Ack
Reaching into his saddle bag, he withdraws a pouch the size of a ham. Pulling from it thick succulent beef jerky he nibbles on, hanging the bag on the handle bar, making a gesture for you to help yourself if you like.
He pulls out one of the bottles and fills his mug. He withdraws a fine silver cigar case and extras two thick bright blue cigars. Slipping on into a loop on the jerky bag for you he sets the other to his teeth gumming it, prepping the tip.
“Its a long story, and as my Brother Bleys might say, “a play can be told by the narrator but the actors make it watchable.” Not sure how to start... maybe the narrator should start at the beginning.”
Striking the tip of the cigar on his thumb it flares to life of its own. He inhales deeply, exhaling a deep reddish smoke that is exotic, strong, and fragrant. Its smells like cinnamon whiskey tobacco. “An aside, in case. These cigars are not the hold smoke in your mouth kind. Take it in deep.. Its not exactly euphoric, but the smoke causes a chemical breakdown in the lungs that causes certain foods to digest easier. Perfect for roasted wild yak, or liver or any number of harsh things. It goes really well with the Perfectly Normal Beast jerky too”
“First....My name is Gerard. When I came through here many years ago your time I spent a while here mostly on the amateur race circuit. Dirt oval, Motocross. Desert racing. Did the baja 1000 a couple times. Dakar and Rally Morocco. That led to some really B biker movies. Worse even. Ended up doing some Hong Kong stuff. I turned up at a thing in the Gobi, supposed to be a big mongol horseman vrs American biker gangs thing, turned out to be some freaky Chinese porn. I can't say if they intended it to be a snuff film but they certainly looked liked they had it planned that way. Needless to say the I led the actors out of the desert and the producers stayed behind.” He chuckles, exhaling red smoke, clearly knowing he digressed.
“Well, to the meat of it. I was doing some stuff around town when I meet Janelle. The less said the better about that. It was meant for laughs. She knew how to party. Funny too. But I had been ready to leave town even before I met her. I had maybe days. I'd sold my place in Hong Kong and the one in Madrid. My sister in New York wanted my New York City place and times being what they were I let her have it. That left my Malibu place. Then I met her. She was fun for my last few days. When we parted I let her have the Malibu place. My understanding is she sold it. “
Waiting a moment looking out to sea.
“I didn't know she was pregnant. If I had I might have brought her with me to Amber but those were troubling times. Then things happened fast. One king disappeared, another took his throne, others wanted it enough to try taking it from him. Others from far afield became involved, then the shit hit the fan for certs. Time relationships between worlds changed, Years went by in the center of things while they crawled by here. It wasn't till recently I knew what had happened. Once I did I came and looked in on Jenelle. She told me flatly to leave you alone. Tried to offer herself as a deal if I stayed away from you. I wasn't interested but I heeded her wishes. I knew you would eventually outlive her and then I could come and we could sort things out between us. But things have changed again. My brother has demanded that his siblings bring in their progeny. So no bribe, however enticing, can change that. I've come to collect you, and to collect the son of my brother Eric. Poor dead Eric, though he died a king. None can tell me otherwise, I was there.”
Tugging on his drink, but not letting you interrupt.
“There is a place. Its called Amber. Its a center place, and around it swirl uncounted billions of worlds. There is another place, the Courts of Chaos, and nothing swirls around it; things just wrestle themselves around out there. These two places went to war some time ago and its taken some doing to settle the issue. But its done. There is a new King, my brother Random. I come at his bidding though ive been looking in on you the last couple years anyway. “
“I can tell you think I'm crazy. But consider the villagers coming up the lane. We left Johnny's in North Hollywood and went west to Mullhulland, took it to where the Skirball Center should have been, came down where the 405 should be, cut across Sunset Blvd through North Brentwood, to where Chautauqua blvd should be. From this cliff edge we ought to be able to look down at the Pacific Coast Highway and Will Rodger's beach. Instead we are on a sheep track looking out at mostly empty beaches with villagers coming up from the Pacific Palisades with a wagon full of mutton in chili sauce, with acorn bread, and unless im wrong, chorizo haggis sausages.”
Taking a chug from the tankard of whiskey.
“How do I know? I came here a lot when I was living in your Los Angeles. Sometimes you have to clear your head and this place is close so I knew the route well. Consider the villagers The look like a mix of Spanish, Gabrilino, and Scottish. Why? Well in this world Alexander the Third, of Scotland died and was succeeded by his son as Alexander the Fourth in 1286. Young Alexander made common cause with the ruling de Montfot family in England. Alexander and the English king Simon de Montfort the seventh and the Welsh Queen Gwenllian created a sort of trading company in 1306. The Green Sails Company traded in Scandinavia, France, Ireland, for a decade then someohow made it to the north East of the Americas. They traded up and down the American coast. They estalished trading colonies with a mandate to trade not fight.”
Chuckling as he takes another sip.
“When Columbus came in 1492 he didn't find gullible natives in Hattie, easy to fool and susscepinle to disease. He found a Scotish Trading Post doing a robust business with numerous healthy and desiese resistant natives. The Spanish established colonoes anyway, there were wars, interbreading, and a totally disasterous attempt to bring christianity to the Americas. It never took hold, the Scots didn't protheltize, the Aztecs were conivced to use tomatoes to symbolicly sacrifice people instead of rippping their hearts out. Fris
