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dangeroustravelinghuman · 7 years ago

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The Day Gypsies Stole Me

During one of the coldest days in January in the year of nineteen seventy-seven, Paullock began closing down the bar he’d named Gracie's. The dinner crowd had left, the doors were locked, and he was beginning the chore of sweeping up the trash from the front.

All of a sudden, the air was very still. The ground began to tremble. The bar started to shake. Then, a noise that was indescribably loud and almost deafening came from the edge of the woods beside the bar, or at least that's where he estimated the sound was coming from. But he honestly couldn't tell due to the fact that he was holding his head in his hands and praying that the sound would end soon. Paullock was trying to keep from exploding where he stood, and as the seconds passed, because the air grew so thin that Paullock was completely sure his lungs would collapse.

When all was right with the world, and his senses were back to normal, Paullock did what not many Gypsies were brave enough to do. He stepped outside to determine what had just happened. There was nothing in sight. He took a deep breath and sauntered back through the doorway. There was no way he was imagining that experience, he thought. There had to be a reason why all that commotion had occurred. No, physical reason for all the changes in the air, and no physical explanation for the ear-splitting, head cracking, noise he had heard.

Once inside again, Paullock turned the lock on the door to the locked position, and rotated on his heels to finish the hour’s work. That's when he saw her. The most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She had hair as blacker than the dark of night. Her eyes were greener than a garnet gem. Her skin as dark as a Native American's. Her clothes were not as stylish as the women wore, at the time. No, they were very simple. Just the way she liked them. When she spoke her voice was quiet yet powerful at the same time.

Paullock thought he recognized his visitor, but he couldn't place where or even how he knew that angelic creature. He was frozen in his tracks. He literally could not speak, or move. He barely even knew that he was still breathing. The graciously mysterious woman seemed to float as she walked to a booth in the middle of the establishment and sat down. Eventually, Paullock was capable of utilizing his motor skills, again and he approached the booth.

When he was standing beside the booth he said, “Ma'am we are closed for the next hour. If you're thirsty I can't open my register for another fifty-five minutes. But, I will serve you as long as you pay for whatever you consume before you leave”, Paullock said.

Liberty looked into Paullock's eyes and said, “Well, I'm glad you're willing to oblige my thirst. If you have Jack and Coke on the rocks, that'll do. Oh, and whatever you have to eat. This girl here, is so very hungry that she feels as if she will starve before you return from the kitchen.”.

Paullock was about to seize the items from the kitchen this beautiful woman had ordered when she spoke once more, “I'm not a picky eater but I am when it comes to my drink. I do have a purpose for being here other than to eat and drink your supply for the night”. Paullock turned in the direction of the kitchen and made his way through the swinging doors, knees weak.

When he emerged from the kitchen once more Paullock said, “Before I went back to get your order, you said you had a purpose for being here. Which clearly means that your purpose is with me. But my problem is, I don't know you”.

Liberty was taken aback by his words but answered with earnest gusto, “You do know me. It's just been around seventy-five years since we last saw each other”.

Paullock was attempting to occupy the bench across from her, but when she said the part about ‘we last saw each other’, he thought twice and then a third time and decided to stand for the time being.

He said, “I think, no, I know I would remember you. Anyone who could forget about those features would be a damn fool. Since your tone tells me that you're not kidding around, however, I'm willing to hear you out. If I have one suspicion that what you're telling me is a crock of bull, I have a gun and know the personal number to the sheriff. Which means, you have a lot of talking to do. I propose you get to filling me in. After all, you'll be talking about my past therefore, I will be very aware of lies and deception.

Liberty was astonished by his reaction. Hurt. He honestly did not recognize her. Had he really forgotten her? Only time will tell, she thought. After a few minutes of awkward silence Liberty was aware of what she needed to say, “You are going to need to call it a night and not reopen Gracie's until tomorrow”.

“What!?”, Paullock yelled,. “Are you serious?”, he shouted in a vain attempt at protest. Carefully, he said, “This time of day I pull in over five hundred dollars between drinks, food, darts, the jukebox and pool tables. If I close this place for the rest of the night, I will lose approximately three thousand dollars in total”.

Liberty responded, “I'm as serious as the day is long. I can see that I'm going to have to dig deep into the past in order to get you to remember who I am and what we mean to each other. That is reason enough to make this one exception”.

The next question Paullock posed was, “Are you gonna reimburse me for the money I'll lose? Hell, do you even have that kind of dough?”

Liberty chortled at the audacity of his question. And said, “Let's see. I'm a strange woman who you swear you've never met. I've asked you to lock up for the night. And you don't think I can give you what you would make if I weren't here and the bar received the regular slew of people”, Liberty continued, “Yes, Paullock, I do have whatever you need to put the books right later”.

“Sounds like you're gonna wanna get to telling your story, soon", Paullock insisted.

“It's a long one. So, you might want to sit down”, Liberty suggested.

