Dream Job

The heavy metal doors swung shut behind Dawson Burns and the guards began locking them down.

"Welcome to Grey Town, Mr. Burns," said Sam.

"Thank you, I look forward to getting a good nights sleep tonight," Dawson replied taking his hat off and hitting it against the side of his leg to get the dust off.  He looked around at the countless shacks and huts scattered about.  It was one of the largest settlements in the country now and housed over five thousand people.

"You'll find the inn up the main road here.  The owner's name is Dan Morrison.  Tell him I sent you, he'll hook you up with a nice little room, maybe some company."  Sam winked and clapped Dawson on the shoulder before walking away towards the town square.  Dawson smirked, finding Sam's seedy personality to be amusing.  He set off down the street, his dusty, gray trench coat billowing in the high winds that always blew across the Wastes.  His heavy duty boots caused dust to cloud up with every step, but he did not mind.  He was dirty enough already, and his main focus now was getting a drink and a place to stay.

He reached the inn and stopped to look it over from the outside.  It appeared to be as sleazy and dirty as any inn in any town on the Wastes, except much larger.  Drunken men and women stumbled out, some stumbling in, already having drunk much.  Dawson walked inside and as he entered the sounds of drunken laughter and shouting met his ears.  Me sat around tables smoking, drinking, and playing cards.  Slutty women littered the place, rubbing men's shoulders and serving drinks.  Dawson approached the bar and set his hat on the counter as the bartender walked over.

"Bottle of whiskey please," Dawson said.  The bartender reached under the counter and set a bottle and a glass on the counter.  "I was told to tell you that Sam sent me."

"Ah, you must be his friend Dawson, he told me about you," the bartender said.  "The name's Jed."

"Good to meet you, Jed."

"And you Dawson.  I'll have one of the girls show you to a room, just let me know when you're ready.  Care for some company tonight?"

"No thank you."

"Suit yourself."

Jed walked away to help other customers and Dawson turned around, glass of whiskey in hand, to face the room full of people.

His attention was caught by a group of men in the far corner.  There were five of them and they were all seated around a small circular table.  They were playing a game of cards.  Many men at many tables were playing card games, but what caught Dawson's eye were the weapons they had.  They were expensive weapons like the ones that people from the big cities owned.  These men were not from around here.  All the big cities were back west, mostly in Newcalee.  Three of the men had fancy scoped rifles slung across their backs, .48 caliber pulse rifles by the looks of them.  Another man had an assault rifle leaning against his chair.  It was one of the armor piercing guns that held the deadly .22 dart round, capable of piercing almost any armor, even a tank's shell.  The last man had a shotgun sitting across his lap.  Most men who carried shotguns had one of the older double barrel shotguns or a pump-action that shot the cheap and common 9 gauge scatter-shot rounds.  But this man's shotgun was a lever-action with a magazine, and by the size of it it looked like it held 16 gauge slug rounds, pulse slugs most likely.  Each man carried a seven round cylinder revolver, .44's by the looks of them.  Their cloths were on the higher-end also.  Shiny black boots and dark pants with belts and tucked in shirts, vests and ties.  Long tench coats hung from their chairs, and bowler hats sat on the table in front of them.  They were quiet and intent on their card game, but Dawson saw their eyes scanning the room around them every so often.  They were aware of their surroundings.  Dawson downed the rest of his whiskey from the glass, grabbed his hat the the bottle and walked over.  He pulled up a chair and sat down right near them, tipped back in his chair, crossed his legs and looked at them.  After a moment the men set their cards down and turned to Dawson.

"Evening gentlemen," Dawson said cordially.

"Good evening to you as well," said the man with the shotgun.  He was clearly the leader, and his accent confirmed that they were from Newcalee.

"Where about are you all from?"  Dawson asked.

"Back west, we're on government business," the leader replied, and they all turned back to their card game as if the conversation was over.

"Is that so?  I've got family back west.  I came out here for work.  What kind of work do you do?"

"Not really any of your business is it?  Now if you'll excuse us," said another man man, his right hand twitching towards his assault rifle.

"Nice weapons you have there," said Dawson.  "You don't see fancy guns like those out here too often.  I suppose the west is wealthier though, you all can afford more."

