Chapter 1:

Career Opportunities

"T e G d Pe e e Ke a d e aced a

c !"

"A c ," I a d a d a I a a d ac e c

bb e ca . M ead e e a d da c a e ,

c ade e a e e e.

"A c c !" Ma e e ea ed, ea e a a

a a. T be a , a e e ea d . T e

e ae e ba a d e e a c a e

c d e e e a d e . Y , ed a d

a de Ga a 1847. B a d d d

a a de c e b e - ce B .
"T e G d Pe e a d e aced a c ," I

a d, c a , a I ed a d e e a

a . M eadac e a , a d I ed I ad

c ee Le . W a I e I ed

e I d d be e e ? O a ea -- e , e

"be e " a a c ca ed. B d ab d ed a d.

"T a a I a !" Ma e a a N S e acce

e e a a e . S e ea ed bac e d c a a

I d e e a d c ed e a e e a a

a dba -- e e a e a ace e a e. I

ed e e e a c a e e e a ed e e

e a e ace, a d a e d d ed e b - a a

e a a a c . A a a I c d e ,

e d ece c a ed a e ade b de.

Ma e a a ea e a e, O d Ha b

V a e. U de ea e a e -- a d e a beca e --

e ed a d e ea de . I ed I d d a a a d

a e . S a a I eac ed e b e T a

d e ec a ed d - - a e a I ca ed a de

a d ed e a e . A I b e C a

, I de ed a be I d be d

a c e . T e I e c ed a , a d a a
e e . Be de , e P cc c c e

a a d a a e , I d d ee a .

T e e b d a ed de c ee a d aded

ca a e ee e , a d I ed ce a I d e a a

ca e, ae e a a . S e, e e

a d e I d e e e C e H e ba d

Se a McI F c a ee a ea d e

e , b a ed e d

d e d ed c , e e e aced

c , a e e e c e a ab .

B a ea a a b, c ea I d e a d. G d I

eeded e ca . Y d be a a ed a a c a

- a c e - ed- ce C a . O a

ac a de .

"H ca be e a e G d Pe e?" I a ed Ma e.

"U , Id , M e , c d be ca e d a c c ?"

e a d. A I a a ead ea e b .

"Yea b ca be e? I a e c

e e da , a d a da a c d e ea e c a ace.

T e G d Pe e a e ea e c e a ," I a d.
"We , I ," e a d.

"O a , b ?"

"Beca e! He a bed a da , a d

!"

I e ed e b e d de , ded a d be ea

c a d a d, "He a e e. L e a c . O a

dd e- c e . O a . S e."

Ma e c a a - a ed e ace. I d d c

a ec a e . "F c ," e a d, e b ea e a e

c a e e . "Y a e ca e e d e e ce

be ee e d a d a c c ?"

I a ed e d a d a ed e ed e a d a a . I d

ee d be e. I a d b e

e e e a d a e e e , b I e

e e e a c . I ca e e a e ace. G

e ec , ca e a b d e ca ed.

T e ac a e a d ade e e e c ea .

"Y e . I . T a a e. I d d ea

a e a ," I a d.
"D a c I Lea e b d e. T

e be e a e e ca e . B

a e, M . McC ."

"P ea e d ca e a ," I a d, d ca e deca e

ce d a e ad a ed ee e

ea e . I d d a e a de , b a ea I ad a a c

a d d ee ee a e a a c , a d "M e F " ade

e d e e b e a e a e Ra e -

c - a e. Ma be I c ed e a b , I d be ab e

a d a e e a e a e e a , e a

ce e c ed e ead a c e .

S I ed a ead e e . "W a ab Ke d

a ?"

Ma e a e ed e c a , a ea a c a e

c d d d e e a ea bac , a d c a c ed a

e e e b e a d. S e ed e a

e e e a d a ed a d. "Ra Ke a a d -- e a

a a c , a ? He a e a e a d e ad a d

b e . M e a , a d e a d D e a a a

. E e c e , e d b ea , a ,

e ea . We e a a decade. T e a be
 bac , e e d. Sa d e a e a

e M dd e Ea d d."

