A Whisper Of A Name In The Dark, chapter 3
Billie Joe looked around him. It was all to bright to see anything much. Then he saw a speck of green fall on the floor. He looked at it. It looked like a drop of paint. More specks started falling down. Billie Joe soon saw that it was rain, but it wasn't rain. It was green rain. How odd. Am I going crazy? Billie Joe felt he was trapped inside a weird movie with a strange title that you see at Block Buster. Then he saw a pencil floating in mid-air. It began to draw. It started out sketching a picture of a hotel room. It had a bed, a chair, a TV and a bedside table. It looked so real Billie Joe reached out and pushed a button on the alarm clock. I must be crazy. Then he saw a room key laying on the bedside table and picked it up. It read in gleaming gold numbers, 138. He figured it must be on the 13 floor, room 8. Huh, never saw a 13th floor before. That's new. Most hotels don't have a 13 floor. Superstitious freaks. Billie Joe put the key in his pocket. Then the pencil started to erase the picture, before long it was gone.
***
"Do you want another cup of coffee?" The lady at the diner asked Tré coming over with a half-empty pot of coffee.
"Uh sure." He shrugged and the lady poured him a fresh cup.
"What brings you here so late?" She asked.
"Oh, I'm staying at the Blue Ridge over there-" Tré stopped to point down the street to the hotel he was staying at. "And uh, I couldn't get back to sleep." He said.
"Ah, I get a lot of tourists." She shook her head.
"No actually—"
"Mind if I sit and rest a bit?" She asked.
"No not at all." Tré said. The lady sat.
"I'm Penny." She said.
"Tré." He said and shook her hand. He noticed a large diamond ring on her ring finger. "Catch yourself a mate?" He asked.
"Yeah." She said glancing down at the ring.
"Big chunk of change, that one must of cost." He said looking down at the ring.
"Proposed to me at my friend, Donna's wedding my husband, Frank did." She smiled. "What about you?" She asked looking up at Tré.
"Divorced." Tré said wiggling his ring finger and looked down at the lack of a wedding ring. "Got any kids?" He asked.
"Yeah, three." She answered. "Charlie, George and Michael." She smiled.
"I have two little buggers myself." He smiled. "Ramona and Frankito."
"Oh, Frankito? That's a peculiar name. Mind if I ask how you thought of it?" She asked.
"Well, my real name's Frank Edwin Wright III. I guess it's a way of carrying on the tradition of Franks." He smiled.
"Ah." She smiled. The bell dinged as another customer walked in the diner looking quite disheveled. Penny got up and brought the man a menu. The man looked about 5'10 with a light build and bright blue eyes. The man sat in the opposite booth so that he was separated by Tré by a booth but was still facing him. The man's hair was wet and so was his coat. Tré looked outside to see it pouring rain.
"Nasty weather out tonight." The man said.
"Looks bad." Tré said.
"Yeah. I came all the way from Berkley to get crappy weather." He shook his head.
"The name's Tré." Tré smiled at the man.
"Michael." The man nodded his head toward the empty seat across from him and said, "Take a seat you look lonely."
"Thanks." Tré said sliding in the booth.
***
"Do you want another cup of coffee?" The lady at the diner asked Tré coming over with a half-empty pot of coffee.
"Uh sure." He shrugged and the lady poured him a fresh cup.
"What brings you here so late?" She asked.
"Oh, I'm staying at the Blue Ridge over there-" Tré stopped to point down the street to the hotel he was staying at. "And uh, I couldn't get back to sleep." He said.
"Ah, I get a lot of tourists." She shook her head.
"No actually—"
"Mind if I sit and rest a bit?" She asked.
"No not at all." Tré said. The lady sat.
"I'm Penny." She said.
"Tré." He said and shook her hand. He noticed a large diamond ring on her ring finger. "Catch yourself a mate?" He asked.
"Yeah." She said glancing down at the ring.
"Big chunk of change, that one must of cost." He said looking down at the ring.
"Proposed to me at my friend, Donna's wedding my husband, Frank did." She smiled. "What about you?" She asked looking up at Tré.
"Divorced." Tré said wiggling his ring finger and looked down at the lack of a wedding ring. "Got any kids?" He asked.
"Yeah, three." She answered. "Charlie, George and Michael." She smiled.
"I have two little buggers myself." He smiled. "Ramona and Frankito."
"Oh, Frankito? That's a peculiar name. Mind if I ask how you thought of it?" She asked.
"Well, my real name's Frank Edwin Wright III. I guess it's a way of carrying on the tradition of Franks." He smiled.
"Ah." She smiled. The bell dinged as another customer walked in the diner looking quite disheveled. Penny got up and brought the man a menu. The man looked about 5'10 with a light build and bright blue eyes. The man sat in the opposite booth so that he was separated by Tré by a booth but was still facing him. The man's hair was wet and so was his coat. Tré looked outside to see it pouring rain.
"Nasty weather out tonight." The man said.
"Looks bad." Tré said.
"Yeah. I came all the way from Berkley to get crappy weather." He shook his head.
"The name's Tré." Tré smiled at the man.
"Michael." The man nodded his head toward the empty seat across from him and said, "Take a seat you look lonely."
"Thanks." Tré said sliding in the booth.