"Yes," said one of the riflemen coolly.  "So that being the case, may I ask why you came out here for work?"  Yes, Dawson had engaged them in conversation.

"There was a particular job I wanted that I couldn't get back west," Dawson said in an almost bored tone.

"What job is that?"  asked the leader.

"Oh, none of your business now is it?"  Dawson said with a chuckle and a wink.  A couple of the men chuckled as well, but the leader did not look amused.

"Are you from Gray Town?"

"No, I came from a town called Middlelake about fifty miles north of here.  I'm visiting a friend for a few weeks."

"What's your name?"

"I would love to tell you all, if you would tell me yours."  The men glanced at each other and leader nodded.

"My name is Jason," said the the leader.

"Rick," said the man with the assault rifle.

"Mike...Jared...Anon," said the three men with the rifles.

"Good to meet you all, the name is Dawson, Dawson Burns."

"Pleasure to meet you as well Mr. Burns," said Jason, "now would you care to tell us what you do for a living?"

"Well, if you're really that interested, I'll humor you.  I'm a courier.  I actually first got hired back west in San Diego.  I was sent out here to work for the American Republic Corporation.  I move items and packages up and down the east coast for them, sometimes on my own, sometimes in caravans.  What about yourselves?"  Dawson hoped they would be more obliged to tell him what they were doing here since he had been open with them, if not totally honest.

"Like we said before, we're doing a job for the government," said Jason.

"Which government?" asked Dawson, "I mean there technically are two you know."

"The Newcalee Republic.  And the NR and the ARC work together, despite their separations."

"They do indeed.  I often work with other couriers from the NR.  So let me guess.  You work for the NR, you're on 'government business' and you won't say what exactly.  You're mercenaries right?"  Jason paused then nodded.

"Yes," he said.  "We're looking for someone, our orders are to bring them back."

"What did this man do?"

"That's classified.  We're not supposed to discuss our mission with anyone, but you may be able to help us.  In fact we're headed north to Middlelake.  We had to stop at Gray Town to meet an informant.  Unfortunately he hasn't shown."

"You're looking for someone in Middlelake?  That's a small town.  I haven't been there long, just a few weeks, but I already know everyone there, that's how small it is."

"Good, then you might be more help than I thought.  You probably know the guy we're looking for."

"It's a possibility yes," Dawson said with a smile.  His hand slowly and stealthily moved to his waist to the handle of his .45 automatic pistol.

"Like I said, we're not really supposed to talk about the mission with strangers...but seeing as you'll be able to help us, I don't see any harm in it.  The man we're looking for, well we have no idea what he looks like.  But we know he goes my the name of Murdoc.  He's a contract killer.  We've never been able to get a hold of the people who hire him, but we've got plenty of evidence to nail him.  He's nothing more than a hired murderer.  He's a bounty hunter, he kills whoever he gets paid to kill.  The government does its best to keep that sort of stuff from being practiced."

"Times have changed you know, the world isn't what it used to be.  Law is a little different now."  Dawson said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"The government thinks otherwise.  The NR is trying to restore the country to what it once was, in terms of law and politics anyway,"  Jason said with a frown.  "Law is in the hands of the government, not of vigilantes."

"Well that could certainly be a bad thing.  I think the way government was before the fallout is sort of what caused the fallout in the first place, wouldn't you agree?"  Dawson asked.

"Well, I was only a little kid before the fallout, I don't remember much of politics and government," Jason replied thoughtfully.

"Well, I wasn't very old either, but I was old enough to understand that the government had no clue what it was doing.  Governments were good at one thing, starting wars and turning their countries into socialistic hell-holes.  I see the government trying to work its way back to that.  I don't think that's right."

"Well, whatever the governments plan may be, do you still think it's right for a murderer to go free?"

"This man is not a murderer, you yourself said he is a contract killer, or a bounty hunter."

"Same difference.  Either way we've been told to retrieve him and bring him back to Newcalee to await trial.  Are you going to help us or not?"

"Sure I'll help.   You say he goes by Murdoc?"  Dawson stood up and put his hat on his head.

"Yes," said Jason eyeing Dawson.  Jason had an uneasy feeling and was moving his hand towards his revolver.  "Do you know him?"