P Ma e d d ee ea e a " d d" a

ee a dea e G d Pe e -- e d e

c a b a d a a . N a e G d Pe e

ad a a e e e da . M e e e

d c e ed a de e ab e. Be e e

, a d e a ee ca d e e a a c I

b 1643 e . T e e a ed a e

ed a e a a , c c e , cab

d a c , e a e e de c A e ca. B

e e e , e , a e b a c a d a e a

a ce e ade ea e d e e

c a .

N a I c d a e a , c e. I e e ed

a de e ada e . B e e d

e , a d e e d a a c e e e e

e c .

Ma e d bea , D e Ka a a a , e a a e

ca . He a e e e b e c e d a . M

de e a e e d e
e c ce e e ade b c a , d

e d d ed e da ed. W e I ed e e bac ,

e a ed a e "be e b ac a a."

G a a b ac a d e a e a B

b c -- e , e a a a a d

a e , a e ed e e.

L , I b e a d a a ace a d

e bac . S e a e d a a d be d b

e c e e G d Pe e, a d bab a a

c .

I e ed . "T a e a ea d ?"

Ma e dded, e e d d a d a e a e ed e

c , c a d e a a d ed d .

"La I ee , e a e . T e e a d,

e, b I a e c ea , a d I d d a Ke a d

e , ? T a I D e e

d . I ea G d, e e e G d Pe e

e a d e e Ke c ec . F c

D e. A e."

"Y e c ea ?"
"S e T e da ."

"C a ," I a d, ab e c bb d e e e

bac e e a a e ce e e e a dec a ed

d -de . "D d D e a a e e e e e ?" I a ed.

"Yea ." Ma e de a a d e e e e e a ed a

e e e e. "He a d e a a c d

. Sa d a Ke a d."

"H ." I ab a e , e ded a d

d -de . "L e , Ma e," I a d. "I

e e e. B I a eed c e a .

T a a . I a e e a

e a a e . B a e

d bac -- e ac a c --"

Ma e b ed e c a a a . I c d ee e a e

e ace, e e e a e . I b

a d e a ce ce a d a d, "I

a a e . I a , a e e ,

e b e a e dea , I e e e . I

ea a a I d . W a e e e b e , I

de. B a e be e e. O a ?"
S e e a ed a e be e e a e ed. "O a ."

"A d e e e ee."

Ma e e a ea , e e a ee e e

e e . S e eac ed d a d c ed e e,

c a e e a a e d e ba c e ed a e ,

a d a a ed e ed a c ed ece

a e . S e e d a e, e e a e e

, a d ee e e e ca e a ab

e a a . "T e e I e , c e

e . A c a e d a

d a. A d e D a T ee a d a .

B G e E e a d a a d a e

ed ea a d e , I a e e ad c ea ." S e

e c ed e a d a d e e e e , b

e d . "I a ca e c ec , d.

A a b ce . I be e , M e, I a

a c e a a a e e e c , b I e a c e e

."

S e e a d a ded e a We e U ee d ed

e e e d a a d ee ce . F a a da d

e a , I a c a ed d ed a da
e e e , a add a ee ca e a ed a c

ae a e e a c d a de e

e a e - a da d e a a e . S e

d e ca e a a e a e a a da a d a

a c ac .

"S e e a e e?" I a ed, I d d ea

a ea e a e .

"Yea , e ab a... a B e e a E e , I

a ? T a e e ea a c . B a

d e e e -- e e , a

a e de a e a c e a a e e

-- b e e a d e c a e ,

e ce a d . A d e d a d ed e ,

ab e " -- e ade a a d e a

I a ed eac -- "a d a . O ,

a d e e e a a , ...a , c , I

e e be a e ."

I c ea ed a . "A e e a a de ee, I d

ad e a a abb c d a e ,

Ma e." I a a e a a G e E e a e

ab e a e e e a .
B I d d e e c ed ab, I e a ed e ca e

c ec a d, be e I e a I a e

e . N a I a d e e . I I

a ed e , I d e a e Ba a d d e c c a e

b a e c . I ead I d a d, c , e e

e , e d a e e e.

