In short: My friend Nick
My friend Nick
This excerpt is from the book Short Stories by LR Drake and reprinted with permission the author. Copyright (c) 2010 by RS Drake Here is the link for the book http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/20587
"We are each our own demons and make this world our hell."
– Oscar Wilde
It was a terrible rainy day for a funeral. The wetland has your shoes sink into the cake. I did not know the deceased well, James was there because he was asked to come as a friend and had trouble saying "no." This is exactly the kind of person he was, not nature, can not simply say "no."
The crowd included many people had seen before and thousands of people who did not know. The rain fell harder, as if it was drowning in words the priest. He was now in its third and Hail Mary cries still ahead of the crowd of mourning. James looked at his watch not a lot of pain in his heart since he barely knew. I do not mind going to the funeral because it gave the opportunity to study the human condition and behavior during the mourning period. This always intrigued people. Why are you so sad when he thought he had gone to a better place? "He thought.
The crowd was now closer to see the coffin down at their final destination. As was low, shouts came from the woman in the crowd.
"Oh, please," muttered James himself. Death comes for everyone.
The coffin has finally reached the bottom and the crowd was alternately exchange hugs and condolences for the loss. This was not the loss of James. The fog became thicker since the start of the ceremony and James could feel the skin. It felt like a soft wet cloth. He made his way through the crowd exchanging apologies even boring as everyone else, were as sincere as they could.
As the crowd began to disperse in their own way, James made his way through the undergrowth, making it a ride for him. He is happy going to get to avoid all difficult discussions about how much he loved everyone and false memories, could have created to help pain. I would be polite, but inside, it would disgusted with himself. He made his way through the tears guests shared a polite smile with them until they finally disappeared in the thicket.
It felt much colder in the rain forests and dark patches. Very little sun shone through James and his eyes were an effort to go over big holes in the muddy ground. Just before reaching the light at the end of the thicket, he heard a man's voice calling his name.
"James! Called the great voice.
James quickly became expected have been captured by a black man who wanted to share some memories about the deceased. He looked around and saw no one. He was sure he had heard his name. Confused, James stood there in silence, without moving to see if they return. He remained motionless for several minutes, then continued on foot, which dismissed the appeal as a call to another man of that name.
"James" said the voice, this time behind the tree where it stopped.
James turned his head and saw a black man by the tree. It looked very clean and was not invited to the funeral. James would have quickly recognized his flamboyant style and wealth, if he had seen earlier. The man wore a black silk jacket with red silk shirt. James could say that the clothes are very expensive and have to buy was perhaps even as well, since I had never seen this type of clothing in this city. His fingers were covered with jewels and had a dark smile, but little light to penetrate the fog, it was difficult to see her face.
Yes? James said in a tone of frustration.
"I feel for your friend
You must be torn
His sudden and unexpected end,
Could make a man mourn, "said the man.
"I do not know her very well." It happens to everyone at some point, he thought.
The man leaned in the willow behind her. He rubbed his hands and James heard the clink of his ring gold against each other. There was one on every finger, except the first, closest to the thumb.
"Can-I can help you? Otherwise, I … "
"In fact, my job is done,
I came to collect the dead soul
I think you're the person
Who has a bowl. "
James was a little scared at this time. the man's mouth twisted and eyes narrowed as he spoke. He feared that this man was insane and feared he might do something crazy if he was upset. He kept an eye on the man and chose his words carefully next.
"I want to go, Mr. James has begun in a civil tone:" I'm quite busy. "It smiled politely and began to withdraw from their knowledge without raising an eye out for him.
"I think it has more time than you think
All which would bring the weight of any ship afloat, "said the man.
James continued turning back, hence the man. "What you mean? "
"James, you and I are not so different
You seek the truth, but quietly repentance.
Looking for answers in the evening
I am here to provide light.
People around you can meet with their admiration and curiosity,
But I can and will do so honestly.
Your father and mother did not know what to say
And because so requests.
Ask about God and the Devil and I speak the truth,
Only I warn you, the truth is grim. "
Jacques thought the man was definitely crazy by this point in the conversation suddenly. He quickly looked around and noticed that the sound of the funeral was gone. Fearing the wrath of man made a question he had in his heart, but was rooted in his mind. He said that humor was the man until he saw a chance to escape.
"Why Why God does not provide a better life for its children? All the pain and suffering going on in the world? If it is so powerful, why life can be so terrible? "James has had anger and frustration because he was a young boy and saw the poor with no food or at home in their city. He criticizes those who pray to God help the poor instead of helping the poor themselves. If God was so great why could not help these people?
"Now we get to the truth of the matter,
When the glass bubble of illusion will be broken.
To answer your questions there quid pro quo
I provide answers and give you souls.
