Sunday, October 3, 2004

Stars




At noon, the day became dark; the sun itself was black as sackcloth. The stained glass of the church’s windows grew dimmer by the minute, as Jeffrey Alexander left the confessional. He was a eighteen year old boy, on his way to college at UAB. He lived in Decatur, Alabama all his life, then he moved to Birmingham, Alabama after he graduated, when he ‘d received a scholarship to UAB (University of Alabama in Birmingham). He shook the pastor’s hand, and walked out of the church with tears coming from his wide forest green eyes. He ran his hand over his brown even flowing hair, and headed home, just meters away from Greater Shiloh Baptist church. He stepped onto the porch of his brick house, and opened the door with his keys. The sound of his keys clanking, notified his mother, Janie of his arrival. She came out of her bedroom, with her nightgown on, and her long brown hair hanging loosely and free. Jeff walked into the four room house, and draped his leather jacket over the golden coat rack in the corner by the door.
“Hey, baby, did ya confess ya sins?” Janie said, in her southern accent.
“Yeah, ma, I just finished,” Jeffrey replied, respectfully.
“The judgment day is comin, it’s best we be ready,” Janie said, as she made her way to her rocking chair. She sat her heavyset figure in the large rocking chair, and watching her son, “What you gon do wit ya last few days, baby?”
“Talk to Nicky as much as I can,” Jeff replied, and sat on the couch, turning on the television.
“Are you just gon waste ya time like that? Go out, be a kid for once,” Janie encouraged.
“No, ma, I love Nicky, and she loves me. I owe it to her, to spend my final hours with her,” Jeffrey implied.
“Boy, you know you are crazy,” Janie said, smiling. “You don’t have no life atall.”
“Nicky is my life, ma,” Jeff said, as he cut the television off, and got up.
“Where you goin, baby?” Janie asked.
“Excuse me, ma, I’ll be in my room, talking to Nicky, if ya need me,” Jeff said.
“Ok, have a good time,” Janie said, as she watched her eldest son leave the room.

Jeff entered his room, and closed the wooden door behind him. He pulled his blue office chair up to his desk, where his Hp Compaq lay. He turned the PC on, and waited for it to boot up. While he waited, he took his black t-shirt off, and threw it onto his bed, leaving him in his wife beater t-shirt, and blue denim jeans. As soon as he logged onto MSN, he saw the SN “Nicole Alexander”, indicating that Nicky was online. She immediately sent him a message, when she saw that he was logged on.
“Hey, hun,” She typed.
“Hey, Nicky,” Jeff replied.
“How are you?” She asked.
“Pretty good, considering the fact that it’s dark at midday,” Jeff typed.

“lol hahaha =),” Nicky typed.
“I missed you a lot today, Nicky Alexander,” Jeff typed.
“Awes I missed you too hun, ^__^,” Nicky replied.
“I really wish I could’ve gotten the chance to meet you in person,” Jeff typed.
“Me too =(, but we will meet in heaven, right hun?” Nicky typed back. When Jeff read that message, he started to cry at the thought of Nicky dying. He knew that he just had to meet her, and physically touch her, just one time.
“No, Nicky, I am coming to see you,” Jeff typed.
“But, how?” Nicky typed.
“With my college money; I hope the good lord gives me one more day,” Jeff typed.
“He will, and I will be waiting at my front porch ^__^,” Vicky typed.
“Bye Nicky, I love you,” Jeff typed.
“Bye bye , love,” Vicky typed her last message. Jeff turned his computer off, and went directly for his closet. He grabbed a red shirt, and a pair of baggy khaki cargo pants. He pushed his brother, Jessie, out of the bathroom, and started a shower.
“Hey, Jeff, c’mon man!” Jessie yelled, knocking on the door. Jeff ignored him, and got into the shower. After getting out of the shower, Jeff quickly dressed into his clothes, and put some gel in his hair. He came out of the bathroom, and let his brother back in.
“Sorry bout that, Jessie,” Jeff said.
“Wuteva,” Jessie said, as he went back into the bathroom.

Jeff gathered his wallet and his prized possession, his skateboard. He had always wanted to be a pro-skater all of his life, but now his only goal was to get to Nicky, and die with her. He neared the door, and just before he touched the golden doorknob, Janie stopped him in his tracks.
“Where you goin, baby?” she asked.
“I’ma go see, Nicky,” Jeff answered.
“What? What you mean?” Janie asked.
“I’ma go to da bank, and get my college money, then I’ma go see Nicky before I die,” Jeff, said sternly. It bothered him to stare into his mother’s eyes, knowing the pain she was feeling, “Ma, I’m sorry for putting you through this, but I have one more thing to do, before I go.”
“Baby, you know that tomorra ain’t promised no more, it could all end here, just as we speak. Please stay home with us, and die wit ya family,” Janie begged.
“I’m sorry, ma, but I have to do this,” Jeff said.
“Ok, baby, I understand, be careful, and I love you,” Janie said, beginning to cry. Jeff hugged her tightly, and kissed her on her cheek. She kissed him back, and held him in an embrace that seemed to have lasted an eternity all in a matter of fifteen seconds.
“Good bye, ma,” Jeffrey said.
“Good bye, Jeffrey,” Janie said. Jeff kissed her cheek one last time before leaving the house, and beginning his journey. As Jeff walked away from the house, he turned back to look at it for a final time.