Ma , I a a d . A dea c, ed ca ed, a a c c

c ead d c a e a e de e ded

S a a , I ded e c ec , c e , a d

a d I d ca e e e da e I a a e a e

a a Ke e .

   
 

Chapter 2:

May the Living Be Dead In Our Wake

T e a e I a Ma e Wa be e e a ed

ce a da a a e B e da Be a P b a e Ma -Ca

Ke e e a ee ea e . I a e e

bea e Ne E a d da , e e e

ed a e ed e ba d a d

e "T e A d T a e" b a ed e ea e -- e P e

e , c e, a e e e e a e . L

H de S a e, c d ba e a e a a a d e

c e P de a Ce e e d a ce, a d e

e e d a e a ed a e ace a ad ed

a a e e . M e e e a , e D ba

D a , e b e e e e e b e a a e I
a ed. I a e de e ac a e a

ba . E e e dea e a .

B e e e e e e e , d b e d c ; e

ca; e A S d e; a d a e e e G d Pe e,

a C ba e a e d e ee I e

e a ac a E C c . T e d a c a ed a e e

a ca e e e e d a e a e c d

a a d c ed e e . S e e a e-deb e

ca ed d e e e a .

Ma -Ca a ec ca e . O a ea , e b a ed

e a e e a a d a . B e e A d R a Ke e e

, e d ed e e e a e ee I ad e . I d

ee e a de a d e e a a e

a e a e, I ca a I a ed ea e

e ca e .

A e ed ca c e c e a , c e, e I

a e e . I d d be a d e . T e e

e a d e a , e e c ed a e

a a e da ce e e e:

"W a d, b a?"
"A , a , a e e. H a bee ?"

"G d, d, ea . Be de , ."

"Yea ."

"F c a e, ?"

"Yea , I ."

"I e da ed . I a ce a

e ."

B b b . N e ca a a e

dead a , a ​ be c dead​ bab e e e

e . Pe e d e ea a . S

e c e a e a a, a a d

e a a e a d b d ca c ,

be de be a e Ea b a a d

e a e c de. A d e, e e d e e

e e , "I d ca e e e e , I a e ee

d- -a d- , a d I d ca e a e a b ce

a ed I e c de a

d I ca ab a e d a d d e

a ."
I d a e e a ea a e d e I

a e .

I ed a e a d a ed G e E e a .

S e d ed e b a a a b d e . E e

e e , e a e ee e c a d ce e,

ed e a a d a . T e e a c e

e e e e , b e e e a d a

aded e d e a e e . A e

ea e c a a a e e e? P e

e e e e a e ab e . "Ve a," "Ja e J e ",

"R a e," b "J d a P " ​a d​ "S ee a I A P R c e ,"

e e "E ee " e "C e O " a e . He , bab "E ea

R b " . I be e c ed McCa e a d a e e

e e e e e a c ed e d e a d e a ab .

T e a ce, a .

T e e a e a a ab G e E e , a a a I

e . S e a a bada .

A d c c , e a d e ba e e c a

e e M e I eeded a d . I

ed a d a d d, "W a ba a d a c d a

bee a d ace," e e a a a a
d e a e de ba ade e ec a ed e

a c c ​T C a , added e a .

T a ​ e I ced e Ke Wa b

e e c e be de e, a a d a

e ed -ea e Red S d e.

Ke a e ead e ed d be ee a

a d b de . He a ced a e a a bab

b e e e ee be d a e, ec ed c ee , a d

ed e e a ab . W e e a beca e

Ma -Ca e ca e , beca e I d a d e d

" c " e e e ce a e a c ba e de , a a

e e a a e e , I c d e . H ace

a a c , e e a a e e e e a

e a c bac , a e S ad e a e

ed F M e .

S ba ca , e ed ab a a I e . L c d

ad ea ed e e . T a a , I

; e d a e e e e .
I a e e d a a -a ed , a d a c

de a d, "I dd , c e. G e E e d e

I ed. A d e e e , e e a I d ee ." W c

e ec a a a c e e a I a . T e d

a d bac e, a ed d a ee -- a ab

I d a e ea e e d e ed e .

W bee a d, a d a ea a e

e e a d, I ed be c ee . "Y e Ma e

d, ?"

