Skip's Crossing - Staff for entertainment only - CD2021

"Up pretty late aren't you Skip? Want me to warm up that Coffee for you?" "That would be great Betty-Joe" he replies even though she's already filling it up.

He pulls a notebook out of his overcoat and looks at the last entry date and it suddenly hits him. 07/14/31, this was his 10 year anniversary of when the madness of crossing all started. "Crossing" he mumbles to himself, "what else are you going to call it?"

Instinctively and without even looking up he calls out Betty-Joe's name, she stops in her tracks and twirl's around. Not even a half second later the kitchen door flies open with the busboy partially in the air from slipping on some water. A full bus-tray of flying dishes and coffee cups are crashing on the floor. Shards of broken ceramics mixed in with the ringing tone of silverware bouncing on the floor-tiles.

Betty-Joe proceeds to say what she always says, "why Skip, if you hadn't called out my name sweety I'd be part of that mess" and then she burst out laughing. Everyone was laughing, all except the Busboy and Skip, they didn't find it funny.

He goes back to studying through his years of notes, he ponders again about the hidden X-factor of the 'what-ifs'. As if on cue, he has to ask it again as he has done for so many years, "Am I any closer to knowing WTF is happening?" These had become akin to some form of a mantra now to him, in fact at times he'd even hum them to himself sometimes.

* What If this is an experiment
* What if this is an dream
* What if I'm in a coma
* What if this is death

He tries to convince himself that despite his not knowing much after ten years, there were still bits of information that were what he called 'constants'. Events that he had learned never change. For example;

* It always starts at the Cafe
* It always starts at 12am

Those are the two big unchangeable constants. Other factors were stumbled upon in the first week, others were only learned about in the past few years. But it's been awhile since anything new has been added to his data and information gathering of the 'crossing'

* Despite no one else aging, apparently he still does
* Whatever is in the coat at 11:59pm will remain in the crossing at 12am
* If he gets injured or is sick, those ailments will follow through with him
* Doesn't matter what distance he's traveled, it always resets back to the Cafe'

A few pages over he came across an interesting experience that he had forgotten about when he almost drowned. He snickered thinking about the look on Betty-Joes face when he appeared sitting at the counter drenched from head to toe. She didn't buy the 'freak rain-storm' story he tried to convince her with.

That was also the week he tried an experiment of holding under his coat a small kitten during the crossing. It was successful and gave Skip some hope.. of what that was, he wasn't sure of yet. The kitten did run off during the day, so Skip simply went back to the same place and time where he had first found the kitten. He was quite surprised to find that there were two identical kittens this time around.

So he did learn from that, but decided that he probably shouldn't try crossing again with living creatures. Several crossing's later just for a whim he went back to where he first found the kitten and there was only one this time. So again, he learned something. Things that get brought through a crossing will reset.

Looking at his watch, Skip is mindful of what's about to follow and wants to leave before having to endure seeing a car accident where the entire family lose's their life. How many times had he tried to rescue them, fifty, sixty times? He'd lost track and tosses some money on the counter for Betty-Joe and make's his way out to the rear exit.

As he walks into the back alley way, he can hear the screeching of tires and the crashing of an automobile flipping over a number of times. The thoughts flashed through his head as they had a 100 times before, hearing the smashing of metal, the screams of the parents, the cries of the children only fueled those images more intensely.

He slows his walking down, shakes his head and tries to light up a cigarette.

He wondered had he become an uncaring and heartless human being? Had his being acclimated over and over again of these morbid events made him numb despite those agonizing images burned into him. Was there a narrative deep down where he knew that they were going to perish anyways... just like they had done for 10 years.

He smoked the cigarette down to the butt, then spit from that terrible burnt taste of the filter. "Man that was as disgusting as my life is"

He walks for awhile down to the street that has a nice view of the city park. The sky is blue as it always is, some would say it's a perfect day. But not him, he'd love for it to be raining or windy or anything other than this beautiful and perfect day. "Ten awesome years of the most perfect weather on Earth", he mumbles out followed by a spit and the lighting up of another cigarette. "But it always the same thing day in and day out".

Maybe it would be better he thought if he just went ahead and just gave-in, just gave it up, "whats the use anymore" he wondered? To relive an every day event 10,365 times might be extraordinary to say the least, but it's boring as hell too. "And it is my anniversary, what a great way to go out... right" he asked himself?

He stops walking for a moment, takes a long drag off the cigarette and exhales the plume of smoke towards the sky. Then he screams out as loud as he could "bet you'd like that wouldn't you?"

Falling back onto the ground he runs his hands over his face and starts to cry muttering out in song "happy friggin anniversary oh happy friggin' anniversary to me!". He shakes his head and looks at his watch. "Crap", he says wiping the tears from his face, "I still got sixteen and a half hours to go before the next crossing, where haven't I been before?"

Getting in the car he jokes to himself, "man I can't recall the last time i went on a road-trip.. oh wait, that's right I just did one yesterday, and the day before... and the day before". He laughed and headed to the freeway, "lets see how far we can get going West".

He had driven so far and so many times before that he had developed what some call Highway Hypnosis or Velocitation. It's something like being on an Auto-piiot. In most cases you can drive fine, but your mind is somewhere else. This was actually something Skip looked forward to as it gave him a bit of a mental pause and sometimes could last for many hours at a time. This is one of those times.

Skip is jarred back into reality as his watch alarm goes off as it's 11:59pm ..... "Crap" is the only word that came out of his mouth.

"Up pretty late aren't you Skip? Want me to warm up that Coffee for you?" "That would be great Betty-Joe" he replies even though she's already filling it up.

The End

Holy Groundhog Day Batman !
Good one Johnny!

Aha nice ending there Johnny

Aha nice ending there Johnny

Aha nice ending there Johnny

a reply to: JohnnyAnonymous

Very nice read!

It reminds me of Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories.

a reply to: JohnnyAnonymous

I like it
Nicely told

a reply to: JohnnyAnonymous

All work, and no play, (….)



Love dystopian futures!

a reply to: JohnnyAnonymous

At least Skip knows what Highway Hypnosis is. First described 10 years earlier than Skip's 10,365 days. I mean day.

Highway Hypnosis is the main reason I quit driving. There's only so many times a person should ask "Um, where the hell am I and how did I get here?" Before he finally says, "Maybe this isn't quite safe."

originally posted by: pthena

Highway Hypnosis is the main reason I quit driving. There's only so many times a person should ask "Um, where the hell am I and how did I get here?" Before he finally says, "Maybe this isn't quite safe."

I have had this happen to me twice both times on a major busy Freeway as I was leaving Los Angeles. It's probably one of the last places on Earth you'd want this event to happen. The longest period was 5 hours.

Talk about your missing time!!!!

I was in a state of shock when I finally realized that I had traveled over 300 miles... and was oblivious of that fact for such a long amount of time. The questions that arose from those two events still persist and haunt me today. I arrived safely both times, and thats the main thing.

But it's scary when it happens.
Johnny

a reply to: JohnnyAnonymous

Beautiful writing, thoroughly enjoyed, thanks! It reminds me of a story but I can't quite remember what it was... but you gave it enough individual twists to be unique.

I really enjoyed your story Johnny; as with all good things I wished for another chapter!

I like Skip's detective work, and in particular the dark creepiness of the kitten experiment. Well done!

a reply to: JohnnyAnonymous

I love your tale.

I think Betty-Joe needs to help Skip out by spiking the coffee with good quality alcohol of his choice and a stellar time machine.

a reply to: JohnnyAnonymous

What an ending!!!!!

Thanks Johnny!!!