Blackened Spiral Down by Pete Altieri Read Free Book Online Page B

hearing Odell give him the belt good when that happened.
    After fueling up, Elvis went inside the Freedom gas station to pay and also to use the restroom. The colas he loved to drink by the bucket-full were catching up to him, and he wondered if he would make it home without taking a piss while there. There was a long line at the counter, so he decided to use the bathroom first. It was a small one-man-show with a toilet that looked like it hadn't been cleaned for a year and a urinal that was perpetually running water into the disgusting pool of scum at the bottom. The smell of sour piss was strong, and Elvis did the best he could to do his business and run water across his hands to make it feel like he washed them before shutting off the light and closing the door behind him.
    As Elvis emerged from the restroom, he could not believe his eyes. It was as if he was in a dream, and he actually shook his head a couple times back and forth. What he saw before him was a completely different gas station than he saw less than two minutes before. There was none of the same merchandise displayed as was there before. They were replaced by old-fashioned coolers with only Pepsi, Coca-Cola, 7-Up and Hires Root Beer. A small display of candy lined the small space under the counter. Two aisles of grocery items were there too and the store was immaculately clean. There was a black and white checkered ceramic tile floor and a large display of motor oil in old-style containers like he had seen in his grandfather's garage growing up. Even the man behind the counter was different than the scruffy 30-year-old cashier he saw moments before. He was much older, with a military-style haircut and some thick horn-rimmed glasses, similar to the ones that Buddy Holly used to wear. He was smoking a cigarette and staring at Elvis – like he had seen him before.
    Elvis wanted to say something to the man, but he thought maybe someone was playing a joke on him, so he didn't want to look any more stupid than he already felt. Now there was no one else in line, like there had been a few minutes before. He took out his wallet and put a $20 down to pay for his gas. He was fixated on a calendar behind the counter that showed it was 1957! It definitely had the look of a gas station from the 50's, but how was that possible?
    “You already paid the gas jockey son,” the man said, pushing the bill back toward him.
    “I did?” Elvis was surprised, since he knew he didn't pay anyone. He also wondered what the hell is a gas jockey?
    The man nervously smiled back at him. Then he looked down like he was trying to find something. Elvis stepped out of the gas station and into the bright summer afternoon sun.
    As Elvis walked toward his car, he saw what he assumed was the mythical gas jockey the old man referred to, washing someone's windshield as the gas pump filled up their thank. Elvis had only seen that in movies. Even the gas pumps, now only two instead of the six that were there when he arrived, were the old style that he had only seen pictures of. The sign out front said the gas was only 44 cents a gallon! What the hell is going on? He stared at his car, which looked like someone had put a fresh coat of paint and wax on it while he was inside! The blood red paint job was glistening in the bright sunlight. It looked amazing!
    Opening the door of his car, he marveled at what he saw. The interior leather was pristine, like it had been in 1950. As he sat down behind the wheel, he immediately noticed the cool chrome skull on the floor shifter, wired to the headlights to glow when they came on! This was definitely not in his car before he went inside, and it looked so cool, he couldn't believe it. That's when he noticed the radio. It was not the modern stereo he installed, but the original radio that came with the Mercury. He turned it on, and thankfully on came the music he loved - Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley. Still, Elvis could not understand what was going on.
    He