Jeff caught a cab to the airport after withdrawing a thousand dollars from his account. Once he got onto the plane he noticed, that there were more people than he’d expected. He’d heard on the news that there were hurricanes, and strong winds. It would be suicide to fly a plane up there, but it was going to happen. The people on the plane might’ve had the same ambition that Jeff had, to get the one last thing accomplished or die trying. Jeff took his seat in the middle row, right by the door.
“Man, I was I could’ve got a window seat,” Jeff said, as he sat back in his seat, waiting for the plane to take flight. A middle-aged lady with long black hair, and hazel brown eyes sat next to Jeff, and smiled at him.
“Hi, how are you doing?” She asked, politely.
“Fine, and you, mam?” Jeff replied.
“Pretty good, I just can’t wait to get to Calgary,” She said.
“Me neither, I hope we make it there. Do you believe that the world is going to end?” Jeff asked, trying to sound as proper as he could.
“We’ll make it, just have hope.” The lady said.
“Thanks for the encouragement, by the way I didn’t get your name, mam,” Jeff said.
“My name is Victoria, what’s yours?” Victoria asked.
“Jeffrey Alexander,” Jeff said. He stood up, and tried to shake her hand, but fell back into his seat from the turbulence.


The flight was a turbulent ride, all the way from Philadelphia to their arrival in Calgary. They were just fifteen minutes from landing, before lightening struck the left wing and hit the gas gauge. The plane immediately shot down, plummeting to the paved runway; the people screamed, over shadowing the pilot’s calming voice. The pilot pulled back as hard as he could, to prevent the plane from hitting the runway nose first. Jeff held tightly to the handles on his seat, as the door flew open. The people grabbed their gas masks, and put them on. The plane clashed with the pavement, and created sparks within the battle. The back of the plane caught fire, and as the plane slid along the runway, Jeff took his opportunity. He looked to Victoria, who was screaming and crying as loud as she could. He unbuckled her seatbelt, and pulled her out with him, as he jumped out of the plane. The plane exploded, seconds after Jeff and Victoria made their escape.

Jeff slowly got up, trying to avoid the burning debris and ash. He yelped when he felt the pain from his ruptured arm. He was bleeding from the mouth, as he limped over to Victoria who was in an even worse condition. He picked her up into his arms, and the first thing he saw was her, teary hazel eyes. She was bleeding from her mouth as well, and her face was all scarred up. Her thin body was shaking, and her mind was in a state of shock.
“Victoria, are you alright?” Jeff asked, as he held Victoria. She didn’t answer, and he started to head up the runway, leaving the disaster behind him. He saw his skateboard right bye the scorched plane, and he got on it. The pain in his arm intensified from Victoria’s weight. His board helped out a little, but he could barely hold her. The closer he got to the airport, the heavier she got. Her body was beginning to grow cold, and it grew limp. As he reached the airport, he looked down at Victoria, and saw her hazel eyes fixed on him. They were staring blankly, no blinking at all. The shock had overtaken her, and she could go on no longer. Jeffrey got on his knees, and put her down on the cold ground.
“Goodbye, Victoria, see you soon,” he kissed her forehead, and closed her eyelids.

The wheels of Jeff’s skateboard went on endless without a sense of direction; Jeff was in a place far from his own home. Only thing on his mind was Nicky, the thought of how to get there hadn’t hit him yet. All he had was a skateboard, and her mailing address. Revelation began to run its course. The rain poured heavily, but the thunder roared heavier. It was as if God had unleashed his entire wrath upon the souls who had wronged him. As if the sinners were being punished, only some were being forgiven. Jeff hit the highway on his skateboard, and road down the long strip. Calgary looked like a ghost town, no one was out, and the highway was completely barren. Jeff hit high speed, and continued until he saw a breaking in the highway road. As he approached it, he turned his head to see that a tornado was thrashing downtown. It had already passed the area where Jeff was. Jeff’s only concern now was the breaking in the road. Jeff went as fast as he could, and when he reached the breaking, he jumped as high as he could. Once he landed, his board snapped in two, and Jeff landed face first into the pavement. He scrambled to his feet, and rolled out of the way as the surface below him fell and joined the rest of the rubble below.

