"What do you do for a living Sesse?" I ask in between a friendly greeting.
"What do I do for a living?" She ponders this question. "I live!"
"No. What is your job? How do you make money?"
"Oh. That. I don't 'work'. No one here works for money because it doesn't exist here. There is a sort of credit system but no real monetary value associated with it."
"So how do the shop owners make an earning?"
"They don't earn anything but a sense of accomplishment at the end of a hard day. They work in the shops because that is what they are supposed to do. Most of them are ok with their station in life. There are a few that hate the fact they will be working in the shops for the rest of their days. It is a good thing they don't know you are the one responsible for putting them there huh?" She looks over at a young punk clothing store worker who is flipping the open sign around to close. He smiles and waves at her through the glass. Sesse smiles back and flips him the bird. The store owner only shakes his head and watches her walk up the hill.
"And you don't work at all?"
"Would you want to work if you had the choice?"
"No I wouldn’t."
"Thanks again JBee. I enjoy doing whatever I like whenever I like. Thanks to you, I don't have to work. I travel all the time, go on crazy adventures, meet amazing people and live every day to its fullest."
"That sounds like what I would love to do alright."
I notice an alabaster building on our left and I'm instantly drawn to it. Elaborately carved dragons and flowers cover the white walls. There are places where spray paint has been covered by another white primer coat, almost obscuring the bright acrylic beneath. We walk inside of the small church-like building and it smells of magnolias and honeysuckles. The walls are a very dark lacquered wood. There is no furniture other than one squatty black table in the back of the room. On top of the table, flowers and red candles surround a large glass sculpture of a dragon. The dragon looks like the one we saw last night. On top of the dragon sits a smaller figure. I look closely and notice the carving is very detailed. It looks like a little toy me.
"What is this place?" I say while inspecting the craftsmanship of the glass.
"This is a shrine to the Seasons Dragon whose name is Booudelwan. There are many followers of Boo, but you will find many other religions here too."
"I despise religion! Why would I be involved in anything religious? This is total bullshit."
"Obviously you don't despise religion as much as you think you do. At least people aren't spilling the blood of each others babies over it. There is a difference in opinion and belief but nothing gets out of hand."
"I want to get out of here. Do you mind?" She walks towards the entrance. I find myself alone in the shrine. Sesse is already in the street talking to another friend. I rejoin her and we continue our path, finally reaching the top of the hill. The suns reflection is now setting the lake on fire behind me.
Over the hill I see a huge circle of barren land charred by fire and mass destruction outline by a narrow road. The bottom half of a fire scarred dragon body lies curled around a tree stump. The top half is no where to be seen. It looks like a bomb was dropped here less than a few moments ago. I choke on a wind of sulphur and ash. Sesse looks at this scene without any expression at all.
"This is where the next season is decided. The four representing dragons meet here during our Celebration of the Seasons festival. The next year’s season will depend on the victor of this bloody fight. Sometimes we have three summers in a row or falling leaves for five years straight."
"I guess this was the end of another fall?" I think of the white leaves that carpeted the ground around the lake. "Who won this year? What is the new season going to be?"
"We won't know until the victor presents itself. That should happen within the week or so. Don't worry, if you are still here, you will not miss it. I promise that. I didn't bring you up here to talk about the new seasons coming however. I wanted to take you to see some one that might be able to help you get home."
"OK, take me away." I don't see where we could possibly go from here other than around this giant arena and that could take hours to walk around. I look to Sesse for answers. Her back is turned to me but I see all I need to know. Her right hand is set on her hip while her left hand is held up to her ear. I step closer so I can hear her conversation.
"No, I am not willing to take a cab." Sesse turns to me and mouths "I hate cabs!" I start to say I wouldn't mind but she redirects her attention to the person on the other end of the phone. "Bring it to me now or I am going to change shops open of business tomorrow morning. No Bullshit." Pause in conversation. She is tapping her foot and pacing back and forth in a small oval in the dusty road. "It doesn't matter that you are willing to pay for it. No. There is nothing that will change my mind. I am at the Four Seasons right now. I am waiting Forsette."
When Sesse closes the clamshell phone she is holding, the device continues to fold itself in half until it is no more than an inch squared. It looks like a jewel that fell out of an expensive necklace sitting there in the palm of her hand. She places the phone on her wrist and two silver strings pop out of both sides, reconnecting on the other side, creating a bracelet. I am impressed. I wonder if my mind has created this technology or if this is one of the few things I didn't have a hand in. I decide not to ask her right now since she seems to be pissed off at the person on the other end of that call.
