Chapter 8
I awoke under a palm tree in the jungle next to a river. I couldn't tell you how long I slept or whether I was truly refreshed. All I knew at that moment I felt in between awake and sleep and dirty.. I took off my boots and socks and set them beside the tree and took a seat by the river.
I could sense that the river was cold even before dipping my feet in. I shut my eyes and took a deep breath and braced myself.. I slipped my feet in the cold waters and felt nothing below the waters as if my feet and ankles suddenly disappeared and were non existent. I wasn't in any pain or felt that they were there when they were not.. I felt nothing. I lifted my leg out and sure as stuffing in a turkey I had no ankles or feet to speak of. I reached down and all I felt was air. Nothing there to grasp. I was in a state of shock. It was as though they were erased with an eraser like a cartoon drawing on a page.
Me: Well I never.
"why you should sometime maybe you would enjoy it."
I looked up and standing over me was a guy with bushy eye brows , glasses, a mustache and a cigar. He looked like a silent film star from your world. The Communist brothers. You know marx.
Me: What in the river Styx is going on here?
Marx: well you're not too far off.. see the water here makes the body disappear. After that you got spirit. Literally. Because that is all you are.
Me: shouldn't they put signs up or something?
Marx: Well you're in the land you're in. Use some common sense. Do we need a sign on how to urinate? Use your brain?
Me:So how do I get my ankles and feet back?
Marx: That's the 20 cawk question. I say cawk because we barter animals for trade here. Truth is there is no going back.
Me: the duck said I could turn back if I wanted to and take a different path.
Marx:the duck was right .. yet first you have to have feet to walk back with.
Me: so what should I do now?
Marx: close your eyes relax and take a deep breath.
I closed.my eyes and took a deep breath..I felt two hands push me on the river and I floated down stream as I observed what was left of my clothes scatter in the water as I kepted.goinf down the river leaving the mustache cigar fellow and my clothes behind.
When I finally came to a stopping point the river dropped me into a lake. I stood on the water and walked on it. The old rules no longer applied.