Alice 1

by Ernest Kinnie

  So I went down to bra and panties. He looked, but he’s a gentleman and only glanced. Strange, he’s getting younger and I’ve always been fond of Jimmie Stewart. The uniform has a badge with my picture.

  The guard will hold each person at the gate until I nod. They know Karla at the Lab and will ask no questions. He gave me an ear plug and little mike.

  ____________________

  As I waited for the workers to start coming through the gate I noticed two Shadows standing against the far wall. Both male and I think one has a beard. Foreign spies? CIA? Tourists? Does Karla know there are Shadows here? Should I tell him?

  Never played authoritarian before, kind of fun for a while. I ran my Shadow hands over everything and everybody as they passed through. When they had 2 or 3 bags I asked for an ID.

  That guy has something very strange. “Karla, the guy in the blue jacket has five heavy plastic cubes in his briefcase.”

  “Thanks, we’ll check it out.”

  Then I found it. A young girl was carrying the cylinder in a secret compartment at the bottom of her purse.

  “Good work, Alice. Do you mind staying there for the rest of the shift and see if you can find anything else unusual?”

  “Sure, if you pop for dinner.”

  “It’s a deal.”

  Then the two Shadows started toward me and I knew I was in trouble. I felt an attack on my brain stem, ZAP, but part of the attack got through and I lost consciousness.

  CHAPTER 37

  I woke the next morning at the Kaiser Hospital in Livermore. I had a headache and was very confused. I didn’t know who or where I was. A pretty little girl with long corkscrew curls held my hand for a while. Then she left and a guy with a nice smile sat down next to the bed. It was a while before I knew it was Karla.

  “Glad you’re back, Alice. How do you feel?”

  “Still a little confused but I know who I am now and who you are.”

  “Good. What happened?”

  “A couple of guys put the Squeeze on me and I couldn’t completely counter.”

  “What guys?”

  And so the moment has come. Should I tell him about the Shadow World? No point in lying. He is a very good lie detector.

  “The Glacier Gang calls them Shadows, as did the ancient Egyptians. They are invisible to most people. There were two at Livermore and attacked just after I found the cylinder.”

  “We explored that area but got nowhere. It seems others were more successful. Could you tell from their appearance who they might be?”

  “No. Casual clothes, faces not clear enough to judge race. Both male and one had a beard.”

  “Then at the Crowleys the Devil and Saint Francis were Shadows.”

  “Yes. They looked like old frat boys, playing saint and Satan. That’s why I asked for information about Satanists on campus.”

  “Ok Alice, I’ve had such fun dancing with you, but it’s time to stop. I am CIA Western Sector Chief. I also have the Gift and can do what you do but know nothing about the Shadow World. I won’t try patriotism because you’re too cynical, so I’ll go self-interest. You are now a target and the more I know the better I can protect you.”

  I’m an excellent lie detector, but he’s an excellent liar. I can’t tell for sure, but I think he already knows about the Shadow World, probably much more than I do. Is this another test? Those pesky Russian dolls are laughing at me again.

  “We can see Shadows but that’s it. The Glacier Gang is working hard to learn more.”

  “OK, time to reactivate our research team. Are you interested in working for the CIA? I can offer you quite a handsome salary in exchange for coming to Langley on occasion and keeping us up to date on your progress.”

  “Thanks, can’t do that. I don’t trust governments and certainly don’t want to work for one, not even my own.” He wasn’t happy but didn’t push.

  “Feel good enough to go back to Berkeley?”

  “Sure. I’ve been wondering, how did you get your name?”

  “I chose it. I admire Le Carre spy thrillers and Karla is the name of his Russian master spy.”

  CHAPTER 38

  Great news! Mary is going on sabbatical the end of the next school year and has been offered a visiting professorship at the Sorbonne in Paris. I will be her research assistant. With hard work and a little maneuvering by Dr. Crowley, Jimmy and Mary, I can get my Bachelor’s degree in time to be a graduate student. Starting today we’ll speak French as much as possible. She grew up in Paris, and her 90-year old mother, Madame Jeanette Barteau, still lives there.

