P acifications …

»What is this supposed to mean?« Nigel says.

»Why don't you follow the map's instructions«, asks Kylie, »and take a step forward?«

 

And Professor Sideburns is taking a ridiculously wide step from the elevator cabin into the storage room. Within a second we assemble behind his back looking over his shoulders on the green treasure map.

 

»Hey!« Nigel exclaims. »The arrows are changing directions.«

 

After shaking and wavering for a short time the arrows on the map have turned and are now pointing to our left side.

 

ß

ß._.ß._.ß

ßß._._._ß_._._.ßß

ß._.ß._.ß

ß

|

»So this map has become some kind of a compass now?« the animal grumbles. »Or what is going on here?«

 

I let first my eyes and finally my entire body follow the arrows. They are pointing to that one space of the storage room walls - besides the one next to the light switch where the door used to be - that is not covered in shelves. With outstretched hand im going closer to the roughly bricked wall. I can almost sense the breathes of the others in my neck - so close they are. Now my forefinger is touching the stone.

 

»This is a normal solid wall…«, I am beginning my sentence when suddenly my fingertip is sinking into the wall as if it wasn't there. I am pulling back my forefinger. Did I feel something? Was it tickling? Did I sense a cold chill? Carefully I am approaching the wall again.

 

The fingertip of my forefinger disappears into the bricks as it seams, and now my whole right hand.

 

»Beware!« I can hear Kylie scream.

 

And Nigel shouts out, »How cool is this?«

 

They are close, too close, Kylie, Nigel, the professor and the llama. They are touching and now pushing me forward. At the same time the wall is developing a strong and strange suction function.

 

Hold me back, I want to shout out reaching my not yet sucked in hand behind me, but the wall already has my whole arm and now I am losing contact to the ground. I am falling, floating and finally flying with the others near by.

 

And suddenly the whole world bursts into a bright white flash … back …

🔶🔶🔶🔶🔶🔶🔶

🔶
🔶🔶🔶🔶🔶🔶🔶
🔶🔶🔶🔶🔶🔶🔶
🔶
🔶🔶🔶🔶🔶🔶🔶

Today is Wednesday, the 30th November 2022.

Flashback

E agle-eyeds …

»Where are we?« Professor Sideburns, the llama's archaeology professor, the animal and we used to call Professor Burnside, asks. »To be honest, this does not look like an ancient grave cave or treasure hole from old Greenolion.«

For a moment I do not know what the old white-haired and beared man is talking about. Than it comes back to me. I have almost forgotten that we are on a treasure hunt searching for the sunken island of Greenolion with a mysterious green treasure map.

And the professor is right. This windowless place - now lit by white-blue light of some neon lights at the ceiling - looks more like a storage room with shelves filled with cans and jars and dried spices and herbs at the walls and in the middle of the room forming two aisles in a very crowded room.

»I know exactly where we are, folks«, the llama says.

»You do?« Kylie asks. »Then why don't you tell us?«

»Do you remember the first virus lockdowns two and a half years ago?«

Something is beginning to dawn on me.

»When you tried to hide and keep the distance down in the elevator shaft?« I ask.

»BINGO!« The animal is grinning the wildest smile.

»I don't get it«, Nigel says.

»This is Speedy's storage room. I stole… ehm… borrowed food from here in my isolation. See that sink and faucet on the opposite wall? The water tastes quite salty but more than sweet and wonderful when you are nearly dying of thirst.«

»Quit exaggerating, animal«, I say.

»I still don't get it«, Nigel says.

»We are in the storage room of Speedy's Sandwich Bar & Café in the basement of the building on 666 Whitaker Lane. See that door over there? It leads to Speedy's - the restaurant's owner's and cook's - Mexican kitchen«, the llama is shouting excitedly.

»Still does not explain why the elevator brought us here and what we are to do«, Kylie mumbles.

»And, animal«, I add, »if I may draw your attention to this. There is no door.«

»What are you talking about, dude?« the llama says. »It is right here next to the illuminated light switch.«

We are all looking but there is no door. This storage room is completely window- and doorless.

»Blimey!« the llama is cursing. »How is this possible? I could have sworn the door was here as usual only a few moments ago.«

Now the professor who is still standing inside the elevator cabin clears his throat. He is holding and looking at the treasure map in his hands.

