact about all this. I wonder if she’s the real life equivalent of a Vulcan from Star Trek.

This is not a normal day. Then again, when I stop to think about it, the last (how long has it been, nine months, a year, longer?) whatever since I first came to the Moon Mall have been entirely unlike anything I ever would have considered ‘normal’ before. It’s just that the last few months, things have started to feel normal. In a way I really like.

But, when on the moon, do as the moon girls do. So I strip off and get between the sheets, and she snuggles up against me spoon style.

“Ah. I feel your vibration,” she says after a moment, “It is high, and strong. This will not be difficult.”

“Ok, cool,” I reply. And she is soft, and warm, with curves in all the right places, with smooth, clear skin, and smells nice, and . . . this is nice. I feel pretty awkward about it though, well, except for one part of me.

“Ah,” she says, wiggling back into me a bit, “Do you desire penetration?”

“I, uh…,” Ok, when I said it was awkward before, I didn’t have this to compare it to.

“It will take me a moment to lubricate properly,” all very logical.

“I’m not sure…” I try.

“It will help,” and she flips me onto my back and makes the decision for me.

And WOW! What a ride! All I can say is that she’s definitely NOT from around here. Plus, Shorty and Mama threw her in the cage with me so, you know, not my fault.

After, we sit naked on the floor, in a half lotus position (because my hamstrings are too tight to do a full lotus) facing each other with our hands touching. From somewhere inside come words that I do not know, from someplace I cannot remember. When I begin to speak, we speak as one.

“I am the Source, I must return to the Source, I must return to Myself.

You are the Source, You must return to the Source, You must return to Yourself.

We are the Source, We must return to the Source, We must return to Ourself.

I am the Source, You must return to the Source, You must return to Me.

You are the Source, I must return to the Source, I must return to You.

We are the Source, We must return to the Source, We must return to Each Other.”

And then I see, her face begins to glow, and it’s like there’s little jewels in it. A row of five of them, from her forehead, to the bridge of her nose, to the tip of her nose, to her upper lip, to the divot between her lower lip and chin. They are tiny, beautiful little points of light now, growing brighter, and brighter.

Fascinating.

Then I am in her mind, and she is in mine. I guess this might help explain the casual attitude towards sex. I mean, when you can do something like THIS, a little canoodling really doesn’t seem like anything to get very excited about. She feels my thought and understands, and finds it funny but yes, in a sense, I am correct. Then she is off, into the dark recesses of my mind, the places I cannot go, to see the things I am not allowed to see about myself. And she has left me here in her mind. In a very special memory that she wants for me to see. I am in a field. Not on Earth. Somewhere else. It is big and bright and wide open. The sky is a clear, pale blue. It smells like strawberries and warm butter. The field is full of tall, wheat like plants, except that there is no grain. Each one is a tall, tan straw, topped with what looks like a big, pink butterfly. Strawflowers. It is beautiful. She is there. She is a little girl. She is sad, because she is meeting me here, for the first time, and she knows now that someday she will have to leave her beautiful home here. And her family, and friends, and everything that she loves. She will have to come find me. To do this. To guide me along the path that I have laid out for myself but cannot see. To help me make my arrow strike without looking. She looks up at me. I tell her I am sorry. She says do not be, you are good, I will help.

And then I am looking out her eyes, feeling her body, seeing myself, seeing her within my eyes looking back. Feeling her feelings as she feels mine. We are each other. My hands/her hands, feel big, and strong in hers/mine. Our hearts beat in rhythm. Our breath is slow and deep.

We are each other.

And then we are as one.

At last I am myself.

I just sit here in the stillness, watching the light gradually fade from her face.

“You saw,” she says, “It is important.”

“Yes,” I say, “In the field. You as a girl. It was real.”

“Yes. You understand. I did not know if you would. If you had not seen me, spoken to me, I would not be here now.”

“What did you see of me?”

“You are ancient. Layers upon layers, each built upon the foundations of the others. You are Aaron, you are Chief, but underneath the layers, you are…,” and she says something that I cannot even begin to pronounce or spell. It is a strange, ancient name, as old as time itself. A name that can only be swallowed.

“I understand. But how?”

“Your plan is reaching its culmination. One you began ten thousand years ago. The merchant is trying to renege. You must return to Earth. Tell this story. They will read it. They will know. You will be accepted to your rightful place, and you, and your children, will guide them on to glory.”

“And if I stay.”

