A.G.E's Joint

Jerry climbed in the boat, looking like he’d lost a knife fight. Three gashes were visible, the largest sporting a makeshift tourniquet. Three inches long and shallow enough not to need stitches. It did use all the gauze they had, though. Given the circumstances, they had to go back. The last bit of tape went over the cut as the rain started. Thunder rolled as they skidded across the lake. A smudged rainbow arced behind them as pulled up, belying the storm to come. After tying up, they grabbed the camera and booked it up to Jim’s cabin for showers. Afterward, they settled with some Chinese delivery to see what they captured. The video flickered on the laptop screen. Sienna brown punctuated with an occasional curious bass, just like the first dive. The rhythmic in and out of Jerry's regulator soothed their ragged nerves. Jim thought of late night TV ads he would see hawking sleep aids. Maybe there was a market for this. About three minutes in the wreck came into view, the gap...

He resembled an over sized frog, kicking from bow to stern and back. Diving solo is not recommended for a reason, you could distribute some of the gear. He would swim a little, then stop to adjust an item. Rinse and repeat. Finally, he surfaced and cleared the regulator. And with a kick, Jerry faded into the murky depths. Jim was left alone with his thoughts. As he turned on the radio, a whippoorwill called to his mate. It sounded as lonely as he was. It would be a little bit before the dive began in earnest. A breeze started to pick up, making the air suddenly fresh. A dark cloud bank was forming on the opposite shore. An owl hooted in response to the false darkness. Slipping on the headset, something became apparent. They wouldn't finish today. He was too old to be chasing ghosts. This whole project was like a bad late night movie, one in particular he used like, "The Tell Tale Heart." The main character was haunted by the sound of the heart of the man he had...

Jim took the helm while Jerry suited up. The surface was almost glass smooth this early. He took a sip of coffee and put the mug back in the holder. When Jerry finished, he sat on the bench and sighed. "This is bizarre." Jim laughed and took a slug of coffee. "We're all pretty bizarre when you think about it. Some of us are just better at hiding it." Jerry snorted. "Thank you, Andrew." With a laugh, they settled down for rest of the trip. It was important to be focused. Ashy clouds drifted over the tree line on the far shore. He shrugged. They had been diving for a long time and knew preparation was key. He made a mental list of the equipment, four double tank rigs, a GoPro, and a slick radio rig. Jim had gotten it in trade a while back and it made things easier. Bags of strawberries and nuts were on the dashboard and a couple of gallons of water in the cooler. You didn’t want to eat a lot, but getting dehydrated caused cramps. As h...

The sun was over the trees behind him, leaving pieces of the dream... The dream. Was it a judgement on him? How could he be judged if he wasn't there and knew nothing of the events. Painfully, he shook his head to the side and caught sight of the coffee cup. It said “Don’t worry. Be Happy.” Sure. I’ll do that. Grumbling, Jim sat up and slammed down the steaming liquid. Blinking and rubbing his eyes improved the focus. Jerry was in the chair eating, unwashed face still sporting bits of sour cheese. The 50lb weight on his shoulders kept him pinned to the bed. It was hard to keep his head from sinking to his chest. Jerry smiled. "Good Morning, Sunshine!" The sound was like a cartoon pot had been put over his head and struck. His hands involuntairly covered his ears. "Fuck you." He moaned. "...and the horse you came in on." That brought a laugh. "My aren't we grumpy today." Taking a gulp from his cup, Jerry pointed to the t...

The empty box on the table stood as a testament to the battle against the munchies. Jim stood up and looked at Jerry comatose in his chair. Mozzarella and flecks of tomato sauce scattered along the edge of his mustache. The mouth looked tasty, good enough to eat. He was close enough to smell the stale smoke and sweat. This weed must be good. In all the years Jim had known Jerry, he'd never wanted to do kiss him. Silence closed in as he paced around the deck. Poppng the cap on another beer he found an unlabeled CD. With a shrug, he stuck it in the portable player and turned up the volume. Operatic riffs of Metallica filled the cabin. Jerry stirred and let out a huge snore. The reaction struck him funny. He thought of all the pranks he could pull. He began to giggle and it went on for a until exhaustion came. An old church pew sat on the port wall. God only knows where it had come from. The hard wood wasn't the most comfortable place he had ever crashed, but it would ha...