Chapter 17

The Last Day

11:59:59 p.m.

Time.

There's never enough of it when you need it the most.

It seems to pass in eons when you are eager to get on with things.

Carl fidgeted. Even though he wanted to comfort poor, sick Beauregard, he held back. Knowing something great was about to happen was not as much fun when he had no idea of what it was that was going to happen. The nervous energy began to get the best of him, but for the first time in his life, he was able to hold back the demons that ran wild in his mind.

Carl never knew the demons were actual Demons, but this night he won out over them, and they stayed back, out of sight though never out of hearing. He heard but chose to ignore their shrieks of outrage at his denial. For a lifetime, these demons had owned Carl. For this moment, he overpowered them.

Careful to keep the ragged old man in sight, Carl ate deliberately. If this was his last meal ... here ... in this existence ... then he was going to quietly, carefully, SAFELY, enjoy it.

Some strength emanating from that old man transferred itself into Carl's damaged brain and restored power to long forgotten neurons, causing a normal flow of data to important centers in his brain. These centers hadn't had input for decades but took up their job instantly, sorting, verifying, and collating data into logical thought, speech, and action.

In short, Carl was normal. He just hadn't realized it yet.

On top of the pass through counter, the timer blinked 12:00.