The man has six cans of Clink in an old stinking haversack, he finally sits down by the plant pot after stumbling around drunkenly, dropping his contents on the cracked coffee table. A purple bag inflated and deflated beside him. And behind the bag was a head. Bobbing with the shakes, green fingernail ends gripping it on yellow fingertips. Mumbling in between exhaling, in between waves of adhesive euphoria and rattling of the plastic bag. I mumbled something about being shook, they mumbled back, but I couldn’t understand what they said, so I just nodded me head in agreement. I mumbled and they mumbled in agreement with my mumbling, it was more like telepathy, you knew what they were thinking by looking at them, but you lost it as soon as you were sober, but we were never sober long, we didn’t lose it much.
As conversation with real words got too sloppy when you were inebriated, it was easier to speak with telepathy. They mumbled some more, I didn’t reply, they knew why. And so did I, we knew it all, we just didn’t know how to put it across with words. Derek was on today, Derek was alright, one of us, an ex boozer slash Junkie, sober now twenty years, a soldier that made it to the other side.
Pitying us with those eyes, unable to communicate by telepathy any more, after decades out of the game. But I could sometimes see it in Derek’s eyes, that sometimes he missed a gargle, that he never got the opportunity, to cut loose any more. I knew he wanted it, he craved it. And I nodded to Scully through telepathy, Scully nodded back. I even nodded to Derek, but he didn’t receive it. He was switched off too long. Derek sighed and lit a cigarette while sweeping around us, and for a moment he could read me, then the signal disappeared, he put out his cigarette in the ashtray, sighed then swept around me feet. The purple plastic bag across from me had stopped its movement, crackling as it now lay completely flat. I asked her was she alright, she nodded without moving, and I did the same. I asked Scully was he alright with my mouth, he replied he was grand with his. I dropped a can, but quickly scooped it up, only a minor loss thank god. Me reflexes were still good, in certain situations I suppose. I threw it back, the suds down my throat, better in than out. I gasped air after an endless gulp. I felt the signal now, it was strong again.
I heard a phone ring, the tone was annoying, and I began to feel agitated, would somebody not fucking answer that? after a while I realised it was mine. Hello I said, Hello the voice said, hello the voice said again, how are you I said. Hello can anyone here me the voice said. Then I used my lips and the voice answered back. Good to hear from you, how are you? I’m great I said, I’ve been going straight a while. I knew you would she replied, with that voice I missed so much, I wanted to tell her I missed her, the phone beeped, she told me she was thinking about me lately. I told her I thought about her all the time. She laughed, the phone beeped, her signal was weak, too long in the real world. The phone beeped again, as I spoke, with my mouth to a dead phone. I love you I blurted, even Scully looked. Battery gone. I looked around, the purple bag still inflated and deflated, with a head behind it. I screamed at the top of my lungs, but nobody could here me.
DoubleSpeak 