TCC: The Twelfth Crumb, Part I

No, I cannot tell you just exactly when I started to see "things". For I simply do not remember.

Nonetheless: what I can tell you about it may be surprising. For unto the extent that I have been made aware of: it all started long before I ever heard of ephedrine.

Denial goes hand-in-hand with drug abuse: I know; and in all fairness: there is evidence to suggest a connection. For the more ephedrine I took: the more "things" I would see; but since I would often see stuff that made absolutely no sense unto me at the time: I had my doubts about just where they were coming from.

Yes, I am sure that pink elephants make no sense unto most alcoholics. For neither the color variant, nor the animal itself, would be symbolic of anything about themselves, or their lives.

On the other hand: is it wise to assume that the seeing of things that others cannot see is most likely the result of some sort of chemical imbalance in the brain that was caused by the abuse of some sort of chemical? For in my case: I would sometimes see things like the great wheel of Ometecutli (an Aztec god), and different battlefields scenes full of the dead and dying, when I had not been near a history book for years.

Yes, much of the other stuff was sexually explicit. For that was what I wanted to see at the time; but since none of it was what I "specifically" wanted to see, nor anything familiar from my past: one would be hard-pressed to prove that it all was just a figment of my imagination.

No, I never saw any pink elephants. For the things that I saw were strictly in black and white, along with shades of grey. That is: except for eyes that would sometimes take-on hues of yellow or red.

Yes, the images would sometimes change; but their movements were not fluid. For they would generally look like a negative of a photograph when they would first appear on a surface of something; and then a repetitive frame by frame slide-show would commence.

Furthermore: there were other exceptions unto the rule. For what I would see would almost always appear at night in two-dimensional form; but every once-in-awhile: the three-dimensional form of a person could be seen in dust particles in the air even during daylight hours.

There was also one day when I was traveling south on U.S. 83 just south of Garden City, KS that I had to slam on my brakes in order to avoid running into the back of an empty corporate car-hauler several times. For they were notoriously slow and under-powered; and I would not catch sight of the truck until after I had topped one of the rolling hills in that area.

Finally: the road flattened-out; and I lost sight of the rolling road-block completely. Why then? I do not know. For it never existed in-the-first-place.

No, that was not a truck-driver's story; but it does remind of one (I suspect). For it was first told unto me by a driver who would rather make-up something when the truth would do even better.

Anyway: the story was about a convoy of 5 trucks with the same company that I was still driving for that had a driver, who was well-known for seeing things that did not really exist, running the front-door. So: the rest of the bunch did not believe him whenever he slammed-on his brakes and claimed that there was a large boat on the road ahead of them.

To make a long story somewhat shorter: he decided to quit trying to avoid a collision after the verbal abuse coming from the other 4 drivers became too much to take; and a few minutes later: wood of all shapes and sizes littered the road. For he did not get his truck stopped until he had plowed through over half of the length of the boat being pulled by a smaller truck that was hidden from the sight of the beleaguered front-door of the convoy.

Oh yes, there was more. For adding insult unto injury: the transporter of the boat was held liable for all damages done, and highway clean-up involved, because of failing to have a rear escort vehicle in place.

Entertaining: was it not? Perhaps a little too entertaining to be true; but after seeing all that I have seen: I am reluctant to dismiss it as being a work of fiction out-of-hand.

Oh yes, there is more unto my story, as well. For I have become much more sympathetic unto claims made by someone about not recognizing a loved one before killing them in their own place of residence. For the very same thing happened unto me once.

No, I have not killed any of my loved ones in their own home; but I have been confused about the identity of mother. For she was standing less than 10 feet away from me (in a well-lit hallway) one night; and I had no idea who she was.

Thankfully: my confusion only lasted for a few seconds; and I made no move against her. For I believed that what I was seeing was a spirit of some kind, which meant that there was nothing to be done about it.

Yes, there are those who would beg to differ; and there was a time when I would have pursued such knowledge. For I was once told by a practicing witch that I had great power that could be used for good or evil.

