Bread

by Stephen Brown

THE CASEBOOK OF GEEZA VERMIES

  It is all a bit hazy now, but here’s how it happened. I found a spot underneath the bank of seats facing the showground and sparked up Ramona’s ‘first’ mixture in Old Smokey. It was quite smooth and mellow until, pretty much as soon as I’d finished the Pipe and was cleaning the bowl with a wet finger - Bam! It hit me man! It hit me hard.

  I was sat on my backside by the force of it and it was only by a supreme force of will that I manage to keep hold of Smokey and put him away. Then I was gone mate.

  Malika towered above me, as graceful and elfin as before. If anything she seemed to emanate even more energy this time! Man, I was wiped out. I couldn’t have moved if I tried. What the Hell was in that mix? Christ, it was strong!

  She squatted down and then knelt, cradling my head in her lap. I was utterly powerless and had she been inclined to, she could have stretched me until I snapped, right there and then.

  But instead she sang to me and stroked my hair as her lullaby massaged my wildly spinning head. A few moments of this and she looked down upon me, holding my head in her hands. The World stopped, had ceased to be. There was nothing that existed beyond the beautiful Denubari whose face completely filled my vision.

  Again she smiled and it was like a thousand brilliant Suns appearing from behind a Cloud. Instantly I relaxed and felt control returning to my body. I didn’t move though. Why should I? This was everywhere anyone could possibly want to be. When she spoke, her words flooded my body with shivers of ecstasy, every cell vibrating with pleasure.

  “Ramona looked after you, yes?” came the words, dripping with honey. I smiled in response. There was no need for me to speak.

  She then went through with me all the packages that Ramona had prepared; the effects that each one would have, the time it would take to kick in and also how long each one would last. She refrained from telling me what the ingredients were exactly, not that I’d have been able to do anything if she had. I wouldn’t try to fiddle about with this stuff unless I was more than doubly certain I’d get it right. I kind of get the impression that if you got it wrong with these mixtures, you wouldn’t want to survive long enough to know about it.

  These herbs were strong and long lasting and without taking a hell of a lot of care - more so than usual - I could find myself sailing the waves of eternity with a broken mast.

  Having been through the mixtures thoroughly, she dropped my head once more into her lap and toyed at my hair with her long, luxuriant fingers. She bent down low and kissed my forehead - ahhhh, the feeling is indescribable!

  She looked at me seductively with her irresistible brown eyes, and parted her lips. “Oh, my little one,” she whispered softly, “you are my first White Man; did you know that?” My eyes closed as orgasmic convulsions shook my body in wave after wave; all I could do was to groan with pleasure.

  Malika laughed, and brushed her lips lightly against my own. Oh, it was a sensation, a taste I shall never forget. “Thank you for helping us my Little Thief,” she said. “You will be leaving us soon and I see you travelling a great distance within the next moon. But you will come back to see us won’t you?”

  It was a purely rhetorical question. Wild horses couldn’t keep me away from her now! After I’ve finished this job, that’s it - I am coming over here to stay. How can I do anything else, if it doesn’t involve her?

  Malika stood up and helped me rise weakly to my feet, keeping my hands clutched securely within hers.

  “Go now my Little Thief, with both speed and care. Your adversary is cunning and capable, but far from invincible. And then return here to me, after the next moon has ripened in the sky.”

  She knew as well as I did that I had no choice.

  And then she was gone. I found myself standing underneath the seating rig, alone amongst the metal scaffolding, staring out upon an unmarked, two-storey building about thirty feet away. I was in full control now. My senses were razor sharp and would remain so, my beautiful Denubari had informed me, for a good eight to ten hours. Once again, I felt that uneasy atmosphere closing in around me. I closed my eyes, taking a good deep breath or two, just to reassure myself that I was all still there and fully grounded.

  It was only after a few minutes that a sense of security returned, but when I opened my eyes again my vision had changed completely and I saw in the same way a Snake senses her prey with the heat pits in her nose. It was not heat that I was picking up however - there was one bright white light on the ground by a door leading into the small building opposite and the colours cooled through all the shades of the rainbow as my eyes moved away from the object.

  I blinked, and my vision returned to normal. Puzzled, I walked across to the spot near the door and noticed a pair of expensive looking ray bans discarded on the small step that led up to the entrance.

  Odd, I thought. Why were these significant? People lose sunnies all the time. I bent down to pick them up and reeled at the sensation that attacked me the instant my hand closed around the discarded glasses - my eyes were instantly swamped with movie pictures of fists raining down! Down, down, down, in three parallel columns, my eyes swimming with the attempt to try and keep up with the images. Still the fists rained down with ever increasing force until finally - Shing! Shing! Shing! - they stopped.

  There, lined up before me like the winning row on a slot machine, I saw faces. Three faces, all the same man, once good looking but now battered and bleeding. One eye was puffed up like a haemorrhaging soufflé and the whole face was hideously disfigured, stained with crusted blood. Yet I felt sure I knew him. I just needed a minute to see through the injuries. Suddenly the veil was lifted and I realised who it was! Ollie Donald, the Rally Champion!

  Jesus! What had happened? Again my vision changed and I saw red hot foot steps leading inside. Flinging the door open, I was confronted by a long, blank corridor, with at least a dozen doors on either side. However, there were vapour trails as clear as day heading right down to the end of the passageway and turning the corner. The trails had been left by Humphries, dragging the inert figure of Ollie Donald who was slumped unconscious - at least, I hoped he was unconscious.

  I had to find Elliot. I needed his help here, but I knew I had to be quick.

  Perhaps if I had gone after them straight away, there and then, I could have caught them up. Who knows? As it was I went for safety in numbers. Slamming the door behind me I headed back out into the glare of the afternoon Sun.

  How in the hell was I going to find Cripplesby? There must be thousands of people out here and I had absolutely no idea how long ago it was since we had separated. Had it been a half hour, or an hour? Or two? God knows. I headed back around the seating block towards the main arena - I had to start somewhere - and what a choice. There he was, only about fifty yards away!

  ***