Echoes of the last realm

n said, filling the car

sor

r. Your

ar something bright when I’m hitching. And also, I figured it might help me get rides with older folks if I wore somethin

re great. I haven’t seen anything lik

e were part of a bigger project she did a few year

they were carve

she’s

ver them. Do

t’s

ople give

’s working or not. I shower and shave clean before heading out, wear a brigh

sured: he was a jovial fellow, but not a clown. Fifty thousand miles ago such artifice had bothered

n said. “We’re all exactly

. So he would be a God-fearin

ything, in parti

rock and blues, lately. Good road music. But I

cassette tape adapter. Sliding it into the stereo and plugging the cord into the jack of his phone,

conds on the beat of a plastic drum machine. And then a beeping sound, like a truck backing up, out of place, just another gear for no reason. Finally, a horn blast,

ea

were wide as he beat his chest in time with an o

, right out of a box, laid over the

ig

ea

ench and a pounding beat that made every surface of the car tremble, the blurred dashboard shimmering in the last of the sunlight. When it finally en

e? I was going

rse. Thanks

ft, removed a double-wide sheet, and flattened it gently on his right thigh. Taking a copious pinch from the Ziploc, he gently gathered the finely crushed buds the length of the paper–only once glancing down to approve the distribution–picked it up, an

Gotta say though,

ok a long drag. “This? A lo

at was the most amazing

at it. But I can’t roll for shit when t

id Sam. “So are

I’m from Kansas mostly, but Spokane for a fe

e, nice

re. It’s okay, but it’s not really for me.” He took another pull and nod

many

boy and

ful. How ol

been in