Karl's Shift

    Karl Tyler met a horrible death. His body was torn to shreds and his bloody limbs were strewn from one end to the other on aisle 6 of Dean's Family Grocery Store. There are things you need to know. Karl was 29 years old when he first walked into the store where he would work as stock clerk on the overnight shift for the next 6 years. Physically he was a tall burly fellow with longish, unkempt hair stuffed under a tattered black baseball cap most of the time. His face sported glasses that rested on the bridge of his nose cocked slightly down on the right. His spectacles left an impression of confusion more than intelligence. The acne on his cheeks and chin was hidden by remnants of a once healthy beard that was never completely shaved clean. He worked alone stocking grocery shelves and fronting and blocking displays in preparation for the store's opening the next business day. Karl worked the "zombie shift", a dismal 11:00pm till 7:00am schedule that never allowed for a normal life of the individual who worked it. The zombie shift was life turned upside down and backwards in contrast to most normal people. He slept while others worked and worked while others slept. The work that Karl did was satisfying for a while. He was content working unsupervised and unbothered by small talk and the mindless chatter of others. For a while the silence was soothing and satisfying for someone like himself. A loner who had no patience for the input of others, a solitary man who had no need for companionship and human interaction. The zombie shift was so named for this reason. The person who did this kind of work became a walking corpse of sorts. No friends, no contact with the others save the brief encounter at the punch clock. Living only to perform a repetitious, mindless and unrewarding task virtually every night of the week. Karl did this faithfully and dutifully for 6 years. It was Karl's shift.
    Some time after the anniversary of his first year Karl got into the habit of talking out loud to himself and eventually it developed into full blown conversations in nightly solitude referring to himself in the third person and often contradicting himself in a schizophrenic-like debate. Talking to one's self is not a crime and is actually more common than most people would care to admit. Some claim, in jest, that this habit is an indication... a red flag per say, for the onset of madness. In Karl's case however no one ever knew. It occurred unwitnessed, unnoticed by anyone other than Karl himself. Karl slipped into madness on the 3rd of October of his 6th year of employment at Dean's Grocery. His mind snapped without fanfare or acknowledgement. He retreated into a fantasy world. He sunk deeper into darkness.
    Oddly enough, Karl still delivered, still performed his work with amazing regularity. His insanity provided Karl with companions that mirrored his own broken life, his own dark cynicism and disgust for his hopeless existence. They were voices posing as individuals allowing Karl to discuss his frustrations about life, why things were the way they were and what he could do to set things better. Karl debating Karl. A sounding board in a mirror. Seeing both sides but accepting neither conclusion. It had become a nightly chat with himself while he coolly and calmly filled and blocked and faced with perfection.
    On the night in question Karl was performing this mundane routine when a noise on a nearby aisle broke the silence in the building causing Karl's senses to rise to alert status. He stopped what he was doing and paused to figure out where it had originated from. Maybe a box or package had been teetering on a shelf all day and finally reached the point of no return... finally dropping to the floor with a non-descript thud.  Maybe.
    Karl discerned that the disturbance emanated from aisle 6 where pet supplies and dog chow could be found on one side and laundry detergents, fabric softeners and household cleaning supplies on the other. Karl ambled slowly over to the area that he determined would reveal the source of the disturbance. He arrived at the end of the aisle and planted himself solidly in the middle of the midway and peered down the length of it. He waited and his eyes darted back and forth as he quietly scanned the shelves for movement of any kind. But nothing raised an alarm. All seemed normal on aisle 6. Karl cautiously moved down the aisle looking left and right  mumbling to himself in the process.
Keep it together Karl  Come out, come out wherever you are, he chanted. You better not stick around. I don't take kindly to pranksters or burglars!  The declarations weren't made expecting any answer. Past the cans of chicken purees and rice, boxes of kibble, smells of grains and canine and feline cereals on one side and fragrances of bleach, detergent and exotic granules from laundry fresheners and sheets of fabric softeners on the other. He was met with uncomfortable silence The faces of happy pets with canine and feline smiles lined the shelves. The image of a wholesome young woman with a modest red sundress and Spring bonnet adorning her head and curls that fell softly on her shoulders gazed back at Karl displaying her satisfaction with the fresh outdoor fragrance that her fabric sheets provided.
    Obviously he was alone and as he made that final determination he turned an about face around and stared back down the aisle he had just surveyed. To his surprise and dismay he was confronted by a large panting hound with saliva dripping from its mouth sitting squarely in the middle of the aisle in a crouched position. Karl reacted by stepping back suddenly to make sense of the hulking animal staring back at him with threatening red eyes. That alone was a shock but then the unwelcome visitor spoke emphatically to Karl, not with barks or growls or with bow wows,  but with words. "Evening Karl, running a little late aren't we or maybe I'm just hungry and you're just moving too damn slow."
It was important for Karl to keep a cool head under the circumstances. After all even in his current state he still questioned his senses and debated with himself whether there was indeed a talking dog chastising him for "moving too damn slow."  Karl collected his thoughts and timidly responded.
    "What...what did you say?  How did you get in here? The doors are all locked, and even if they weren't, dogs aren't allowed inside."  Karl asked reasonable questions but the large dog would have none of it. " That hurts Karl, after all, I live here. as a matter of fact I was here long before you ever arrived. Hell, I remember the guy before you. What was his name ?"
    Karl seemed puzzled, "what...you're asking me? Wait a minute. I know you. You...you're the dog on the Doggy Delights box." He paused and pointed, "right over there." The canine turned and acknowledged the row of Doggy Delights displayed a little farther down the aisle. "Not a good photo I must admit, but still I think you see my point. and the name is Max by the way"
    Karl was attempting to absorb what was going on around him while identities were being sorted out. "Max was the guy before me?" he asked. But before the dog could respond a voice from behind him spoke. "No, he's Max... you know, like Max is a good boy. No, the guy before you was Chuck." said a sweet feminine voice out of nowhere. Karl turned around to see who it was and he immediately recognized her but at the same time , he didn't believe it was happening. "Wait...hold on here," he said slowly. "You're the girl on the fabric softener bottle. I recognize that dress and the bonnet. But how?"
    "Lily is my name, Karl. We've known each other a long time. As a matter fact, you've known all of us for a long time."  The one named Lily moved closer and Karl noticed the smell of lavender and rain as she passed by. "And Karl, you asked how its possible and its really quite simple. You've done a fine job up until now. A really fine job but, lets face it, you're losing it." she said in a friendly clinical way.  Karl looked confused. "I'm...losing it?"
    "You're insane, Karl. Out of your mind dear boy. We've all noticed it. And how else could this conversation be taking place? We've taken a vote ...all of us ...me, Max, Tony, Lucky and the Cap'n."
Karl struggled to keep up with what she was saying. "You're not making sense. This can't be real!"
Karl stood there with his hands over his ears as if trying to block out the nonsense, but it was too late. Around the corner of aisle 6 emerged a group of characters all approaching in a menacing fashion and Karl knew them all. In front was a cartoon-ish naval officer with a respectable white moustache dressed in a puffy blue and white uniform and sporting a blue admiral's hat. There was no mistaking who it was....Cap'n Crunch. Behind him was a large brightly colored orange and white Tiger ...Tony the Tiger by name. Coming up from the rear was an outlandishly dressed leprechaun wearing a sparkly green coat and matching bowler hat riding atop a multi-colored pastel unicorn proudly advancing. "Thank you all for coming. The unicorn is a nice touch, Lucky!" said Lily.
Lucky hopped down from his unicorn and walked over to Karl looking him over carefully.
    "Too bad, Karl." he said," Up until now its been just magical... and delicious too. But we can't wait until you fall apart."  Tony, looking a little disappointed spoke up too. "Yeah Karl...you've been Greeaat! At least you're going out on a high note. Its best for everyone."

