He woke in the desert near the side of the road. He sat up
"Today is the day" , he thought. "Today The End will come."
He had felt the end coming for some time, and when he looked about, he saw only the wreckage of his life.Gone were the hope and dreams, the great ideas. Empty propane tanks and empty gas cans were piled up beside him. Next to those were the trash bags that the dogs had ripped open. Empty cans of spam and crumpled pouches of tobacco lay strewn about.
Then he saw it, a dark car on the horizon. A rooster tail shaped plume of dust followed it. He smiled. He knew for certain this was the end and it was coming for him. Finally he could see the end,and he was relieved. He tried to gather some of his belongings together. The 3 month old dirty laundry, the books, pictures of his past loves, the cards they had given him, the poems he had written to them, frantically he tried to scoop them all up. No matter how hard he tried to hold on to them, everything would just fall out of his hands. The past was gone. he could take nothing of it to The End with him. Looking up, he could see that the end would arrive today. However, it was still quite far off.
A small snake appeared and began to speak.
"Why did you bring all this garbage to the end with you?" The snake asked.
"I didn't", he replied.
"Nonsense, these are your memories, these are all we bring to The End with us. Could you not remember anything else?" , asked the snake.
"The good memories of my life have faded, overtaken by the anguish of my present circumstances", replied the man.
"That's unfortunate, memories are all we have at The End and you chose to leave your best ones behind." "All of your adventures, love, joy have disappeared, just as once large rocks now lay as dust on the side of this road. It is also The End for me", said the snake.
Suddenly a Hawk appeared and began to circle overhead.
"What memories have you brought to The End?", the man asked.
"I don't have memories, I am of a different mind. I have only feelings. This morning I've eaten a large rodent and my feeling is content"
Just then the Hawk dove , but missed the snake.
"I suggest you travel back, and return with your fond memories"
The black car was only a few hundred yards away.
"I think it is too late for me , the end is almost here", said the man.
"This may not even be your End, simply your perception of it", replied the snake.
The Hawk dove again , and the snake sprang into the middle of the road. The speeding black car ran over the snake, killing it. The car did not stop as the man expected. The snake lay flat, as the car sped on.
Leo awoke covered in sweat. The phone was ringing. He did not bother to answer it. He was mesmerized by the view of his yard through the window. The storm had past, and it was a gorgeous sunny day. Slowly, he began to pick through his molding dirty laundry.He took the bundle outside and filled a 5 gallon bucket with water and soap. After rubbing the stains with a bar of
Fels Naptha , he began to scrub the clothes with a stiff bristled nylon brush. A light breeze was blowing through the trees. The early morning sun was strong.Leo was sure the clothes would be dry by mid afternoon.
He surveyed his surroundings. Joy began to fill his soul. He remembered his past and forgave himself for all of his wrongdoings. Happy memories began to fill his mind. Thoughts of The End slowly subsided, as he realized that his future was full of possibilities. A male cardinal swooped down and perched itself on a fern frond and began to sing . Shortly thereafter, a female joined it, then they both flew off. Leo smiled as he began to hang his clothes on the line to dry.
Puna,Hi. June, 2008
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