“Then all will be destroyed.”

“If I go?”

“There will be hardship, but you will prevail. And your child here will grow up beautiful and strong.”

“And they will call him Pretty Boy.”

“Yes.”

“I have decided then. Thank you.”

“It has been an honor. We should get dressed, he will be here soon. I will accompany you to the chamber. Once we have entered together, I will be able to help, from here.”

We stand up silently and dress. Then walk downstairs. As soon as I reach the ground floor I hear a jeep screeching to a halt outside. I open the door just as Hook is running up.

“Hey Chief! We found it!” bursts out through his face splitting grin.

“I know,” I say somberly, “Take us there. And as soon as you drop us off, you and Punk get Miss Chief out in the hall and gas her up. I’m making another run.”

“Tonight? But isn’t it…” he starts.

“HOOK! This is IMPORTANT!” I cut him off and he stares at me in disbelief, and then resolves himself, “You’re the Chief, Chief. Whatever you say, we’re on it!”

“Good man,” I say more softly, “Whatever you do, do NOT tell the girls! If I see them I’m afraid I won’t be able to go.”

“Go? Go where?” he asks, concerned.

“To try to save the fucking world!” I answer, seriously.

“Anything else?” no hesitation this time, he believes me.

“Yeah, tell Sweet Thing to get her goddamn stopwatch!” and we’re in the jeep and off.

None of us have ever taken a jeep or anything out of the old wing. It was never necessary and it seemed like common courtesy to just keep it to our own neighborhood. In this instance, that is not the case. Courtesy be damned! The passage to the tuning chamber is way over on the other side of the complex, close to where I came in. But it’s in an area that the tram line doesn’t get close to (one guess why). Fortunately, the straightest line from here to there does not take us through the main mall or any real population dense areas. There are still people though, most of which have never seen a jeep. At least not a moving one, anyway. Hook keeps his foot down and lays on the horn and they get the fuck out of the way. We’re there in about forty minutes.

“Here you go, Chief! Right through that big, gaping hole in the wall!” says Hook, sliding to a stop before a big, gaping hole in the wall.

“Thanks, Hook,” I say, jumping out with both feet.

“You sure about this, Chief?” he asks.

“Hook, this is probably the only thing I’ve been sure about since I got to this damn place. Doesn’t mean I’m happy about it though.”

“Then why the rush?”

I clap my hand firmly on his shoulder and look him straight in the eye, “Sometimes we do things we don’t want to so that our children have the chance to grow up. And if I don’t do it now, it won’t get done.”

Hearing this, his face resets into a look of determination, and there’s a new spark of fire in his eyes, “Copy that, Chief. We’ll get Miss Chief lined out and one of us will be back for ya’. Looks like a busy night at the Door, so shouldn’t be much trouble from the girls.” He roars off.

I look at D’jleena, “Let’s get to it, baby.”

“Yes, we should.”

Through the hole in the wall is a wide passage that leads gradually down, narrowing, until it becomes a staircase carved into the moon itself. There’s been people down here before, so it’s sealed off from the outside and there is atmosphere in here, but unlike in the old wing, it hasn’t been circulated, and it’s dusty in here, too. There is a string of lights going down the wall, but it is not what you’d call well lit. Rocks that have been shed from the walls and ceiling over the years make the going . . . annoying.

“Fuck!” I shout, as I step on a rock that slides out from under my foot and I bust my ass, almost going head over heels down the stairs.

D’jleena catches me by the shoulder, “Calm, brother. There is still time. Do not become angry. You must be, centered.”

“Thank you, D’jleena. You’re right,” as I find my feet and continue more cautiously down the stairs, thinking, calm, calm, calm, KILL, No!, calm, calm, calm, calm…

As we get towards the bottom of the staircase, which is curving around to the right, now, the wall on the right drops away and we emerge into a large cavern. Old flood lamps on tripod stands are arranged around the floor, illuminating the tuning chamber in the middle.

It is a sphere, but ribbed. The ribs are like lines of longitude and latitude on a globe. They come straight out about four inches, are square on the ends, and about two inches thick. It is not riveted, it is not welded, it is not cast, but it is clearly ‘constructed’, somehow.

