Final Curtain

[BLACK BART]

The cigarette hissed as it lay in the thin pool of gutter water and I walked past it, ignoring the traffic light and moving across the intersection. The blaring horn cut into the relative quiet of the city and that too was ignored as well as the screech of protesting brakes and tires as the car slid to a stop, the voice inside the sport scar cursing me for being a jackass and a lover of mothers. It didn’t matter. I hunched my shoulders and shifted the once expensive and now run down jacket, shoving my hands deeper into the pockets and moving to the opposite sidewalk. Today was my birthday, an event that had little significance save for the fact I had existed another miserable year in the same stinking, crowded, cold town… and planned to change it.

“Faver’s five and dime” The crude sign read and I pushed the door open, looking for the small stores owner, a man I had dealt with for the years I existed in this city, maybe the single, lone person who knew me by sight…and admitted it anymore.

“What’s it worth?” I began with no pretense, holding up the watch and ring for him to look at and waiting.

“Where’d you come by these?” Came the usual retort and dark eyed stare.

“Does it matter?”

“Nah, But just once I wish you’d give me the story”

“World’s full of stories, Faver, there ain’t time to listen to them all if you wanted to”

“The name is Greg” He corrected, the first intimate detail shared about himself in the entire time we knew each other. “And I just was curious…where do you find all these things, rare…old and no record of being stolen”

“So what else do you need, Faver?” I replied, deliberately ignoring his offer of his surname and getting to the business at hand. “What’s it worth”

Sighing he reached under the counter and lifted a jewelers glass to his eye, then peered at the ring before answering.

“The watch…. 200 bucks…the ring, 600?”

“A Grand for Both or I go across the street” I warned, reaching for the ring that drew his interest with one hand and sliding the watch in my pocket with the other.

“Let me see it again” He spoke slowly, his hand held palm upward as he glared at me.

Yeah, this was “Faver”…Not a friend by any means, but the single person I trusted not to fuck me…and because of that I kept coming back to him…that and the fact he had what I wanted as well in the back room where he swore it didn’t exist.

“950 and your usual quota” He offered and I nodded, moving down the creaking floor and to the door in the back, waiting until he buzzed it before turning the knob and walking into another smaller room. I knew where it was, moved to the cupboard and opened it, then took the box down and dipped into it. Three hits…it was my “usual” and I put them in my pocket, then placed the box back on the top shelf and closed the doors, hearing the click of the latch and moving out of the room. Faver would count the remaining cylinders later…we both knew it and I didn’t care, not needing to worry about his not trusting me…I had enough other things to dwell on.

“950 as promised” He nodded to the counter and polished the ring, ignoring the ancient watch that lay by the small stack of bills. I didn’t say anything, didn’t need to…just scooped the cash up and walked out, knowing he was already on the phone and calling his cronies to brag… The ring was worth ten times what I got, and a hundred years cold to boot, I knew it…and didn’t care.

“Eggs, bacon, toast, coffee” I grunted to the once pretty waitress and flopped on the stools top, taking the chipped cup as she poured and opening the cylinder.

“Jesus, Mac…Can’t ya wait till ya get outside to do that?” She complained and then quit suddenly, cut off by the glare I gave her, turning and slapping the order on the counter behind her as she mumbled. “God Damn Leapers…”

I didn’t care. I was a “leaper”… a person who lived in the past because there was no future to me…and with the contents of the cylinder…would go back in the past and live again. I paid and ate, feeling the metallic tasting powder taking effect and rising from the stool, moving out of the greasy diner as I felt myself beginning to shift…my hand going thru the doorknob instead of wrapping around it…and then… black.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Mister? You ok?” The voice came to me much later and I opened my eyes, the dim of the room enough to see I was back and as I rolled off the animal pelts and put my feet on the floor, had been found by a “good Samaritan”, a woman in a drab gray dress, staring at me if I were from another world.

“Perfect, just perfect, thanks” I replied, hearing my own voice but not knowing the words that came from them, the translation being done in my head without my knowledge, the words coming from my voice box not the English spoken in my time. “How long have I been out?”

