shades

It's three-fifty-eight A.M. and Jaspers alarm clock is upset as the D.J. begins wrapping up a five minute session featuring the latest in skanky pop music; informing all the early morning listeners of the most recent "Hollywood Scandle" and the 'Starlet' who's "lost it" this time. This station is the most annoying in music and news, which jasper says, 'could be better if it weren't for all the consatnt commercials, advertizing a "radio utopia" complete with, "The latest in news, your favorites in music and non-stop commercial free radio," which he'd always follow up with a protest, "isn't that a commercial?"

Early morning talk radio, skanky music, roudy laughter and a succession of alarms on his phone trapped under his pillow; this is Jasper's fool proof alarm system. nobody should be able to sleep through that much noise and even when everything runs smoothly, as was the case on this morning, it's almost thirty minutes before jasper responds to any one of his alarms. wrestling with waking up has always been an issue. When younger and in his parents house, jaspers father would routinely check on him to see if his morning were progressing purposfully.


At this first thought of morning, Jasper slams the snooze button but the memories keep coming. Lights, shining ethereally upon jasper's squinty face, punctured with the seriousness of his Dad's voice, "I'm not leaving until I see you standing and when you get up, don't go back to sleep when I leave. Your mom will come check on you in a minute I have to go to work. Get up." [All I can think is that he should know better than to try talking to me with the idea that I can actually understand, or hear what he's saying] He'd been talking for a few sentences, spoke something before jasp could comprehend being woke up. none of it registered though. probably nothing he hasn't heard before and more than likely something he'll be punished for not doing later. Begrudginly jasp rolls his eyes toward the clock, one his mom got him when he turned 18; the loudest one she could find. it's two minutes before the alarm should sound. The most annoying way to be woken up, he thought, right before the alarm.


In his own apartment now, seconds later he's back to sleep only to jump clear out of his skin when the alarm finishes snoozing and starts screaming about some revolutionary skin care product. Now shaken and confused, he searches the darkness for the lamp cord, yawning; stretching fingers and toes. The bottle of water is the first thing to go down. "Dammit, at least it's got a lid on it." Jasper sighs admittedly, struggling to get out of bed, his fingers tickle the air until the cord is found. With the room warmly lit the sense of urgency brought on by that one second of sleep before the alarm went off looses it's popularity.


He'd dreamnt about his dad, about a previous conversation they had that was more of a sermon or lecture about how sucky Jaspers life had become.


"Moral excellency.. what ever..." jasper scoffs at the multitude of messages blinking from his phone resting on the dresser; more than likely from his Dad. "It's not that I don't want to please you guys, I just feel like I can't talk to you until I've made some feasible accomplishments." It's always the same thing with them... parents.


this morning has the taste of dark coffee and a cigarette written all over it. Jasper grabs his jeans from the end of his bed; yesterday's clothes, heads out into the kitchen where the coffee has already been at work and ready for almost an hour. Grabbing a mug from his cabinet with his eyes on the steaming coffee he thinks, "It's old but it's still warm." On his balchoney, freshly lit with cigarette and sunlight, he begins refreshing himself, steadily going over his own worries rather than that of his parents. dwelling slightly on the impression that his thoughts are very similar to those of his father.


Softly and with smoking tufting out after each syllable, he admits dreamily.

"I should be doing something important, something real"

The sunrise seems quicker than normal this morning. jasper puts out his cigarette.

"Since the days moving on... guess I'll get ready for work," he thinks looking deeply into his cold, empty cup.

"Did I even drink any of that?"



The stale blue indiglow impression of early A.M. is inherent all morning; something about this day just doesn't seem right. freshly shaven, primed and ready to leave jasper looks away from his reflection in the standing mirror, a recent and pricey purchase, toward the city through his bedroom window one last time while checking daily necessities off his mental list. .

"Outside, life progresses." His sentence breaks off. Standing slouched and starring aimlessly he's ready to leave but unable, not unmotivated, just... unable. at exactly 7, his alarm clock starts blarring again penetrating his zombie state, "i don't remember setting that again," having been late pretty much every day this week, and pushing it today, the mystery is quickly put to rest with the assumption that he must just be too tired to remember setting it again. "That's the first time I've made that mistake," wondering why he's speaking outloud he continues and with mocking faces directed at his reflection, he speaks, "but I guess going for a run at 1 in the morning will do that." man its going to be one of those days, he thinks,.. it's time to go. out in the hallway, yanking keys out of his pocket, he locks the door, "still, its weird... i never set my clock for 7; that's pointless with my schedule."


