No Inner Limit

by David Kersey

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE – WKSO TV

  “Hello Joshua, my name is Eva Mercer. I’m the station manager at WKSO. I’ve heard some great things about you and your miracle drink. I can’t stop Sheryl or Jermaine from going full speed ahead. Oh my, I feel like I’m in a wall enclosed forest. And I love the fragrance in here!”

  “It’s my pleasure to meet you. I smell the peppermint more than anything else. It depends on the weather, which fragrance dominates.”

  “Well, Sheryl told me I’d be coming to meet Jesus.” Eva laughed while looking Joshua over head to toe. “Frankly, I was intrigued and hoped I’d find you dressed as she described you. I think it will make for interesting television.”

  Eva was smartly dressed…..navy blue suit…..ample gold jewelry. Nice looking, actually. Auburn hair, well kept. One of those roundish, China doll faces that belied her age, which Joshua guessed to be early forties. Her crisp diction suggested she was from the upper Midwest…..Michigan, maybe.

  Sheryl and Jermaine both presented a wide, toothy grin to Joshua as they busied themselves setting up the two lighting stations. Jermaine’s sparkling smile lit up the room, and was accompanied by a thumb’s up.

  “So Miss Eva, what will we be talking about?” Joshua led her to the lounge.

  “Here’s a list of topics. We may get to all of them, but I doubt it. I like to expand on the conversation when it seems pointed in a stimulating direction. We will definitely cover your background; briefly touch on your Peace Corps experience; and how you wound up here in this barn. We will touch on why you present yourself the way you do, but most of all, I will let you take some time to explain the NIL. We’ll bring up the avian flu and I may hammer you on that, since it’s a hot topic which all the major networks are thumping.”

  “It’s a half hour show, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, but the interview will take longer. We will cut and splice some of it to make it fit. Then again, we may keep it together and think about a two part presentation. Keep in mind that there will be other time consuming insertions, like an update from Mel Kenyon. We have some rather upbeat emails from some of the NIL users. We may scroll those while I’m talking with you. I will not fail to mention that the isolation patient, the first one in Somerset with the avian flu, has fully recovered and attributes his recovery to the NIL. I may lead with that, its call setting the hook. By the way, we need two of your jars of NIL set up here on the table.”

  “Sure, just give me a moment. I’ll be right back.” Joshua did as instructed. The way Eva described the intent of the interview, it seemed innocuous enough.

  “Jermaine, how’s it framing?”

  “Good to go, Miss Eva. Ready when you are. Three……two……one.”

  EVA: Good evening. It’s Eva Mercer again, bringing you another interesting story in our Somerset Sentinel Series. Tonight we will be talking with a most intriguing individual and the product he makes that has us all buzzing, especially during this time of concern over the avian flu that has crept into our midst. Before I proceed, folks, I want you to know that the first case of avian flu in Somerset is now history. The patient is doing fine and was released from the hospital, and the patient credits his recovery to this. (She held up a jar of NIL). I want to introduce you to Joshua Meadors, the producer of this product that is called NIL. Good evening, Joshua.

  JOSHUA: (camera pans to Joshua for a close up) Good evening.

  EVA: Joshua, would you mind standing. I’d like our viewers to get a good look at you.”

  Joshua stood and smiled while Jermaine panned the camera.

  EVA: (laughing) Remind you of any one? Thank you Joshua. So, let’s get this out of the way first thing. Why do you dress the way you do?

  JOSHUA: (close up of Joshua’s face, then panned out) I was burned years ago in a forest fire. For comfort, I wear loose fitting clothes. Since I don’t venture out much, I haven’t bothered to groom myself and the beard does cover some of the scars.

  EVA: So you don’t hold yourself out to be a messiah or religious fanatic?

  JOSHUA: Not at all. But I am a believer in an Almighty God.

  EVA: OK, moving on. You were raised on an Indian reservation, weren’t you?

  JOSHUA: Yes, an Apache reservation in Arizona. That’s where I was burned in the fire. I lived there for a little over eleven years, from age three to almost fifteen.

  EVA: And that’s where you first became interested in the things of the earth that were healthy.

  JOSHUA: Yes.

  EVA: You left there, attended Purdue University, graduated, and then did a stint in the Peace Corps?

  JOSHUA: I did. I was fortunate to learn of Eastern cultures in Okinawa and then spent three years in Africa. After that was over I returned to the reservation for a little while.

  EVA: And that is where you started experimenting with growing things that eventually led to this. (Eva held up a jar of the NIL. Jermaine zoomed in for a tight shot)

  JOSHUA: That’s true. That began approximately five years ago. There is a plant growing facility there that is similar to this one.

  EVA: OK, I am going to ask you one more question, then let you talk straight to our viewing audience. My question deals with your own abnormalities in your adolescent years, health wise, and how you overcame them.

