The Cloudsong Chronicles
Chapter 28: You Stole my Cloudsong
I knew I was hot on the trail. Ever since they had stolen my cloudsong, I hadn't known a moment's peace. But I could see that the determination I had put into getting back what was rightfully mine was beginning to pay off. In Cairo I had just missed them by two days and now, as I guided my camel over a dune and spotted a flourishing oasis shining in the midst of the desert, I knew I had finally caught up with them. Tethered to a post outside the bar I could see, shimmering in the sun, the very same amulet that they had been wearing that fateful night so many months ago. I got off my mount and went into the bar for a drink... and for revenge.
The tavern was dark and smoky, but no less hot. As I sat down upon a rug and ordered a beer I cast glances around, examining the faces of the bar's patrons. Which one could it be, I wondered. Is stealing a cloudsong like that written on the face? I would know soon enough.
In the middle of my drink I spotted him. Coming out of the bathroom was the man who had, with a meticulous scheme to keep me from ever finding out his true identity, stolen my cloudsong. I approached him. He kept smiling, thinking I was a stranger. We were the only Americans in the bar, so he must've figured I wanted the company.
When I confronted him, he took the sweat beading on my brow for a passion of rage. I could tell he had a guilty conscience.
"Get some anger management," he said.
"Goddam it, shut your fucking mouth," I replied, letting him know that I meant business.
"Dude you need to calm down. No one's fucking yelling at you so you need to stop yelling at us." He paused and said haughtily, "Okay? So just fucking... just fucking chill down, level a little bit, fucking kick back, we're all cool here."
I chuckled. We were certainly not cool in the deserts of Egypt, where the temperature rose to a hundred and six on a whim of the air currents. But I was determined to catch him in a lie.
"Man, you shut your fucking mouth," I said. "I'll break your fucking..."
"Hey dude..."
"Fuck you."
"Bro, what the fuck?"
His calling me "bro" irritated me. I had only had one brother: my cloudsong.
"Hey, you shut your fucking mouth you fucking dick, I'm going to break your fucking nose."
"You wanna do something... hey!"
"Hey, I know you're part of the motherfuckers who fucking stole my cloudsong. If I ever find out where you live, I'm gonna fucking kill you."
That had gotten his attention. The game became apparent.
"Bro..." he said, almost stunned.
I decided to tell him just how much I really knew.
"I know you're part of the motherfuckers who rolled over to Eris the other day and fucking zerged my cloudsong, I swear to fucking god if you ever..."
"Hey, hey! You need to calm down dude, it's just a fucking cloudsong."
Between his flippantly referring to my treasured possession as "just" a cloudsong, and his constant dodging of my accusations, I couldn't help but lose my temper.
"Fuck you, girlfriend," I said. "You talking shit you fucking little bitch? Fuck you!"
"Bro, calm down... you need to level good..."
"You listen up and you listen good you motherfucker. If you say one more thing, I'm going to find out where you live and break your fucking nose."
I had given him a notice to be on alert. I could see the fear in his eyes, and the look of panic as he searched for some sort of protection.
"Bro, you don't even know where I live."
"You wanna talk shit? I fucking own the VM boards, you fucking pussy."
"Hey, hey, shut up! We're all friends here, okay?"
"Shut the fuck up! I own the VM boards, I own them!"
I was going to continue, but I felt something blunt and heavy strike me in the back of the head. I awoke I could not say how much later, a throbbing pain behind my eyes, and my hands in something wet...