In fact, every morning; when he's finally up and coherent, resetting his alarms is the first thing he does. A habit he enforced after moving out of his parents house... and loosing more jobs than necessary for being late. A habit that isn't completely flawless.



Out and on his way now, the city is awake too. there are already lines at every vendor, people, with their breakfast and coffee's, scatterd througout the streets. Jaspers office is only a couple of blocks away from his apartment and normally he takes the subway, this morning has been different in every way so far and the decision to walk inspite of being late takes control.

"i just need to think."

"Been late everyday this week and today is no exception, I'm late and I'll be as late as I want to be, they don't care, really, as long as I show up."



]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] good from here up

At the street vendor he tosses a head-nod and glances awkwardly at the nearby hooker, she's awfully quiet today and usually dressed more classy. A sure thought would be that she not going to get much business today.


I hate crossing city streets in the mornings; large crowds of annoyed people. I can hear a bum in the background give some "wall street wannabe' hell for the change dropped in his hat. I know from experience that if the change wont cover his beer he doesn't want it.


The crossing lights change and Jasper purposely begins walking fast then normal, bumping shoulders and begging pardons. People are moving slow today. In fact... nobodies moving. There is no sound but I can hear. Everyone, everything's just stopped.


"I can tell you what's happened here is not a mistake"


Moving from inside the crowded street corner, I can see a head, only one, moving. And quickly, in between his swaying steps toward me I catch glimpses of his eyes. For every brief moment this happens visions of a larger face swooping downward onto my body impales my thoughts. I've seen this face before, in dazes, not just dreams. In fact this face has been reoccurring in places it shouldn't. But never accompanied with this much fear. Sweat is pouring down my undershirt, my fingers are twitching back and forth. The simple slide of skin on skin between my fingers calmed me when I was younger.


Nothing right now is how it should be, Jasper's felt this looming feeling in his body all morning. First with the alarm and now this guy... This man, the speaker from within the crowd, pushing through and more boldly now. I've got to get out of here before he reaches me.


I break out into a run bouncing off cars, moving through the scattered streets. Everything is still frozen. Eerily still.


There's a familiar side alley that Jasper sees daily in passing on his way to work. Running crazy and scared he turns down it hoping the other side would be as gracious as the opening here. Quickly taking turns and ducking behind trash cans for fear that this man would catch up and find him. Moving in quick sprints when thought safe. It's apparent at this point that it's only safe to say this was no short cut. Like a maze lined with back doors and sporatic placements of windows; pull ladders that trace the outlines of the tops of each buildings, trash cans... and cats.




-----------Getting rid of this? --------\\//

On a familiar side alley I see in passing daily, I take what can't even be considered as a short cut but for some reason I turned, afraid Ive been running in one direction too long and this guy will find me again. Another turn, another and the possibility of being late for work just went from a "maybe and I don't care" to "Oh my God, can I please get to work NOW!"

//\\

--------------------------------------



Scared for his life and totally unaware of the area he's trampled into. Raggedly jasper fumbles forward stopping with hands on knees gasping every other word, "The Alley just ends. What if I was seen running in here?"


A slight breeze, is something coming? Quick inspection of the area shows obvious lack of hiding places. There's a sound, maybe... yes, slight and choppy. A second floor window is open and the televison can be heard but distorted and cut up. there's an arm in the window, reached out with a glass to water the window plants. Water is dripping, hanging from the cup; suspended in air inches away from thirsty dirt. An aluminum can, next to the wall a few feet from Jasper, begins making noise and at once he's upon it, more taken by suspiscion now than fear. The can is moving, just a little. "I've never seen anything like this, what's going on?" Looking closer now it appears the can is rolling very slowly, making a popping noise as it rolls over the rocks and debris swept up next to the wall from windy days.

Then as if someone had just unpaused the world, the can flew forward, rolling, flipping, bouncing off the ground and hitting the wall fiercly scrapping itself against the brick, sending crinkled aluminum sounds rebounding from each of the walls in this alley. The watering arm had been retracted and the sound from the t.v. was continuious. Jasper made note that no news program with any kind of breaking news had broke through whatever show is playing.


Jasper paced for at least ten more minutes. Circling around between dumpster and walls. Replaying the entire morning over and over in his head. Nothing, nothing was making sense. It's way past being late for work, but that's the last thought occupying his mind at this point.


The rest of the way to work wasn't as far as he had expected and from the looks of it there are plenty of other people just arriving. A bunch of well dressed men and women all hurrying, looking mindless, on autopilot. All of them armed with a complicated cup of coffee that cost as much as the dinner for two's they'll enjoy later and a briefcase. Feeling a little naked, lacking any evidence that he does any work at home, jasper hurried up inside and to the lobby.