No, it was not my idea to go see such a person; but I must admit that I found the experience most intriguing. For when the group that I was with entered her house: she focused all of her attention upon me for at least 15-20 seconds; and when I asked her about it when it was my turn to spend some time alone with her: she told me that the brightness of my "aura" (a glow of light coming from a person that only certain people can see) made sight of everyone else's aura (including her own) impossible to see.

Yes, it does sound like a set-up; but she refused to accept all that was offered for her time: even as a donation. Besides: she did not tell anyone else in the group anything like that.

Weird: I know; but wait: there is more! For my experiences in the "twilight zone" have not been limited unto just things that could be seen. For on two different occasions (that I can remember): I have woke-up gasping for air with the feeling of two hands around my neck.

Yes, after being diagnosed with "Sleep Apnea" (a medical condition where a person stops breathing in their sleep) a couple of years later: I thought about that being an explanation for feeling like I was being choked; but in what way would my diagnosis have anything to do with what had happened unto my mother on a number of occasions? For after telling her about the hands: she told me about her experiences with a mysterious cat.

As with me: what happened unto her seemed to be oh so very real. For she would feel like she was paralyzed. Then: she would hear a cat (when none were in the house) coming down the hallway and enter into her bedroom. Then: she would feel the cat jump onto the foot of her bed and walk up the length of her body. Then: the cat would lay across her face; and just before smothering to death: my mother would become able to move again. Then: the cat would disappear; and after a lengthy series of rather violent sneezes (expelling the apparent cat fur from her nose): she would then be able to go to sleep without further interruption.

No, I have not experienced the like; but I have felt something walking across my bed on a number of occasions when there should not have been anything around. Sometimes it would feel like a cat, or a small dog; and sometimes it would feel like a much larger animal with four feet. A time or two: it even felt like a person (or at least something walking on two feet).

Out of all that I had experienced in the past: one of the most memorable involved what is commonly referred unto as being an "out-of-body" experience in certain circles. For I could actually feel "myself" rising out of my body while laying on my back; and after silently crying-out that I was not ready to go yet when I reached the ceiling of my sleeper: I instantly returned unto my body.

There is, however, a difference between what I experienced and what I have heard about. For their out-of-body experiences generally occurred during times when they were sound asleep or unconscious. Whereas: mine occurred while I was wide-awake.

Yes, I am quite sure of being awake at the time. For it happened just a few minutes after crawling into bed while parked at the Shell Truckstop in Holbrook, AZ (around 230 mile northeast of Phoenix on I-40); and I was not tired enough to pass-out immediately.

No, I have no idea about what may have really triggered such an event. For it would be another two years before I would become fast-friends with ephedrine; but at the time: I suspected that being in close proximity unto the Painted Desert region may have had much to do with it. For the area is considered as being sacred ground by several tribes of Indians (Native Americans).

Oh yeah, I am reminded of another experience that should not be excluded. For it involved Sam's father telling me to give him a copper penny for each wart on my hands and then forget about them; and a couple of days later: I discovered that I should have given him 52 copper pennies, instead of just 51. For there was still one wart remaining.

When I asked him about it: there was little that he could tell me. For he said that the ability would be lost if too much was revealed.

Nonetheless: he could tell me that it was a spiritual gift from God that was to be passed-on unto a member of the opposite sex of each generation. In other words: a mother would give their gift unto one of their sons; and then they would pass it on unto one of their daughters, when it was time to do so.

No, it did not have to go unto the first-born of either sex; and it was not limited unto just the removal of warts. For he told me about his mother also having the ability to heal even extremely severe burns.

There was even proof of such. For sometime during the 1930's (I think): a toddler of a very poor young couple received third-degree burns over most of his body after falling into the fireplace of their home. The young couple then took their son unto William's mother; and left him with her over-night: as instructed. Upon their return the next morning: they were devastated to see that he was still wrapped-up in the dirty sheets that they had used for bandages; but when they unwrapped him: they were amazed to see no evidence of the burns on any part of their son's body.