Portal 888

Portal 888

The Grand Remembrance

“I don’t want to come off harsh, but if we had a space alone tonight I would have you like the stars have a blank sky. I would never let you go.” That’s the words your father told me the night we conceived you Reeva. “What does my name mean again mama.” he asked the question that would ignite his dna, and altar his eternal view of himself. “Your name means one who guides people like a river or a star.” she said, smiling bright. Her name was Indigo like the color her name fit her spirit like a crisp new fitted hat. The Brooklyn waves crash on their warm toes. The air smelled like franks, and cheese fries. Scent has a way of making us remember. She leans over and with her half bitten nails clips a heart shaped locket onto Reeva’s crisp white shirt. “Wear this my love, and remember my words. Wisdom is gained beloved. Strap on your boots cause the devil stays busy. Never wake up swinging, but never be afraid to leave them in a standing eight count. Enjoy every moment, and never live for what will happen in the next five minutes. When the sun burns your skin like it did today let the aloe soak in and soothe you.” she says. “But mama your my whole universe, whole stars, whole moon.” Reeva says wide eyed with tears in his eyes. “You could never be away from me I’m always in your heart.” Indigo says as she points to the locket around her son's neck.

“YO get up man you don’t see me trying to get by.” screams from another disgruntled human in robot form lingers, his silver skin tone sets him apart. “My bad I was just trying to rest before the next sweep begins” grunts Reeva. The year is 2041 the war of the roses is over. They took the unmasked to the chambers for the final sweep of humanity. Only one member of every unmasked family remains on Earth. Every week the head of the silver tricksters performs a sweep of your memory. Once you have forgotten everything you are sent to the ethers. “We have to fight to remember.” Reeva whispers to himself holding his mothers locket. A young girl with dusty mauve colored hair sits next to Reeva as they wait to be called. “I don’t particularly love nettle and sage tea, but it is definitely helping my nerves and focus. Reeva gives her a side smile. “So what was the last thing you remember before they throned your family?” “I’m sorry who are you exactly.” he asked, confused and curious “Oh my bad my name is Marisol my friends call me Sol. I mean I don’t really have friends after the sweep, but yea.” she puts her head down and frowns into the concrete. “The last thing I remember is my mother grabbing me. Her stomach was bigger than usual, and her face was frantic. They took the mother’s automatically and left the children. The last thing she said to me was to always remember. Before I could catch a glimpse of her profile against the smoke and chaos in the streets she tells me never to lose my locket, and to hold fast and stay true.” Reeva grips his locket like a crisp twenty spot you find the day before the eagle lands. “Wow I know that must have been a hard memory to hold.” replied Marisol while jotting down words, and doodles in her collage covered notebook. “Yo how do you have that?” Reeva said with the fear of God in his tone. “They haven’t gotten it yet. All I have is my poetry and these images. They gonna have to kill me for this.” Marisol replied with that New York stank face stamped on her caramel skin. “I mean how’d you get so fresh boy? I thought anything with logos and non approved symbols from the S.T. wasn’t allowed. I mean Batman is dope, but I wouldn’t mind having my old band shirts.” Marisol said “Batman was my favorite as a kid. I mean I basically turned into him. A gotham kid with no parents, the comparison is undeniable.” Reeva said with a sadness in his tone. BOOM “Everybody run!” a voice shouts from a distance.

Every now and then the unmasked get an out of sweeping. Today a brave warrior threw a small bomb made out of a scrunched up sunkist can at the S.T. guard. Reeva and Marisol make a run for the exit onto River Avenue. The Bronx looks like someone sprinkled all the burning in the boogie dust all over our buildings and people again, and distant moans round the night with silent whispers of sweet nothings. The streets are shades of grey with very little color. They made our nature turn on us. Even the roses and flowers have eyes for our thoughts. So nobody stops to smell them anymore. Our b-boys/ b-girls, and graffiti artists can’t go all city cause no other borough exists except the Bronx. You sleep where you can, eat whatever is available, and never wonder where your next meal is coming from. The re do of the house Ruth built is our refuge. Where all the radical ones meet to share resources, and memories. It’s all that's sacred. The spirits of the players who passed comfort us. Street signs we kissed under suddenly have no meaning so we hold this sacred space in our hearts. All that reside here are surviving off of their last memories. The mechanical eyes are always watching.