"Oh yes, I know him alright.  But I'm afraid he won't be able to return to Newcalee with you.  He has other plans."  In a fluid motion Dawson pulled his .45, shot and killed each man with a single shot, and then returned his gun to his holster.  The whole inn had gone quiet.  Every eye was on Dawson, but no one moved.  Jed stood frozen, a mug of beer in one hand and a towel in the other.  Dawson turned to everyone and smiled.

"Don't mind me, I'll just be on my way."  He grabbed one of the .48 caliber scoped pulse rifles and any extra ammunition as well as cash from the bodies.  "The rest of their stuff is up for grabs, they've got some nice stuff on them folks."

Dawson walked to the entrance.  Before he left he pulled a gold coin from his pocket and tossed it to Jed who was at a nearby table.  "For your troubles," said Dawson leaving.  As soon as the door shut behind him he heard a rush of footsteps as the people inside ran to grab what they could from the bodies of the Newcalee lawmen.

As Dawson walked down the road his friend Sam came running up to him.

"What the hell happened Dawson, I heard gunshots from the town square," he said.

"Yes...I had a bit of trouble at the inn.  Looks like I won't be able to stick around as long as I was hoping."

"Well before you go, your number one employer wants to see you.  He has another job for you."

"Good.  I'll see him and be on my way.  You might want to think about getting out of town as well.  The NR is looking for me, and probably anyone associated with me.  The ARC will probably be after us soon as well."

"It was only a matter of time," Sam sighed shaking his head.

"I knew this job wasn't going to be easy," said Dawson with a chuckle.

Forest Floor

Scattered with green lichen, soft glowing moss
Fallen leaves and twigs of snapped fingers of trees
Twinkling stars peer through the branches, eyeing the busy cities
Not of humans but animals, and critters and things
Tiny creatures, fairies and miniature trolls, unicorns and dragons
Minotaurs and centaurs, druids and fauns and bugs large and small
Dwarfs came too, from far away lands, not the forest but the mountains
Stone was their strength, rock solid and grim their faces
The elves were there also, just passing through
They came from the heart of the forest, where magic grew
The humans are far away, unaware of the life within
The trees hold them back and protect the secret held deep
They go about their business, busy and working hard
They have no adventures and they drive violently in their cars
But deep in the forest, roaming the floor, are adventurers right and left
Large and small of all sorts of races, ogres and giants were a rare treat
To see such towering massive brutes, with hearts as large as boulders
They were frightening to look at, but friendly once you got to know them
They were all apart of the adventure
And everyday was a new adventure, but the humans never knew
Their dull drab lives were lived on, while the forest was truly alive
All the creatures, big and small, knew the secret to happiness
It was not fame or fortune, or even forcing a smile
But adventure, oh adventure, that was where it lay
It was not easy, nay life was not made to be easy
But that only added to the excitement, and added to the joy
The creatures they knew what they were here for
They weren't made to live easy lives, and the adventures were all around
Not easy, but challenging and trying, but they brought joy
Because in the end the suffering was worth the reward, and oh joy!
What an adventure they all had, those forest creatures
While the humans live on in their own world, complaining and sorrowful
Because they didn't know their lives were adventures, so they put them away
They lived them like all humans, boring and dull, the same thing
Day after day and not knowing the truth, happiness found in work
Work is your adventure, every day around you, adventure adventure
But the forest knew it, and all who lived there too
All those creatures who walked the forest floor

Imagination

Fruit loops and happy things, silly string and water balloons
Water guns and bright colored flowers, breakfast for dinner and chocolates
Staying up late and sleeping in, going on adventures wherever we want
Crazy times and crazy ideas, head-banging music and dancing
Being silly just because we can not caring what other people think
We're too cool, we're too much fun for everyone else
I bet their jealous because we're having the time of our lives
When they're in their day jobs and we're still partying
No matter where we are, we're having fun, we're on adventures
Summer time, ukuleles, banjos, guitars, pianos, singing songs
Oh the good times are rollin' and we're just showin'
Everybody what we're made of, and we're made of fun and games
All day long, and we'll be goofballs and we'll be silly
Because life is too fun to take so serious, and we remember
So many people forget that, but not you and I, because yeah, we're cool
We be fly, whatever the heck that means, but it works I guess
Whatever slang terms we can think of that mean flat out stinkin' awesome
Well, we can use those terms, and even if other people don't agree
Who cares?
The beach, the sand, the rolling waves, the way you laugh, you're cute smile
Oh the wind that's blowin' your hair and carrying us along
In our big red balloon, flyin' high above the road watching
Watching all the cars they're driving like ants, hurrying and rushed
But baby we got all the time in the world, and we're just smiling to ourselves
We're flyin' we're floating we're having the time of our lives
And who's going to stop us, no one can take away our imagination
And boy, do we have imagination

