THE HABERDASHER

 

He felt a slight soft haze settle about him,

A gentle darkness and the soothing lull of coming sleep
Then a sudden tug from the left….
Now usually one may go a lifetime without ever hearing the word haberdasher outside of old comedy routines.
I would never even have noticed the shop had my wife not mentioned the word that evening.
But now I stood there at the door of the Haberdashery for the third day in a row!
Still the out date sign upon the door before me, now beginning to yellow and curl at the corners.
I’ve no idea why I was compelled to check it each day either. As if I were drawn to the door expecting something...
“Will reopen after holidays June 7th.”
It was now June 26th.I began to wonder if the sign in fact meant holidays beginning or ending June 7th?
When July came, to my astonishment a new sign had replaced it.
“Business moved” and yet my curiosity was only peaked, as the sign did not say where the business had moved.
Now I for reasons completely unknown to myself had taken it upon my shoulders to find the new establishment.
After 2 weeks of driving I’d visited 16.yes 16 haberdashers in this city.
16 haberdashers
Who the hell ever really used a haberdasher?
This is when I realized over half the shops where moving closed for repair and on holidays.
This seemed too odd to me
I had to extend my search to the next town, if I were to get to the bottom of it.
He felt a slight soft haze settle about him, a gentle darkness and the soothing lull of coming sleep
Then a sudden tug from the left….
The jiggle motion of the train was deceptive as to its actual speed,
Outside towns and farms glided by the window at a far pace.
Inside the train Dalsan came to notice the arm of the passenger across from him.
It was out of place, the weave of cloth was old, old and well tailored by hand.
Loomed by hand the cotton blends picked cleaned,
Combed and twisted into the types of cloth used long ago in Europe.
Dalsan also realized he had no reason to know these things nor to think about them,
But now that he had he wondered why he knew them and he felt rather disturbed.
He wondered why he felt out of sorts
Dalsan began to realize that he was indeed on a train
Without any knowledge of where he was coming from or where he was headed.
Daksan looked up at the man in the old hand tailored suit
Who sat looking right back at him with a sardonic smile and an air of quiet dignity.
He looked down at his sleeve and picked at a bit of fluff.
He said offhandedly while turning to the window.
“Awareness becomes easier each time, not to worry.”
“Whatever do you mean?” replied Dalsan, to be answered by a sardonic grin.
“The ah…Exchange” he cocked his gaze back to Dalsan
“Exchange?” Dalsan leaned toward the herringboned man.
“Yes” the laugh was more guttural.
“My is this your first? Now that would make matters interesting!”
He too leaned in and now the two jiggled as the train speed along
They sat eye to eye and Dalsan then noticed the ‘object’
He stared at it. Right in the centre of the suited mans forehead was a small jewel.
It was an opaque teardrop aqua coloured with bits of diamond and gold fleck
Dancing slowly, swirling in some vibrant gel.
Dalsan looked around, he began to feel very out of place, out of sorts
And he wondered when exactly was the last time he felt in’ sorts.
The man was tapping Dalsans wrist. “We all have them” he shrugged.
That’s how I knew you were …he trailed off watching Dalsan looking at the other people,
Looking for jewels, looking lost.
“Oh Dear!” the man exclaimed, “You’re a new born!”
“Now what are the chances of that?”
“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about, I must confess I do not think I am well at all.”
Oh I’d think not I’d think not you’re not yourself are you?” he grinned but answered his own question.
“No I suppose not…Well to tell you the truth I know no protocol in the matter…”
The man tapped his chin and made thinking faces in various degrees of growing complexity.
“Well… where to start where to begin…”
He gathered himself and took Dalsans hands in his steadily holding his gaze.
“I’ll tell you things and they will seem very strange,
But you will feel the truth of them inside you, understand?” he gave a great sigh.
“Hmmm feel your forehead you have an opal as well…see”
Dalsan did feel it and he did see.
The man continued while Dalsan puzzled about his forehead.
“Notice no one looks at as? They do not see us …in short we are not actually here
Are in transference.”
And the words were strange but Dalsan knew these things were true just the same.