    "Could I say a word, Karl?" Cap'n Crunch cleared his throat and stepped up to Karl. " You know Karl, life is short, at least that's what everybody says. But what do I know? I'm an imaginary character at best, so technically I have no credibility here. Let me just say that, in my opinion you're not really living anyway so why delay the inevitable?"
   Karl listened intently and finally sat down in the middle of aisle 6 with a look of resignation on his face. The group of visitors drew closer and with every step they changed somewhat in appearance.
Max, Lily, Tony, Lucky and the Cap'n showed claws and fanged teeth and glowing red eyes.
   Karl cried out as he realized their intent. "But you're not real!" he screamed.
The last thing Karl heard was a somber phrase. "At least I'm a captain. What are you?"
   Karl fainted and never woke up.

    Dean's Family Grocery carried on without Karl. The mess of his death was cleaned and sanitized and the mystery of what had happened remained a mystery, but the gossip died down and a permanent replacement was found for the so-called zombie shift. Some guy named Larry. He learned the ropes, just as Karl had, without much thought of it being a permanent job. Maybe a stepping stone to something better. Meanwhile on those lonely solitary nights from 11:00 to 7:00 , Larry made his way down the aisles doing his duty...fronting, blocking and facing as Karl had done before him. The routine would be new for awhile but that would surely pass. Maybe Larry would someday take a closer look at his surroundings and eventually familiarize himself with the items on the shelves of every aisle in the store. If he by chance took the time to closely peruse the many varieties of breakfast cereals available for consumption, he may notice a new variety setting on the shelf. A recent addition.
A bright red box of corn flakes mixed with a medley of puffed rice, raisins, strawberries, blueberries and nuts ...and who knows what else. The front of the box features the face of a  sparsely bearded smiling man sporting a black baseball cap and wearing glasses that cocked slightly down on the right.











