Help I'm steppin' into the twilight zone

The place is a madhouse

Feels like being cloned

My beacon's been moved under moon and star

Where am I to go, now that I've gone too far?

Soon you will come to know

When the bullet hits the bone

-George Kooymans, Golden Earring

Dinnertime was upon us and it was time for me to rock and roll. I was trying to motivate myself, though I felt like I no longer understood myself. I knew what I wanted to say, I guess. At this point, it was all a matter of how I said it. I went inside for a bourbon and to see if I was even the least bit presentable in appearance.

When I looked in the mirror, a hard man looked back at me. I could see a lot of other things, but determination was the overriding image right now. I still had a little time while the folks ate, so I loitered with Aunty in the kitchen a while. She gave me coffee to go with my cigarette and I described to her what I wanted to say. The nice thing about Aunty is that every time I was around her, hopes and dreams became part of my mantra again.

Bourbon finished, coffee finished, and cigarette snubbed, it was time to go out and build confidence. Aunty's eyes shone with belief as she watched me rise and shrug myself back into standing condition. I wasn’t surging with confidence, but I was only standing in front of a crowd of one. I would feel differently out there. I was fully kitted out for travel and also fully armed with both pistol and shotgun, even if the pistol was still concealed. I even had my travel bag slung over my shoulder. For all intents and purposes, I was ready to go.

I whistled up Brin and walked out to face the crowd on the back lawn, with Aunty in tow. The spot where the stone deck descended down to the lawn still served as our dais. I stopped there to view the people assembled. There were far more than I had imagined, and there I stood, alone in front of them. They looked to me with expectation in their eyes. So many eyes.

I held my bag and shotgun out and Amos took them from my hands. Tossing my hat to the side, I shook my hair out, looked up at the brilliant blue, clear sky, and then began.

“This very morning disaster came crashing down towards us!”

I let that hang for a moment, then cleared my voice and continued.

“But it wasn’t to be.

“We were protected.

“That mindless force of destruction was made to pass over us and then allowed to vent its destructive energy on unfortunate others. We grieve for their losses.”

Powerful words, said slowly and with sympathy.

“Sadly, we lost two of our own and we will bury them here today. Had they been where they should have been, this wouldn’t have happened.

“We mourn their loss, regardless.”

“This place has been a curse to us all!

“We need to leave and leave we shall, on tomorrow’s morn.

“Staying can only bring more heartbreak and we cannot trust that disaster will skip us next time.

“Rulo awaits and with it awaits freedom, hope, and dreams.” That brought the first of many cheers.

It was time to start building energy off the cheers and murmurs of agreement.

“I promise you that you will have what you hope and dream!

“Hard travel and hard work await, but the work will be the work you do for you and for your town!

“I promise you that elusive American dream of true freedom!

“Land for each person!

“Food to keep you fed!

“Safety and rule of Law for EVERYONE!!!"

I was winding up now, heading towards mob mentality. Weirdly, that was what I needed at the moment, Moses did not lead the Hebrews out of Egypt with loving Kum-ba-yas. More likely, it was mass motivation and, possibly, a firestorm of arrows that saved them.

“I know your anger!

“I know your dreams!

“I bring you the answer to both!

“We will work together and create a Bright New Future!

“We have that future within our reach and the only thing that can stop us is US!”

I was using heavy emphasis and varying projection now, all of this just flowing from me. I was in the zone. It was like the battle zone, I thought. I knew it wasn’t the same type of thought line - it is hard to explain, but I was able to read their desire and respond. Scary, yet heady, stuff. Every cheer that went up energized me.

The crowd had grown and it seemed all the construction workers and clean-up volunteers from town had joined in. It was actually quite a large crowd.

“I am Zachariah Ebenezer Narrater and what I and my town offer you is hope and a chance.

“We will protect ourselves but we will also protect the Constitution of the United States!” Well, that fell kind of flat.

“We are Americans all!” Loud cheers for that, important to remember.

“We will all have the American dream!” They got very loud this time.

“Hard times are ahead but we are Americans!” Pause and allow the crowd to agree.

“We deserve Rulo and its rewards!” Said loud and positive.

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!!” Proclamation and crowd reaction.

“We refuse to be afraid!!”

Incredibly, they were silent for half a moment and then Brin, sitting next to me, barked a single bark and the crowd went wild.

I recognized the 'drop the mic' moment, so I stepped back and waited for the cheering to slow. I had to hold my hands up to get them back down to listening volume. Then I stepped back up again.

“The Captains are here to tell you what to do next. We shall conquer this challenge and we shall do it together!” With that, I turned away.

Just as if we needed to make things cooler, I held my hand out for my shotgun. Amos smoothly tossed it to me and I deftly caught it. It looked practiced. The only thing that would look cooler would be for him to fling my discarded hat to me.

He did and it was just as smooth.