“Our kind, our people are not of this place, we came here long ago.
Before humans could talk I myself swam in these seas as did you.”
Now he looked out the window as he spoke in memories.
There were 3000 of us that made the trip from Gh ing zummuur.
And the earth was fresh and new and very active!
But soon we began to sicken and our people began to die.
The medical community found it was because we did not exist entirely on the same plane as this planet,
Our very substance was killing us.”
“Listen because these encounters between our kind are few and far between.
You’ll feel well soon enough for now let it surface to say you were just reborn!”
“I feel your being honest and yet the.”Dalsan was cut off again.
“Less time then I anticipated my friend I feel it coming now…”
“Our people only survive here by utilizing the humans as hosts
But they are so very short lifespan and we impregnate only the adults.
You have just been given a new host, but you are a first-born.
Bred of two who met like we now meet on a half plane of existence in a window crack of time
We slide through earth time helplessly shifting sometimes for years we stay other times only moments.
It seems to me you have been birthed by two zummar
Who by chance met in the same time and now you have been given a host.
Much a kin to a deer falling from its mother’s womb,
Sorry if I’m not making the ground any softer, but imp about to leave …remember what I’ve said…
“What did …”?
He was gone….
The train clacked along and people talked while Dalsan wondered what strange dream he had.
Time travel and alien beings time shifting on alternate planes he was so tired, he closed his eyes
He felt a slight soft haze settle about him, a gentle darkness and the soothing lull of coming sleep
Then a sudden tug from the left….
Dr he, s struggling again!’ the Nurse turned away from Dalsan in panic;
her hands bloodied her eyes tear-filled.
“Jesus Dr look what he did, John is hurt bad this time I think we should call an ambulance.
“We cant have anyone evolved in this Nurse it would mean both our…. Shit.”
He lunged past the nurse to knock Dalsan on his ass. Get Stanley Now!"
As he said it Stanley and the security guard came in one look a soft-spoken “fuck what happen to john?”
And they jumped at Dalsan who spun around and landed sideways on the gurney
They pinned him and the Dr and Nurse pulled the padded leather cuffs around his wrists and ankles.
“Let me go!” Dalsan pleaded,” dear god please just let me go “
“Yes we know” said Stanley ” Your not a mental patient" he almost leered as he continued
"You’re an alien life form shifting through time waiting for the day the others come.”
Good said the Dr keep him talking until she gets the syringe ready.
“No” shaking violently and screaming Dalsan pulled fruitlessly at the restraints
“Please no the drugs interfere with my system, they stop me from traveling.”
Seeing the nurse pump the needle empty of air and the Dr flicking his arm Dalsan was beyond panic…
if they would just let him go without the damn drugs he would eventually leave,
how could he prove he was telling them the truth is they wouldn’t let him travel?
He bellowed like a forlorn animal out of sheer desperation and frustration.
A scream that echoed around that dank ill lit room.
A scream that was cut off as the Nurse injected the mixture of sedatives into his bloodstream
The thorozine reaching towards his mind.
He repeated over and over to himself hoping to make himself remember
I'm not a mental patient I am a citizen of Zummar I am not a mental pa….”
He felt a slight soft haze settle about him, a gentle darkness and the soothing lull of coming sleep
Then a sudden tug from the left..
It was a very quite day .
Kumar straightened his counter slid the order forms into his portfolio before going to the coat rack.
It was warm today so he carefully folded the worn herringbone jacket over his arm
and opened the well-oiled door of the shop.
Then upon remembering he went back
took out the sign to place upon the door for any curious customers.
He taped it over the open/closed sign while he turned the lock. It read.
“Will reopen after holidays June 7th.”
With a sardonic grin he turned and strode away from his haberdashers shop
Passing the bakery he wondered if he should get a sweetie but on second though
He felt slightly queasy, slightly odd.
As he waited for the light to change at the street corner he yawned
He felt a slight soft haze settle about him,
a gentle darkness and the soothing lull of coming sleep
Then a sudden tug from the left….