Warn to muster the courage for this journey in black,
Once we are on this path, no return. "
Jacques thought for a moment and then nodded. He guessed that the man was mad, was coherent enough to have a conversation with him. My parents never was afraid to attempt to answer my questions, what I have to lose? Appeared weak and afraid of the truth. James thinks often they do not care for truth, especially if it is worrying.
"Is there a God?" How can you give me some answers? "He asked black.
"He reigns in heaven with all his might,
He created the sun, but there is always light
His power is important and precious to him than not,
Otherwise, why am I here and what is not? "
God leave me? James thought. What is to be a God, if I can not help?
"I know the ground truth,
Why is there joy, despair and
The death of your whole hand
I have nothing to gain from a lie
James, you know? "
James mind and heart racing. He began to think he was letting his curiosity get the better of him. He was in an area isolated on issues of life with a stranger. He knew better, but I was intrigued by the responses of man. He kept a watchful eye on the movements of man, as slow and steady, as it were.
"I see you have doubts,
And maybe you need time to reflect,
If in accordance with the contract,
See you here tomorrow for a drink. "He gave James a card with a smile on his face. His curly black beard around the lips, as the last words left his mouth.
As James read the map, find the name of the man he found there was Nick contact information for him.
"Where I can …" James began to ask the realization Nick has disappeared.
Chapter II
Jacques could smell the corn bread, meat and potatoes to cook the street when he came home. Her mother always had food, and really pampered men of the house.
James 'father', not a professional mechanic in general, he knew his way around an engine. The repetitive jingle! Tell James that his father was working on his truck. He was greeted with a wave nature, he went to garage.
"How did it go?"
"It was so beautiful as the funeral could be," said James tries to show a greater sensitivity to the loss of human lives.
How's the truck? "James said quickly changing the subject.
"Well, the carburetor is shot, and I can not find another 'til Monday. We walk to church on Sunday, "his father ended up with a smile. There were no problems with the car how to keep their church family.
After apologizing, James entered the house, kissed his mother then made his way to take a shower. It was a strange smell in it and Nick credit.
It quickly filled with dark reflection on the proposal made at the funeral. I was not sure what to think. There many questions he wanted to respond but nobody in this city can provide answers. His parents, teachers, and the priest certainly can not give any indication. What Nick talking about souls?
His body was washed and dressed quickly for dinner. His favorite was the comb comfortable where ever left. A few shots to the back is all that is needed. She loved her room, there was still much for him and his thoughts.
"Bless, Lord, this food for you, and make us more aware of the requirements and needs of others. Amen, good voice of his mother was so sweet. He even taste better food.
"Who was there?" At the funeral, her father asked her cornbread dip in the gravy and make a snack, James lights turn to speak.
His friends knew his brother, and people who do not know. It was a good service. "He smiled.
"It's so sad, she will be missed," said his mother stepped in. She looked solemnly at his food on the plate. He had known the deceased for some time, and although they were not very close, they knew.
Jacques thought it was a good time as any to ask questions. He thought of Nick and his proposal. Will I go this route?
"Well, everyone has the right to die? "James said with a laugh, proof of their parents.
"Be respectful, James! A little respect for the dead," cried his father of his flesh cut break.
"It was not exactly the most caring person …"
"No matter: she is a person who has died and deserves our respect" her father was opposed to this time to put the fork and knife.
Jacques was silent and motionless for a short time.
"Why did God show us and show us there? He cares for us?"
Completely bewildered father James replied: "H" works in mysterious ways. There is no way our human mind can not understand how and why he does things he does. "
Precisely the answer he expected. Perhaps there is nothing to understand and therefore can not "understand. He looked at his mother as if to give further details. He kept his eyes fixed on her.
Feeling as if I had to respond, her mother finally spoke, "It's not, honey, just have faith that taking care of you on earth and after his death. "
"Otherwise, it is thought, even avid reader of all these issues. Set your mind and have faith, "said his father.
Exactly what James planned. Satisfaction Pretender James smiled and said: "Now I understand." Do not lie, do not understand. He understood that his parents were simple-minded people never fail to question about faith and God. Understood that had no interest in thinking for yourself or to know the truth. He realized that the only person who might be able to help "fix her spirit" would be Nick.
After dinner while polite superficial conversation about the neighbors, school and city events with their parents. After plates were cleaned, mounted in his room. She sat on the bed studying Nick's map gave him. He thought and thought about the meeting and the proposal.
The sunset and James knew that his decision, but would not admit it. He was there in his bed while her parents slept peacefully in time. House was quiet, but James was agitated. All the small things that seemed trivial Others worry James. He was more concerned to know the truth, no matter what it was sad. I had the feeling that Nick is still in the cemetery. He seemed a man capable of workers to take care of business at any time. He rose from his bed, still wearing his clothes, put on his shoes and slipped into the bottom of the stairs. He caught a quick overview of their parents Sleep through the crack the door is always open. He smiled and left the house, closed the door behind him.
