Worlds Away(Chapter One)

Part One: Latte Mai, Latte Kai

Chapter One:
Restaurant and Riddles


         A family restaurant named Dolly's Diner sat crooked off a dirt, side road. It was an old timer kind of joint, with chipped exterior paint and falling shutters. But it was the only place in town that still offered 'smoking' sections. And to smokers, when it came to eating, this place was as close as they could get to nirvana. The food was the usual stale and bitter tasting mess, but it was cheap and it was friendly. The glass door had opened to thousands of people in it's standing career. Had seen some small important get-togethers. And even now, as the night crawled by, it would face things from different worlds.
         Sitting in the corner of the small diner, where the light from the ceiling fans couldn't hardly reach sat a man in a perfect black suit. His coat was tightly buttoned around his skinny neck, and his shoes were polished and dully glowed. His hair was falling across his forehead and hung greasy over his ears. His eyes, dark green were half shut with exhaustion and his face was written with a certain worry. Yet he sat there scanning the faces of strangers, smoking slowly on a self-rolled menthol cigarette, waiting.
         The speakers above were playing slow, sleepy lullabyes; and a clinking, clattering noise of dishes in the backroom continued to crash out into the diner, "what will ya' want sir? Can I get ya' something to drink, some grub?" A half unexpected, half scared expression had blown up on his young, skinny face as a slanky waitress of late forties walked to the table, "anything?" Her voice had that drawl of a smokers scratchy, hoarse tone. Her face was a baggy canvas of lines and fine wrinkles. Her eyes a piercing blue.
         He situated himself into another position and looked up at her, dodging the rings of smoke so he could look at her eyes, "fine evening isn't it?" He exhaled.
         "I suppose. Look's like that Winter storm isn't coming after all, huh?" She dropped her head and looked to the outside.
         "Not at all ma'am, not at all," he buried his cigarette in the tray and looked back up, "you know what, I've heard about the famous eggs and bacon you serve, are those true?"
         "My mothers special ingredient, usually out of towners like you get that. What to drink?"
         He looked at her and the corners of his thin lips twitched, "a glass of milk, please."
         She smiled politely and of course falsely, then proceeded to walk to the back room. After she told the cooks the latest news, she lit a cigarette and stepped back in the buzz. The glass door to the diner opened, creaking and howling softly in it's arthritic pain. The fog from the outside defined a large shadow, and a man with a red cap walked in. He was the biggest person, by far, the town had ever seen. And being honest, the man sitting in the corner was sure he heard children laughing. The new figure had a thick stomach, trunks for legs, and hands like boulders. His face looked grumpy, moody, almost angry. His hair underneath the cap was thin, mangy, and hung past the brims. He had a full beard, black with blotches of white, and a sheer needing of a shave. His squented, baggy blue eyes searched through the sea of people, then found the face in the corner and grinned toughly.
         For a moment the man in the corner felt apt to stand up and shake his hand, but looking at him a new fear had arose; he was sure the man wouldn't find that act kindly, so he continued to sit and stare as the tree sized man walked to the table, "you feeling Lucky?" His voice was deep, demanding, softly demeaning.
         "As Lucky as I'll ever be. Nice to see you Mr. Visitor," a crave for a new cigarette rumbled in his gut, but he fought the feeling for the moment.
         "Yeah, anything for a free meal," he sat down and still towered over the rest of the sitting citizens.
         "That's right Visitor, can't beat another persons hospitality can you?"
         He looked at him for a moment, the large mans mouth opening to talk, but shut with such force. His eyes squented, and he nodded his head slowly. The waitress had noticed the new guest and came waddling to the table. A scent of old french vanilla and Marlboro full flavor fogged the air, "how ya' doing?"
         The man, solid and large, looked up with wide eyes and a cracked mouth, "decently destoryed ma'am. I'd find it most kind of you to take my order, bring it back, and not return until we leave. Understand? Can you dig that?" The man in the corner, the coat to his neck, looked down with embarassment. His cheeks turned crimson, and listened in to the uncomfortable silence.