“For now, I'm good. Remember? I am the barkeep and the owner of this fine drinking establishment. I'm on my feet somewhere around thirteen to fifteen hours a day. I think a long story is something I can stand through”, Paullock stated.

“Alright. If you insist”, Liberty said. Without giving him the opportunity to say anything else, she began her story. Liberty felt the familiar sting of tears as they began to well up in her eyes. They were not caused by sadness, but instead they were caused by the happiness she had in her heart whenever she would look back on the past and the years she was able to get to know Paullock.

“At first, I didn't actually know how to start the process of reminding you of who I am, until I saw you again. This is awkward for me. I'm used to my listeners sitting in front of me when I speak. You're positive you won't take a seat?”, Liberty offered.

With agitation threatening to burst from his center, Paullock decided it was best to just sit down and said, “Is that better? Do you feel like we're currently on the same page, now?”

Liberty was beginning to think she had made a terrible mistake when she set out in search of her dearest friend. She knew that he would have doubts and that he would be full of nonstop questions when he remembered her, but she did not expect the cold shoulder to be presented by Paullock. She could deal with incessant chatter, but the one thing she'd never expected was for Paullock to be so callous. Had his life been so terrible since she had left that his heart had grown colder than black ice? In response to his questions, she simply nodded.

Then, Liberty started the walk down memory lane, “The day we met, you had just come home from the hospital after your mother, Andrina endured twenty-seven hours of intense back labor while in the process of delivering you into this world. You weighed six pounds eight ounces and measured twenty inches in length.

I was one of three women your father, Pete hired to help your mother with your care. Around a month later, your mom let the other two women go and kept me at the house. By the time you walked, you and I were extremely close. Now, don't get me wrong, your mom was very attentive to you and your needs and you loved each other intensely. She loved you more than life”.

Liberty stopped in the middle of her thought and encouraged Paullock to interrupt.

Paullock was being very trivial and said, “Since you know so much, already about my life which I do not recall, you must be able to tell me what our family name is”.

She answered with ease, “Your family name is Cardassian. Your father was the kind of guy who was lighthearted and funny and he would throw his voice, establish this goofy accent, and over pronounce the ‘z’ sound made by the two ‘Ss”. When he said Cardassian in that manner, it always made your laugh from deep inside your center”. Liberty regained her integrity and went on, “Your parents owned a bar they literally named, ‘The Bar’. It was this building in which the town locals frequented and drank until they were falling down drunk. When their customers would try to leave in their own vehicle, your dad would call them a cab. There wasn't any reason to fight for because your parents took the keys from everyone who was drinking. They placed the keys in a bowl behind the bar. You inherited the bar in their will and you renamed it ‘Gracie's’ in memory of your wife.

Paullock listened intently as the woman went on with her story. It was probably two and a half hours later when she had finally concluded her narrative. She sat there in absolute silence, awaiting some kind of reaction from Paullock. She could see that he was still putting all the pieces together as he assembled the puzzle inside his mind. Eventually, Paullock spoke fervently and he shouted, “Libb!!! My oldest and best friend!!!”

Liberty was shocked by his reaction, and was beginning to wonder if the true reason for her visit would ever come to light. She didn't say anything when he referred to her as Libb. Instead, she leaned over the table and wrapped her arms around his head. Giving him in the best hug she could manage while sitting across from him with a table top between them.

“See?”, Liberty said as she gave Paullock a quick swipe on his shoulder with her open hand. Even though he recognized her, she wasn't yet comfortable enough to make a fist and punch him the way she did when she lived at home with him and his parents.

Paullock needed a stiff drink and was almost certain that Liberty did as well. So, he picked up the glasses and headed for the kitchen. When he came back this time, he not only had a glass for the both of them but he also had a bottle of his top shelf Kentucky whiskey. He replaced himself on the bench in front of Liberty, set one glass in front of the both of them, pulled the cork from the neck of the bottle, and poured the brown liquid into her glass first. He half expected Liberty to make him stop well before the top of her glass, but she didn't stop him so he continued to pour. Right before the glass was so full she wouldn't be able to drink from it without making a mess, Paullock yielded himself. Then, he poured his own glass of whiskey and stopped when he had as much as she had.

“Man. I take you at your word, due to the fact that you know much much more than my parents’ names, but it's still hard to believe. Liberty, it's you”, Paullock said.

“Yes, Paulls. It's me. Do you know you made me worry the entire time I was telling the story. In the middle of it, I got the idea to jump up and leave, because I was starting to think I'd made my way to the wrong place. The way I knew that you had finally received enough information about everything was when you called me ‘Libb’. That was the instant I knew you had it”, Liberty explained.

“The final confirmation for me was when you called me ‘Paulls’. I thought you were telling me the truth when you knew the names of my parents, but I knew that could be found in public record. So, I had you finish your story”, Paullock admitted. Then they both broke into laughter. As time passed, Liberty started feeling more comfortable with the situation and she was bold enough to move to the bench seat next to Paullock.