The sphere is about thirty feet across, a dull grey, and looks as if it must weigh several tons. It is suspended in the center of the cavern in what looks like a giant, microphone shock mount. The lines are amazingly slim for supporting such a large structure. They are not woven, or stranded. They are not steel and do not appear to be made of any polymer that I am familiar with. They are, however, shiny. The shine appears to emanate, not from reflected light, but from the lines themselves. I wouldn’t really call it a glow, it’s more like a, glisten. Like a damp web spun by some giant moon spider.

The stairs leading up to the door are a newer addition. These are standard steel and expanded metal, with a small platform at the top that comes within about a foot of the sphere. As we reach the bottom of the steps, I can feel it’s vibratory field. It’s nice, like being in Miss Chief. It feels warm, smooth, safe, and welcoming. I look to D’jleena.

“Do you feel it? Are you ok?” I ask.

“Yes. I am filled with your vibration,” she says, “I feel, welcome.”

We ascend the steps. I open the door and lead her inside.

There is light in here. It appears to be coming from the floor, which is a white, porous membrane in a kind of honeycomb pattern stretched across the center of the sphere. It vibrates slightly as we walk across it, like the head of a drum. The walls are much like the outside, even the ribs are visible, but they do not protrude inwards. The device inside is just as Chief described. The same color, and apparently, material, as the sphere, it does indeed look like about a four foot length of large sewer pipe about a foot in diameter, with another, about two foot length, splitting off from one side at a forty five degree angle. This piece has something like an antenna protruding slightly out of it, with a ball about the size of a fist at the end, which is a goldish, silvery color. This whole assembly is suspended by an impossibly thin rod about five feet long, coming down from the center of the top of the sphere. I turn and shut the door, then walk over to D’jleena and take her by the hands, face to face, as the antenna begins to somehow focus in on us. I speak more words that I do not understand.

Straighten and set

Straighten and hold

Keep a firm handle as has been foretold

Straighten and set

Straighten anew

No one has quite the bright future as you

A milestone approaches

Let us not forget

To straighten and hold

Straighten and set

Then it zaps us! It feels a little cold and uncomfortable at first and then… Oh God! It’s AMAZING! Like flying down the hallway in Miss Chief only, SO.. MUCH.. MORE! The universe itself starts to crackle around the edges! It’s not the sound of the device, it’s creation itself! My vibration is so high right now that I’m sped up, everything else is slowed down. I can see through the walls of the sphere! I can see through the moon! I’m looking through the empty space inside the atoms that they’re made of! I hear electronic sounding, crackling, fizzing sounds and realize that I have reached the edge of creation! Experiencing all of creation as it really is! Not a thing, made up of stuff, but a pure construct of energy and information!

And then it’s over. Just like that. No thanks for comin’. Nice to see ya. Nothin’. Boom! Off.

“Wow! So, was it good for you, too?” shut up mouth! This is not the time to be smarting off! There’s serious business to attend to.

“Yes, it was, spectacular,” says D’jleena, “A completely unique experience for me. Thank you for allowing me to share it with you.”

“You’re welcome. Now, shall we get the fuck out of here?”

“That would seem to be appropriate.”

So I open up the door, and after a polite ‘After you’, we are headed back up to the complex.

We get back out to the hall and Cracker is waiting there in a jeep.

“Goddamn it!” I bluster, “I told Hook not to…”

“Hey!” Cracker cuts me off, “What’s your major malfunction, Chief? You know damn well that Punk tells me everything, and they’re still gassing up Miss Chief! I’m not one of your girls and I can keep my fucking mouth shut! So do you want a goddamn ride or not?”

I look back at D’jleena.

“We are bonded now, I will be here when you need me. You can draw from me when it is necessary. Go on,” she says.

“Thank you,” then I turn to Cracker, “Hit it!” and we’re zooming off towards destiny.

Cracker is wild behind the wheel. She’s not just driving aggressively, she’s driving angry! And with a purpose. Shorty’s lust for speed seems to have rubbed off on her, but she doesn’t have the precision yet. The whole ride is about a pucker factor 6. But we get there, and faster than Hook ran me out, too.

We slide up in front of the clubhouse and Hook, Punk, and Sweet Thing are standing there with Miss Chief and the mule. Punk is just popping the hose off after topping her up.

“Damn, Chief. What’s the hurry?” asks Sweet Thing, “And I haven’t seen you in those clothes before? Where’d you get them? What’s going on?” she’s getting a little pushy.

“These are the clothes I showed up in,” I say, “And, I don’t have time to explain everything else right now. I’ve got to go! But just trust me when I say it’s important. REALLY important!”

