When Kat came back, she saw Joe eating pizza. "I was hungry," he said. "You can have some." Then he jumped right back into his story. "There were some people who lived in Newton Hills. They were pretty much like you Mainens, here. There was one person in particular, Computer Animated Creature, who liked fishing, much like all South Dakotans. His friend's name was Another Creature, and they went fishing. Another Creature was an awful swimmer, and he went overboard. And he saw something in the water. Something shiny. And small." He paused and looked at Kat. "A ... rock?" she guessed. "The Tongue Ring! The damn Tongue Ring! And when he came ashore, Computer Animated Creature saw it and wanted it. He said, 'Give that to me; it's my birthday.' And Another Creature said, 'I already got you a present. Remember the porno mag? Finders, keepers, anyway.' And Computer Animated Creature asphyxiated Another Creature, because the silver was so bright and shiny. Another Creature was from Aberdeen, so no one missed him. And no one found him because the seaweed in Lake Lakota is so thick and no one goes there. Computer Animated Creature used the Tongue Ring's invisibility to watch people at night, to learn secrets, and to steal stuff. He thought it all rather funny, and always cackled to himself. So they called him CAC. Plus, it was an acronym of his extremely long name. He was expelled and travelled east, to the Appalachian Mountains, and he withered away there. He ate raw fish, even. He hated the sun, because he had fair skin and it burned him, so he hid in West Virginia in the Appalachians. And the Tongue Ring was forgotten." "CAC!" Kat grabbed another slice of pizza. "I knew these stories had to be connected." "Yes, but the Tongue Ring ran away from CAC. To Joe's Brother." "You're telling me that the Tongue Ring grew legs and ran?" "Well, rolled is more like it. But Joe's Brother was meant to find it, just like you are meant to have it. Hopeful, no?" She stared at him. "How?" "He shrugged. "I don't know. But the Tongue Ring is the One Tongue Ring as those dots showed." "When did you find that out?" "Just now, right here," he snapped. "But it all came back to CAC. I know because I saw him." "Wow." She looked more preoccupied with the pizza. "Do you know what time it is? 2:17 AM. I'm kind of tired." "Cool. But CAC came out of the mountains and started following Joe's Brother's trail. The Celebrities caught him before he could come to Maine and I forgot about him. And I still trusted Ken. Stupid, stupid me." He smacked himself. "But I think CAC made his way back to Nevada by now." They were both silent. The sprinklers had stopped, the gutters would be cleaned, and the outside of the windows washed by now. Poor Sora. Had to do that every week. "I do believe," said Joe at last, "that that is when Card Sharp learned that the One Tongue Ring was back. And I'm sure He knows of Portland, Maine. If he can find it. And Joe's Brother told CAC his name and his love for you. Which means the words, 'Kat', 'Portland,' and 'Maine' have meaning to Card Sharp." "But that would lead them here!" Kat jumped up. Joe raised his eyebrows. "Yeah." She sobered. "What must I do?" His eyebrows now furrowed down. "How the hell should I know?" "Too bad Joe's Brother didn't kill him." "CAC? It's too bad he didn't even think of it at the time. Maybe he felt sorry for him." She scoffed. "I sure don't feel sorry for him." "You haven't seen him." "I don't want to. I want him to die." "But do you control that?! Are you God?! I don't think so!" Joe was getting angry. She sat down. "Oh, shut the fuck up." She looked away. "I wish Joe's Brother would've thrown it away. Why didn't you make me?" "Have you even been listening to me? These rings have a way of being found. And in the wrong hands--or tongues--they would cause much evil, or get back to Card Sharp himself." "Then why didn't we destroy it?" He smirked and leaned back in his chair. "I'd like to see you try." Kat looked at it sitting on the table. "Got a hammer?" "Wouldn't work. It can't be broken by anything. Except in the cigarette smoke in the tattoo parlor in Battle Mountain, Nevada. Because that's where it was made." "I'm not one for road trips. I'm awful at directions and gas is so expensive. Why don't you do it?" Joe jumped up. "No! Puh-leeze don't tempt me with stuff like that. I'm past my rebellious youth. Besides, the Tongue Ring would make me do evil things. But, sure, I'l help you, as long as you can carry it. But we're going to have to do something soon." He lit up another smoke and they sat there, thinking. Joe spoke after 10 seconds. "Figure out what to do yet?" "What?" She looked up. "Well, I suppose I shall keep watch on this for a while. Except I can't stay in Portland. I have always wanted to leave." She suddenly thought that she could follow Joe's Brother and find him again. Her heart leaped at the thought. Joe laughed. "Well, well, you are not as stupid as you look!" "Wha--?" He continued. "Never expected an answer like that from you. But you can't use the name Kat anymore. How about ... Giselle?" "What?" "Good. You're Giselle. I don't think you need to go by yourself. But be careful about choosing someone and what you tell them." He paused as if thinking about what to say next. Then they heard something outside. Joe quietly went to the window. Then he reached through and pulled up