“Out?” Came her voice that somehow reminded me of a flute playing softly in a huge grassy meadow as her eyebrows wrinkled in confusion and I tried again.

“Unconscious? Not awake?” And the confused look was replaced with a soft smile over her full lips.

Looking for that perfect female writer fluent in word and imagination, to weave the perfect tale...PM me

 

[PhoenixPrime01]

OOC:

Bart just a brief line to congradulate you on a great opening and story premise. *S

PP

 

[BLACK BART]

Thanks pp

coming from a man who has been around the mountain a few times himself I'll take that as a compliment.

Now if I can draw that certain ladies attention I'll be even more tickled.

 

[PhoenixPrime01]

Naught but the truth as I see it and I have No Doubt that you won't have a lick of trouble, although you may have to lick to keep 'em out of trouble once then join up of course. *LOL*

 

[DangerousDarkEyes]

Anna

What in the world was I doing, I barely could save myself, let alone help this man. But here I was having pulled his sorry ass out of the line of danger, another minute and the soldiers would surely have gotten both of us for breaking curfew. And now, instead of being back home in my nice soft warm bed, I was gonna have to stay another night in this little room with this strange man. How he showed up suddenly right behind me, was he the one calling out some name I never even heard of, thinking it was me, I wasn‘t even sure. Had he been following me all along? Who did he think I was? God, if I hadn’t have turned around right before he fell, I’d have been safely gone by now and no one would have been the wiser.

After I had gotten him inside and lying down, I went over to the small basin and filled it with some water. I rinsed out the raggedy old cloth and washed some of the dirt and grim from my hands and face, really glad I didn’t have a mirror to look in. I already had a good idea a real hot shower and good soak was what I and probably him too, needed.

I sat at the edge where he was still apparently unconscious, from what I had no earthly idea. I wiped off his face, studying him for a bit. He obviously wasn’t from around here, where I couldn’t tell though, but apparently it looked like both of us were stuck here for the night. Those soldiers weren’t letting any one get past them and since I hadn’t come in here alone, until I was alone, I wasn’t going anywhere either. God, why of all things did he just happen to show up now, how would I be able to explain him if….

Anna was exhausted, having accomplished what she set out to do, she had felt better than she had in her life. Now all she had to do was get back and it would all be over, her life would again be on the right track. So tired, specially after dragging this stranger inside, she couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer, deciding to rest them for a bit so she had fallen asleep next to him. She wasn’t aware that she had several small blood stains on the front of her dress.