  JOSHUA: I suffered lacerations in my cranial cavity at a very early age. I was just three years old when it happened. I fell down some stairs. As a result, I had short circuiting occurring in my brain. That led to both good and bad things. The good thing was that I was able to learn at a very fast pace. The bad thing was that I couldn’t communicate what I had learned to anyone. In fact, I couldn’t even think clearly to myself. The injury also caused what is called mental telepathy, and……

  EVA: Wait. I didn’t know about that. Explain that, if you will. Would it be possible to get a demonstration of that?

  JOSHUA: Think of something, anything, and I will try to get a reading on it.

  EVA: OK. Ready.

  JOSHUA: First, are you married?

  EVA: Yes, I am.

  JOSHUA: Then I suggest you think of something else. (Jermaine and Sheryl laughed in the background). OK, you are thinking of the Harley Davidson your dad brought home when you were six years old.

  EVA: (raised voice) Joshua! How could you have known that? That is amazing! (she looked at Sheryl) Did you know he could do that?

  JOSHUA: Believe me, you wouldn’t want that ability for yourself. It intimidates people once they know I have ‘the third eye’. (hands formed quotation marks) It’s the real reason I don’t venture out much.

  EVA: Whew. I am flabbergasted. (Eva patted her chest with one hand, fanned her face with the other) I can see that people would have to be careful with what they were thinking around you.

  JOSHUA: Exactly. In actuality, it is a curse.

  Eva motioned for Jermaine to stop filming.

  “Let me take a minute to compose myself. I hadn’t been filled in about your telepathic ability. I don’t know if we should run with that or leave it out. My God, Joshua, so you knew what I was thinking before dad’s motorcycle? I am embarrassed.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Most people think about my blue eyes, too, and I won’t mention what else you thought.”

  Jermaine and Sheryl laughed again.

  “OK, look. Let’s shelve the telepathy part because we want to focus on the flu and your product. I just can’t get over it. We’ll do another show on just that topic if you want to. My God.”

  “I’d rather not. Let’s continue on, and I apologize if I embarrassed you. Jermaine, don’t get any wild ideas. She was thinking good, wholesome thoughts.” Jermaine showed his toothy grin again while shaking his head side to side.

  “Let’s pick it back up where you mentioned you didn’t understand your own thoughts.”

  JOSHUA: In between leaving the reservation and attending Purdue I wound up in Lexington, and that is where, at UK, with the help of friends there, I was able to overcome my disability to
communicate.

  Eva again asked Jermaine to stop filming. “Sheryl, make a note that we will run the Kenyon piece right about in here. OK, Jermaine, roll.

  EVA: And that is when and where you met Mel Kenyon?

  JOSHUA: It is.

  EVA: Mr. Kenyon sent us a cell phone video, a selfie you might say, earlier today. If you will remember, we aired his story some four weeks ago. Here is what he had to say today. (She immediately turned back to Joshua, explaining that the Kenyon piece would splice in at this juncture.)

  EVA: Let’s talk about NIL. Everyone in Somerset is starting to hear about it.

  She asked Jermaine to stop again. “Jermaine, shoot a walk-around and capture the different plants. We’ll have a voice over conversation during the shoot. Wait, check that. Joshua, would you mind walking in front of Jermaine, slowly, and give a commentary on the plants. You’ll have to walk crab-like so we can get a good audio. I’ll walk out in front of you because I want to see the ingredients too. Can you accomplish that in under two minutes?”

  “Sure.” Joshua rose and started walking, Jermaine following close behind. Joshua mentioned all twenty-four plants while pacing the barn interior, then Eva and he reconvened at the lounge table.

  EVA: Why those particular plant varieties?

  JOSHUA: I want to focus on the entire human body, not just a part of it. Some of the plants, like the beets, and flax seeds, for instance, target brain function. Others supply energy. Some support the development of natural killer cells. Those help retard and attack tumor development, and induce apoptosis, which condition leads to the destruction of viruses, such as the avian flu virus. Some of the plants have qualities that benefit the central nervous system. Some of them create a relaxed feeling even though energy levels are heightened. All together there should be a symbiotic combination that benefits just about every organ inside the skin, especially the brain. As to the flu, and the flu virus, a healthy immune system with proficient chemical cellular communication should defeat it. The virus requires entry into cells in order to feed and proliferate. If the strains can’t gain entrance, they die within twenty-four hours. So, the NIL isn’t necessarily designed to defeat any one particular thing. My hope is that is can defeat just about everything. So far we’ve had some successes and thankfully we’ve heard of no failures, meaning no harmful side effects or inefficacies. And it can be used safely alongside prescription drugs, I think, because there have been no reported harmful interactions so far.

  EVA: It almost sounds too good to be true. Folks, we’re scrolling some emails we’ve received at the bottom of the screen so you can see what the NIL users are saying. I want to reiterate the one case that will interest all of us. That is the man in isolation at Lake Cumberland Hospital. He was the first diagnosed with the avian flu, and he was released today, just before we left the station. He had the NIL in his room during the hospitalization, and he credits it for his quick recovery. I know I’m repeating myself, but it is vitally important for us in Somerset to know that the flu can be beat. So take heart, Pulaski County.