When she had sat on the bench Paullock said, “That's more like it. My best friend beside me instead of across from me”.

“I'm glad you would rather things be this way”, Liberty said. She felt the effects of the alcohol she'd been drinking making her head swim, but she was nowhere close to being done. She had a buzz, but she wasn't drunk. Though the two friends were immortal, and would never know death, they knew that it was completely possible that when Liberty left they may not have an opportunity to see each other again. For the last seventy-five years, Liberty had been in her second form, which was that of an entity, but she had also been in training for the highest position ever created; Gypsy Goddess, and when her training was complete, she would have to stay on an entirely different plane than the one she was currently on with Paullock. She would not be permitted to leave, and friends would not be permitted to visit.

When Paullock had had enough of sitting so very close to the wall, he politely made the excuse of needing to use the facilities in order to get out from in between his best friend and the wall. He wouldn't allow her to know that he had a huge, major issue with small spaces and being crowded. How could he tell her that when he owned and worked in a bar? He had the explanations for the inevitable questions she would relentlessly ask if she knew, but avoiding that topic was easier than having to explain about how he managed to run a bar for thirteen to fifteen hours every day having claustrophobia.

After he had utilized the restroom and washed his hands, he started for the open bar, rapidly. Not for any other reason than he could feel the walls close in around him. He wasn't paying attention to where his feet were taking him and he ran directly into Liberty, and almost knocked her to the ground.

Immediately, Paullock began to apologize, "Oh, my Libb. I'm so sorry. I had no idea you'd have to...you know", he felt worse than awkward saying anything about her needing to use the facilities, or her not needing them.

"Hey, old friend, it's okay. You can say it. You didn't know whether or not I would have to use the restroom because I'm an entity. I'll have you know, that I do use the restroom. And not just to apply makeup or fix my hair. I am a girl, after all", Liberty mused.

“That's not what I meant and you know it", Paullock was trying not to let semantics get in the way of a good time. Especially since neither of them knew if she'd ever come back.

"Yes, my friend, I do know what you mean. I just wanted to know if I could still get your goat after all these years, and it looks like...I can", Liberty teased.

“Tease me all you want. I'm a grown up now and I'm not going to have a fit Paullock said. Liberty was already moving past him to the restroom and didn't respond immediately.

While she was in the girl's room, Paullock turned on the jukebox and searched for her favorite song. As Liberty was making her way to the booth, the song began to play. As soon as she heard the first musical note, she was swaying her hips. Paullock must have had a quizzical look on his face because Liberty said, "Just because I'm an entity doesn't mean I don't still love music". With that, she danced alone to the song, 'Locomotion'. As she danced by herself, Paullock admired her beauty and finesse with awe. He had the biggest smile on his face when she was across the room, but as she crossed the room, the smile stretched so taut on his face any stranger passing by could've mistakenly thought they were lovers. However, the friendship was just that, a friendship. They never made any kind of moves on each other. Due to the fact that she helped raise him, he had always looked at Liberty as a sister or cousin, but never anything more than that. Not then. Not now. The same went for her about him.

Around midnight, the details surrounding the main reason she had arrived were starting to be revealed. She had a job for him to carry out. It didn't pay, but she would cover his expenses there and back. She also let him know that he had no other choice except to go, and promised that if he didn't go, she would make him pay dearly for centuries.

The job itself was to travel to Hickory, North Carolina, and find a woman named, Harper Silverstone. The message was clear and simple. Harper was to have a set of twins the following August, of nineteen seventy-eight. One girl and one boy. She was to be first, followed by her brother two minutes later. This brother and sister combination was to be an unstoppable force in whatever line of work they chose. Their mother, Harper, was to ultimately raise the kids without any father's influence. In the long run, this unfortunate set of circumstances will mold the three of them into the warriors they're meant to be.

Liberty could see that Paullock was staring at her without expression so, she took the time to explain what she meant by the term ‘warrior’, “What I mean by that is, I have created two of best humans who will train in each type of fighting available for them to learn, so that the biggest battle is guaranteed to be won. That battle is known as the battle between good and evil. These twins will be the reason why the good side will prevail”. So, you see, the message going out has to be handled with the utmost discrepancy and as such, the courier will also be extremely vigilant about the safekeeping of the message until it reaches its final destination. Therefore, I have come to see that it gets delivered, and the receptor will have every detail about the pregnancy that is relevant to the care of the twins”.

“Do you have names for the twins, or is that going to be left to Harper?”,

Paullock enquired. Aways inquisitive, Paullock wondered aloud furthering the line of questioning and prying at Liberty, “Are you going to let me in on that part, at least”? He teased her until she gave in and told him what he wanted to know.

“The baby girl will be Trinidad Jacaranda Silverstone and the baby boy will be Tripp Jaxsen Silverstone. I have had the names chosen since before I created their souls, and I formed those four hundred and fifty-six years ago. The awesome thing about this endeavor is that once the twins have fought and won the war, they will automatically become immortal.

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