  Oh, and I’ll be Mary’s assistant in the neuropsychology class next year and help in the lab. Unusual for an undergraduate but as you may have noticed, I’m not an average undergraduate. Going to even have an office in Tolman Hall shared with three graduate students. Wonder how they’ll take having to share a room with an undergraduate?

  I checked the photographs of the members of the Satanist groups Karla gave me. I’m pretty sure the ones at the Crowleys are members of the Merry Jesters of Darkness. They never have open meetings so I’ll visit the two Satanist groups I found on the bulletin boards and hope members of the Merry Jesters sometimes go slumming. Worth a try, and I might have a hell of a good time having my own merry jester fun.

  Tonight is the meeting of the philosophical Satanists, 784 Bainbridge Drive.

  ____________________

  The house has a messy yard, peeling paint, and broken down awnings trying to hide dirty windows. Perfect for worshipers of the Dark Side. I got there early and sat in the back. The people coming through the door are as dark as the house, and too cheap to buy soap or deodorants.

  About 13 people were in the room, including two females, when the Devil’s Disciple walked to the front. He has intense eyes, a tiny tick on his right cheek, and the goatee of the Great One.

  “Welcome to all,” he said in a deep, solemn voice. “Here in this room we are the reality of the world. Here in this room we fulfill the mysteries. Here in this room we dance love and hate, creation and destruction. You cannot have love without hate, creation without destruction. Do not deny your true nature. Do not deny your need to destroy in the service of creation! Your need to destroy in the service of Satan!”

  Oh my, I have to do something. This is too heavy. I picked a guy in the front row and tapped his laugh center. He burst out laughing and almost strangled trying to stop. Tapped the laugh center of the girl in the second row, and then tapped a few more.

  “Yes! Yes! Satan has come among us,” screamed the Devil’s Disciple. “Feel the power of Satan’s laughter! Feel the almighty power of Satan filling your heart! Yes! Yes! Satan is here! All hail Satan! All hail your wisdom and glory!”

  They want Satan, they get Satan. I grabbed his head off the table at the front of the room with my Shadow hands and lifted it into the air. Everyone stopped laughing and started to shout and scream and grovel before the Great One. Then I sent Satan’s head swirling around the room and people groveled even lower.

  The Devil’s Disciple lost it, crawled under the table, and babbled and blubbered obscenities and curses at everybody and everything. After I set Satan back on the pedestal a few good people tried to pull Satan’s Disciple from under the table, but it was obvious his part in the service was over.

  The headless herd didn’t know what to do. They began to look around, confused and disoriented, afraid of what might happen next. Then everyone broke for the door at the same time to get away from this accursed room. Maybe Satan wasn’t as much fun as they thought. Big trouble at the door but eventually everybody escaped, except Satan’s Disciple. He was still babbling and blubbering under the table.

  I went over, crouched next to him, and tapped his calm center. He recovered quickly and looked around at the empty room.

  “What happened?”

  “Satan came, and Satan is not pleased. You are unworthy.”

  His eyes rolled back in his head and he uttered such a long, pitiful s
igh. “I try so hard to be worthy, so hard to be bad. But I keep being good. Oh I try, I try, but I fail. Satan is right, I am unworthy. I try so hard to take him into my heart. I pray to him every night and sometimes, oh so seldom, but sometimes I feel his presence. I beseech him to make me worthy to follow him through the Gates of Hell. But then he leaves, and I doubt I will ever be evil enough to enter his Kingdom.”

  “I have been sent to tell you that you must first go through the Gates of Heaven before you are worthy to enter the Gates of Hell. You must first embrace goodness before you can embrace evil. Go and do good deeds as penance. After you have done 25, look again at this image of Satan. He will decide if your sacrifice is worthy.”

  “Oh thank you, thank you! That is the answer I’ve been searching for. I don’t know who you are but I feel the power of Satan in your words.”

  “My next visit is with the Merry Jesters of Darkness. Do you know of them“?