"Yea ."

"I M e," I a d, a d e e ded a d, c e e a

a a I e e ed a e e- ea - d c de "G

a a ," c e, I d d . He a a - d,

a e a a e, c e dea ed e e. I

a a ad a ea e e .

"Y a a bee ?" I a ed, beca e I

c a ab e.

"N ," e a d.
Ha e ed Ke a e e a d

Ad e ce E , ca de a d e c e

e ca e e e.

"S e ," I a d. "B e e d e . I e bee

a e e e, ce I a e e e a . A d e e

e a a e a ."

L e Ke b ed e a a e e e, a d c ed

a a e e e ac e a . I ed

e a d ea ed e a a e M a

S e , e e ee- - e ea e a e a e

e a e e d . I / e/ e / a e e e e ab e a e

a e a , e ce e ac a ed .

I a e Ke a d e a d a d, "Y c e M a

S e , a ? W c e e be e ?"

He a e e e e ed, c e ed e e a

d e a b e e . I ea ed e a

e a e d a e d e

e , A e a d Badb, ad bee b , b e

a d e a e ed e e Mac a b d . A

c ee a e e e, a e a e, a e e
e de a e e e c e e e a ,

e ce e e e e a c dde c a ed.

Be e I ad a c a ce e a e , I a

e ace a ba ed- a . I ed a d a

Fa De c c e e a de ace. He a

ea ed a e c e e ba , ab e ee a d e e e

a a , a d e d d e e a a b ed c ee

a ed ed a d c d , e a ea

d ab e e e e c c a b a c Red

S ca e a a e. Red a e c a c e e

c , a d a bee ce e be e, b De c

ca a ac a b e. K c a , I d a a

ec ed a e d ed a e c

e e -- a a c e ed a a e, a d e ,

ec ca ea , a a c Red S ca a a a c ed

ca .

I d De c ce e da I a b . He a Da a

e e c c e . E e be da , e a

a c ea ab c .

H d b a e ed e d e b, a d e

​, Fa De c a a d e e e e, e
 e de Ke Wa . "We e c ed

! L e M e F ! C e a e ec a , e?

Sa , a e ed e e da a e, ea ?"

G d De c -- a a c e c a e, e e a a

e a .

" H M e, a e da ? O e e ,

De c , a a a c e a . H a e ? " I

a d. De c a e e a e I a e e e. He

e ed ea , b I a d e d .

" T a a , M e. I d e a I e dec ded

e a c c e dead e d a d e

d b e b c e e e

I a d a a d I c ea ed e a e. W ,

De c , e ! Y ​a e​ a d a a d a

I d e ! A d , e c e e, I

a e a d beca e I da e eed ."

Fa De c c c ed ace e e a e ead

e de. I ead, e ded bac e a d e

, ed ac ee e, a d a d, "T a

, be a d , a a a d
 a d. L e d a a a , a e. A a

e . N bac a I a -- "

"D ,"​ I a d, a d a , a d a e d ec .

Fa De c ed, e d d a - b e e d a

e a e e a e be e a a , "W

e e d e e? Ma e d, ? W e e a e e

da ?"

"D d , e a​ d e eac ," ​I a d

Ke , b a d Fa De c . N ed

e G d Pe e e a a d eaded - d. "​T e e​

e e ea , . T a c a a a .

J e a d e a a ."

I a e , c e. B I I c ed e

d e e e. S , I a a e e.

L bac , a be I d e a e e a e

e . B a I a Fa De c a ea

a e ?

G e E e b a T e e a d I ed e

a e . S e a c ed a e eb a e, e b bbed e ead a

De c , e a e e e a a . I a e e a
 d a a e, a d e e bac e e

a e . L e e, e ed De c a a a e

c d . W c , c de e, a a a

d a ce, de e d c bee a .

I a e , e c b a e de

e a abbed a d a . B e e a

e a a e b a d c e c c d e a

a . T e a a be a ea . "E c e e...I

a ed a a e d ..." e a d a e c bed

a d e e a - ea e d b c ed

e ace e bac e b. I d d ec e e , b

e ad a , c a e da b a d c

b ac a c ed c e e ca , a d e c ed a

e e a , c a I a e e . B

e , e a e e e e e a a

da e - ed a I a , e a ead c a ded a ce a

d e e ce.

