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Dipsomapolis:A wrecked promenade through horrors of the North

Copyright 2014 Gari HartPublished by Gari Hart at Smashwords

Cover art byAlex Khupra!hasri

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or

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this author.

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"ames have bee !haged#

but the $ear ad bewildermet o$ what $ollows are verbatim

%e years had passed si!e & had last bee withi the 'iesota borders( & spet

several early teeage summers va!atioig there# i both the "orth ad South regios# but

the popula!e ad & did ot part amiably( )he a assigmet was o$$ered to assess the

e!oomi! strai i 'ieapolis however & !ould*t !otest# largely !osiderig my ow

waverig $ia!ial stability( & agreed to the assigmet# eve though it meat goig straight

ito the heart o$ where & was ot wel!omed aymore( +our days i a o!e hostile

eviromet# with a $ree hotel ad per diem $or lu!hes ad diers( &t had bee over a year

si!e & had a opportuity to step out o$ Chi!ago ayway( & agreed ad drove the tumultuous

rode to the usuitably i!,amed "orth Star state(

'y arrival was poorly timed# !oi!idig with the -i,igs iexpli!ably losig to the

Clevelad .rows i their $irst home game o$ the seaso( &$ you ,ow aythig about

$ootball# you ,ow it is "/% a!!eptable to lose to Clevelad# espe!ially o your home tur$(

%he pealty $or doig so is logstadig ridi!ule# ad total loss o$ !redibility as a sports team

ad the $as o$ said team( %his hypotheti!al humiliatio was be!omig a reality spreadig

over the streets o$ 'ieapolis as & was pullig ito tow( .etwee ihospitable +ootball

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$as# superstitious hotel !ler,s# ad sour dealigs at some bar !alled %urer*s that double

bot!hed my dier order# 'iesota $ailed to re!laim ay appeal it lost o years be$ore( &

already !ould ot wait to leave $or home# Chi!ago( %he assigmet was s!heduled $or $our

days# ad & ,ew it was ot goig to be doe without Her!ulea ita,es o$ al!ohol whi!h &

iitiated immediately# while still at %urer*s( & oted the desolateess o$ the !ity streets

whe stumblig ba!, to the hotel( & was a!!ustomed to Chi!ago# where you typi!ally rea!h

your destiatio by ri!o!hetig o$$ other pedestrias li,e a piball( %he su was ust retirig

ad 'ieapolis had be!ome a ghost tow( 3ver more !urious# & oted that all & !ould see oe

dire!tio was a stret!h or bars ad tavers# ad the other was a stret!h o$ strip !lubs ad sex

shops( "oe are establishmets & am opposed to# but it is a problem whe the oly !hoi!es

$or a!tivity are booze & grease foodor booze & breasts( .oth optios are goig to be

detrimetally expesive# ad either was aythig more log term heada!he disguised as a

potetially good time( .ut o$ !ourse# oe o$ these pla!es appeared to have ay sig o$ li$e

i them(

Although & $elt opaue the ext morig# & got straight to wor,( &tera!tig with

'ieapolis daytime !iti5es was euivalet to ta,ig !esus $rom 5ombies( 3ve whe they

did reply# it was brie$# osesi!al# ad hasty# as i$ they were a$raid( Somethig was

de$iitely wrog i 'ieapolis# ad the whole pla!e $elt usettlig( )heever & was o$$ duty

& dri$ted $rom bar to bar# dri,ig overpri!ed !o!,tails ad dis!overig greatly dis!o!ertig

establishmets( 3very pla!e was $illed with listless# almost hypoti5ed patros who did ot

eat their meals or dri, their dri,s or meals ad dri,s were served to empty tables( 3ve

strager was a 6a55 !lub !alled the 7ast Stop( & $oud it at a iterse!tio & passed several

times durig the day# but it was ot visible i the sulight( )ith large widows ad purple

eo light proe!tig through them# it should have bee uite easy to spot someoe iside( &

wet to ope the etra!e door# but it was lo!,ed( 8oarig ad vigorous tues !ould $aitly

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be heard !omig $rom iside# so & assumed they were ope or gettig ready to( & stepped up

to oe o$ the widows ad loo,ed iside( %he !hairs ad bar were set up $or servi!e# but o

oe was aroud : or ot visibly at least( Stayig there $or a momet# & heard the disti!t

blare o$ !rowd !hatter rise up to bled with the musi!( %he auditory evide!e o$ li$e iside

otwithstadig# the pla!e was empty# without prese!e( & ba!,ed away slowly# ot watig

to disturb whatever hauted the 7ast Stop(

&mmutably# o!e the su was dow# the streets be!ame deserted( 'ieapolis is a

loely pla!e( despite the i!redible !rime rate# Chi!ago is a more wel!omig !ity tha ay

other & have bee to( & sear!hed $or aythig that $elt homeli,e# ad surprisigly & !ame upo

oe to $ar 3ast side o$ the !ity limits(

&t was !alled S,yway( A eormous &ggy Pop poster hug behid the bar# ad ;avid

.owie played o the stereo( S,yway was a dier by day ad bar by ight# $urished with red

viyl booths ad barstools with silver !hrome liig( ;ust ad dirt !a,ed over the glittery

$loor# ad the lights were dim eough to !ause a!!idets( 7i,e everywhere else# $ew people

were iside( At the bar sat at da55lig redhead readig a ewspaper ad dri,ig vod,a eat(

3ve without ma,ig eye !ota!t ad oly seeig her $rom the side# & sesed her ethereal

aura( She dressed simple# i eas ad tshirt# be!ause her prese!e was su$$i!ietly

impressive( & !ould ot help but sit dow ext to her( She loo,ed up# ad with a sigh

dropped the ewspaper o the !outer# the grabbed her dri, as she wal,ed behid the bar(

She tured out to be the bar,eep# ad as,ed what & wated to dri,( Her ame was .elle ad

she was extraordiarily exuisite# with a voi!e li,e wid blowig through autum leaves that

had $alle to the groud( & told her & was $rom Chi!ago# whi!h thrilled her as she wated to

visit there $or years( /ur !oversatio was iterrupted whe a s,eletal $igure materiali5ed

through a wall i the ba!, !orer ad started struttig oisily aroud the pla!e# sittig at

booths or o stools $or se!ods at a time ad the movig to aother spot( At oe poit# he

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stood very !lose to me ad tal,ed to .elle( +rom their ex!hages# oe !ould easily see he

was a getle# old soul( & itrodu!ed mysel$# ad he !ordially as,ed me to !all him 6( %he he

!hattered his teeth ghoulishly# !a!,led wishes o$ pleasat eveigs to .elle ad !almly le$t(

.elle said 6 was a artist who wor,ed o a barter system# ad that he ever paid $or aythig

aroud tow i$ he !ould trade some o$ his wor, $or it istead( Subseuetly# she said that his

appeara!e was the sigal to !lose up( & said goodbye to .elle respe!t$ully a truly

remar,able perso i a uremar,able tow(

Havig $ew other optios# & !otiued dri,ig at the hotel bar# where & spo,e with a

adrogyous $igure who !alled themselves Sydey Curie( %hey loo,ed li,e they !ame o$$ a

Pu, ro!, lie o$ a por!elai doll set# ad isisted & visit a pla!e !alled ;(;(*s( Sydey bought

me whis,ey o the ro!,s util & bla!,ed out(

)he & regaied !os!iousess the ext morig i my hotel room my eyes were

bloodshot ad my toe was pallid( & was startig to resemble the lo!als( %his egle!ted to

ma,e trasa!tig with them ay smoother( & $a!t# it appeared they were gettig worse