Fields of Elysium: part 4

Fields of Elysium: part 4 The Art of Possession

         In case you missed it... "Fields of Elysium: part 3"  [E]

         “You’ve gotta do it, like this,” Alex was a bit smug as he said it. He was very acrobatic as he made leaps and jumps from one person to the next. Each time Kail thought he was going to knock the person over and instead Alex simply ‘Pfff’ and disappeared into that person. Alex had brought him to Pike’s Place market amidst a heavy crowd of people on a brightly lit afternoon. Each person who was possessed by Alex gave a sudden jolt then their eyes widened like they had received an electric shock. But as quickly as Alex leapt into someone he would be leaping out of them. Kail didn’t know what to make of it. The easiest way to describe what he was witnessing was literally a human puppet show!

         On their way to Pike’s Place market, Alex had described the mechanics of possessing a person. He made it all sound so normal and easy. But once confronted with a real person, Kail made an effort to push himself into that person and he simply ran right through them. He looked around to see the person unaffected by his touch.

          “Look Bubba, you gotta synchronize with him. Don’t go pushing your weight around like that. You have to think of melting into that person. Concentrate and you will get into the swing of things in no time,” he said.

         Kail focused on what Alex told him. Okay, synchronize; melt with that person, and concentrate. It should be easy; Kail rubbed his hands together and ran into the old man one more time. Again, he phased right through him and found himself right behind the old man. He rubbed his temples in agitation, this shouldn’t be a challenge why was that little brat able to do it so easily and he had to work so hard? The old man was collecting cans from the trash cans. He had a grizzled old beard and wild lunatic eyes. People didn’t seem to notice him and were busy shopping around, or at least that's the way they made it appear. It was a very sunny day, quite unusual for Seattle. Kail picked the vagrant because he was all alone and if he was able to succeed in possessing the old guy, then no one would ask him too many questions. But so far, he had made three failed attempts which only seemed to make Alex smirk more and more at his efforts.

         A young girl wearing a pink sundress was walking hand in hand with her mother and sister and stopped to smell the daffodils. Alex took one step and vanished behind the girl. “Look it’s that easy, now you give it a try,” the little girl said to him.

         The mother and sister stopped. “Sarah baby, who are you talking to?”

         The girl turned towards her mom and said, “It’s just my imaginary friend Kail, he is a slow learner and he just can’t keep up, mommy.” Kail was flustered at the insult.

          “Okay hon’, but hurry along now; we have to get going, your dad is going to be mad if we are late getting to the pier.” The mother smiled as she held out her hand for her daughter to grab onto. It was an endearing moment, which was quickly ruined when the girl turned around to give Kail a big wet raspberry. As soon as he accomplished this, Alex leapt out of the little girl. She seemed a bit confused as to what had taken place but she followed her mother and sister deeper into the market stalls and was lost amongst the crowd.

         Kail’s temper came to a boil. He really didn’t like Alex but so far, Alex was the only one who was willing to teach him how to communicate with people. Like it or not, he had to learn. He wanted to talk to his mom again. He wanted to call his friends and tell him he was okay. Even if it meant living through another person; it meant he would be able to live again. He remembered what Phil had told him, and he was still adamant about living again. No matter what had happened to him, Kail knew he was still alive.

         Kail began searching the crowd for a loner amongst them. Then he saw a man wearing tattered jeans and short spiky hair. The man was a bit aloof and he seemed to be looking back and forth. His very movements seemed to remind Kail of a rodent looking for cheese. “You think you can do it this time?” Alex asked him.

          “Yes, I definitely can.” He answered.

         As Kail approached the man he noticed the spiky fellow bump into another person then quickly pulled away and offering an apology. What nobody noticed was how quickly the man’s hand tucked away a small brown object into his jacket. Something didn’t seem right and Kail decided to postpone possessing him and follow him instead.

          “Uh oh, I’ve seen his type before,” Alex interrupted his train of thought. “This fellow is up to no good. You don’t have to be a genius to know he is taking advantage of other people. Hey Kail, how ‘bout we pick someone else for you to possess?”

          “No. I’m not going to let him get away with this,” Kail answered. He watched as the thief bumped and strolled past many people offering apologies back and forth all the time tagging them and taking away their belongings. Kail remembered being afraid to confront guys like him when he was alive. In fourth grade a bully named Jon Ellingson had called him names. He remembered as the bully flicked his ears and tripped him on many occasions. Then one day Ellingson and his friends cornered him after school. They took his wallet and what little money he had in it. Then they laughed as he began to cry. Kail tried to fight back but Ellingson and his goons were too much for him. He was overwhelmed and hit hard in the stomach and neck. He covered himself but still the blows landed. Kail hit the ground hard breathless and bleeding from his nose. They looked down at him and mocked him which infuriated him even further, but what hurt the most was when Ellingson called him a fatherless bastard. Kail didn't know what the word bastard meant, but the first part tore into him. Kail would never forget the insult, but what he could not deny was the truth behind it.