"Ja , a e c eec ," a d Fa De c . He

ed e bee a e bac e ba a d b ed.

"I a e e . B d I ea

, beca e a e a d d ed. I be e a

d ed a e e, e e a ." He a e e a - e
a e e b e d a ea ed, a e a e

e de a de e d e e I a

d e c a e e a a e d.

F a e I ed ac a e e eec -

a e e c ea e a de . B e b a d

e e a a e a e ac . M a e

ed e a d e be d e d

de, c a e e I a Ma e Wa c a

Fa De c e de a . A I a e a

b a e, b e I e , e a e a

ca - - e- a , a a e ec

e . S e a c ea e a a I

c d e a e e a e a . De c

e e d a ea , e a a e e

de e , a b e e a ac a

c ec . H ca a ed e e e be e e e e ed,

b Ma e a c ea e ca c e a e .

T e e e e a d e a a ed e a e

, c b a e bac e a

eec . "S be a e B P ce De a e , I

a ed a a , Ma -Ca , a d a d

a Hea e a ea a a a be e e De
 e dead. ​S e​." A d e e b e ea ed a e e

e - aced a a , c a e e e be e

e bac .

I e e e e e a e a de a a I ed

e eec . B e e a e d e be e I

d e de -c ec ed a d ed a a b a e

ed- Ma e Wa , a e e e ab a

" c a e," c ce I a e e a ea

e. S e d e e a , c ea

a a e be d e ead a e d

e e I d e Ke be de e. I e a e,

e c d e a ed e e ea a d ad a ed

a c e a a , c I a e ed be a d a e a e

"C e . We e a e e," Ma e a d, e abbed Ke

a a d a ed e ba . I ed e , b

Ke d d be d e c bac . P d a

e a e e . Ma e e c d a e

d a ed e b. "W a I e b a e ,

? D a de e a a a . I d a
 a a e , a d I d a

ea , de a d?"

T e e e ba a a c e e a ed e d --

e ce Sea O D a a , c e, acc e ad

ead. I ead, e e d e e

c e b a d eac de a c e e b d . N

e e e ad e ea e a ead e c a e

d d a e e a a b e, e a e a b d .

B ce e a ed e e ​d ead, e

dd e ed a a , ed b e d e ea

e a e e de a a d e e a e

bac b e a d a e .

   
 

Chapter 3: 

Not Just Boys' Fun 

I took care of some bills at the office after Margie left, just 

like a real adult. But the Pinocchio clock ticked faster than I 

realized, and next thing I knew it was six o'clock, which meant 

I had to get to Cambridge to load-in for the punk show I was 

playing that night. 

The late-March weather was crisp and cool enough that I could 

get away with a light jacket even after dark, so I put on my 

favorite armor, a grey Dickies Eisenhower that I got back in my 

punk rock days, before I sold out and became a poorly paid 

private investigator. I had dressed it up with patches of all 

the founding fathers -- Black Flag, Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Op 

Ivy, Aus-Rotten though I never even listened to that shit, DK, 

and of course the presidential crest of Johnny, Joey, DeeDee, 

and Tommy. It was a nice reminder of where I'd come from -- 

maybe how far I'd come since then. It also made for a decent 

on-stage uniform, though it wasn't exactly good for sweating 

under lights.  

I went outside and unlocked my single-speed bike from the "No 

Parking" sign I always parked at, right outside Yan's Best Place 

Restaurant where I rented my shitty office upstairs. I knew the 

owner, the eponymous Yan, from a few years back when I was 

playing in a Lifetime-esque straight-edge vegan hardcore band 

called China Ferrari Death Orgy Sex Crash. We used to tour in an 

old converted Type A school bus that we nicknamed The Short Bus. 

The old clunker ran on diesel, but for just a few hundred bucks, 

we converted it to run on old recycled cooking oil that we got 

from Chinese restaurants. Yan was our number one dealer. 