Chapter III
The cemetery was quiet and midnight fog settled in a thick coat to kiss each gravestone. The sins and pains All the dead were accepted now for the sweet relief of death. The moon was carried out and a little light to James, as he carefully their way into the black thicket.
James soil lightly thread damp, being careful not to step on a final resting places. He went to the bush where he met Nick early in the morning and waited to see this dark figure I know. He rounded rocks out of a bush and broke through the dense vegetation on the outside, scratching his arm in the process. He walked among the trees and the smell nose dive. What is it? Sulphur!
From behind the willow tree came from the familiar deep voice,
"James!" Glad to see you arrived,
Because I knew that would come to your request!
James thought that the last time, it really I do that?
"So please help to raise the dead souls, and give answers to my questions?" The voice of James " cracking, showing his uncertainty.
"My dear Jacques, catch souls
They have already been claimed by me
Only help save their
Souls must be "Nick said in a cheerful voice, melodic.
After accepting the logic of Nick almost half of the lips, but mainly due to the insatiable curiosity he felt for his questions, he nodded. It felt almost honored to be the opportunity to get answers to what humans have been asking for thousands of years. Nick is black become leaky eyes and smiled a cunning honest smile. James took a glass of wine toast their agreement. The wine have already been paid and waiting for James, as if Nick knew that his response to it.
"Therefore there a God? "James asked for shock and anxiety to know. I always had a problem with faith. If you have no reason to believe in something, why do you think? That was the attitude of James in the faith.
"He reigns in heaven with all his might,
He created the sun, but there is always light
Its power is important and precious to him than not,
Otherwise, why am I here and not, "said Nick.
It does not really care About Us? "That would explain so much …"
"I want nothing to gain from lying,
It is only the truth that I am providing,
Before talking about ending the case,
There are souls to be collected
Let's hurry and gather,
Over time, the responses reflect, "said Nick.
As James noted, Nick launched a powdery substance was fire crazy in the middle of the bush that flew into the sky. It was a sight to see!
They walked to the outside of the city where another funeral took place recently in another, smaller cemetery. New James smelled of sulfur.
On his way to the cemetery, Nick led them to a nearby house that had the light in the rear balcony.
"This I want to show,
A view that can show the pain and the truth, "Nick said softly, and it came to the house.
Approaching the house, James was able to look more closely at the people in the interior window. He saw a child sitting on her bed with a serious expression on his face. It was not a common side for someone of his age, James, which represented about 8 years.
"This child has misbehaved;
An outlet of the pain he sought,
This boy, full of righteous anger,
Just commit the sin of poisoning his father, "Nick said with a grin.
Jacques was one of disbelief at the seemingly innocent child who was sitting just a few feet away, with the guilty stain of death written on his cherubic face.
At that time, the mother entered and held the boy in the chest. Both, he said, but his cries sound dominated. The boy looked sad when he saw his mother sad. They stood there, motionless, except for promotion and not the shoulders as he took a long breath and heavy.
"How?" Why? " James began to ask, unable to explore the idea of making even his father. "Of course it was an accident"
"No, no, it was an accident,
The action was due to the action of the media,
His father had many hate them both,
See their bodies black and blue
Why death? If you have to ask
His father liked the ball
The child did not see another way out
He has performed in its decision undoubtedly,
But one question to ask,
Why God allows all this, given what he knows? "Nick James shot, eliminating any hope James was leaving the boy and any doubt about God.
Why did God give this poor woman and her son a man terrible like that? James mood sunk even lower.
"What?"
"We come again later, one year later
To collect payment from the payer. "
With that, Nick and James left the house and continued to the cemetery. James bowed head the awful event which had to be part of. How could someone do this to his own father? James remained silent in solemn contemplation. They walked a little further down the road together. The floor was like a river just wanted to be a dangerous place to go.
At the fork in the road Nick leaves the path to the cemetery and tells Santiago that he Another thing that should be examined. They descend on a smaller, more humble home with the window just be open. The night air circulates freely in the house of one room. In the brick chimney, a fire burned slowly, probably because the night light was not cold. Looking out the window, Nick James to examine the interior and the far corner to the left of the fireplace. James went to a nearby rock and watched the fire burning house. His heart sank to see the show.
Laying in bed was a quiet child crying and sweating. His sweat was so abundant that the hair is tightly wrapped over his round face as if she had been in the rain. His mother was kneeling beside her in bed, her hands clasped in sentence and whispering, pleading with God to spare the life of his daughter and bring her in place. She prayed, "Please, my father, she is so young, his spare me all this pain and take the case of life you want. Take me! Not her! Yo! "
Nick and James was silent for a while. None spoke.
