| Kat came in soon afterwards. Joe was smoking in front of the fireplace. "I didn't know you smoked," she said. "That's not your line." He tossed the cigarette butt in the fire. "Oh, yeah. So, has he gone?" "Obviously." "I wish--well," Kat started to blush even though Joe wasn't looking at her. "I was hoping it was only a joke. I knew he was serious. I wish I would've come back sooner--no wait, I didn't wait that long to come up here." "He's all right," Joe said. He held out a small velvet bag to her. "He's left you everything. And that tongue ring in there." "The ring! Why did he leave me that?" She looked at the bag, but didn't open it. Joe stood up to leave. "Just don't wear it. Keep it secret. And safe." "Why would I wear it?" Kat owned 10th Street now, so she felt like she had to say good-bye to the guests. Rumors were flying like wildfire, but Kat just said, "Mind your own fucking business." The next day, she invited some people over who Joe's Brother had left packages for. It was chaotic, because everyone in Portland thought it was a yard sale where everything was free. Kat was resting because she had a headache. She had left her friend, Mimi, in charge, when Focker and Bitch showed up, demanding to see Kat. "She's indecent," said Mimi. "I can see them," said Kat, coming up behind her. Focker began. "We want to buy that pitcher frame, the table--complete with chairs--and the dishes." "We are friends," said Bitch. "Sorry," Kat replied. "Only things specifically addressed to people are to be given out. You got your gift: a nice box of shit paper." "Let me see that will!" demanded Focker. "Get out of my house," said Kat, really emphasizing "my." "You're no friend of ours," Bitch protested. "You're a .. a Mimi!" Kat slammed the door shut behind them. "Hear that, Mimi? That's an insult." Mimi laughed. "It was a compliment." Mimi left soon after, locking the door behind her at Kat's request. Kat had just fallen into a La-Z-Boy with a beer when there was a knock at the door. "Go away," she muttered. A face appeared at the window. Kat screamed and jumped up. "Let me in or I'll blow your house down!" shouted Joe. "Sorry! I'm sorry!" She opened the front door. "I thought you might be Bitch." "OK, I forgive you then." Joe sat in the La-Z-Boy Kat had just vacated. "She is awful." "I know." Kat fell on the couch. "I almost used that tongue ring, just to get away from her." "Don't do that! Be careful about it. That's why I came here to talk to you." She sat up. "What about it?" "How much do you know?" "How he got it. That's all." "I have to go." Joe got up. "But you just got here. And you said you wanted to talk to me." "Good-bye, Kat. Don't use that ring." He left. Kat picked up her beer. "I can't anyway. I don't have my tongue pierced," she said to herself. Time went on. People talked about Joe's Brother's disappearance, and even more about Kat. She insisted that he was alive, even though everyone else thought him dead. She was growing restless, though. Secretly, she wanted to follow him. Then Joe came back. He and Kat sat in the living room in silence. Joe was smoking yet another cigarette. "OK," said Kat. "You said you were going to tell me about my tongue ring. So ... shoot." Joe lit up another. "That tongue ring is dangerous. Don't laugh. It's so powerful, it could possess you. So settle down for a long story." "Do I have to?" "A long time ago, about 1979, some rings were made. Some were more powerful than the others. The Celebrities made these rings, so they weren't dangerous to them. But us lesser folk--if we would possess the ring, we would neither be famous nor successful. We'd just go living until the stress of work made us have nervous breakdowns. We would not be known to anyone; we would fade, ultimately." "That's awful! Some people don't want to be famous, though." Joe rolled his eyes. They could hear Sora cleaning the gutters. Kat got a couple drinks. "How long did you know about this? And Joe's Brother?" Joe snorted. "Joe's Brother probably didn't know any more than what I told you, he's so stupid. If he knew it was dangerous, he never would've given it to you. He did say it was growing on him. Said it seemed heavier or lighter--gave him a lisp when he wore it. Or it fell out when it wasn't supposed to." "I know," Kat said. "So I just keep it in my mouth. My tongue's not pierced yet, you know." "I suppose that's smart. He's so stupid, he never blamed the ring. He said he felt stretched. Means that friggin' ring was finally getting control." "Again, I ask," Kat was getting exasperated, "how long have you known this?" Joe laughed. "I know much. But about this tongue ring? I still don't know everything." "It's just a tongue ring. How much is there to know?" "Just a tongue ring? Have you been listening to me at all?" "Not really, no." Kat finished off her Coke. "Anyway," Joe continued, "I'd know a lot more, if I just did one more experiment." "God, you and your experiments. You're such a Nerd." Joe didn't hear her. "When did I first begin to guess about it? Probably when Joe's Brother found the tongue ring. It's so small, who knows how he found it, which probably made me guess. I wondered how CAC came across it, too." "Who's CAC?" she interrupted him. Joe was getting frustrated. "He's who Joe's Brother took the tongue ring from. In West Virginia. Got lost and played poker with CAC, then escaped out of that God-awful state." "How did CAC come across the tongue ring?" Kat took Joe's pack of cigarettes and took one out. "Got