         His footsteps quickened and being invisible emboldened him to approach closer to the man. Kail reached out with one hand then another to touch the spiky haired thief. The moment he was next to the thief, Kail stepped into the man and he felt an outbreak of memories coalesce within him. He felt the warmth of the summer heat and the buzz of murmurs as people were chatting all around him. “Oh my god,” he stammered.

          “Yep, you did it!” answered Alex.

          “I don’t know how to describe it, it seems like fireflies were surrounding me the moment I stepped into him. And then they flew into me, this incredible feeling of warmth all of a sudden happened. It was like leaving a carwash and feeling the dryers blow all the moisture from your body,” he paused, to wipe away the tears that were welling up inside of him. “I’m alive!”

         People walked around him giving him a strange look of concern that he was talking to himself. Then Kail remembered where he was and what he was doing here. He turned around to face Alex. Alex was smiling brightly, and Kail knew that his little friend was rejoicing with him. Alex pointed him to the jewelry stall. Kail walked over there and he wondered why Alex had pointed in this direction. He stared into the mirror and saw that he was actually the spiky haired fellow. It was so strange to look into a mirror and see a completely different person than yourself. Kail shook his head and still he couldn’t believe the other face staring back at him was shaking his head also. The man had a few wrinkles under his deep blue eyes. It looked like he had experienced many things in life. In fact Kail knew he experienced many hardships. It was weird; the moment Kail entered this body he began to remember thoughts that weren’t his. “Alex, these memories I’m starting to have, are they his?”

          “Yeah, it comes and goes, but usually you can experience them right away. Little children are my favorite because they have nothing to hide. Like that little girl bad there.” Alex pointed into the tunnel of the market. “She was an open book. I can delve into her fondest memory and relive them just as though I was actually there, but that’s a talent that only some of us have. It might take you a lot longer to even attempt it.”

         Kail dug through the pockets of his jacket and surely enough he found several wallets and valuables. Kail shook his head, it would take him all day to find these people and return it to them. Kail walked towards the avenue and found policeman stopping a driver. “I have to do this.”

          “You turning him in?” asked Alex.

          “Look, this bastard didn’t give a damn about the people he was stealing from. Its best if he pays for his crime.” Kail tried to sound confident, but he wasn’t too good when it came to confrontations. He can already imagine the officer’s expression as he turned himself in.

         After the officer gave the man a warning, Kail approached the officer. The officer raised one eyebrow as he looked up at Kail.

          “Officer, I would like to turn myself in.” Kail bit his lip, for some reason he was terrified of police officers. Having seen the show ‘Cops’ on television he presumed cops arrested people first then asked questions later. Kail pulled out the valuables and the wallets from his jacket pocket. “Here,” he said as he handed them over.

          “Is this some kind of a joke?” the officer asked him. His name was Jimmy Gomez and he had only been in the police department for three months. “I don’t have time for this type of thing buddy, whatever game you might be playing,” the officer said earnestly. “Wait! Did O’Dell put you up to this? I’m right aren’t I? You guys think just because I’m new that you can pull a fast one on me?”

         Kail didn’t know who O’Dell was, but he reassured Officer Gomez that he was honest and he wanted to change his ways. Kail flipped open each wallet revealing cash and credit cards each with a different name on them.
         Officer Gomez placed Kail under arrest and said that it wouldn’t be necessary to handcuff him since he was coming along peacefully. Once inside the police car Kail found himself seated next to Alex. Alex gave him a grin and questioning look. “You really think you did the right thing, Kail?”

          “I’m positive,” he answered Alex.

          “You’re positive about what?” asked Officer Gomez.

          “Um… I’m positive that I am doing the right thing. Thanks for treating me this way, Officer Gomez.” Kail couldn’t believe he was doing all these things. His heart was racing, or the other man’s heart was racing. He couldn’t tell at this point, but he knew that his forehead was perspiring like crazy. Somehow this body was reacting to him. It felt like he was coming down with a slight fever. “Ok, now how do I get out of this body?” he whispered to Alex.

          “Well… that’s a bit harder to do. You know how you had to synchronize to step into someone, right? In order for you to step out you have to push them. It’s about applying a strong enough force to vacate that person’s body.”

         Kail looked down into his lap. He concentrated on pushing himself out. He opened his eyes and still found himself in the back of the police vehicle. Kail tried again and again to no success. They were quickly approaching the police station. He pushed again. He failed again. He pushed and pushed, each time perspiring more and more.

          “Just relax a bit Kail, jail isn’t that bad. Besides you saw me doing it. It wasn’t hard, you are trying too hard. Just relax and then use all your willpower to push yourself out of this body. You can do it.”

          “Relax and I can do it,” Kail repeated to himself. He hadn’t planned on going to jail for this person and now he might be stuck in this body forever. “Relax and I can do it.” Kail focused once more and he imagined floating up in the skies with Melanie that night. It was a pleasant thought, just the two of them. He actually ‘felt’ the softness of her. He smiled to himself and he gradually became calmer. Now he closed his eyes in meditation. Kail envisioned Melanie smiling at him in front of a starry night. He pushed and he found himself shooting out of the car. “Whoa.”

