By: JeroenMelis
Greetings Gonzo readers,
I’ve decided to contributed this to this site by writing down a story based on some life experience of myself. To give form and making reading easier, I will use one post which I will update twice weekly.
So this story will grow every week and I don’t know when it will be finished.
I hope you enjoy reading.
Master Mystery.. The magic show of life itself
Written by: Jeroen Melis
Special thnx to my dad; the great magician of life
Master Mystery.. The magic show of life itself
Chapter 1 Death of a clown
January 2005
The family on my mom’s side was celebrating new year’s eve together. I was filling the day with playing board games, eating and drinking. Christmas was already in the past but the songs on the radio were still filling the background, mixed with the voices of family members who were talking loudly about the same old stories and same old shit… time stood still.
We have all survived another year and with the nerves of a child the old family members were staring at the firework packages-especially my uncle Dick.
My uncle Dick couldn’t handle it anymore and he wrapped of the paper.
“I’m going to launch this rocket, come with me” He said.
Quickly he moved to the garden to prepare this huge rocket launch. I followed him to the garden outside. My balls were freezing off, so I went back inside to snatch a bottle of Bourbon.
“Here it’s for the cold..”I said to my uncle.
He didn’t even notice me, he was to busy trying to get the sparks out of his lighter, but the cold was freezing his hands and he could barely move his thumb.
“Aaargh… better give me a cigarette so I can burn this fucker!! “
Quietly I smiled back at him..
He looked like a funny cartoon figure, an old man almost crying like a baby. Finally the lighter was working but as soon as his hands reached the fuse, the rocket fell down…
“Put the spark to the tinder …Your bottle is to small!” I shouted at him, and as fast as I could I went back into the house and locked the door.
Dick was getting hysteric. The rocket was flying straight towards the window of his house.
“Please open the door!!”
But I refused.
Dick ran to the corner of the garden and hid himself behind a trash can.
After a few seconds the garden would be blinded by the light.
“Look!!!” I said to the other family members, “Dick is lightening some fireworks!”
A big bang awoke all of them, and they all turned their heads to the window, while my aunt started to yell.
“Dick!!!!”
My uncle was still hiding behind that container and I went back outside.
“I already said that your bottle was to small, but you wouldn’t listen.” said I.
He laughed and said, “That was the best firework in years”
Back inside I went to the kitchen to taste a little bit of the food my mom and aunt had made.
I put my fingers into some kind of pie.
“Behave yourself” my mom said, while she was hitting me on the head with a napkin. “And don’t drink too much!”
“Ok mom”.. I said.
Damned those napkins do hurt,.. At the age of 22 I’m a lot bigger than my mom, but a good mother always knows how to hit the right spots with those nasty things. The Bourbon was almost finished. Was it too much?? I didn’t know and I’m glad my mom didn’t define the words too and much.
Strange telephone of my father
00.00 New-year 2005
The fireworks started and me and my family moved outside to watch the show. My uncle Dick learned his lessons today and safely he kept some distance between the fire and the works.
His fingers were itching and you could see that from the inside Dick was crying. I felt compassion for the guy so I gave him a bunch of small crackers.. A big smile showed up on his face.
“Thank you, and happy new-year” he said to me.
Together we stood there until my telephone started to ring.
00.30: “You have one new message, please dial “1” to listen”
It was a message from my dad, but to be honest I didn’t know what he was trying to say.
“Hellooooo au.our sooo ni looo and you pl pl ease ca aa ll me O K “
Maybe he said something like ”Hello son how are you? Please call me back ok”
I rewound the message a few times to listen better, but I didn’t understand.
I also tried to call him back, but I couldn’t get through; telephone traffic is extremely busy at those times so I decided to call back later.
I went to my mom and told her about the message, then I played it back. For a moment she was staring at me like something really bad happened but she told me not to worry and to call back tomorrow.
The night was coming to an end, and slowly people went home and for those who did stay my aunt prepared some beds on the attic. I was one of those leftovers so I moved myself upstairs and fell down on the mattress I didn’t even take of my clothes.
The dream
That night I had a strange dream and maybe I did drank too much Bourbon but I still remember this weird dream.