The dream had awoken her, causing her to sit up, her heart racing, panic in her face as she looked around, then a sigh of relief realizing it was just a dream. His voice asking her something had startled her and she swore softly to herself, well part of it was a dream, she thought.

~~~~~~~~~~

“You’ve been ‘out’ for most of the night, it’s almost morning.” I replied once I understood what he had said and stood, moving to the little window across the room.

“We still have several more hours before it’s light out, you might as well sleep it off. I’m assuming you must have been very intoxicated to pass out like that and risk being caught after curfew.” I said softly, then gasped when I looked outside.

Okay, either I was still in some dream state or because we had come in here together, I was now looking out a window seeing a beautiful meadow, snow capped mountains in the back, and I had no earthly idea where we were. The tension that had been welling up inside me thru out the last few days finally let loose and I burst out laughing almost hysterical, with my head down on the windowsill, my body shaking.

 

[BLACK BART]

"I'm a leaper, not a DRUNK" I growled and rose to my feet, then realizing someone had washed me while I was out and that someone was...her?

"Look thanks for watching out for me, when the morning comes I'll be on my way and out of your hair, ok?"

The woman had gone from standing near me to the window and the sight outside I assumed had stunned her to the verge of losing her sanity by the sobs that tore through her now.

"What is so bad outside you can't face it?" I questioned and moved next to the woindow to look as well.

Snow. Lots of it and still coming down. I was supposed to be in the arid desert near a once booming gold town.

Instead?


"Damn, DAMN, DAMN!!!" I growled and looked at the woman as she stopped laughing and sobbing at the same time.

"What did you say your name was and where did you come from, EXACTLY?" I demanded and then was sorry, watching the woman rise and seeing how exhausted she was by her dark eyes.

"I mean I think I know what might have gone wrong..." I tried to soften the statement. "If you are what I think you are?"

 

[DangerousDarkEyes]

Anna

“Yeah, I gotta good idea what went wrong too and it started with me hauling your hide in here.” I said abruptly and moved away from the window to throw another stick of wood in the small fireplace, the source of light and heat for the moment. I looked back at the stranger, and finally sighed deeply. “Look, no sense both of us being cranky and taking it out on each other, seems neither one of us got to where we were going. All that matters now is how do we leap from here, if we can. You can call me Anna by the way.”

I gave him a half hearted smile as I looked around the room, trying to figure out what to do next. With the snow coming down outside, if we were going to be couped up here for any length of time, we were definitely going to need a few things. The room had a small table and a couple old wooden chairs on top of a very old throw rug, along with just the one bed, a very small bathroom off to the side had a toilet and a sink, and a pantry that I hoped had at least something in it to eat.

God I felt so dirty, tired, and now getting thirsty and hungry, which I’m sure he was as well.

“I guess, until we can figure out a way out of here, we’d better start scrounging around for some food, water and wood.” I said at the same time removing the dark scarf on my head, letting my auburn hair spill out. “And it sure would be nice to find some clean clothes and something to bath in, but that’s probably asking to much isn’t it?” I asked, my voice a bit lighter, no sense in making this any more difficult than it already was. “So want to share your name with me?”

 

[BLACK BART]

Looking about the tiny cabin I knew privacy was going to be an issue and a problem. Though the woman who already grated my nerves wasn't unpleasant to look at there was te reality of her being as I suspected...a "leaper" as I was and the storm that kept us both trapped inside.

Did she know the odds of TWO leapers traveling out of the same time zone in a controlled and safe manner was astronomical? And the first who left the past time frame left a rift the second would have to wait years to travel out of?

Still she spoke in a level manner and her words made sense, the luxury of hot water and a bath would feel good and perhaps improve both our outlooks...


"There is enough old furniture to keep the fire going for a few hours, I can use that huge pot by the rear door to pack snow in it and hang it over the fire...." I offered and moved to lift the heavy cast iron container. "And if I remember the notes for this time period there should be a woodpile outside on the southern wall where it's protected the best."

I slipped outside and moved quickly, packing as much snow as possible into the large black kettle before slipping it into the cabin, then shuffling through the already waist deep snow to the south side of the cabin. It wasn't a huge pile, the number of travelers had used more than they had generated, but it would hold us for up to a week I judged. Load after load I carried until what remained was frozen to the ground outside...

"Wood and a small bonus" I grinned and stepped back into the warmth of the cabin with the fourth and final armful.

"My travel pack and the condensed rations in case of an emergency. There's even two changes of clothing I'll share though the shirts maybe be a little large?"

And the pants interestingly tight, I kept to myself as I stacked the wood to dry near the fire she had stoked and nodded in appreciation at the already warming water in the kettle over the fire.

"While we're trapped here we might as well make the best of it, right?"

Unloading the contents of the small pack I placed the meager food contents and clothing on the small table, slipping a leather bound book into my own ragged shirt front before turning to face my hostess and benefactor.