          “Ain’t it cool?” Alex stood beside him. Kail still didn’t know how Alex could do that, just materialize where ever he liked. It was something he promised he would learn to do one day. But Kail had to take it slow. He would learn gradually and then he can prove himself to Melanie. Kail looked at the police vehicle, the thief realized that he was in a police car and he panicked. He began kicking and screaming at Officer Gomez to let him go, but Officer Gomez ignored the man.

          “I almost feel sorry for him. But he got what he deserved.” Kail said to himself.

          “You did a good job. I wouldn’t have done it. It takes too much effort. I’m not into doing good things when it doesn’t pay off in the end.” Kail looked at Alex more closely. Alex stood only up to his shoulder. If he had to guess, he would say Alex couldn’t be any older then twelve or thirteen years of age. There was always this sense to him that he didn’t want to grow up. Alex reminded him of Peter Pan. Alex had a flighty personality and exuberance to show off his skills.

          “How long have you been this way? Dead, I mean,” he asked.

          “About twenty years now. If I was still alive I would be a grown up just like you.”

          “I’m not a grown up, Alex. I am only 22 years old. I was only starting to live my life.”

          “How come?” he asked.

          “How come, what?”

          “Why don’t you consider yourself a grown up at the age of 22?” Alex asked Kail again. Kail didn’t know how to answer that question. It was much easier having Melanie read his mind; even the unpleasant thoughts could be conveyed. But having to put into words what he didn’t like to admit was unpleasant.

          “My mom lived my life for me.”

          “That is really weird Kail. How can anyone live your life for you?”

          “No it’s the truth. My father left us when I was 6 years old. My mother didn’t tell me the reason and she told me to be strong.” Kail paused, this was hard to admit. He looked over at Alex. They were walking side by side and Alex seemed to be trying to kick pebbles along the road, but his foot missed each time. The kid had his shoulders hunched while his hands were pressed tightly into his pockets; it was the strangest posture he had ever seen. Kail thought Alex was ignoring him. “Ever since that moment, I have always tried to be strong. I had to learn a lot of things on my own.”

          “Do you miss him, your father?” Another uneasy question, Kail thought to himself. What’s up with this kid? Why can’t he ask normal questions like everybody else?

          “I don’t know him. It’s hard to miss someone you don’t know.”

          “Have you ever tried asking your mother more about it?”

          “I’ve already told you, my mom doesn’t want to talk about it. Every time I asked her what happened between her and dad she would change the subject. It was either that or she would say that my father wasn’t a good man and he left us to become a better person. All of her answers regarding my father were so vague. It really frustrated me that she would never tell me!”

          “I’m sorry for asking.” Alex had large brown eyes as he stared at Kail. Kail stopped and looked back at Alex. Alex really did mean it, when he apologized this time. “My old man wasn’t a saint either.” Alex began walking ahead of Kail. He walked through people at the market only stopping once in awhile to look at jewelry and trinkets here and there. “My mom had five children and she was working day and night at two different jobs across town. She always encouraged us to study hard and make something of ourselves. But my father, he worked at a factory and he was never responsible with money.”

          “Your father?”

          “Yeah, my father, he didn’t leave like yours did, but sometimes I think it might’ve been better if he did leave.” Alex leaned in closer to the preservative jams. He closed his eyes and took whiff of the scent. “Nothing. After all these years I want to smell Marionberry jam, but I still can’t.”

          “What did your father do that made him so bad?” Kail wanted to know more and he couldn’t resist asking.

          “My father worked overtime a lot. We should’ve had plenty of money saved up, but he didn’t believe in paying the bills on time. Instead he believed in luck. He visited the casino after each payday. He won sometimes but most of the time he didn’t know when to quit. He kept pushing his luck. My mom worked hard and she paid for the bills but our family never had enough money because of my father’s habits. Eventually we received phone calls demanding money.”

          “Oh…” Kail could only sympathize. He didn’t know many people and now hearing about Alex’s story made him aware of the realities of other families.

          “He borrowed money from loan sharks and he never paid it back on time. Eventually they went to his job and demanded he pay it back. It was such an embarrassment that they fired him. He stayed at home for awhile and I thought things would go back to normal. But my father still believed he could change his luck. It was sad to see my sister trying to take control of the family while my father was gone most days. After a few years, my mother had had enough. She asked him to leave. She told us, that she no longer loved him and that she couldn’t depend on him to be a good father and husband any longer. My heart sank. The man I knew and loved wasn’t going to be around any more.”

          “Did you see him much after that?”

          “My father moved in with my uncle and my aunt across town. He found part time work but he never gave up on gambling. It really took over his life. He visited us from time to time, but he was never paid child support on time. I gave up on him when he missed my birthday. The money I didn’t care about, but the time he spent away from us; that was unforgivable. I decided that day that he wasn’t the person that I would admire or respect anymore.”

          “Do you hate him?” Kail asked Alex.

          “No, I chose to forget him. Since he didn’t have time for his children, then I don’t consider him my father anymore.” Kail understood what Alex meant. He wished he could be as brave as this young man. But really, Alex was older and wiser than him, in many ways. Maybe, Kail thought, that he had misjudged the playful exterior that Alex displayed.

         to be continued...