 

The Hole In Heaven

                                                   "Don't know where we come from

                                                    Don't know where we're going to

                                                    But if all of this should have a reason

                                                   We would be the last to know

                                                   So let's just hope there is a promised land

                                                   Hang on till then, as best as you can"

                                                                   Rock Me Baby

                                                                    Steppenwolf

                                                                         1969

"The event that humanity had long anticipated with equal consternation and joy occurred unannounced and unexpectedly on the 17th of  June in the year 2019. The arrival of countless disembodied spirits of long dead relatives, friends and historical figures great and small from the beginnings of recorded time occupied the ether of the globe  and its skies. Ancient and alien creatures long dead and beasts yet to be, drifted silently half transparent and barely carnate above the cities, mountains, plains, valleys and over the vastness of the oceans and the seas. This event...this overflow of spirit into creation, and more specifically upon our world, happened with little notification from the cosmos itself. We did not understand immediately. It began as an anomaly in space. A slight quiver in the gravitational pull of what our scientists used to call the monster black hole in galaxy NGC 1277 in the constellation Perseus. An observation...   It was a sign of what was to come, both beautiful and horrifying and monumentally staggering in its implications. Nothing malevolent in the beginning but something that quickly transformed into an event that most would expect from divine heavenly hosts of angels preparing the earthly masses for the arrival of their God. Amazing at first as an expanding spectacular celestial light show, it became a gut wrenching sickening experience that some interpreted as the end of time itself, a collective realization that all regrets and revelations had come to fruition at last.  But it wasn't... and as it happened in its finality it gave answers to questions that humanity had grappled with since its inception eons and eons before. The gushing forth of consciousness from this hole in heaven into the realm of the corporeal finally provided the answers to questions we had craved for thousands of years
    We came to understand that all of our mythology explaining the great mystery of what our Creator was and had been, was false and merely manipulation of men by other men throughout our history.
For the living , the apparitions described a version of the afterlife...the other side and the true nature of existence that no one had considered. Every possibility of consciousness all past, present and future released back onto the physical plane and allowed to partially reincarnate into all it had ever been, all at once. Every version of every individual who ever existed or would exist...their knowledge demolished, shattered  all perceptions of God and Heaven and Hell. The Heavenly Father was gone and with Him all concepts of a human savior or ancient enemy of mankind. They no longer made sense.The idea of God as a deity that demanded worship was a misconception constructed by unenlightened souls and opportunistic beings struck ignorant from their separation from their places in the eternal consciousness.This we understood now.
   The Black Hole , or the Hole in Heaven as it was eventually dubbed was merely and fantastically an aperture, an Einstein bridge of sorts separating the material from the thought...the discarnate from the  carnate. It was a holding pen for the entirety of what we now know as the original  consciousness. The intelligence that existed eternally and the originator of the physical universe itself. Out of this outpouring from the hole we  sensed an overwhelming regret from the consciousness itself conveyed to us all. We could call it God but it was cognizant of the flawed creation it had conceived itself. All of humanity had been and would be pieces of that consciousness and we were all responsible for its existence. What some had referred to as The Holy Spirit was this entity and it indeed was accesssible to us all through our eternal connection to our larger self. We could call it prayer if we wanted to because the connection could provide enlightened perspective. And if we wanted to believe in sin we had to acknowledge that our only sin was regret as accessories in the creation of the inferior material world that separated us from the eternal perfection that was the singularity itself. Pure love corrupted by flesh, intellect perverted by greed, mischief grown to cruelty, wisdom watered down by physical need...all opposite of what spirit had anticipated at the moment of inception of the material.
    What had prompted this release? It was a flaw in a flawed design, a weakness in the wondrous creation left to itself that inadvertently allowed the overflow to take place. And it was soon to be undone and resealed . In the days that followed the revelation, mankind pondered the truth of all existence and it made choices based on all that it now knew. Our fate...our collective destiny without fear, without pain, without judgement awaited us in the void.
    Globally, millions upon millions chose to end their lives and reunite with Spirit ending abruptly the struggles and unhappiness of the material world. They understood it for what it was for them... an inferior existence compared to what awaited us all. But what may have been more wondrous or more miraculous was that many chose to stay.... holding out for hope and reluctant to abandon the flawed creation. It was no surprise that the wealthy and the powerful chose not to leave. The privileged saw no reason to hurry given  how they had grown in stature outside of consciousness....outside of the collective one in favor of the  mine.
    There is beauty in the world... and goodness. We ,the remaining, realized the significance of very specific and small things that, although acknowledged in Spirit, would lack power separated from our physical senses. There is value in the material. To touch...to feel, to see and hear the beauty in this broken cosmic creation. But it was but a whisper ...a glimpse of the beauty from wherein it was derived.
     Spirit gave pause in its decision to close the aperture once again, for in its transcended state it
acknowledged the effect of time on memory and humanity's predilection for re defining the truth to suit its own immediate need in the carnate world. Humanity would comprehend and assimilate this accidental epiphany for now but over generations the truth would again become confused and revert to the state it had been previously before the outpouring in this Hole in Heaven.  Wars would again erupt. Hatred and violence would be reborn as new generations wrote their own eclectic versions of the origin and meaning of life.  In this way the unity and understanding given to us by this consciousness...this spirit, would be lost.  The Hole In Heaven would become an event half remembered and half translated into a fictional mythology as before. It will be a story full of supernatural creatures,  jealous gods, divine wars
and fearful obedient sheep praying to and worshiping their God.