»Lady and Gentlemen«, Sideburns says, »the map is acting quite strangely if you want my oppionion. Take a look.«

I take a step back inside the cabin to the professor's right side. The rhomboid shapes on the map that used to show words and numbers have now turned into glowing arrows. And they are pointing forward, in front of the professor to the storage room.

 á

á._.á._.á

áá._._._á_._._.áá

á._.á._.á

á

|

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

🔸

Today is Tuesday, the 29th of November 2022.

Arrows

 

Two-thousand-eighteen Shades Of Bromford - Part 230

Today is Monday, the 28th of November 2022.

»Bromford?«

»Yes, llama, I can smell that slightly familiar smell, too. Like spices, chile peppers, perhaps, maize, beans, hot taco sauce, pork or beef with a hint of frying fat.«

»That is not what I wanted to say, dude«, says the animal. »We are in a strange environment today.«

»I can only agree to that if you mean in a broken elevator's cabin in complete darkness on floor 66 that should not exist.«

»No, it feels like some kind of quiz situation. Today is Monday, the 28th of November 2022. And it smells like lions and tigers or something in here. But I did not want to talk about olfactory sensory impressions now.«

»Wicked. Where did you learn those words, KussKuss?«

Is that Nigel's voice?

Kylie who seems to have read my thoughts answers my unspoken question, »Yes, we are still here with you, Bromford, the professor, my son and I.«

»Don't you see the light, humans?« the animal shouts out.

And yes, there it is, one faint light in the darkness.

»Today is the first day after the first Sunday of Advent this year«, Professor Sideburns starts a lecture. »Very early this year. I have read in a Christian publication it cannot be dated any earlier. And in some parts of the whole wide world people have a tradition to light a candle for each of the four Sundays of Advent before Holy Eve and Christmas. Maybe that light is one of those Advent candles.«

»Or it is just an illuminated light switch, dudes«, says the llama and turns on the lights.

🕯

🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯

🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯

🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯
🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯

"Bromford"

I'm merely standing on holes in the ground
If I fall over, they'll never know I'm found
I may leave, but I'll never go back there
I'm only stumbling on the things that I air

Like those days on the porch of your house
Tell you wrapped in the clothes of her ???

All those times you sent my brother down your road
Holding on to the dope that you sold
I knew then that we could never be blessed
I know it this way and I know what I confess

And I'm not
Gonna say
I forget
'Cause I remember
Every day

I play death in the space of my life
That's how I feel, and I'll never think it twice
All these things that I held against you
Who should we blame for the things that we do

Who blames who for the ways that we turn
This all grow and will never see you burn
Inside I feel like a child that's all
I'm only saying the things that I've been told

And I'm not
Gonna say
I forget
'Cause I remember
Every day

Every day

Two-thousand-eighteen Shades Of Bromford - Part 229

Today is Sunday, the 20th of November 2022.

Oh, England, my Lionheart...
Cats are the lions of modern times.
I met a man in Lyon who lived in his
flat with a great male lion...
For how long and if still... I don't know.
Always mind the wild, folks...

🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁
🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁
🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁
🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁

"Bromford Man"

It can only lead to trouble if you break my heart
If you accidentally crush it on the ides of March
I'd prefer you were straight forward
You don't have to go through all of that
I'm a Bromford city man, baby, and say "go" and that is that

Bromford city man, you just say "go" and that is that
I'm a Bromford city man, you just say "go" and that is that

It's far too complicated to make up a lie
That you'd have to remember and really why
I wouldn't want to be around you
If you didn't want to have me around
I'm a M-A-N-N man, you blink your eyes and I'll be gone

M-A-N-N man, you blink your eyes, honey, I love you, I'll be gone
Bromford city man, you blink your eyes and I'll be gone

Brutus made a pretty speech but Caesar was betrayed
Lady Macbeth went crazy but Macbeth ended slain
Ophelia and Desdamona dead leaving Hamlet in a play
But I'm no Lear with blinded eyes, say "go" and I am gone

The stars have shut their eyes up tight
The earth has changed it's course
A Kingdom sits on a black knight's back
As he tries to mount a white jeweled horse
While a clock full of butterflies on the hour
Releases a thousand moths
You say "leave" and I'll be gone
Without any remorse
No letters faxes phones or tears
There's a difference between bad and worse
I'm a Bromford city man, blink your eyes and I'll be gone
Bromford city - man, M-A-N, you blink your eyes and I'll be gone

Bromford city, I love you, Bromford city man
Bromford city, how I love you, blink your eyes and I'll be gone
Just a little grain of sand
Bromford city, ooohhh, how I love you
Bromford city, baby, blink your eyes and I'll be gone
Oh, how I love you

N ags …

The lights inside the elevator go out. Only the one number on the panel is shining its' blue light into the cabin's otherwise complete darkness.

