Brad's Worlds

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

The Life and Times of Brad part 6

Free Hit Counters
Ugg Boot

What an experience!!!!! As I lie in my semi-comfortable hospital bed surrounded by instruments that could scare any giant of a man into submission, I think back on the past.....I'm not sure how long it's been. I found myself in my semi-comfortable bed a short while ago. How long was I out? I had no idea and no way to find out that I could figure. My head hurt like I've never felt. Let me tell you what happened. Forgive me if I fade in and out.
Just before New Years, I thought about where in time I would love to travel to. I received a comment asking when I was traveling into the future and figured I should take a gander.
Future Paris, furure London, future New York? I've never been to those places so I decided to stick with an area I'm familiar with. New Orleans. I picked a random time to travel to. I think it was 3106. I really don't remember exactly but that's not the focus of the story. I stepped onto the sidewalk and was amazed. The french quarter was preserved but enormous buildings surrounded it. Let me be clear about this. I don't mean buildings like the Eifel Tower or the ill fated World Trade Center buildings. The vast majority of the buildings disappeared into the clouds overhead. And the clouds.... What an odd color. Pink and orange clouds as far as the eye could see. This was the middle of the day. The cars? Where are the cars? I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The best way I know how to describe it is to say it looked like a Ski lift. In a way it worked like a trolly system. It went as far as the eye could see in either direction. The lifts, as I call them, were set up with cars about a 50 feet apart with a large awning that covered the whole length. They came by in a precise pattern. A lift that would carry 2 or three people, then another of the same size, then one that would carry a large group of 8 or so, and one very large enclosed one that I assumed was for delivering packages. I could see no form of payment for this lift. The people would just stand in front of a lift vehicle and it would slow allowing them to sit. Then a beep and it was off again. Could transportation be free? Surely not. My mind began to wander. I bet they have a system that would automatically recognize them and deduct a certain amount from a bank account somewhere. That's probably what's happening there. The people wore.....
They are starring at me as hard as I'm starring at my surroundings. I look at myself and realize that I obviously look out of place in my denim jeans and t shirt. They wore a kind of synthetic clothing I've never seen. No visibly seams, buttons, or zippers. Some starred at my hair. I have an average 30 year old male haircut..... Thinning but still present. No one else in my sight had hair at all. Not even the children. Their skin was slightly darker than mine. They didn't look like black, white, asian, or spanish people. It was more like a combination of all of them. I spoke to them as they passed but even stranger looks did I get. Wanting to see more of the future Big Easy, I stepped in front of the lift. It slowed, I sat, and off we were. The lift didn't beep like the others but I was moving and happy to be here.
Wow!!!! This is such a difference. I don't even know how to describe it all. The city was very quiet to be as big as it is. No cars, no trains, just the lifts very low hum. Even the source of lighting looked different. I didn't get a good look at them but I didn't see any light bulbs as I'm used to seeing. It appeared that the ball of light was just floating there in place. Interesting.
As I got to the next corner, my lift suddenly stopped next to two pedestrians who appeared to be in some sort of uniform. I stepped off of the lift and spoke and smiled politely. They both looked like I was speaking french. Then they spoke to me in a language that I've never heard. Now I looked at them as if they were speaking french. The taller of the two seemed to be the senior of the two. His face showed a few more wrinkles. As he spoke he pointed toward the lift. Did he want me to get back on? I took a step toward the lift and he grabbed my arm. His voice raised slightly but I could tell he wanted me to stay there. His grip is something I won't soon forget. Did I not pay somehow? How would I pay? What have I gotten myself into? They continued to try to talk to me but I wasn't understanding any of it. Since I was a former policeman, I figured they would want some type of identification. I also remember from my cop days that you never let the person you're investigating put his or her hands in their pockets. As the shorter of the two starred me up and down, I decided to slowly pull my wallet out. They watched like a child watching cartoons. What was my next move going to be. I pulled out my wallet very slowly but they didn't seem concerned with my hands going in my pockets at all. I showed them my drivers license. The taller one took it from my hand, looked at the front, then the back as if it were the hope diamond. I tried talking to them but realized that it wasn't working. The shorter one held out his wrist toward me and slowly moved it around the outline of my entire body. It reminded me of Dr. McCoy scanning a patient in Star Trek. Another puzzled look crossed his face. His other hand touched my neck and then retreated. I felt something on my neck but I couldn't lift my hand to touch it. My body was getting extremely heavy. The uniformed men got on each side of me to carry my weight and the three of us got on a lift. Everything faded out. I felt completely comfortable.