Apparently waste disposal costs a lot of money when you're 

frying up that much pickled dog meat or whatever, so we did him 

a favor and took it off his hands for free. Of course we thought 

we were stickin' it to the man and fighting back against oil 

corporations or whatever. At the time, none of us seemed to mind 

that we were using animal fat to run our van. Or that we were 

making fun of kids with special needs. 

Looking back, that was a very dark time in my life. 

Before I got on the bike, I sent a text message to The Creep, 

asking him to dig up whatever records that he could on Margie 

and Donnie and their little stick kid. I didn't particularly 

like The Creep, but he was invaluable when it came to scouring 

the Internet for Things You Shouldn't Find. He was another thing 

that cut into my profits whenever I actually made any, but he 

was worth it just as long as I never actually had to talk to 

him. 

With the leather strap of my shillelagh slung across my back, I 

hit the asphalt and pedaled like hell as I looped around the 

last dregs of Boston Common traffic and made my way down Beacon 

Street. I built up speed as I hit the Mass Ave bridge then 

coasted my way across the Charles River, the wind cutting 

through my spokes as the sun sank toward its slumber. The day's 

last rays soaked into my skin as I pulled my hands away from the 

handlebars, daring my gravity to take me down. I wondered how 

it'd feel to be a mass of fiery rage burning in the endless 

nether. 

# 
There were several different stories floating around the scene 

about why TT the Bear's Place had such a ridiculous name. 

Personally, I preferred my rock and roll absurdity embraced and 

unquestioned. One of the last remaining vestiges of Boston's 

independent music scene, TT's was all the grunge and grime you 

could want from a divey rock club, with a killer monitor system 

to boot. Everyone from the Blake Babies to the Pixies to Arcade 

Fire had graced the beer-soaked stage backed by that beautiful 

city skyline mural. It was housed in a run-down corner building 

in Cambridge's Central Square that, by some strange miracle, had 

managed to resist the encroaching threat of luxury condos that 

consumed the rest of the city. 

It shared a lot with the multi-venue Middle East right next 

door, which really only differed in its delicious falafel 

offerings. I wondered briefly if Donnie Mathis had just gained a 

sudden interest in indie rock bands and was hiding out over 

there the whole time, but that would be too easy. Besides, there 

was no way the white trash fuckhead I'd known growing up would 

ever be caught doing something as uncool as seeing bands with 

guitars. 

TT's had a decent crowd for a Wednesday night, maybe fifty heads 

or so filling up the dusty hardwood floor in front of the stage 

at any given point. The bar was off to the side and didn't offer 

much of a view of the music, but that's where me and Robin Soto 

camped out for most of the evening until our set time at eleven. 

You could still hear the music, of course, but at least over 

there we didn't worry about the epic plume of Robin's 

bleach-blonde femmehawk obstructing the sight lines of some 

cranky gutterpunk. Also, the bar had booze.   

Robin was the frontperson-cum-​auteur​ for Plan B from Outer 

Space, which was kind of a caustic riot grrl art-rock act, like 

the genderqueer lovechild of Sleater-Kinney and The 

Dismemberment Plan. A little more melodic and contemplative than 

my usual gigs, but still. I enjoyed playing with them well 

enough, even if I was just a utility player brought in for the 

occasional full-band gigs. Like a lot of people, I bounced 

around a couple different projects at any given time -- it was 

hard to make a living playing in just one band, so you did what 

you could for the kicks and the cash. 

In Robin's case, that kick came with the extra heft of her 

hoofed goat legs. She was half-púca, and the other half of her 

was a Mexican, though I never figured out which parent was 

which. Still, us halfsie freaks had always got along. We'd been 

friends for near a decade at that point, Robin and me, ever 
since a particularly confusing evening at a hardcore show in the 

basement of a seedy downtown drag club. I say confusing because 

I was on a fuckton of quaaludes, and because we were both 

hitting on the same girl and somehow hit it off ourselves. 

Didn't hurt that I could tell she was lying about why she walked 

so funny -- normally she just told people she had club feet 

underneath her combat boots, because the truth was too weird to 

explain. Either way, it was nice for both of us to know that we 

weren't alone with our weird old world magicks. 

