suddenly awakened out of pure blackhe usually dreamed
made him feel awkward inept
he hadnt been compelled by his
bladder or bowelswhich would have been sound reasons to wake nobody wants to soil their bed
he rolled onto his side and saw
the clocks hands read 2:37 a battery-powered travel alarm his wife swore by
now forty years old and since she couldnt be beside
him it was there in her stead
far cry from 3AM the witching hour which he didnt anticipate he was adept at placing kernels in
his head if he set alarmsthough usually woke prior to them the
hour did not compel himThe
power of Christ compels you! he laughed Ah that
tickled him whenever The Exorcist jumped
in with both feet like Indiana Jones crucifix rather than bullwhip the dynamic
duo inevitably they triggered in his head the phrases origin from the Catholic Rite of Exorcism I adjure you, ancient
serpent, he liked snakes by the Judge of the living
and the dead, by your Creator, and the Creator of the world, by Him who has
power to send you to hell. Depart immediately with fear and with your army of
terror. Depart from this servant (name), who takes refuge in the bosom of the
Church.
he preferred the clipped version I adjure you,
ancient serpent…to depart from this servant of
God, whom almighty God has made in His image. Yield, therefore, yield not to my
own person but to the minister of Christ. For it is the power of Christ that
compels you.
he was certain he wasnt wakened to recite those passages in his head
Wait for it
Woud you go back to sleep to one
of his inner Mariachi
Sleep I was but you woke me with your mumblingtumbling
words longwindedness heshe
shehe looked around Christ Appropriate Its the middle of the night
Yah
So Im tellin ya Wait for it
For
wha
Patience Crazy ya can prattle on with memorised
passages but you cant wait . .
. . I
don wait
I know you say you believe tha though sometimesboobie ya don have a
choice This is one of those times
he cradled one hand in the other behind
his head his shoulders groaned
Thas not comfortable
No it is not
Woudnt ya rather be comfortable
while you wait
No I woud not Perhaps my duress will hasten whatever this
process is
It coud be sadistic
Which woud be the only place in
my existence if I was
Makes sense
Go back to sleep
Nah
Ive counseled you to wait Im of my word
We are
his shoulders were
displeasedached
their groaning woke other
inners Wha the hells going on
Were waiting
Waiting for wha
No idea
so those who woke waited too
the room was filling
a belch
a smoky breathgasp
Wait for it
then hethey heard a solemn
voice repeat over and over repeating for
him to memorise so when he went to sleep and woke again hed remember
The
big horse caught me in the mouth with a hoof studded with nails The big horse
caught me in the mouth with a hoof studded with nails The big horse caught me
in the mouth with a hoof studded with nails . . .
he took his arms down
his shoulders sighed gratefully At last
the voice became more and more
quiet until it utterly subsided
he cheated he kept paper and pen beside the bedscribbled
it down
the Mariachi turned in
they left him wide awake
he closed his eyes
eventually hed fall asleep
he wasnt one to submit to
sleeplessness and get up
he was going to get wha he went
to bed for
taking its sweet time his hypnagogic
state finally swept over him
he
dreamed
he dreamed of going to
a night clubmaybe Rick’s Café Americain with Gene Hackman Hackman invited him
waking in the morningclocks hands
said 8:03
time to wake
his mouth was dry
despite thatlaughing like dirt he recited The big horse caught me in the mouth with a hoof
studded with nails
he had memorised it
Whawas he going
to do with tha
237AM, Thursday,
10 11. 22
1103, Thursday
