* * * * * * * * *
DREAM WORLD
The "Daydream Reality" sequel
* * * * * * * * *
"There shouldn't be any trouble restoring some order to the
city now that Weitmagen is behind bars." One of the federal
agents explained to the remaining crowd.
"But there are always more rats in the woodwork." Kez
crossed his arms.
"It's true. We'll have to spend a fair amount of time
digging out all of his associates, but we will, make no mistake
about that."
"In the meantime, I have a document here from City Hall that
should interest everyone here." A second agent pulled back
the brass fastener on a large manila envelope and withdrew a
sheaf of paper. "Lots of fancy legal mumbo-jumbo, but the
gist of it is-- the performance ban law has been repealed. It was
an infringement on civil rights and that couldn't be allowed to
continue."
The crowd cheered loudly, hugging and jumping up and down. It had
worked! In the moshpit, a familiar guy with blonde hair was
elbowing his way to Kez's side. Turning around, Kez was struck
speechless by who stood there. "ERIC?!"
Eric looked like he had been through hell about five times, but
he smiled in spite of the pain. Kez bit back the urge to hug him
right there in public. "Hey--- it's over." Eric clapped
Kez on the back.
"Got that right. We won." Kez couldn't manage to feel
as excited as he should have, however, having seen the shape that
his best friend was in. "Can I get you something? Band-Aid?
A stiff drink?"
"While all that sounds great," Eric began, "I'd
rather go home, if it's all the same to you. When Weitmagen got
the orb, he pulled me back here and----" He trailed off.
Kez's eyes were wide with alarm. What if someone overheard them
talking? They could be unwittingly creating another 'incident' if
they weren't careful. "Alright. Just keep it down for now.
We can't blow your cover. Or the guys'."
"I never wanted to come back here." Eric pressed.
"This place has turned my life upside down. Back home,
everyone thinks I've lost my mind. That I'm crazed or
something."
Sensing that people were starting to stare, both took off, away
from the crowd, at a brisk pace. When they believed they were far
enough away from others, they resumed the conversation in
earnest. "Maybe we're all a little crazy. Did that
ever cross your mind?"
"How do you figure that?"
"First, I guess you could say that I started this whole mess
when I... I kept the machine." He winced and averted his
eyes to the ground. "I broke it down into two small devices
that could jump dimensions just like the original."
"Only in the convenient pocket sized edition?!" Eric
gaped incredulously. "Are you crazy?! Why did you
do that?"
"As I said, we're all a little crazed. Truth is, I'm lonely
here. I guess that I couldn't bear the thought of loosing my best
friends. Never seeing you guys again was---"
"The best option! Kez, those memories of us being childhood
buddies... the Monkees next door... none of that ever really
happened. It all popped into existence the moment Dr. Crazy
whipped up his machine. Including YOU."
"But it's real to ME! That fabrication you spoke of is my life.
My only one, might I add. Before that, I didn't exist, like you
so nicely pointed out. I was nothing. Empty space. But that
doesn't matter. Everything's here now and it didn't just
disappear, which leads me to believe that it never will!"
Kez only then realized that his voice had grown back to a near
scream. People were starting to stare again, so he quickly shut
his mouth.
Both regarded each other for a long moment. Finally, Kez broke
the silence which his statements had created. "But if you
want-- I'll destroy the orbs. It won't destroy this place, but
it'll make it so you never have to come back again." He
pulled the spherical objects from his pockets and prepared to
shatter them against the pavement. "It's what you want,
isn't it?"
Eric turned away. "It would make the most sense."
Kez raised his arm to hurl the metal transportation devices to
their demise on the rocky surface below. As he started his arm in
a downswing, Eric was there in an instant to stop it in midair.
"But... I don't care about what makes sense when it involves
my best friend." Eric pulled Kez into a tight bear hug.
"Let's make sure those things are kept in a safe place. I
need to be sure my return ticket is at hand when I decide to come
back for a visit."
"You're a bigger fool than I am." Kez smiled back.
"To prove your point... I have a favor to ask." They
huddled together, examining the orbs closely.
* * * * * * * * *
Eric and Kez walked away from the bench they had settled on with
some spare parts Kez had stored in his pockets "just in
case".
"Three of them, then." Eric fingered over the new orb
they had constructed. "And it will work like the
originals?"
"No reason that it shouldn't." Kez reasoned. "We
didn't have to remove too many circuits. Each should function
well in bringing people back and forth from 2001 to here."
"The guys'll love this."
"Awww! Group hug everyone!" Aaron grinned, leaning out
the window of the Monkeemobile.
"Speaking of the devil---" Kez cracked a wide smile.
"Heya shotgun." Jeff pulled the cherry red car to a
stop in front of Kez and Eric. He got out and shook Eric's hand
warmly.
"I guess it's time to go home then." Eric said with a
tinge of regret in his voice. He would love to hang around for a
while longer, but he more wanted to see his own house
again.
George tumbled out of the back seat and nodded in agreement.
"Back to thah Pad we go!"
