Anthony heard the knock and could not understand what was happening. He was sitting in his recliner and was lost in a parallel world. As Ike barked and jumped at the door Anthony just stared at him lost in a fog.
“They are coming after me.” Ghosts swam throughout the apartment – from a coffee stained spot on his carpet at his feet to the corner of the ceiling to the far left of the door. He sat there, soiled in his seat and sweating. Screaming but not making a sound; running but not moving an inch. He could not move – chains were tied around his arms, his legs…
Lydia kept knocking at the door, heard Ike barking and was hoping that Anthony had gone for a walk on his own.
Ike was barking, howling and jumping.
Anthony was jumping, twisting and turning – chains at his waste now – almost free, almost free…
“Knocking, banging, pounding, from where, from whom?”
Ghosts swimming, river is running across the carpeted room – a river running wild, heading somewhere.
An old song played out loud as rain began to fall, “If it keep on raining the levee gonna break…” The river like a conveyer belt – bringing, taking, pulling, pushing – take me home, take me home…
The knocking on the door stopped as Lydia stepped away in deep thought. Ike continued to leap against the door and suddenly the good General, President and leader jumped onto Anthony and began to squirm and howl in a sad wale…
Anthony jumped.
Ike jumped.
Back in reality Anthony saw the room for what it was…a lowlit, messy one bedroom apartment with stained carpet and cheap paint job walls.
Lydia waited for the elevator to come – it showed the car was on the 7th floor.
She felt a nagging pull towards Anthony – she turned and knocked again.
Freddy Zalta 