Nick finally broke the silence by saying:
"She prays for her son's life was saved,
In a God that there are concerns and hopes,
A strange thing to pray for God's hand,
When his will always be held as planned
It is a human behavior I'll never understand. "
James was fascinated still shocked by the truth of the words Nick. What good is praying when God needs to be done? All he remembers is being taught to the church prayed for God's mercy and blessings be good for. Now I do not seem to matter what people do. What is happening is what was expected to occur. James took some deep breaths to recover, was a bit too much to take time.
Hack has been the first two steps of the window. As James followed the example of Nick, he could not take his eyes off the desperate mother to pray. She has also joined hands in prayer, about the life of his daughter.
"There's another for me! "Nick cried with joy because both resigned the rock.
James Hack and walked in silence until they reached the cemetery. Air clammy skin stick to James and made him feel a little dizzy. There was a feeling of weakness, when he saw the boy and the woman who now lament only makes matters worse. He had a deep feeling in the pit of the stomach, their eyes were heavy with sleep and walk as tired. Around the winding road that saw the cemetery.
Chapter IV
Entering James Cemetery quick could see Nick's face because it was illuminated by the moonlight. It was an ugly face compared to the same James ugliest faces ever seen. He showed scars on the nose and the skin was terribly hard, almost skin. Nick went to a fresh grave buried and waiting for any direction of Nick.
"Here we have a young woman who committed suicide,
She could not bear pain, which ended with a knife
His people say it is a sin, an abomination,
However, life is worth living if there is no self?
God has given but one life to live in this land,
Can not guarantee its value, "said Nick when he looked down into the soft earth, freshly laid.
James was silent, thinking. He grew uncomfortable with the idea of the harsh reality that Nick has been declared. I enjoy my life! "How do you know tell me the truth? "There really is no way God can defend his actions, right? You have everything to gain and nothing to lose." I expected a response from the wrath of Nick, but was surprised by the calm and almost playful in the response Nick.
"Yes, you're right, the most powerful being can not answer
Unable to display and deal with the applicant
It's not a question of "power", but a question of "Why"
He did not leave his majestic throne in heaven,
One source of dog as a response
No power, no matter how necessary. "
But why should you and to keep the battle going? You have admitted that is more powerful than you, which prevents it from destroying you? "
"The power to destroy, not missing
He gave me freedom, take it back
Cheating man is my sole purpose in life
If allowed, why not attack? "
Jacques was in fear How Nick framed to answer your questions.
Nick continued
"It's not reason with a dog suffering from rabies
Like me, he can not change their habits,
I do not know how I am and what I do
But change that left me in the street
God welcomed me with a part of the transaction,
I want to cause pain, and help to heal
Purpose is to ensure the life and joy,
And with the help of man, I seek and destroy,
But I can not take the whole bad credit
When humans can be much more harmful,
When I take my guilty pleasure
The human beings do evil, then my name, credit
This is worse than committing an act of evil anonymously
Then a which recognizes the fact
But I fear and I laugh,
But when they arrive, not to be near me
When you really need to afraid of them because they have
Much more power than doubles
To request one of us is wrong,
When both of us is leaving, but
Do me a scapegoat, and I'll play along time
Because man can escape his fate for a long time, "Nick sang.
The moon was like darkening night progressed. The cemetery was still asleep and Snoring was the rustling of tree branches against each other in the wind night. The two men stared at each other. James was a mixture of emotions in him, he was angry because his parents preached God really was a mere observer what people do, it is also sad that it was, he felt betrayed by God and became friends with Nick (whatever). At least I know, it was thought James hated to admit. I knew that there was no way that God never answered. He was taking more and more in a sea of despair, of being overwhelmed by the anchor knowledge.
"So that's all. This is the truth, I've always been after. There is a God, but having a wrong idea of it. And you, Mr. President, have taken the trouble to teach me. Thanks, I suppose, James was not been comfortable with the events of that night, but glad to know. For At least I know.
"James, you are a brave and wise!
I am sure that I think is not surprising,
My plan is simply to show God's creations
Are they not as good as are their aspirations,
It will not be most faithful servants as he expected,
Being omnipotent, he will find a way to move forward, "Nick smiled his sinister smile and look James almost naughty.
This was the last conversation James could remember. He woke up the next morning in his bed fully clothed stained with mud at the foot of the bed. It smelled of sulfur and sweat.
James made a vain attempt to convince himself that it was all a dream, but he knew truth. When I crossed that day as a ghost – no expression, no joy, no words. He knew what had happened during the night. James had another appointment that night in a thicket by the cemetery.
About the Author
I love to read and write. I prefer non-fiction books, but my favorite fiction writers are O. Henry and Ernest Hemingway.
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