         The woman too had grown uneasy. She looked at him with such shock and horror, dismay and unbelief, "uh, I can't...uh," she stumbled over her words, "I can't let you talk to me like that," finally a sentence stormed out, complete and furious, "you won't come in to my shop and order me around like that."
         "I'll have those eggs, the bacon, and two beers. And if you please you could throw in some bread, white, untoasted. Scoot," with his boulder like hand he made a 'sweeping' like motion, "go then, c'mon I didn't come here for this," his voice even more stern.
         The woman hadn't nothing more to say. She looked through cat like eyes then ran to the back. There was a new oddness to the atmosphere, "you really shouldn't have done that," he rubbed his temples lightly, "I already have a headache, and I don't need anymore stress from her and her...people."
         "Her and her people?" He laughed, "half her people...are on our world. Dead to this place, alive and useless on ours. It's like recycling," he situated his fork and knife so they were parallel with each other, "years ago her dad and that Dolly woman showed up at Mel's. You should have seen the look on their faces when they were told they died, and that where they were...wasn't Heaven," he smiled.
         "...More like Hell then and now, isn't it?"
         "I say it's changing. You've turned into some kind of traitor. You don't show your face there no more, you stay here and live a long these...aliens. Your trying to fit in with monsters. You don't even know what is happening there now, do ya'?"
         A cigarette now was clinging to his lips, "I know more than you think," at first the lighter sparkled, annoyed, the man hit it once again and watched at the tip lit up orange, "and that is," he inhaled, "is why I brought you here today."
         "So let me get this straight," he folded his hands, "you brought me to another world, to discuss our world?" He shrugged.
         "Indeed. I can't discuss anything there Visitor, it's lit up with listeners. It's piled with fans of that leader, what's his name? The importance of it must have left my mind."
         "Ezekiel Riddle. How'd you know about him?"
         "Well damn it Visitor, you said it yourself...that world is mine too, and just because I don't go home now and then, doesn't mean I don't know shit," his tone angered, "I can't tell you plans with Riddles men all over, disguised and hidden. If they heard a word of my plans they'd kill me, point-blank. And you too if you were seen with me."
         "Yeah, but think about it Lucky...they keep track on who leaves and who comes back. Right now, as I'm sitting here in this shitty shack talking with you, world-traitor, disgusting human being, they know...and if they choose, they can listen in."
         At this point in time a new waitress had started her shift. Lucky could barely hear whispers coming from the back. It was the older woman who had came to the table earlier; she was talking quietly to the younger woman, "That guy is a dick," she had said once. And perhaps he even heard, "I told Malcolm to spit in his food," But Lucky brushed that off and thought deeply about what Visitor had just said. And if they choose, they can listen in. If that was the fact then everything planned had just ran spoiled. Lucky was thinking some heavy shit, and if decided to let something slip, it could be his last few sentences. Damn it, he thought. What can I do now? "Listen Visitor," he let out two rings of gray smoke, "I don't care about Ezekiel Riddle and his little hitmen. I got something to tell you, and I dragged you from another world to do so. Nothing will stop me now. Not Riddle, not you, not even that ga' damn waitress and her dead mama Dolly."
         Visitor hadn't been listening intently as he should have been. His eyes had focused in on things he never had seen before. A black box with moving pictures and voices echoing out from underneath or perhaps from in it. He assumed it was something dangerous and looked away into Lucky's green, vivid eyes, "that Dolly woman, she sure knew how to move," he chuckled and grabbed his stomach, "I think I might find her again and pay her like I did before," his eyes grew wide.
         "This isn't about that Visitor. Listen you piece of sh--"
         A woman walked up with plates, "your eggs, bacon, bread, and milk. I'll be back with the beers."
         "Wait...you'll be back with the beers?" Visitor looked up, his face colored red with a growing rage, "you'll come back? That isn't how the deal works woman, trash, filth," he looked her over and found her name tag. Written with black marker was, Delilah Riddle, "Delilah Riddle, bull-shit, that sounds familiar," he looked from her to Lucky, then back to the name-tag, "where you from woman, speak lowly and quickly."
