American Noise

06. The Bad Place

ART STUDIO

Jazz music played as a couple kissed. The woman looked at a painting of a shadowy figure with glowing red eyes.

"That one keeps staring at me," Paula said.

"Well, don't look at it," Derek told her.

She pulled away from their embrace. "I have to go to work."

"Ah." Derek chuckled. "So? Who is this buyer anyway?"

"I don't know. He emailed yesterday. He must have seen the Examiner piece. Probably some gawking Wasichu."

Paula giggled.

"You know, if studio visits led to actual sales, I wouldn't be two months late for rent." The door buzzer rang.

"Speak of the devil."

She crossed the room and opened the door, revealing Jack and Jayci.

"Hello," Jack and Jayci greeted.

"Jack. Jayci. Welcome. Uh, you're ... young," Derek noted.

"I am."

Paula tried to control her laughter. "Okay. Uh, well. I will leave you to it." She kissed Derek and left.

Derek said to Jack and Jayci , "Come on in."

Jack and Jayci walked inside the studio and the door slammed shut.

"Yeah, look around. I work in oil, digital, whatever suits my subject. I just started a piece," Derek told the twins.

"You're a dream walker," Jack noted.

"Excuse me?"

"The article. You talked about your process, your inspiration. How your mind moves into different worlds."

"It's just a story, just for the catalogs." He turned and walked away from Jack, further into the studio, visibly uncomfortable by Jack's persistence.

"You're Derek Swan, Oglala Sioux, born and raised in the Pine Ridge Reservation," Jayci said.

"I get it. You two read the article."

"Your father was medicine man, and his father before him. Your lineage traces all the way back to Shaman Black Elk. You can see other worlds."

"Look, if you are not gonna buy ..."

"She and I want you to do it," Jack said. "Dream walk, for us."

"That's not gonna happen."

Jack removed a wad of money from his pocket and placed it on the table. "My sister and I can pay."

Derek looked at the money and cleared his throat. "If I was gonna do this, if... where do you two want me to go?"

Jack raised his arm to point to a painting behind Derek. "There. She and I want you to go there." Derek turned and there was a painting Derek had made of the Apocalypse World.

Derek placed his feet in a square tray of water and pebbles. He sat in a chair, surrounded by candles. He closed his eyes and whispered indistinctly as he prepared to dream walk. "I'm there. This place..." he exhaled sharply, "it's not my favorite."

"Keep going. You know what to look for."

"I see... I see a structure ahead. A fortress. I'm getting closer. This world..."

"You have to keep going."

Derek's eyes were clenched shut and his breathing was ragged as he was struggling. "I'm not strong enough."