  JOSHUA: His recovery doesn’t surprise me, and for his return to good health I am thankful, but I want to make something clear. I cannot, under any circumstances, warrant that any disease, sickness, condition, or any illness can be cured or that NIL should be considered a curative. It is my hope that health improvement could happen, not a guarantee or claim that it will happen. In all cases requiring medical attention professional advice and treatment should be sought.

  EVA: I think people realize you can’t make that claim without FDA approval. So where are you in the process? Are you ready to launch out into the world and become rich and famous?

  JOSHUA: Miss Eva, my heart is with the youth of our country. I am gravely concerned about the significant increase in violence, especially among teenage boys. School shootings, mass killings, the murder of parents or siblings. It is escalating to the point that it has become an ominous trend. Personally, I don’t care about making one red cent, I just would like my product to be available to our young, and hopefully it will make an improvement in their mental health. If something like Sandy Hook could have been averted, that’s what I’m all about. If I had my choice in the matter, I would offer NIL for free, just as I have for the last three years. Again, talking about the young generation, Kentucky has the second lowest high school graduation rate in the country. I really do think NIL can be a partial answer because of its ability to help develop new neuron connections, and thereby creating the potential to improve learning capacity. Not only that, it hopefully would instill a willingness, the desire, to learn, and retain, and motivate. In answer to your question, I do not want to be rich, or famous. If the country becomes embroiled in an avian flu pandemic, I will do whatever I can to help the CDC and the medical community if they should call for my assistance. (Joshua faced the camera, then gave a plea) If someone watching this is feeling down and out, rejected, maybe from bullying, let’s say, and you know you harbor feelings of violence, of retaliation, welling up inside you, please contact this television station. I will make sure you receive as much NIL as you need, and I will pray that it will help you. You need to take the first step by placing the call.

  EVA: Do you really think NIL can help in such a situation?

  JOSHUA: I certainly do. Just the energy building gets the ball rolling. You have to want to get up before you start walking. I’ve seen it work before, as in the case of Mel Kenyon and some others.

  EVA: Speaking of energy, I’m going to pull a fast one on you and our viewing audience. Sheryl, come sit between Joshua and me so that you’re facing the camera. I don’t mention the WKSO crew often enough during our broadcasts. Well now you will meet one of them, my faithful assistant, Sheryl Smalley. Hello Sheryl.

  SHERYL: Hello. (She waved to the camera with an ebullient smile)

  EVA: Tell all of us about your experience with the NIL.

  SHERYL: Jermaine, that’s the cameraman shooting this, and I came up here Saturday and interviewed Joshua. He was kind enough to give each of us a sixteen ounce jar of NIL. I have to tell you, I have never felt this good, had this much get up and go, or had a clearer focus than these last two days of drinking it. It is truly remarkable. I am sold on it, big time. And so is Jermaine (Jermaine tipped the camera up and down so that viewers would register his agreement)

  EVA: Thank you Sheryl. Stay seated with us. And now, I think it’s time we partook of NIL (Eva held up the jar) Joshua, would you do the honors?

  JOSHUA: I’d be delighted. (He poured into three sake cups, and demonstrated the sniff, lick, and swallow routine)

  EVA: (facing camera) I hope you’ve been as enlightened by this program as I have. You may call us at our toll free number below, or email us. The email address is shown below the telephone number. And you subscribers, watch for an email update as to when you can watch this program online. Let us hear from you. Many, many thanks to our special guest, Mr. Joshua Meadors. I am absolutely sure we haven’t heard the last of you, Joshua. (Eva held up her cup as if toasting to her audience) We will see you next time, on Somerset Sentinel. Good night, and cheers. (She tilted the cup to her lips, then Jermaine stopped rolling)

  “You know, Joshua, there will be mixed reactions. Some will be negative about your appearance, some will not believe what you are promoting, and some will think it’s just another come on. So don’t be surprised if you receive feedback of that sort.”

  “Of course, I would expect that. One thing though. I have no idea what the emails say that you will scroll during the interview. I hope they are positive.”

  “You will not be disappointed, believe me. I can tell you this. I expect a tsunami of feedback the likes of which we’ve never seen before. So get ready, blue eyes. You’re going to be busy. By the way, do you have a way to watch the program, or a disc player?”

  “I can run a disc in my laptop. I don’t have a television.”

  “Mercy. Don’t run in to that often. OK, we can send you a
disc, but if you can get to a TV, we will air this tonight at 7pm. We will also have it available to watch online, it just won’t be tonight. We will call you to tell you when that is available to watch. So we’ve got to bust out of here and do our editing and composition.” Eva rose, as did Sheryl, who lifted Joshua by the arm. When he stood erect, she hugged him and thanked him, then started scurrying around collecting the equipment.

  “Here, Miss Eva. Make sure you and your husband take full advantage of this.” Joshua handed her an unopened jar of NIL.

  After watching the TV vehicles begin the descent down the mountain, Joshua cracked open the door of the cottage. “Are you decent?”

  The reply was immediate. “NO.”

  “Remember to peak out the window and see if the coast is clear before you come over. He smiled, shut the door, knowing that both where immersing themselves in full body whitening cream. He punched in Autry’s number while walking to the barn.