Date: Wed, 22 Feb 1995 07:11:02 -0700
Title: Neighborhood encounter

"Eagle bites the weasel.
Weasel bites back.
They fly up to nowhere.
Weasel keeps hangin' on.
Together forever."
        Laurie Anderson

It wasn't just the lyrics, all the sounds of it
made me cry.  I fought the tears as I always do when
something strikes me as overwhelming and beautiful and reminds
me of someone now gone.  Nothing to share, just something to
deal with. Something wonderful.

Ely.si.um \i-'liz(h)-e--*m\ n [L, fr. Gk E-lysion] 1: the abode of the good
   after death in classical mytholody 2: PARADISE


Suddenly I realized I was being shaken, awakened from half-
sleep.  I had nearly fallen asleep with the headphones on while listening
to an album.

It was Jeanie.
She had pulled the earphones from my
head.  I could hear the song chiming from the earphones
as she spoke, "Will you come out and play with me, out front?  I
don't wanna go out there 'less someone's watchin', ok?"

"Come on out with me so I can ride my bicycle,
please?  I'm 'fraid to go alone."  She pulled my hand with
her child's grip, I let it seem like she was pulling me up.

Out of the corner of my eye. Was that it? Something following her?
As she rode her bicycle I strained to see beyond her, but
I saw nothing unusual and was about to dismiss my misgivings
when she swerved to miss a plastic trash can
and went down.  Her first flop. On the sidewalk.
Of course she screamed like her whole body was reeking
with pain, but I could tell she wasn't badly hurt.

I ran to untangle her from the bicycle but
I was stunned and stepped back as she and the bike rose from
the ground and hovered independently.  I moved to
catch her just in time to stop her from being dropped or thrown down!
The bicycle was slammed to the sidewalk with
such an impact that it bent the handle bars and knocked off one of
the pedals.

Jeanie was crying and trembling.  I could see the fear in her eyes.
I remember thinking that the fear in MY eyes was what was making her
tremble and cry, but I was wrong.

Her whole body wrenched and turned in my arms as if something was
tugging at her, then just as suddenly she relaxed.  "I'm ok.
Let me down, I wanna look at the bicycle."  She walked around the
bike and picked up the twisted pedal, "I wanna keep this, OK?"



So Wednesday is upon us and we are experiencing HUMP DAY.
This seems like a LONNNNNG week so far.  Sorry this is such a
lonnnng segment.

love ya,

d.