Stylin' 'n profilin' (Dave's Weekly Update #358)

Hi, Everybody!

Heeeeeere's

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Well, that was short...

But Dave also sent me:

23 September 20
Hi Matt! 

Finally crossing this off my "To Do" list. Story written by Gene Day in 1970 when he was 18 or 19 years old that appeared in the first issue of DARK FANTASY in 1973. I got into the habit of reading it aloud on his birthday (August 13) and the anniversary of his death (September 23), always thinking "I really should type this out someday" (I couldn't photocopy it out of DF without causing serious damage). It certainly resonates with a YHWH-centric "older than God" viewpoint. Which suggests to me that Gene had been "picked to click" in that end of things from an early age.

I've fixed the misspellings but left most of the grammatical glitches and eccentric phrasing alone.

What would it be like to have been 

when nothing was, 

and be, 

when something isn't 

THE IMMORTAL 

Howard E. Day 

"How long has it been, Sun, since you and I knew birth?"
EONS, HARD ONE, the Sun answered. But I no longer had any knowledge of how long an "eon" was, so I left his reply at that. I had more words to speak of with that dim ball of gas and fire.
"I tire, Sun, my old companion. My days are so numbered that there remains no number in existence to count them with. Can you remember the wind, Sun? Can you remember its soft caresses?"
DO NOT SPEAK TO ME OF THE WIND, HARD ONE. I HAVE NEVER FELT IT.
I was heartbroken to think of him never having had the soft touch of the breeze tickling his chin, or the rage of a spinning typhoon blasting his fiery eyes.
"But, you do have knowledge of the flowers?"
I HAVE.
"…and of the trees…"
I HAVE.
"…and the rivers and mountains?"
I HAVE.
"Ahh! Then you must long for their presence once again."
I DO NOT.
"Then you are not of my being, old Sun…nor of my soul! I loved the dancing of the sweet, green, dew-dripping leaves of the giant oaks and firs. I rejoiced in the swaying of those rainbow flowers in the grip of that frolicking breeze, about which you know nothing."
WHAT MADE YOU THINK OF THOSE ANCIENT THINGS, HARD ONE?
"I really don't know, Sun. Perhaps it was something I recalled in the tail of that last shooting star? Perhaps a stirring dream in the vision of a distant nova. Every now and again, I recall some memory of my long, long life.
"I remember a boy named Eddie. He was small and he played for hours upon my hard, grotesque skull, one day. He fell-jumped off and rolled in the fresh spring grasses. His name was Eddie and he was nice lad with a golden voice and a mane of fiery hair. A beautiful lad. A wonderful lad…"
THE GRASSES ARE GONE AND THE BOY IS DEAD, HARD ONE. ROTTED INTO WORMS. DRIFTED INTO DUST. THINK NOT OF THOSE DAYS LOST TO US. THEY WILL BRING ONLY LONGINGS AND DISCONTENTMENT TO YOUR HEART.
"Perhaps, but I enjoy them…those dead memories of dead things. You might call them my companions in thought, I suppose. No matter. They give me comfort and that is far enough.
"Are you growing dim, Sun?"
AYE, HARD ONE. YOU HAVE SEEN MY BIRTH AND SOON YOU SHALL SEE MY DEATH, I WOULD WAGER. MY GASES -- THEY DISPERSE, FADE AWAY. MY GLOW IS SLOWLY, PAINFULLY DISAPPEARING. I felt the pangs of fear at Sun's maddening words. I knew them to be truthful. And in knowing, knew what would then transpire.
"I cannot remember well any longer, Sun. I can just barely recall your birth, but not clearly. I know I was here long before that. Who am I, Sun? What manner of creature am I to have seen so much?"
YOU ARE THE ANCIENT ONE, THE HARD ONE, THE IMMORTAL ONE, THE TIMELESS ONE. THAT IS ALL. NOTHING MORE. NOTHING LESS.
"I am the Immortal? I like not the ring of that word. It sounds as timeless…as forever!"
IT IS.
"Then I like not what I am. I would much rather be like the boy in my memories. I have forgotten his name. I would rather be like him and the others before him. Mortal. Then I would be dead also, Sun.  Rotted into worms. Drifted into Dust."
SOMEDAY, PERHAPS. IN A MILLION, MILLION EONS…OR MORE, YOU SHALL. BUT NOT TODAY, HARD ONE. NO, NOT TODAY.
"It is senseless being immortal! It isn't good enough to remember all that I have witnessed and overheard! What good is it to be immortal and yet not remember?"
I DO NOT KNOW, HARD ONE.
"I remember the day the first star came out, Sun. Stars so huge, they encompassed the space of what some call galaxies. Huge, lovely spheres of flame blistering the very molecules of space,
"Why did I recall such a thing? It is such a trivial memory?
"I recall the birth of the planets, balls of molten rock, spat out of the stars, whirling, twisting, flashing until they finally stopped and became as they were to be.
"Funny, isn't it, that I can bring that back to mind."
I DO NOT KNOW, HARD ONE. I CANNOT TALK MUCH LONGER NOW. I GROW DIMMER WITH EACH PASSING MOMENT. MY BELLY IS EMPTY. MY SOUL IS DYING. I WOULD CRY, BUT I CANNOT.
"I will miss you, Sun, when you are gone. There will be no one to talk to.
"I remember God."
HOW IS THIS SO?? DID NOT GOD CREATE THE UNIVERSE?
"I recall seeing him materialized from nothingness. Yes, I recall that quite clearly.
"Where is God now, anyway, Sun? It seems such a long time since last he spoke to me."
GOD HAS BEEN DEAD THESE PAST THOUSAND EONS, HARD ONE. YOU DO RECALL AND FORGET STRANGE THINGS, IMMORTAL ONE. YOU REMEMBER THE OLDEST MEMORIES, YET YOU CANNOT RECALL THE MOST RECENT PAST. I BELIEVE YOU SHALL FORGET MY EXISTENCE A SECOND AFTER I AM DEPARTED.
"I realize what you say, Sun. But you I shall never forget…never.
"I still wish I could feel the wind upon my face, and see the twirling leaves fall from the trees, burnt brown by your hot breath. I wish tiny lads would dance upon my brittle skull."
PERHAPS YOU SHALL, HARD ONE. SOMEDAY AGAIN…SOMEDAY TWO THOUSAND EONS FROM NOW. PERHAPS…P..E..R..H..A..P..S…..
The light has vanished. It is cold and black in every direction. The Sun has died and I am alone once more.
I can feel nothing. I can see nothing. I am nothing.
I remember the day the Universe was created from nothing.
I remember...

____________________________________

Order HERMANN #1! (The NEW CiH?), buy Batvark: PENIS on the 30th, check out the new Cerebus masks and whatnots, Signed copies of Vark Wars: Walt's Empire Strikes Back (Signed by Dave, Signed by Dave and me, Signed by me after I scribble out Dave's name, Pretty much available Signed only...), don't forget cerebusoverload.com 

And bid on a slightly used copy of SODAR:

Bidding starts at $50 (USD)

As you all know, Wilf Jenkins was the Aardvark/Vanaheim lawyer for years, and during that time he was on the comp list. Wilf saved all his copies. Dave and Wilf have signed them, and there's a certificate of authenticity. The books will be available from Looking For Heroes, for $10 (CAD) plus $4 dollars shipping to Canada and $5 dollars shipping to the USA. All the money goes to the Food Bank of the Waterloo Region.

Next Time: I dunno...sumthing...