"The Pad---?" Kez began, only then remembering that the
guys must have 'slipped' once more. It was becoming so
commonplace now that shaking them out of it was practically a
routine. "No, not the Pad, George. Home. Your
home."
"Yeah..." George looked at him as if he had grown three
more heads. "Thah Pad would be 'ome, pal. An' who's
this George fellah?"
Kez rolled his eyes and shook George by the shoulder. Gotta
try this once more from the top.
"'Ey! Watch it mate! The ladies'll nevah forgive yah if yah
bruise thah merchandise."
Oh no. The performance! It must have sent them right over the
edge! Damn it all to hell...
"Guess everyone wants a piece of Davy," Aaron cracked,
"even other men!"
"Knock it off, Micky!" George glared. "Guess our
friend Kez 'ere 'ad a wee too much sun."
Kez panicked. This was far more than 'way too much sun'. This was
a disaster! He whipped his head around to Eric as if to ask what
he could do now. Eric, oddly enough, didn't look concerned in the
least. Shaking his head, he pointed to the orb that Kez still
clutched in his hand--- the one that they created for the boys.
The orb! It suddenly dawned on Kez. Sending them
home will reverse the memory loss... I think.
Eric glared again, this time to say, 'well, give it to them,
already! I don't have all day'. "You wouldn't happen to have
room for one more, would you, Mick? I kinda need a ride home...
if it's not too much trouble." He added poignantly.
Aaron and George jumped in back and scooted over obligingly. As
Eric slid in, they were packed in like sardines, but at least
they had all fit in.
"Now I know what a clown car feels like." LB was
practically mushed up against the window as he spoke.
Kez took his cue and leaned against the door. "Well, see you
guys around, I hope." He dangled his hand in the window and
dropped the spherical gift next to LB.
"Count on it, shotgun." Jeff craned his neck from the
front seat.
As the car began to shimmer, Kez backed out of the way. The orb
was working fine. He waved a final goodbye and the occupants of
the car vanished.
Satisfied that everything was fine, Kez jumped into the
Monkeemobile, engine still idling, and took off for the beach
house. He'd leave the Monkees' car in the driveway for the next
time they dropped in.
"Good luck, guys. Come back soon!" he added, "But
not too soon... and under better circumstances."
* * * * * * * * *
"... 8:30 on this bright and sunny LA morning! We'll be
taking those calls in the next hour for America's Funniest Home
Sex Change Operations..."
Aaron rolled over and slapped the alarm hard. What people
wouldn't do to make a buck these days. Well, when you were on
strike, any means of collecting money was fair game. The other
advantage of being on strike was... sleeping in! Ahhh. When
was the last time I got to do this? He had done so much
lately that he barely got enough sleep to function on, let alone
a little extra. His life was definitely different----
My life. He realized suddenly. He was home! But how had
he gotten here? In the blink of an eye, he hopped out of bed and
was on the phone, dialing up LB's number. One ring..... two
rings..... "Maybe I just dreamed the whole thing."
Calling LB was a dumb idea, if that's all it was. Four rings.
This was ridiculous. He might as well just hang up and get going
on the day's activities---
"Hello? Hello?!" LB grabbed for the phone frantically,
only to be greeted by the hum of a dial tone in his ear. Idiot.
You have to get up faster to answer the phone. What is that had
been something important? He chided himself. Sleeping in
could really cost him dearly if he didn't start watching it. What
kind of a dream should have been so important that I couldn't
bother to roll over and pick up--- He stopped, practically
falling off the bed. Everything came rushing back to him.
"No dream. It happened again. We went back... and there was
that concert... but I don't remember how we... we were playing,
but it was like I wasn't really in contr----" He had to get
out of here. Get out of this apartment. He needed a new place
where old problems couldn't find him.
Reaching for the phone book, he dialed the first place his
fingers skimmed over. "Rivello Apartments. Sounds good to
me. Good a place as any to make a hasty start over. Anything to
escape this circus of a life I'm leading right now."
A brief conversation with the landlord was all he needed. Before
he had even hung up, he was packed and ready to go. He was
himself once more and intended upon staying that way for a very
long time to come. Maybe this thing wouldn't find him in a new
place...
* * * * * * * * *
The Rivello Apartments office boy shook his head as he stared at
the appointment book. It sure had been a busy first day on the
job. And it was only lunch time! Four phone calls had kept him
hopping--- all looking for the same thing and, even more
peculiar, within ten minutes of each other. Very odd
indeed.
Each had wanted out of their old apartments for unspecified
reasons. When asked, they each replied along the lines of,
"I need to start over somewhere and this was the first one
in the phone book." That was funny too, since he had seen
the phone book. They were certainly not listed first. They were
somewhere in the middle of the listings, easily passed right
over, especially if one was in a hurry.
"I hope these people won't mind adjacent apartments."
The landlord had said when the boy had brought the requests to
him for approval. "Things are filling up fast. Isn't it a
good thing that we went ahead with the renovation project last
summer? We'd really be in a spot without it. Wonderful the way
life works out, isn't it, boy?"
"Wonderful and weird." He mused.
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