A few minutes pass while Sesse continues to stalk back and forth. Two slim vehicles approach from the right side of the road. They look very much like motorcycles but have four wheels instead of two. The tires are paired side by side, two smaller in the front and two larger wheels in the back. The back wheel base is a bit higher than the seat while the front is a bit lower, giving the bike a "jacked up" look. The body itself it actually level though. When the drivers slow to stop the machine the paired wheels extend from each other to about a distance of 6 feet and the body drops down another foot. Now it resembles an ATV. Whatever this thing is, it looks sexy, fast and fun as hell. With one motion the driver swings his right leg behind the seat and is standing beside the bike holding a pair of gloves out for Sesse to take. She picks the gloves from his open hand one at a time, being very meticulous with their fitting. Once the driver is left empty handed he smiles at her and says something in a language I don't recognize or understand. He climbs onto the rear of the second bike and taps the shoulder of the driver. Soon they are swallowed by smoke and haze on the distant road. Sesse opens and closes her hands back and forth then interlaces her finger trying to get the very best fit her gloves will allow. She seems content with them after several practiced 'fitting exercises' and tells me to "Hop On."
I straddle the bike and realize that the backseat is very comfortable. It looked like it was nonexistent before I jumped on but now it is cradling my pelvis perfectly. My legs rest comfortably around the driver’s seat. Sesse watches me adjust myself on the bike and when I look satisfied she places her left foot on the front foot peg and swings her right leg over my head slowly until it rest on the opposing front peg. The whole thing reminds me of a graceful kata I had seen someone perform in a martial art class years before. She places her hands on the steering column which is the shape of an oversized doggie biscuit and the vehicle comes to life. Its engine makes purring sounds that are distinctly low and high at the same time. The overall sound coming from the bike is very quiet; you could talk at a normal level and be clearly heard. She shifts into first with her right thumb much like a 10 speed bicycle. The throttle and clutch are at her feet but I can't see brakes anywhere. Without climbing half way out of the seat I can't see past her ass or flowing hair to check out the instrument panel. I feel the bike rising as the wheels come back together with more speed. The wheels do not contact but come about a foot apart before stopping, giving the rider more stability. I am glad she is taking precautions at least. She extends her neck backwards until she is looking at my upside down face and asks me "Are you read to die?" I bite my bottom lip.
We are literally blurring down the road. I try to look at the scenery but only get the sensation that I am slowly but surely slipping off the bike. I have a feeling that if I grab her waist out of fear the ride will quickly become much scarier so instead I cling tightly to the oh-shit-bars located on both sides of my ass. I end up admiring Sesses backside for most of the white-knuckle ride. We arrive at an intersection and she downshifts while leaning the bike to the right, turning out on to a four lane highway. There are no other vehicles to be seen on the road. I look at the sky above while we are still going at a slower speed and see highways in the sky. The roads are lined with spaced apart white lights that seem to float in the air. At intersections there are red lights and what looks to be off and on ramps the lights are yellow and green. I can't see a pattern to the blue ones. There are a few flying vessels speeding across the sky but not one of them looks like an aircraft I am used to seeing. We are swiftly reaching top speeds again so I resume a close inspection of Sesses exposed panty line, defined lower back muscles and tattoos. Her tattoos are a thousand times better than I imagined mine being but still hold the same blueprint I created. I check out her other tattoos and wonder if I would have thought of them in the future. They fit her feminine shape nicely, not making her look butch or too inked up.
4/17/2007
"This is a shrine to the Seasons Dragon whose name is Booudelwan. There are many followers of Boo, but you will find many other religions here too."
"I despise religion! Why would I be involved in anything religious? This is total bullshit."
"Obviously you don't despise religion as much as you think you do. At least people aren't spilling the blood of each others babies over it. There is a difference in opinion and belief but nothing gets out of hand."
"I want to get out of here. Do you mind?" She walks towards the entrance. I find myself alone in the shrine. Sesse is already in the street talking to another friend. I rejoin her and we continue our path, finally reaching the top of the hill. The suns reflection is now setting the lake on fire behind me.
Over the hill I see a huge circle of barren land charred by fire and mass destruction outline by a narrow road. The bottom half of a fire scarred dragon body lies curled around a tree stump. The top half is no where to be seen. It looks like a bomb was dropped here less than a few moments ago. I choke on a wind of sulphur and ash. Sesse looks at this scene without any expression at all.
"This is where the next season is decided. The four representing dragons meet here during our Celebration of the Seasons festival. The next year’s season will depend on the victor of this bloody fight. Sometimes we have three summers in a row or falling leaves for five years straight."
"I guess this was the end of another fall?" I think of the white leaves that carpeted the ground around the lake. "Who won this year? What is the new season going to be?"
"We won't know until the victor presents itself. That should happen within the week or so. Don't worry, if you are still here, you will not miss it. I promise that. I didn't bring you up here to talk about the new seasons coming however. I wanted to take you to see some one that might be able to help you get home."