66

From my point of view it looks like a third six is showing and flickering from time to time.

6

Six six six? The number of the beast again? My feeling about this is as bad as the llama's.

»Where are we?« whispers Kylie.

»Are we still moving?« Nigel asks after clearing his throat.

»Hard to say«, I say.

»Seems like the elevator doors are open«, the llama says. »I can feel it in my toes. Did you hear the BING!?«

»What bing?« asks Professor Sideburns.

»The elevator's opening sound«, I say. »But the elevator has been broken for so long that I do not remember if it always made that sound before.«

»Or only on strange advent journeys through time and space«, the llama burps out.

»Don't ask«, I say to the archaelogy professor.

»Try to open the doors, dude«, the animal demands.

I take a short glance at the elevator panel. There are only two blue sixs. I take that as slight sign of hope and some kind of savety.

The elevator doors are really open a crack. I put both hands between them and push them to the sides. Now they are open wide to complete darkness and an exotic but strangely familiar smell.

◽◽◽◽◽◽◽◽◽◽◽◽◽◽◽◽◽

Today is Thursday, the 17th of November 2022.

Exotic Darkness

D abbles …

»Feels like we are going down«, the llama whispers.

»What floor are we on?« Kylie asks.

»That is hard to say«, I answer.

The five of us are looking at the display of the elevator panel.

 88

»The display must be broken. The apartment-house on 666, Whitaker Lane, in Bromford, the friendly town by the bay and seaside, does not have eighty-eight storeys«, Nigel is stating the obvious

»Look!« the llama shouts out as kind of a countdown starts.

 

15

14

13

12

11

10

09

08

07

06

05

04

03

02

01

EE

But the elevator does not stop here although it does not feel like it is moving at all.

 -01

-02

-03

-04

-05

-06

»What is this?« Professor Sideburns asks. »Does this building have sub-levels?«

»Not that I know«, I say.

And the llama adds, »I have a bad feeling about this.«

-07

-08

-09

-10

-11

-12

-13

-14

-15

.

.

.

»Make it stop!« Kylie is crying out trying to hold on to something right before the elevator panel display returns to showing only one number.

66

Silent again we are exchanging concerned glances.

▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪

Today is Tuesday, the 15th of November 2022.

Bromford below.

Two-thousand-eighteen Shades Of Bromford - Part 228

Today is Saturday, the 12th of November 2022.

Oh, no! Not another catface, the wolf cried out.
So wolves cry out? Is that something you say in foreign Klingon language?
Just wondering...

🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱

"Bromford Delivery"

 

Last night I was cool

at the pool hall

Held the table for eleven games

Nothing was easier

than the first seven

I beat a woman with varicose veins.

 

She stopped to see

herself in the mirror

Fix her hair and hide heir veins

And she lost the game.

 

Next day I went to the dentist

He pulled some teeth

and I lost some blood

We'd like to thank you

for the cards you sent us

My wives and I were all choked up.

 

I recall how Caesar and Cleo

Made love in the Milky Way

They needed boats

and armies to get there

I know there's a better way.

 

I saw the movie and I read the book

But when it happened to me

I sure was glad I had what it took

To get away.

 

Gotta get away, gotta get away

Gotta get away, gotta get away

 

I'm making another delivery

Of chemicals and sacred roots

I'll hold what you have to give me

But I'll use what I have to use.

 

The lasers are in the lab

The old man

is dressed in white clothes

Everybody says he's mad

No one knows

the things that he knows.

 

No one knows, no one knows

No one knows, no one knows

 

I'm sleepin' in every hallway

I just can't accept the stares

I'm using too many covers

I'm warm now so I don't care.

 

I'm thinkin' of no one in my mind

Bromford delivery

is a job I know I'll keep

It sure was hard to find.

 

Hard to find. hard to find

Hard to find. hard to find