"My name is Garvin Freed, by the way, though my friends used to call me Gary" I offered and waited...If she knew the history of the leapers at all she'd connect the name...and the same questions would begin all over...if not we'd have a peaceful night to weather the storm out...

 

[DangerousDarkEyes]

Anna

“It’s nice to meet you, Gary,” I remarked with a puzzled look.

It wasn’t the first time that I had heard that name, but for some reason I couldn’t place it just yet. With all that had happened recently, I figured it would come to me in time. Right now getting something to eat, out of these clothes and some sleep was all I really had on my mind.

I thanked him for the change of clothes and showed him the meager can goods that I had found in the cupboard along with some dishes and cooking utensils. I also had found another blanket, a couple clean rags, some soap and an old pocket knife that probably wasn’t sharp enough to cut anything.

“We can use some of this hot water to put in that basin to wash up and I’ll make us up a broth with the rest.” I said, dumping some water into the basin and carrying it into the bathroom with the soap and rags.

I was so caught up with being able to take off my dress, I started unbuttoning it before I noticed there was no door to close for privacy. It was also then that I recalled a little about where I had heard that name before and if any of what I heard was true, it was quite possible he had a lot to do with us even being here in the first place.

“I’ll trust you to be a gentleman and not peek while I get out of these clothes and wash up and of course, I’ll give you the same privacy.” I said lightly, and not seeing him near the door, slipped out of my dress, tossing it in the corner.

After a second, I decided to take of my bra and panties so that I could at least rinse them out too, and wash myself as well. I felt a bit awkward, standing naked while I washed, knowing he could take advantage of this opportunity at any time. But there wasn’t much I could do about it, so I chatted a little while I cleaned up, mostly so I didn’t think about the situation too much.

“Garvin Freed, you know, I’ve heard that name before, you don’t happen to be the same guy that was involved with making the drug so we could leap? Seems I heard something about you and a couple others that started it, then disappeared. Been awhile though, that happen to be you?”

I slipped his shirt on, leaving the pants off till I got some sleep and walked back into the room. The shirt was long enough to cover my ass and almost hung down to my knees. I had rolled up the sleeves and left several buttons at the top undone, not showing off too much of my breasts, which were not that large to begin with.

 

[BLACK BART]

Gary

"Trust you to be a gentleman" The words carried to me as well as the sounds of the water and the towel she used to dip into it and wash herself.

I needed something to do. Something to occupy my mind and body as the woman inside washed and I tried to ignore it.

My pack. I placed it on the table and emptied it, then sorted the contents into edible and non-edible before beginning to shift the contents to the shelves where the rest of the canned items sat.

It worked for a while as I studied and sorted the packets, her voice calling out to me as I turned and caught a flash of a well trimmed and long leg.

“Garvin Freed, you know, I’ve heard that name before, you don’t happen to be the same guy that was involved with making the drug so we could leap? Seems I heard something about you and a couple others that started it, then disappeared. Been awhile though, that happen to be you?”

"I was the chemist of the group, yes" I answered honestly and knew the connection was made.

Before long it would all return to her, the media had had a field day with the story, alleging I had murdered my own wife and then sent her into "time" to cover it all up...In time it would return to Anna and she would look at me with fear and concern...

"The woman was the physicist and my wife, the third person was our partner and is now the current C.E.O. of the Corporation."

In that moment I was glad she couldn't see my face and the raw hate I knew was on it, the flaming anger I always felt when recalling the betrayal of myself and my wife by our partner...

I had finished stocking the shelves with what I had carried with me, the shelves looking a little less barren as I tucked the rest of the clothing and my leather book back into the pack as my hostess entered the room.

Lithe...Like a cat...The thought struck me as she padded barefoot back into the room, her legs verifying the flash of the single one I had glimpsed earlier...They were long and lean...and the first womans legs I had seen bared in over two years.

I realized I had been caught up in the moment and was even staring, coughing and turning to point out my handiwork to cover my embarressment.

"I...Ummmm, I added to the shelves and hope it helps the Chef in her quest to provide us a feast, rephaps now would be the right time for me to excuse myself and wash before the water cools..."

Again I caught myself staring and the soft grin that slowly began on her face told me she was in some small way enjoying my discomfort...

"Look, I'm sorry for staring." I admitted and grinned "I'm more used to the rougher types I run into while I travel, not such a good looking lady as yourself"

*Nor in such confined quarters...* I reminded myself as I walked around the opposite side of the table.

"The same conditions go for me" I teased gently as I regained my composure. "I'll trust you to be a lady as well."

Moving into the tiny room I quickly stripped and picked the wash rag out of the still warm water.

"So what brings you into this wilderness?" I tossed over my shoulder the question that had hung in my head since seeing her.

"Pardon the pun but ..."What's a nice looking girl like you doing in a wilderness like this?"