"OK, take me away." I don't see where we could possibly go from here other than around this giant arena and that could take hours to walk around. I look to Sesse for answers. Her back is turned to me but I see all I need to know. Her right hand is set on her hip while her left hand is held up to her ear. I step closer so I can hear her conversation.
"No, I am not willing to take a cab." Sesse turns to me and mouths "I hate cabs!" I start to say I wouldn't mind but she redirects her attention to the person on the other end of the phone. "Bring it to me now or I am going to change shops open of business tomorrow morning. No Bullshit." Pause in conversation. She is tapping her foot and pacing back and forth in a small oval in the dusty road. "It doesn't matter that you are willing to pay for it. No. There is nothing that will change my mind. I am at the Four Seasons right now. I am waiting Forsette."
When Sesse closes the clamshell phone she is holding, the device continues to fold itself in half until it is no more than an inch squared. It looks like a jewel that fell out of an expensive necklace sitting there in the palm of her hand. She places the phone on her wrist and two silver strings pop out of both sides, reconnecting on the other side, creating a bracelet. I am impressed. I wonder if my mind has created this technology or if this is one of the few things I didn't have a hand in. I decide not to ask her right now since she seems to be pissed off at the person on the other end of that call.
A few minutes pass while Sesse continues to stalk back and forth. Two slim vehicles approach from the right side of the road. They look very much like motorcycles but have four wheels instead of two. The tires are paired side by side, two smaller in the front and two larger wheels in the back. The back wheel base is a bit higher than the seat while the front is a bit lower, giving the bike a "jacked up" look. The body itself it actually level though. When the drivers slow to stop the machine the paired wheels extend from each other to about a distance of 6 feet and the body drops down another foot. Now it resembles an ATV. Whatever this thing is, it looks sexy, fast and fun as hell. With one motion the driver swings his right leg behind the seat and is standing beside the bike holding a pair of gloves out for Sesse to take. She picks the gloves from his open hand one at a time, being very meticulous with their fitting. Once the driver is left empty handed he smiles at her and says something in a language I don't recognize or understand. He climbs onto the rear of the second bike and taps the shoulder of the driver. Soon they are swallowed by smoke and haze on the distant road. Sesse opens and closes her hands back and forth then interlaces her finger trying to get the very best fit her gloves will allow. She seems content with them after several practiced 'fitting exercises' and tells me to "Hop On."
I straddle the bike and realize that the backseat is very comfortable. It looked like it was nonexistent before I jumped on but now it is cradling my pelvis perfectly. My legs rest comfortably around the driver’s seat. Sesse watches me adjust myself on the bike and when I look satisfied she places her left foot on the front foot peg and swings her right leg over my head slowly until it rest on the opposing front peg. The whole thing reminds me of a graceful kata I had seen someone perform in a martial art class years before. She places her hands on the steering column which is the shape of an oversized doggie biscuit and the vehicle comes to life. Its engine makes purring sounds that are distinctly low and high at the same time. The overall sound coming from the bike is very quiet; you could talk at a normal level and be clearly heard. She shifts into first with her right thumb much like a 10 speed bicycle. The throttle and clutch are at her feet but I can't see brakes anywhere. Without climbing half way out of the seat I can't see past her ass or flowing hair to check out the instrument panel. I feel the bike rising as the wheels come back together with more speed. The wheels do not contact but come about a foot apart before stopping, giving the rider more stability. I am glad she is taking precautions at least. She extends her neck backwards until she is looking at my upside down face and asks me "Are you read to die?" I bite my bottom lip.
We are literally blurring down the road. I try to look at the scenery but only get the sensation that I am slowly but surely slipping off the bike. I have a feeling that if I grab her waist out of fear the ride will quickly become much scarier so instead I cling tightly to the oh-shit-bars located on both sides of my ass. I end up admiring Sesses backside for most of the white-knuckle ride. We arrive at an intersection and she downshifts while leaning the bike to the right, turning out on to a four lane highway. There are no other vehicles to be seen on the road. I look at the sky above while we are still going at a slower speed and see highways in the sky. The roads are lined with spaced apart white lights that seem to float in the air. At intersections there are red lights and what looks to be off and on ramps the lights are yellow and green. I can't see a pattern to the blue ones. There are a few flying vessels speeding across the sky but not one of them looks like an aircraft I am used to seeing. We are swiftly reaching top speeds again so I resume a close inspection of Sesses exposed panty line, defined lower back muscles and tattoos. Her tattoos are a thousand times better than I imagined mine being but still hold the same blueprint I created. I check out her other tattoos and wonder if I would have thought of them in the future. They fit her feminine shape nicely, not making her look butch or too inked up.
4/17/2007
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