“You have to do another flying mile right now?” she almost screams.

“Nope. I’m doing a standing five.”

“A sta… That’s gonna put you into the WALL! Chief? What’s going on?”

I put my hand on her shoulder, “Sweet Thing, I gotta GO. I’m not going into the wall, I’m going through it. And I’m takin’ Miss Chief with me.”

“Goddamn it Chief! You’re doing it again!” she’s pissed off and crying now, “You can’t just go! What about Shorty! And Mama! And the baby!”

“That’s why I’m doing this! I don’t want to go! But if D’jleena says I have a chance to do something to keep them safe, I have to do it!”

“I… she said that?”

“Yes.”

“Then go.”

“Wait,” I pull Miss Chief’s keys out of my pocket and slip her ignition key off of the ring, “I’m taking Miss Chief, but I’m leaving something else here to bring me back. You look after Shorty and Mama, and Pretty Boy after he’s born. And you make sure they keep Door 42 and the Space Racers, Too GOIN’! Or I will KNOW the reason why! Here,” I hand her the key ring with Miss Chief’s leather tab and the door key to the clubhouse on it, “When Pretty Boy gets old enough, you give him this, and you tell him his Daddy loves him!” I am fighting back tears and not winning.

“Ok. What do I do now?”

“Get your goddamned stopwatch ready. We’re fixing to set a motherfucking RECORD!”

They are driving the mule down to the T as I get into Miss Chief and angrily slam the door.

“Oh!” she says.

Bitch is payin’ attention now.

I am strapped in by the time they get down to the T and Sweet Thing steps out with her flag and stopwatch.

I twist the key and mash the starter button angrily.

“OH... daddy... you know... I like it... ROOOUUGGGHH!” she roars.

Fuck staging carefully! I’m leaving my girls and my unborn son behind and I’m fucking pissed! I stick the needle at Pucker factor 10 and wait for Sweet Thing to drop the flag.

I sidestep the clutch and she lifts the front wheels two feet off the floor and carries them all the way through first gear.

When I hit second, the nose drops and she gets sideways. I fight her for it.

YES... DADDY... DO IT!!!

Third, she’s still sideways, but going straight and FAST!

COME ON... GIVE IT TO ME!!!

Fourth, she straightens out, hooks up, and starts to glow gold from the six foot flames shooting out of the exhaust, streaming down the sides from the speed.

We rip past the T at Pucker Factor 10 and I just keep my foot planted.

“I’m King of the Golden Arrow, Bitch! GET me there!” I yell at her.

YEAH... BABY... TAKE ME... ALL THE... WAAAYYYY!!!! she roars back.

At this point the hallway is not just shaking back and forth, it seems to be twisting around into some kind of huge, concrete vortex. I hear ripping, popping, crackling sounds again and I realize that it’s not just the engine, it’s like being back in the chamber again! I can see through the walls, the floor, the ceiling, the moon, Miss Chief, everything. The steering wheel and shift knob start to feel soft in my hands so I relax my grip. The Pucker Meter hits Change Drawers! as we approach the spot where the wall should be but no longer appears to be, because nothing appears to be anywhere anymore.

OH... YES... TAKE ME WITH YOU... I WANNA... COME!!!!!!!

“Fuck yeah baby, we’re goin’ Buckaroo Banzai on this shit!” and, POP!

We are outside creation, I am her, she is me, we are all. There is nothing else here. No eyes, no body, no self. Seeing, hearing, being, EVERYTHING! All at once. All there is, or ever was, or ever even could be! Watching the entire life of the universe from the outside as it POP!’s like a firecracker. And then another, and another, and… You know, this is fun and all, but it seems like there was something I was supposed to be doing…

And then I wake up in my bed, in my little house, and look out the window at the sun rising over my deck, with the smell of strawberries and warm butter in my nose.

Strawflowers.

D’jleena.

Was that the dream, or is this the dream? Or are they both equally real? Whenever I’m feeling really shitty, I can think of D’jleena and draw energy from her. And that makes it real enough.

And so I’m doing my part. I’m writing it down. And I’ll put it out there.

If anyone ever reads this and it makes their life better, then it’s a success. Will it save the world? Who knows. But if it’ll help convince some folks that maybe the world is worth saving, maybe it will.

And if this all seems too farfetched, well, like I said at the beginning — If you want to tell this story, go ahead. I dare you to make it make sense, really!

Wish I knew what I ran in the standing five, though…