  “Oh yes, they are most worthy followers of darkness, but they sometimes seem to have more fun than is proper. But who am I to judge, only Satan has that right“.

  “Where do they meet and when?”

  “Friday nights, 7 O’clock, at Jason’s place on Connecticut Street, 476.”

  “I sense you will succeed in your quest. Do the penance you have been given and you will return to the path of our beloved Lord. Please tell the Merry Jesters I will be attending their next meeting. Tell them the Dark Lady will be coming for a visit.”

  “Yes I will. Thank you so much!”

  CHAPTER 39

  Jason’s place is a lovely Victorian, nicely landscaped with a recent paint job.

  “You must be the Dark Lady. Nice name. Come on in.”

  I don’t think Jason recognizes me. He must be in his late 20’s, and still has a frat boy look. I have no idea what it is about guys that make them look like frat boys. Well yeah, I think I do. They have an expensive, casual look, are fun loving, and don’t much try to hide their sense of superiority. At least those at Berkeley.

  What a shock when I got to the meeting room. No black candles sticking out the noses of cheap, plastic skulls. No dark, gloomy symbols or flickering candles along the wall. The meeting room

  was well lit and full of flowers and greenery.

  Ah, I see! A statue of Pan is on a pedestal beneath a bower of flowers. He has a very impressive erection. I think I know where this gang of guys hope to go with a visit from the Dark Lady.

  I went over to Pan, bowed, slowly stroked his penis three times, and bowed again. That got the guys’ testosterone surging through their bodies. Males are so stupid when they’re hot. I went and sat as demurely as I could on the couch. A guy sat down next to me and started to fondle my breast. I’m pretty sure it’s Darryl Delaney.

  “I will tell you only once, Mr. Delaney. Take your hand away!” He laughed and a couple of others giggled. So I did my thing, got the howl, and he fell on the floor. Stunned silence. Then he got up and started toward me.

  “You mother fucking bitch.”

  Two of the guys rushed over.

  “No, no, let him come. I love playing with dumb assholes.”

  They shrugged and let him go. In the middle of his charge my Shadow hands picked him up and slammed him against the wall. Knocked the breath right out of him and he lay there looking very stupid.

  “I advise you never to try that again, Mr. Delaney,” and turned to the other three. “So, you are used to abusing women. That is a serious mistake. Give me the slightest excuse and I will show you how serious that mistake can be.” They were stunned, so probably don’t know about Shadow hands or how powerful they can be. And didn’t send out their Shadows.

  I went over to Pan and bowed again. “May your days be long and your maidens sweet. I worship the holiness of lust. The lust of a man joyfully entering a woman’s slippery heat. The lust of a woman joyfully opening her legs to the man’s burning fire. Kindly instruct these ignorant peasants in the proper treatment of a lady.”

  Slowly stroked his penis again, bowed, and sat back on the couch.

  Nice transformation from lust to respect. They all stood and clapped. “Well,” Jason said, “we never had a meeting start like that before. And we thought we knew what drama was. I congratulate you Dark Lady.”

  “Thank you. Your St. Francis and Devil at the Crowleys were wonderful.”

  “I thought I recognized you. You sent our poor Devil back to Hell.”

  “Yes I did. I love drama and that was the dramatic thing to do.”

  “Yes it was. Why have you come to our meeting tonight?”

  “I would like to be part of some of your dramas.”

  “Interesting. A female would add many dramatic possibilities. What do you think guys?”

  “I want to know how you threw me against the wall.”

  “Pan loves my sweet caresses. Would you like him to do it again?”

  They all laughed, even Darryl. Good, I don’t want an enemy.

  “Ok Dark Lady, your humor fits right in. We’ll have all our members back in a couple of weeks and talk it over. How can we get hold of you?”

  “Leave a message for Alice with the secretary of the Psych Department.”

  “Good. Thank you for coming. You have brought wonderful new dramatic possibilities to the Merry Jesters.”

  Jason’s Shadow followed me out the front door, and I turned and waved. He smiled, waved, and went back into the house.

