Objects recovered from memory. A last dream of DEAD SOLDIER and of lost KANGAROO. Like saying goodbye.

In the garden, back in C_______ DEAD SOLDIER collects his pieces from the rockery and surrounding flower beds, finding broken bloody plastic and bones. He reassembles, fixing himself with an eerie, methodical, calm and then he walks the roadsides, the riverbeds, and the shopping malls until he finds KANGAROO somewhere and in the ‘muted desolation’ © of the dream he leads again a quest, but not to find James this time. Instead he leads a quest to find the factory of his making, the place of conception for him and KANGAROO, a return to the source. In the dream they are adrift in the landscape of Endland (sic) and looking without map, compass or certainty for the city called ‘Korea’. The strange camaraderie of ignorance, beauty and the road.

The TV news talked about the census. There were pictures from all across the world.

James dreamed a rag thrown to the ground, turning into a flock of ravens swooping over the ground. He dreamed a racing shadow turning into a running dog, a face that dissolved into rain. He dreamed. He shook beneath the bed.

In his dream he turned into glass and shattered and in the corner of his vision there were a little display of his lives – the red lights telling him how much of strength he had left, how much of bullets he had left, how much of love he had left over all and the lights were blinking, flickering red to deepest back. Low on energy, low on lives and low on love. Not much of anything left. Fading.

*

Morning came and James awoke regardless of the bad dreaming from the night. Crawling out on his belly from under the bed.

He kissed Olivia, Mum, and Harry where they lay. He looked at Dad for a long time but somehow could not kiss him and he remembered Dad at the nightpicnic where the strange glow of the headlamps had reflected on the blanket to make his tears look just like a Premonition of Blood.

James used his little fingers to close his dad’s tired eyes. And then he left alone, ‘to see what it was that could be done’ upon the earth ©.

Listen. Final cue.

LX 98. A fade out. Kid walking.

Sheffield.

The whole fucking world is morphing tonight sweetheart, a dark dark night, a dark dark night in Endland (sic).

The Shell Garages History Of Mud

The Shell Garages History Of Mud

Melanie lived near the park and when she reached puberty at age unlucky 13 she was often sneaking boys over the railings at nite and across the dark green grass and into the bouncy castle.