I was driving my Skoda Fabia sports edition kissing the road with 90 miles an hour. At that time I was working for an advertisement agency who started early in morning, so there was no one else on the road. Until I saw a biker riding next to me.. Not a motorcycle bike just an ordinarily old fashion bike.
I wrapped in my eyes maybe I was hallucinating….
“Wait for me!!” the biker said.
I looked more closely and I noticed that this biker was my dad. He was hitting the pads like a madman, his head covered by sweat, the moisture making his forehead glow by the full moon light.
His beard was waving backwards and his mouth was deformed while he was trying to pronounce the words..
“Sloooooow dooown PL…s”
Suddenly everything was quiet.. the car was no longer moving.
I stepped out of the car and stared down the road behind me I couldn’t see any sign of my dad.
Everything was quiet, the full moon was still shining. I looked to the stars and the pale white light of the moon. This eerie scene reminds me of the painting Starry Nights, from Vincent van Gogh.
I kept staring at the stars. I felt very strange, like I was hypnotized and my body didn’t seem to react to my thoughts anymore. I wanted to get back to the car but it was impossible. My body was totally paralyzed and my feet were glued to the tar of the road.
That moment one star began to shine very brightly and it collapsed like firework.
The sparks slowly fell down from heaven until they reached the concrete I was standing on.
Some of them hit me on my jacket and they made some burn marks on the nylon sleeves.
I wanted to wrap them around me but I still couldn’t move my body.
One big spark came straight down, but just before it hit me on my head it changed direction and kept floating right in front of my face. It turned shape and slowly the spark transformed into a letter with burned edges. Something like an old treasure map which I used to make when I was little.
Strange typographic forms appeared on the letter. I hadn’t seen this language before but that didn’t matter. The contents of this note hit me right in the face. My subconscious noticed every word. I was shocked because this letter didn’t bring me any good news.
The words started to sing an old famous song..
My makeup is dry and it clags on my chin
I’m drowning my sorrows in whiskey and gin
The lion tamer’s whip doesn’t crack anymore
The lions they won’t fight and the tigers won’t roar
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
So let’s all drink to the death of a clown
Won’t someone help me to break up this crown
Let’s all drink to the death of a clown
Let’s all drink to the death of a clown
The old fortune teller lies dead on the floor
Nobody needs fortunes told anymore
The trainer of insects is crouched on his knees
And frantically looking for runaway fleas
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Let’s all drink to the death of a clown
This songs kept repeating itself and I wanted to scream out loudly but the body still didn’t react..
I focused again and tried the best I could..
“Noooooooooooo…!!” I screamed out.
Suddenly the whole scene was gone.. I could feel my body again but my eyes they didn’t see anything. Then I realized that it’s was only a dream I was still on attic of my Uncle.
My head was bouncing, and the smell of burned fireworks made me feel sick.
searching for some light I started getting dizzy..
My stomach turned upside down and I couldn’t take it any longer.
I knew there is a small window on this attic, but where? Then I saw some tiny strings of light coming out the covered window. I moved as fast as I could to open this window. I needed fresh air.
Finally I reached the window and I pushed my head out to breath in the cold night sky.
I could barely stop myself from vomiting..
“Starry Nights from Vincent” I whispered to myself..
Slowly my mind was getting clear I went back to search for some light.
After a few minutes I found the light button and turned it on.
5 AM, I decided not to go back to bed anymore, flashbacks of the dream kept on hunting my thoughts so I couldn’t sleep after all. I had to call my dad, but it’s too early he will probably be sleeping now.
To stay clear I moved downstairs and made myself some hot coffee, while I was standing in the kitchen I noticed that I still got my bomber jacket on.
“this thing stinks like hell” I said to myself fireworks burned little holes into the nylon sleeves so I decided take it off and leave it somewhere outside.
I opened the zipper and while I was taking of the jacked something felt on the kitchen floor. It looked like a piece of burned paper, probably some trash from the crackers packaging.
luckily it didn’t burn my whole jacket.
Then this eerie feeling came back again… and a strange voice inside my head kept singing
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
So let’s all drink to the death of a clown
Won’t someone help me to break up this crown
Let’s all drink to the death of a clown
Let’s all drink to the death of a clown
The old fortune teller lies dead on the floor
Maybe it’s not a dream after all..
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