Jeff saw the exit of the highway just a few inches away from him. He hobbled, limping even more from his little stunt. His determination kept him moving, despite the wounds and pain that only made him stronger. He wasn’t ready to leave this world yet, even though he could see the end was near. The tornado passed, but the storm progressed. The lightening struck the ground and anything in the way, as Jeff limped to his would-be destination. He reached downtown, where the city had been totaled by the tornado. He kept moving until he met up with a pack of ravaging dogs. The storm made them crazy, and they all growled at Jeff as they saw him. They’re eyes were colder than the largest glacier could ever be, and they all launched onto Jeff, biting him viciously on the arms and legs. Jeff struggled to get free, and one of the dogs bit at his neck. He blocked with his arm, and threw the dog off. He rolled back, and actually left hooked one of the dogs, as it came at him. He ignored his limping, and started running, but one of the dogs caught him and bit his ankle. Jeff’s face bashed the ground, and a tooth rolled out of his mouth. He grew enraged, and grabbed the dog; he bashed its face into the ground, killing it. The rest of the pack overtook Jeff again, but he went down fighting and scratching at the vicious animals.
“Get away from me, you mutts!” he screamed in pain. He managed to get up, and one of the dogs jumped at him. Jeff landed on the sidewalk, but managed to haul the dog through a window. The sound of the impact, made a large piece of cinder block fall off of the building. Jeff rolled over, letting the boulder hit one of the dogs. He got up again, and ran near the city limits. As he left downtown, he met up with one more dog. Only this time, the dog was a huge rot wilder, and he was foaming at the mouth. The sky grew dark, and two tornadoes touched down a few meters away from Jeff. The only way out was through the dog. Just as lightening struck, the dog launched at him. Jeff quickly picked up a pole on the ground, and bashed into the dog’s face. The dog quickly regrouped, and started back for Jeff, who was running out of the city limits. The winds were heavy, and the dog darted after Jeff. A large gust of wind sent a billboard flying in Jeff’s direction, and he hit the ground, letting the billboard pass over him. The dog took Jeff’s hit, and flew back into the two tornadoes.

The heavy winds, grew heavier as Jeff fought through it like he was in a snow storm. The morning had passed, and it was now noon, Jeff could tell by the position of the dark sun. He made his way to a local neighborhood, where he met up with an old man in an alley.
“Hey sir, can you show me where dis address is?” he asked, as he approached the homeless man.
“Hmm, let me see,” the old man took the piece of paper from Jeff, and pored at it for a while.
“Sandarac Dr., yeah, I can take you there. It shouldn’t be too far from here,” The old man said.
“Thank you so much,” Jeff said; almost wanting to kiss the man, he was so happy.
“No need to thank me, it’s the least I can do on my final days,” the old man smiled, and began walking. Jeff quickly followed the man blocks and blocks until they arrived to their destination.
“You should be able to find it from here,” The old man, patted Jeff’s back, and started to walk away, but a man in a black hoody came out of nowhere, and stabbed him. Jeff turned around to see the old man on the ground, bleeding to death.
“Give me your money,” the man in the hoody said.
“Why did you stab that man? The world is ending and all ya can think about is money! My final deed is gon be to put you to rest!” Jeff tackled the man, and tussled with him, avoiding the knife. They rolled over twice, and Jeff ended up on top, and he knocked the knife off the man’s hands. He punched him in the face, and the man kicked him off. The man tried to tackle Jeff, but he drove his fist into the small of the man’s back. He then kneed him in the chest, and pushed him to the ground. When the man got up, Jeff went for another punch, but the mugger caught his fist. He hooked Jeff’s fractured arm in his, and Jeff screamed in excruciating pain as the man punched him in the gut repeatedly. After the mugger was done, Jeff fell to his knees, holding his arm. His brown hair covered his eyes, blocking his view, but he could feel the sudden pain from the sharp knife, piercing through his gut. The man withdrew the knife, and tried to inject it again, but Jeff uppercutted the man, and caught the knife as it slipped out of the mugger’s hand. Jeff drove the knife into the man’s chest, with his remaining strength, and they both fell to the ground in a puddle of their own blood.
“May God have mercy on you,” Jeff said. The man bled to death right beside him, and Jeff tried to get up one last time, but his limbs failed him, “Lord, give me strength.” Jeff wasn’t going to give up; he could see Nicky’s house from where he lay about forty yards away. He gritted his teeth, and forced himself to his feet. He held his gut, and tried to fight the bleeding as he made his way to Nicky’s house. He walked for an eternity, and reached a yard where the grass was greener than the richest forest. He saw a little brick house in the distance, and it reminded him of home. As he pushed on, the day began to clear up, and he could see that the sun was no longer black, it was beaming as yellow as ever. Before his vision blurred, he saw the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen. A little Asian girl, no higher than 5 feet six came off of her porch. Her eyes were dark brown, and her hair was long, shoulder length with dark red highlights. She was dressed in a green sweater, and a pair of blue jeans. She slowly made her way to Jeff, not sure if that was him. Jeff’s vision was distorted, but when he got face to face with Nicky, he fell into her arms; his vision was no longer blurry.
“Nicky…is..th..that you?” Jeff asked.
“Yes, Jeff it’s me,” Nicky said, with tears already running from her face. Jeff reached up, and kissed her lips, feeling them for the first and last time. Nicky held him tightly, pressing her lips against his, with her tears dripping on his face. Once she let go of him, he was gone, his soul departed from his body. The world around them soon began to perish, becoming stars, and jetting up into the sky. Jeff’s body soon diminished, and turned into a star right before Nicky’s eyes. Nicky, then followed turning into a star, and flying into the sky, departing from the diminished world, and into a new one…..



Dedicated to Selena

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