  I don’t know how to play this. I don’t want them to know I can’t activate my Shadow. They’ll want to know how I threw Darryl against the wall.

  On my way back to Arlene’s from Jason’s, I think I’ll see if I can seduce the campus rapist. He’s been terrorizing women for a couple of months. But it’s a big campus so the odds of his finding me are small. Except, women are advised always to pair up after dark, and I’m alone.

  A guy came walking toward me and brushed lightly as we passed. We both stopped and looked at each other. Could he be the rapist? He’s very young and shy, with a slight droop on the left side of his mouth. He cleared his throat and said hi.

  “Hi.” Poor boy just stood there not knowing what to do. Mighty lame rapist.

  He cleared his throat again. “Hi. I’m Jamie.”

  Maybe I could have a little fun with him. As I once said, shy guys can be fun if you’re not in a hurry.

  “Hi, I’m Maria. Where you going?”

  “Home,” and looked down.

  Nope. I’m not a mother, martyr, or that horny.

  “Nice to see you, gotta go” and turned around. No, I didn’t suddenly feel a gun or knife in my ribs. He went his way and I went mine. Life is mostly like that. No chills. No thrills.

  Oh. The rapist found me.

  CHAPTER 40

  Arlene’s hips are spreading and her tummy is getting bigger and bigger. She found out yesterday it’s a girl, so today we’re going to buy some of that soft, pink, little girl stuff mothers love. Barry called a couple of times. No hope there.

  Arlene has spruced up the place and it doesn’t look like a dump anymore. People are staying and she’s going to raise the rent a little. See? We don’t need you big, hairy, smelly apes. Well, maybe to take out the garbage, and a few other little things.

  ____________________

  Big surprise when I got to Sproul Plaza. The Shadow monk got up from his bench, waved and led into the administration building, down the hallway to the fifth door on the left. Karla’s office, as I’m sure you remember. In the back room he touched my forehead. There was a flash, and I saw my solid body standing a few feet away. Oh my, how young, pretty, and innocent.

  “Hello Alice, I’m Brother Timothy.”

  “Hi, Brother Timothy. How about Sister Alice for balance?” He laughed. “How did you do that?”

  “When I send you back to your physical body, make your Spirit hands very small. In the center of your third eye, the pituitary, there is a tiny sphere, the Divine Dot. Give it a slight squeeze and you will r
eturn to your spirit body.”

  Another flash and I was back in my solid body. I made my Shadow hands small and felt around the center of the pituitary for the little Dot. I searched for 10 minutes and found nothing. He motioned to make my Shadow hands even smaller. After another ten minutes I found it and flashed back to my Shadow body.

  “I assume I get back to my solid body by finding the Divine Dot in my Shadow.”

  “Correct.”

  So I made my hands very small and searched. There’s no pituitary in my Shadow head, so finding the tiny Dot was very difficult. It took almost half an hour before I got the flash back to my solid body. This will take a lot of practice. I found the Dot faster the second time and flashed back to my Shadow.

  “I’m very grateful, Brother Timothy. Why have you given me the secret and how can I repay you?”

  “I no longer have a physical body and limited how I can help others, so on occasion I hope you can help me carry out good deeds in the physical and the Spirit worlds.”

  “Gladly! What can I do for you now?”

  “There is a woman dying at Berkeley Memorial, Dorothy McGill. Please contact her son, 734-4479. On the top shelf of the closet in her bedroom there is an old cloth doll her mother made for her when she was a child. Ask her son to bring it to her. The doll will ease the dying and create a strong desire for her mother, who will come and provide love and guidance.”

  “Will do. Give me another. You have given me so much today.”

  “All right. The rapist you killed last night is confused and terrified. His spirit is hovering where he died but is too fearful to see his mother, who has come to guide him to his new home. Send waves of calm so he can become aware of her.”

  “Not sure how to do that, but if you think I can that’s good enough. What are those ugly worms and their mother? And how did you get rid of them when you helped the young girl?”

  “They are called Brools. You get rid of the worms by sending waves of love and joy. Stay away from the mother.” And Brother Timothy faded away.