Jigsaw World by JD Lovil Read Free Book Online Page A

awakened by
the process.
    He pulled out the fifth of Scotch that he had
under the seat, and poured a nice double shot of it. It was just
starting to rain outside, and in combination with the drink and the
smoke; it was providing a relaxing environment for
introspection.
    He adjusted the side window so that he could
feel the rain without getting a lot of water on his arm. He settled
back in the seat and gave Bailey’s willing head a pat, just as a
black crow landed on the framework of the side mirror just beyond
his window.. It stared at him for a few seconds, let loose with a
gravelly ‘caw’, ejected a copious stream of white crap down the
side of the RV and flapped off into the rain. So much for respect
from the universe at large.
    And it was indeed a strange universe, he
reflected. As he had noted before, the interstates seemed to be
much longer than they were supposed to be, and the lands that they
led to were different than what geography specified. There were
things living out here, and events happening out here, which were
totally different from what was supposed to exist out
here.
    This seemed to be different from the blindness
of others to the causes of events. The further away from home that
one travelled, the more the world seemed to be different. For
instance, this area seemed to be a rolling, mountainous area,
whereas the central Texas of the normal world was a flat or gently
rolling area of soil, not rock.
    Tom considered himself to be one of the more
perplexing aspects of this new world. He had tried to remember his
past, and realized that his memory started to get a bit foggy
somewhere around fifteen years ago and he could not remember
anything from twenty years ago. He considered himself to be an
alright guy, but he was having a hard time squaring that with the
ease with which he had snuffed out four, maybe five people’s lives
in the last week.
    Tom wasn’t quite sure what he was on the road
for. Maybe he was just seeking a nice, normal place to settle down
without the unsettling strange events that constantly deluged him.
Was the world all like this, or was there a place of normalcy out
there somewhere? Maybe he was seeking a way to fix the world, to
make it normal. That seemed a bit more heroic than he considered
himself, but you never know what sort of drivel could be dredged up
from your subconscious minds.
    Bailey whined to be let out to use the big
outdoor litter box, and Tom opened the passenger door for him.
Bailey scooted out into the rain, and started industriously seeking
the precise spot with the pristine holiness necessary to accept the
donation of the dog excreta. More than five minutes, and almost six
minutes, Bailey was gone, and when at last he returned he was not
alone.
    A long haired man in his mid-twenties slipped
into the passenger seat with Bailey at his side. Tom almost
dispatched him by reflex, but at the last minute, he restrained
himself due to curiosity. Why had Bailey brought this man back to
the RV? The dog was usually a good judge of character, and he
seemed to like this lad.
    The young man stroked his long hair backward,
and then extended his damp hand to introduce himself. Tom reached
behind him and grabbed the towel that was there, in compliance with
the Hitchhiker rules, and threw it to the dripping newcomer. The
guy took a moment to towel himself relatively dry, and then he
extended his hand once again for shaking.
    “ Hi. I am George.” The guy said.
“I am just passing through this burg, headed east. My car blew a
head gasket in this fine town, and hitchhiking doesn’t seem to work
in Texas.” He grinned and gave Tom’s hand a vigorous shaking,
similar to the shaking given to a new found possum by any
self-respecting hound dog.
    “ Hi, I am Tom, and you have
already met Bailey.” Tom said. “We are headed east ourselves, going
for a much needed vacation in my Uncle’s RV here. Why are you
traveling?”
    George gave Tom a dubious and slightly
secretive look.