"It's empty..." the entire lobby. jasper froze. "where did everyone else go?" Like awoken from a childhood nightmare jasper stood statuesque; comforted, thinking whatever evil is lurking will not see him if he is still.


Ding!!


The elevator doors at the far end of the lobby slide open slowly, all of them. Piercing the lobby, opening their tiny compartments,with light from inside each of the elevators spilling out into the lobby.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>Just a thought>>>>>>>>>>>.
^^^replace?
The harsh welcome of a single returning elevator opening it's doors, light spilling insanely onto, what jasper previously thought pristine, the dusty staleness of the bare lobby. the light trailed from the elevator; at an odd angle, in his direction at the opposite end of the lobby, dropping its eerie edge right in front of jasper creating a golden path. The dust in the air just above the path had begun to sparkle making the warmth of the light irresistible.

........After getting in and elevator stops/ wont open.................
"Why? Why would anyone get into the one elevator, out of dozens, the one they always try to take, that opens on it's own, on a day like today. Of course something's gonna go wrong."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

It's a place to hide though, so with slight hesitation and leaning forward until that first step became necessary, jasper bolted toward the one, second from the end. the one he always takes.


reaching for the 'door close' button before even being completely in the elevator himself, the elevator proved secure enough so far and leaned against the back wall taking one last look out at the lobby and through the front entrance.



"The people, there they are," not frozen but like a pack of crazy animals, they want to come in but can't seem to figure out how. Bumping and shoving eachother, mindlessly it seems. Jasper half expected them to start eating eachother.


The elevator doors closed. just sitting there jasper could still hear the sounds of the crowd through the doors and across the stretch of tile in the lobby.


The usual floor is thirteen and no more than usual does this number feel just plain wrong to jasper when thought of having to press it... hesitatly. but by now ever move he makes is riddled with questions.


the elevator starts up, plainly, like normal. around the tenth floor he's again gripping the wall, silently regretful that he even got into the elevator. Quietly reassuring himself that this was the smartest move. And then the elevator stops. level thirteen. theres a shutter in the compartment as it settles into place. usually the doors automatically open but today was different, everything was different.



"Why? Why would anyone ( which text is better?) *2 so far

1. take the one elevator they always try to take, the one, out of dozens, that just happens to opened up on its own on a day like today?" "Of course shit's gonna happen!"

2. get into the one elevator, out of dozens, the one you always try to take, the one that just opened on its own, on a day like today. Of course something's gonna go wrong."

take the one elevator they always try to take, the one, out of dozens, that just happened opened up on its own on a day like today?"


standing silently, wondering whether to manually open the doors or stay inside, hidden from the chaos that has become today. the elevator shakes again, this time with a drawn out rattle that rose the hair on jaspers neck. he pressed the button fiercly, standing close to the doors as if ready to jump out. nothing happens when he hits the button. beads of sweat start forming on his forhead.


stepping back from the doors and trying to regain his focus, jasper, taking meditated breath to ease his mind closes his eyes then opens them.


there's a groaning now, deeply reverberating within the elevator.

"it's growing louder..."
And the elevator had begun shaking again, this time more violently. Bracing himself, jasper wonders if the whole floor had been ripped apart and the elevator was just tossed around in every direction. with what seemed like several long minutes the whole thing just stopped abruptly. jasper hadn't taken one step before the doors to the the metal box vigorously slide open releasing a dark cloud billowing in, taking over jasper; filling his lungs. His face stretched to the form of a horrifying choke, the is cold in his throat and spreading quickly. Stumbling out of the elevator it's the last of his strength, last bit of effort; which showed up at the last minute when there proved to be no longer firm ground to stand on. Immediately he's writhing in mid-air and with all his will, jasper screams, terrified, yelling; cutting through the darkness in his throat.




end chapter?



next chapter?

Terrified, bellowing desparately into his pillow, he wakes up, covered in sweat. It's three-fifty-eight, the alarm clock is blaring.


IDEAs::::::>



thick black fog strolling towards crawling into the elevator spreading slowly

shuts the doors.

doors fling back open with an errie moan and the black smoke rushes in, engulfing jasper. choking and gasping jasper gropes the darkness. Everything feels cool now.




Dont forget lying on the ground seeing stars everywhere, on following the path to the forest or the wooden sign that transforms; shaping into the form of a hand, sprouts wheels and begins to roll provokingly .forest scene in this story or what?