         "Nun, your bizz-ness," she hissed.
         "You got legendary blood flowing through your veins? You related to anyone valuable, of course more valuable than yourself?" He continued, "Lucky who you think this filth is?"
         "Someone I assume you shouldn't be messing with Visitor. You know how that name-game works. Her last name Riddle, your blood-sucking leader Ezekiel, I'm sure if you ran across the tree...you'd find them connected. Best shut your mother kissing mouth," he whispered hoping the waitress wouldn't hear.
         "Now who would have thought that on this piece of shit world, I'd find someone who looks like a piece of shit, and perhaps be connected to the greatest ruler our land has ever seen. My mind has gone in circles," he threw up his hands, "maybe just a coincidence, maybe so. I don't believe someone like Ezekiel could be related to this scum-world woman. Do ya' think so Lucky?"
         "Couldn't tell you," he said lowly. He was sure that at this point in time Dolly's daughter and the squaty, fat cooks were looking out the back door that lead to the kitchens. He was even more sure that one of them would be coming out soon with a gun, if this mess didn't stop. It wouldn't stop he thought; not until Visitor made his points clear and precise. Lucky perhaps would have viewed Visitor as a good man, at home; but somewhere new, he hated him.
         "Now you leave me alone Mister. You leave me alone, or I'll have Malcolm from the back blow a hole in your body so big. So big, I can stick your whole ga' damned arm in it. Ya' hear me? You best stop now while you're still alive," the woman now stood on the tips of her toes. Her nostrils flared, her eyes blood shot and viscious.
         Visitor, the cocky sum-bitch at this point was howling in laughter. Saliva was creeping down his chin, and beads of tears were running down his cheeks. He grabbed at his chest, as if it hurt, then proceeded to stomp his foot against the floor. Customers sitting around the table were appauled and looked over disgusted and fed up, "she said," he continued to laugh, hard and loudly, "she said she'll have Malcolm from the back...ah ha ha!" He brushed away a tear, "he's gonna kill me Lucky, I'm shit scared. Should I stop now, should I just let Miss Riddle pass?"
         "Think about it Visitor," Lucky whispered very lowly, "if she indeed is a descendent of Ezekiel, he'll know someone bashed one of his blood members...and he'll kill 'em. Think about it Visitor."
         "Ezekiel!" She yelled even louder, "Ezekiel, great Ezekiel Riddle! The first father of modern day world destruction, Mr. Riddle...my beloved, dead, and greatly missed grandfather. You didn't think I already knew what you were talking about you large, vile, piece of shit. I know all about the types of people, like you and your boy here. You guys aren't from around here, I can tell by the way you talk. And you gave yourself away now, and now you guys are gonna die. Ezekiel Riddle, your leader, he's gonna turn into a murderer this week. Best hide if I were you."
         The look on Visitors face was as if he had already been shot and killed. It turned stone, swollen and cold, white with sheer fright. Lucky had bit his tongue hard enough to break and taste blood, "Delilah," Lucky whispered, "he may, oh yes he may try to kill us. But you see, we're here tonight to plan something that has to do with your wonderful grandfather. You see, before things got out of control...I was about to tell Mr. Visitor here my idea to...kill your grandfather, Ezekiel Riddle. And you see, the fact is...we are from where he is from, and you don't know shit when it comes to jumping worlds. So, if you put two and two together, I'm greatly sure my friend and I will reach him before you do. And I'm even more sure, we'll kill him...before he even lifts a finger to kill us," Lucky's eyes had grew red and demented. The area around, and perhaps the whole world for that matter, grew silent and still, froze with fear, "now we'll part from this place, and you won't see or hear from us ever again. And your dead, wonderful grandfather will part from every world for good. You understand miss?" It was a part of Lucky he hated bringing out. It was as if the dark matters of his past family members was reaching out and spewing through him. His family was known for thier hatred, their evil doings with magic, and thier history with blood-shed. He was defying what he was made up of. For that time being, Mr. Nice Guy Lucky, was flaring with great destruction, "goodbye, adieu, latte mai, latte kai."

Chapter Two Coming Soon.