Sora's head. She screamed. "Well, I'll be damned," said Joe. "Um, who are you?" "I'm Sora. Kat's friend. I thought you knew me. I was just washing the windows." "My ass, you were. It's been a while since I heard you, and you always tromp around on the roof. Besides, it's two in the morning. You were eavesdropping, weren't you?" "I wasn't droppin' no eaves, sir, honest. I don't even know what eaves are." "Denial, I see." He lifted her up and through the window. "Look, Giselle." He pointed to Sora. "A travelling companion." Kat looked dumbfounded. "Well, she's always wanted to see Celebrities." "OK." Joe pulled out another cigarette. "You better be good at keeping secrets, Sora." "Yeah, sure." She looked nervously at Joe. It was June, and "Giselle" was still being lazy and doing nothing. "Are you going to leave or not?" Joe asked her. "Leave where?" she asked him, then laughed when she saw his face. "Relax, I already figured it out. My friend, Mimi, helped me pick out a house in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I'm going in September, on my b-day, and giving 10th Street to Focker and Bitch. And their son, L'il Bastard." "Why are you moving?" "I'm just pretending to move. Not sure where I'm going after that." "Nevada, maybe. But we'll come to that when we get there. If you want my advice--" "I don't." "--then I'd go to New York City, where the Celebrities live." "I thought they lived in L.A." "No. But, just ... oh nevermind. But I have to leave." "Again?" "Yeah. Bye." He left. "Don't use it!" he called after him. Kat watched September go by with no sign of Joe. She didn't want to leave before he came back. Her furniture was sent to Portsmouth, and Mimi and Kari were setting things up in her new house. Sora was "moving" also, to "take care of Kat's house." Focker had died that summer, so it was just Bitch and L'il Bastard who would be moving in, and Kat didn't want to leave them anything good, so one night, her, Sora, and Dereck (another friend) had a good old drunk time drinking the wine in the cellar and smoking Joe's Brother's cigarettes. They had awful hangovers the next morning. "Look, there, Sora," Kat said that morning, "lots of vomit for Bitch to clean up." She laughed. Mimi came to get the last of the stuff and Dereck went with her to Portsmouth. Bitch came by that night, all greedy and stuff. Sora and Kari packed the last couple bags in Kat's Sunfire and went downtown for a last drink. Kat waited by her car, hoping Joe would come. She could hear voices next door. "No, Kat left. Moved to Portsmouth. Why? I don't know. Don't see how that's your business. Yeah, yeah. 'Night." "Why do people always talk about me?" she wondered aloud. Sora and Kari came back, half-drunk. "Time to go, Kat," Sora kind of slurred, laughing. Kari got in the backseat, and they drove down the road, aiming for the Interstate. "Aw," Sora said, "I'm thirsty. I could go for a nice glass of lemonade." "What do you mean, you're thirsty?" asked Kari. "I don't keep lemonade in my pockets," Kat replied. She put in a CD just as they reached the Interstate entrace ramp. At about 1 in the morning, Kat noticed headlights far behind her (Not many people travel I-95 in the middle of the night). "Are we there yet?" Kari asked sleepily. "Not even halfway," replied Sora, looking at the map. Kat thought about the headlights. Maybe it's Joe, she thought, but she knew it wasn't. "Those headlights kind of bother me," Kat said. "I don't like everyone knowing where I am. And if it's Joe, we can get him back for being late." She turned off the exit ramp that said, "Scarborough" and parked the Sunfire on the side of the road, headlights turned off and E-brake on. The car came closer, and followed them on the ramp. It stopped at the stop sign, determining which way to go. Don't go right, thought Kat. It did. Very slowly. It stopped in the middle of the road right next to the Sunfire. Kat noticed it was a dark-colored Mustang, and the driver had his hood on. Kat suddenly wanted to put the Tongue Ring in. The day before, she had actually gotten her tongue pierced, just in case. Right now, she was wearing a ring with a die on it. The One Tongue Ring was in her jeans pocket. She slowly took out the Dice Tongue Ring and rolled it around in her mouth, while fishing in her pocket. The driver of the Mustang moved. Then he drove off down the road. Kat let go of the One Tongue Ring that she had finally found in her pocket. Kari leaned forward. "That wasn't a Maine license plate. What's he doing out here?" Sora spoke up. "He was in Portland. My dad told me he came by looking for you and he sent him to Portsmouth. Didn't think anything of it." "Damn it!" Kat hit the steering wheel. "I knew I should've waited for Joe, but maybe that'd make it worse." "So you know something about this guy?" asked Kari. "Don't know and can't guess," Kat lied. "Fine. Keep your secrets." Kari leaned back and closed her eyes. "I'm just wondering whether to keep to the Interstate," Kat said. "In case he comes back." "Every other road would take too long or be even less populated. And I have to pee." Sora closed the Road Atlas. Kat turned her lights on and got back on the Interstate. The Mustang seeemed to keep going on the road they had stopped on, so maybe he wouldn't come back. |
| The Cult of the Tongue Ring part three |
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