a lighter?" He threw her one. "Anyway, it seemed odd to me, the whole story. I thought about asking Ken, but something held me back." "Who's Ken, now?" She threw the lighter back at him. "A self-centered little brat of a Nerd in that big city of his. He's smart though--boy genius. He's taken a liking to the Celebrity rings. Studied them. Never told us in the chess club about them, though. I waited. But I was really ... uneasy." "You mean scared." "Yes." He shot a glance at her. "I worried about you and all these stupid Mainens. It would kinda suck if a Dark Power came over here. But. .. um ..." "What does that have to do with me? Or Joe's Brother?" "Everything. Just listen for once in your life. Give me that tongue ring." Kat took it out of her mouth and sucked the saliva off of it before handing it to Joe. He made a face of disgust. It was just your average barbell tongue ring. "See anything?" he asked. She stared at it. "A tongue ring?" "Real funny." He tossed it behind him into the fireplace. "Hey!" Kat yelled. "You have to buy me a new one now." "Just hold on." They watched, but nothing happened. "Did you notice?" asked Kat. "That the fire has died down?" "Apparantly, yes." Joe reached in and picked it up. "But at least the remaining heat sanitized it." He dropped it in Kat's hand. "Hey, it's still hot!" She looked at it. "Hey ... it's changing." The room was silent. Joe quickly closed the blinds. They could hear the sprinklers outside turn on. "They're... dots," she whispered. Sure enough, green glowing dots appeared. "I can't read them." "You don't read dots," Joe said, sitting back down and lighting a new cigarette. "But they're symbols of Nevada, which do have sounds, but they sound somewhat like casino sounds, which I can't make. But they mean, um ... let's see. Something about a tongue ring--" "No, really!" Kat said sarcastically. He continued. "--a ring that rules everyone and binds them. It's the end of a Celebrity poem." "Oh, here we go with the poetry again." "'3 naval rings for the Celebrities in Hollywood; 7 for the Midgets to poke in their noses; 9 eyebrow rings for Men who will soon die; and one for the Card Sharp at the craps tables in Nevada where the homicides run high. One tongue ring that is so cool; one tongue ring to make everyone bind together in jealousy.'" He paused. And shuddered. "Never make me say that again." He cleared his throat and spoke quietly. "This is the One Tongue Ring that is so cool. The Tongue Ring that's been lost since those crazy 80's. And the Card Sharp wants it. But He can't get it." Kat didn't move. She was actually scared. Then she realized Joe was playing a joke on her. "Ha ha! April Fools! I get it!" He stared at her. "It's March 12." She shut up. "But--but ... how did I get this Tongue Ring?" "God, that's such a long story. So I'll tell you. The Card Sharp has indeed returned to Las Vegas in Nevada." "Well, why did it happen now?" she muttered. "Why not 100 years from now?" "Everyone thinks that. But you can't decide that. We just have to decide what to do with the time that's been given to us." She looked at him. "You're getting a little sentimental, you know that?" "Anyway, we need to do something. He's winning the games in the casinos and coming back to power again. He just needs the Tongue Ring. I'm not sure how it helps, but it gives him luck at Blackjack, or something." "I thought you said it was magical and powerful." "It is. Stay with me. The 3 Celebrity Naval Rings: He never touched them. The 7 Nose Rings of the Midgets have been lost; they're so tiny. The 9 Eyebrow Rings infected the Men who wore them, so they are under His power. They aren't dead and they aren't living. They are His great servants, though. Scare everyone with their deformed faces. But the 9 have come back to Him. That's scary. But He only needs the Tongue Ring, not those others. He thought it was lost, though. You have to promise me not to tell Him." "Like I talk to a Card Sharp everyday." She went to get some Doritos. "Why didn't someone destroy the Tongue Ring?" "Let's see. There was a fight in a Dollar Store parking lot in the early 80's, and the Governor of Utah was there. He was into drugs and gangs and stuff. Even took his son with him that day. Some Celebrities were there, and Marilyn Manson shot the Card Sharp, except he accidentally shot himself, too." "Marilyn Manson's not dead." "Shut up. So the Governor of Utah started laughing and the Card Sharp hit him with a gun, right between the eyes. The Governor's son, his name was Tai-pei, named after his father, Governor Mah-Jhongg, poor kid. He watched his father die, so he grabbed his father's knife and started slicing at Card Sharp's face. Which cut His tongue off. So Tai-pei took the Tongue Ring out, because he was a child, and he was attracted to shiny things. Which was too bad. When Tai-pei was grown up, some Plastic Surgery Victims ambushed him and Tai-pei put the Tongue Ring in and jumped into the lake. Lake Lakota, it was. But the Tongue Ring betrayed him and slipped right out of his mouth. So the Plastic Surgery Victims saw him and they killed Tai-pei." Joe closed his eyes to rest. "Then the Tongue Ring was lost." "So I had that in my mouth after it was in Lake Lakota?!" Kat screamed. She looked like she was going to gag. Joe opened his eyes. "Hey, it was in CAC's mouth and Joe's Brother's too." He looked at his empty cigarette pack. "Go get me some more smokes and I'll finish the story." |
 |
| The Cult of the Tongue Ring part two |