PAST LIFE DIARY

TAKING CHARLIE HOME (Jeremy) Charles is running with his arms spread, roaring like an aeroplane. " Paw! Paw! " he adds as an extra sound effect. We ' re in a tunnel. It ' s getting late. " Charlie " I say, but he doesn ' t seem to hear it. " Charles! " I say, more sternly, " We gotta go home. " He looks at me, now quiet but not intent on quitting. I think he ' ll tell me to leave, but he says: " Stay… Today… " He ' s obviously intoxicated. " What?! " I shout. I tell him no, that he has to go home for supper. " Supper? " he says, " Dupper! " So, he ' s in the mood for rhymes, okay. I say: " Come on. Your mom… " " Mama! " he loudly interrupts, index finger in the air, then pauses. " Mama… " he says, now quieter, followed by something I can ' t identify. It must be Pawnese or Cherokee. Q: Why would he know either of those?? Jeremy: He ...

JASON IN TROUBLE (Jeremy) This describes the incident referred to in story 409 - Pipe dream. It ' s dark outside. " Jay-Jay! " I say, coming into the bar. He ' s standing by the opposite wall, holding his hands up with the palms facing the sides of his head. He rushes towards me, looking down. " Money " he says. " Oh, you want money? " I say, grabb ing into my pocket. " What did he have? " I ask the people standing around. One young man is standing by the pool table, holding the cue stick upright, looking at me. " Hey, we don ' t appreciate him coming here " he says. " I get it, yes " I reply hurriedly, as if trying to prevent more provocation. He says: " Why don ' t you take that… " - he looks out the window, jerking his chin in the direction of my pickup truck - " … and get out of here before the police come. " " Yeah! The police! " another young man anxiously adds ,...

PIPE DREAM (Jeremy) I see a pipe with a black stem, brown bowl , and a metallic ring in between. This is not the first time I see this particular pipe in a session. I see and feel it so clearly and detailed, like an object I ' m very familiar with and have fond feelings for. I had a similarly detailed experience once concerning Jehan ' s sword, amazed at the intensity of emotion I - as Jehan - felt for such a sharp and lethal instrument. This time it was a pipe. It's not an object I ' ve ever been familiar with in my current life, let alone have fond feelings for, considering my allergy to all types of smoking. I assumed it was Herman ' s pipe, till I found myself holding it with my left hand. Was this Jeremy? Or was Herman left-handed too? It tastes so good, so comforting. I take a draw into my right cheek. The radio ' s on at a low volume. The music stops, and now someone ' s talking… about the weather. I look out through the slits of the closed shut...

SOLITARY CONFINEMENT (Jan) It ' s dark. I ' m not expecting any light. I feel peaceful. I ' m walking around, bent over, touching the irregular walls. I hear some voices, high-pitched, but male. People are coming! I ' m so glad I ' ll have some company. They sound older than me, but still young. I hear the door opening softly. I don ' t say anything, assuming that they'll see me. I ' m just standing here looking in their direction as if I can see them. ' You! ' the guard says. I assume I ' m the " you " he ' s referring to, but he doesn ' t say anything else, so I ' m left to guess which gesture he made. I thought he beckoned me to go stand against the wall, but then someone snatches me by the arm and pulls me towards the door, not leaving me a chance to socialize with the newcomers. They don ' t say anything either, but I felt one of them breathing close by. I practically stumble over my shackles as the guard pu...

THE END OF A DAY (Melinde) I ' m outside in the field, looking at the horses passing by as they practice. I hear two men laughing and talking as they come walking from the left in my direction. I hold my arms crossed in front of me. The inner lining of my clothing is heavy against the cold. I feel peaceful. Sunset is something I never want to miss. It ' s a ritual. If the sun is always there for this ritual, so should I. There ' s a lot of talk from the men, now off the horses. They take turns. I wish they would stop moving around, blocking the view. I have some coins in my right pocket. I ' m saving up - to buy a horse, maybe. Alright... The day is done, and I have work to do, cleaning the leather armors and tending to the men ' s sore feet. Keeping the feet healthy is very important. I carry one of the men ' s weapons to his tent, and lay them in their proper place. I then come out of the tent and say ' goodnight ' . He seems to have other plans. ...

THE PEARLS (Daria) I see a dark gray tear drop shape, roughly representing the shape of the place I ' m in - a kind of cave or crater. It ' s nighttime. I must stay here for some time and wait till my companion finds me. I have jewels with me, but I don ' t know if they ' re valuable enough to sell. It ' s getting chilly, and I rub my arms, shivering and stomping my feet. I start to hum to keep up my spirit s . That way it will be morning soon. I look forward to feeling the warmth of the sun. I wake up in fetal position, sunlight piercing in my eyes. Apparently, I fell asleep anyway. I look around. No one ' s here yet. I listen to hear if perhaps he's above the ground. I think I hear him. " Haamen " I say. She calls him by a shorter version of his name Haamedo. The " d " always sounds like something in between a " d " and an " n " in both Haamedo and Made edo. He peers down over the edge, squatti...