The bleachers are where Reeva and Marisol rest their bones this evening. The stars were swollen with shine. Distant cheers fill the air from when peanuts and cracker jacks, seventh inning stretch, and bucket hats were as normal as breathing. “You think the spirits of those baseball dudes still live here.” Marisol asked in her best pitcher stance she could deliver. “I mean my mom always told me the body dies, but your spirit lives forever.” Reeva replied while downing a bag of stale deli chips he had been saving for dinner. “Hey Reeva is that you?” shouted a gentleman from the section next to Reeva and Marisol. “Hey Mr. Lou yea it’s me.” Reeva replied with a hug and smile from the man very sharply dressed in his avant garde like threads. Reeva digs inside his small jansport backpack and hands Mr. Lou an apple, orange, and a bottle of water. “Please take these offerings. Sorry I didn’t have more for you.” Reeva said. “Oh that’s alright son. I appreciate the goods. They’re hard to come by these days. Who's your friend?” Lou asks with a friendly grin. “I’m Marisol poeta of the people sir.'' She extends her hand out for a good handshake and Mr. Lou returns the sentiment with a hug, “You both need to look out for one another. The next sweep should be in a few hours. I’m doing my best to stay awake, but my ancestors visit me in my dreams with messages. It’s good to see them.” Lou says with a crackling in his voice and tears in his eyes. Reeva puts his hand on his shoulder to comfort him. “Does my mother ever visit you? You were her favorite store owner on the block. Always made her coffee light and sweet like she liked it. You would even pour it over ice for her on those oppressively hot city days. Let me not forget too you sneaking those cheese doodles into the bag and giving me a smile cause you knew my mom didn't want me to have them as an after school snack” Reeva smiles as he reminisces. “Hey Ethel he’s got the locket you see that. The boy has the locket.” a woman shouts while pointing at Reeva. “Reeva listen to me take your friend, and run up to the concourse, and never let go of that locket.” Mr. Lou grabbed him and hugged him tight. “But why do they want it.” Reeva asks frantically. “You have the key out of here. Get to 888 Grand Concourse plant your feet at the center, and hold on tight.” Lou says with a hopeful smile on his face. “Reeva wait for me.” Marisol shouts as he races up stadium seats and towards the exit like he was racing friends up concrete hills like when he was a young boy. Marisol runs after him with the same fierceness and urgency as a kid running for the mister softee truck on a hot summer's day.

Reeva and Marisol lose the locket snatchers real fast. They reach the top of the block, and as they start to approach 888 Grand Concourse a light begins to illuminate from the sidewalk and onto the building. His olive skin begins to glisten like the glass that's mushed into the concrete. “This must be it.” Reeva said with excitement and wonder in his eyes. “Well I’m coming too.” Marisol said sternly. “No you can't. I have to see what’s up wherever this takes me. This is a solo mission.” Reeva said. Just as his beat up black and white chuck taylors hit the center of the tan circle at the middle of the entrance way the yellow, gold, white, and black ceiling opened up like presents on Christmas morning loud and fast. “I haven’t seen this much light, and color in I don’t know how long.” Reeva said in awe. “I’m going too. I need the color Reeva.” Marisol said. “NO! Back up.” Reeva shouted. Then the light swallowed him whole.

“We’ve been waiting for you Reeva.” a gentle soft voice whispers. Reeva wakes up in the middle of what looks, and feels like a rainbow. “Where am I.” Reeva says as he jolts his body to standing. “You’ve reached the dimension of the safe keepers. We can’t be swept away here beloved.” the soft gentle voice explains. “Who are you, and how do you know Mr. Lou?” Reeva asked with a skeptical tone. “My name is Crystalline I am the sage to the people. I know Mr. Lou because he knows my mother.” Crystalline begins to walk down a street paved in the same glitter dust that covers her skin. “Where am I?” Marisol grunts. “I told you to stay behind.” Reeva says with an angry tone. “Oh it’s fine you seem like an awake spirit you’ll be just fine here.” Crystalline responds by holding her hand out to Marisol. “How did you get here Crystalline?” Reeva asks now with a calming tone. “I am the product of my mom and dad, and God well mostly the angels. The angels are the heartbeat of God after all.” She says smiling at Reeva and Marisol. “Wow, that was deep.” Marisol replies while jotting down that fire line in her notebook. “It’s the locket. It allowed you to come back to your sovereignty. Only six of them exist, and you are the holder of one of them” Crystalline explained “My mother gave me this locket when I was eight years old at Coney Island. Did she know its power.” Reeva asked Crystalline. “When the war of roses took the mothers from the children I wasn’t born yet. Crystalline explained as she led them to an open theater space surrounded by crystals and the brightest flowers known to man. A group of young individuals of all shapes and colors were singing, dancing, and looked free and peaceful. “These are the other warriors of the light. We come from the other families that possess the locket. We can roam from this dimension back to the 3D, but up here they can’t sweep us. We are free here and honor all that came before so that we could be.” explained Crystalline. Marisol and Reeva join the group of warriors, and embrace this energy wholeheartedly. “How do you know so much about this locket.” Reeva asks “My mother gave me one that she had given my father when they met. He left when my mother was pregnant with me. She said he hid her in the castle at Kingsbridge for safe keeping with my brother. We needed healing from the memory thieves. She told me it was a family heirloom that held the power to remember.” Crystalline said. “I miss her so much. I would tell her she was my whole universe, whole stars, and Crystalline interrupts Reeva “And whole moon. I know she told me that was your thing. “Wait what how do you know that?.” Reeva said confused “She’s my mother too. I’m your sister. Crystalline smiles. Just then in the distance a beautiful woman with skin like hazelnut skies and black and pepper hair walks towards Reeva and Crystalline.

“Mom?” Reeva says with tears in his voice

“Welcome home star. I’ve been waiting for you.” Indigo says with the smile of wonder wheel breeze in her tone.