The two of us alternated tallboys of 'Gansett with shots of 

Jamey as we waited for a lull in the blitzkrieg billiard hustle 

going on beneath the blinding fluorescents at the back of the 

room -- really the only well-lit part of the whole damn club, as 

if all the light in the entire place was drawn straight to the 

eight-ball. Given that she had one hoofed foot in the magical 

world, I asked Robin if she'd heard anything about some 

clurichaun getting back into the child-stealing game. It was a 

weird thing to yell above the din of thrashing guitars, but 

hopefully it was loud enough that no one noticed. 

"You think maybe this Margie chick's pulling your leg?" Robin 

asked. "Like she know you got a weak spot for some faeries, and 

she's hoping to blackmail her not-baby-daddy into subsidizing 

her? Probably easier to sucker you into taking that cashier's 

check than it is to pay for court fees and all that shit." 

I hadn't really thought of that, but she had a point. 

"So you think I should focus on finding Donnie first." 

Robin looked at me cock-eyed with a half-chewed grin, like I was 

some kind of idiot. Which, well, was fair. 

"Either way, you find the baby-daddy and he's the one she's 

after, or you find out what he did to piss off the Good People 

and that leads you to the kid." 

"You're a genius," I said. "If you weren't so gay, I'd kiss 

you." 

"And if you weren't my only bassist then I'd break your fuckin' 

fingers." Robin punctuated her response by tossing back her 

whiskey shot. She slammed the empty glass back on the tacky 

black bar top, wiped her flannel sleeve across her mouth, then 

suddenly jerked upright and still, eyes squinting as the gears 

ground in her mind. Or maybe it was just the whiskey working its 

way through her. 

"How old did you say the kid was?" she asked. 
"Margie said he'd be thirteen in April. Which makes sense, I 

guess; she got knocked up her senior year, which was probably 

the last time I spoke to her 'til the funeral." 

All Robin said was "Hrm," then nodded her head a few times and 

turned her attention toward the audience, like she was absorbed 

by whatever song the opening act was blasting through. 

"That was a cool time change in the bridge," she said when she 

came out of her trance. 

"Really? I can't stand that polyrhythm bullshit," I said. "Just 

fuckin' play the song, ya know? If there's no drive then what's 

the point?" 

Robin just shrugged and sipped her can of 'Gansett. 

"You gonna tell me why you asked his age?" I said, hoping it 

wasn't just some random acid flashback that had blanked out her 

brain. 

Robin chugged the rest of her beer, then held the empty can 

between her thighs and started flipping the tab back and forth. 

"The souls of the innocent are worth a helluva lot more in the 

underworld than you or me or any other grownup. Well, maybe not 

you," she said. It wasn't a joke. "There's no way to quantify 

someone's innocence, so thirteen is generally the cutoff. It's 

the mitzvah and all that. Once they can reproduce, the value 

goes down, I guess. So if it is a changeling or a stick thing -- 

which, right now, I couldn't tell you either way -- but if it 

is, this would be the last chance for someone to get a good 

market price on the kid's soul." 

Like I said, the Donnie I knew was a druggie through and 

through. Maybe he was hiding 'cause he owed somebody money. And 

maybe he was so mad at Margie for lying to him that he was 

willing to sell the kid's soul to get him out of a debt. 

"Where do you go to get that kinda currency?" I asked. 

Robin shrugged. She hopped off the barstool and onto her hooves 

and said, "I'm gonna tune," then made her away across the club 

to the Green Room backstage, her femmehawk glowing in the 

darkness and bouncing like a peacock as she walked. 

I sat there on the barstool for another lonely minute or so, 

letting the pretentious soundwaves of math rock bullshit wash 

over me. I waited 'til the set was done before I polished off 

the rest of my tallboy. As I walked across the beer-soaked floor 

to grab my gear for set up, I sent a follow-up text message to 

The Creep, this time specifically asking after any medical 

records, insurance information, or other formal paperwork that 

he could scrounge up. 

Plan B From Outer Space hit the stage that night a little after 

eleven. I think we played all right, but you can't blame me for 

being distracted by Robin's cryptic bullshit. 

   
   

Thursday, March 28 

Three days until the next full moon.