Tonight

I lie awake in my bed in the summer time with my window open
Blinds up and the moonlight shining, lighting up everything
I sit and I make up fairy tales and fantasies about you and I
About when we're together having adventures all the time
And if you stop and think it's not far from reality because
You and I have imaginations that soar high above
We'll be whatever we want to, whenever we feel like it
We can be marauding pirates or spacemen in spaceships
Today we'll climb Mt. Everest, tomorrow we'll fight baboons
Next week we'll swim in the ocean, and float on red balloons
I might have to pack sunglasses because we'll travel to the sun
But the only thing that will melt is my heart because I'll be with you
And when those sad times come, when we have to say goodbye
We don't feel as sad because we know that we can dream tonight
I swear I'm not laughing at you, but I'm laughing at myself
Because I'm the biggest fool whenever I'm hanging out with you
Whenever my eyes meet yours I pretend I'm looking at the shore
When the waves comes rolling in and the sun is shining all around 
You and I will spend tonight side by side on the cool, clean grass
Looking up at the stars that shine and laying down on our backs
We'll point up and make some shapes like hearts and flowers too
Then we will sail among the heavens in a great hot air balloon 
And when those sad times come, when we have to say goodbye
We don't feel as sad because we know that we can dream tonight

Giving It All You've Got

When you're in that giddy mood
But it's between a point of heartbreak and a smile
Cracked at the top broken in the bottom
You got something to say, you've got to mean it
Talk to me, talk to me make me feel it more
If this is how we're going to be then I'm OK
You just make laugh, you make me smile
Just like before but better
Is it better or am I just saying that?
Either way I'm happy, for you, for me, for us
When you're in that pity mood, feeling sorry
Not for yourself, but for everyone else and you know
Something's going to change even if it kills you
Because you can't go backwards, you gotta go up
Forwards, not down, and keep smiling
Because you know that you got work to do
Hard work and lots of it, give it give it all
Because everyone is worth it, because you don't live
Live for yourself, no, you live for others
And look at me now, look at us, the things we've learned
We're OK you and I, and I'm thinking it'll be great
And in the end in the end things are great
And everyone is happy and those fairy tale endings
The ones we thought we'd never see, they're there
And you're dancing with the love of your life
Everything is right and everything is good
Baby give it all you got
You've got to give it all you've got

The Gossamer Night

Sky, oh sky, the vast expanse its beacons
Clouds, swiftly and softly as the sun's soft glow illuminates
The setting begins, as twinkling diamonds appear
The sky, oh the sky, a brilliant shade of purple further up
Blood red, bright orange and pink horizon-ward
Trees set against, outlined in light, still and silent
The quiet of a summer night sets in, only crickets
Only chirps from those tiny insects playing their piece
Off, far away, the screech, the howl, the night creatures' cry
Echo softly in the valley, sounding, bounding empty
The darkness slowly creeps in and the moon beams
It's turn is up, it's time has come
Gracefully it rises, craters showing, surface glowing
Arching it's neck the North Star points forward, blinking
As if to say, that way, adventure is that way
But you are silent, you are sleeping
Quietly, safely in your bed, soft sheets covering you
Comfortably situated, the silken night moves around you
Deep sleep, pleasant dreams of someone you love
Somewhere you know, somewhere you've never been
A mystery, sprinkled with soft sparkling lights
Waiting, it is calling, and you are wading
Wading through streams of gossamer, hands brushing softly
Eyes fixed forward, the mind alert but content
All is well, all is peaceful, and your adventure begins
The North Star is pointing, and you are walking
Walking in dreams, guided by soft lights
The ones you love, your dearest friends
You begin your adventure and so starts the greatest end
And so it ends, and you wake
The morning sun greets you and you smile
Rested, at peace, a new day dawns
Good morning as you step from your bed of dreams
Another day worked towards another night
A halcyon night walking in gossamer streams