The Storm-Troy Burroghs (Troy Burroghs: Surrealist-Traveler-Episode One)

You ever been in a bad storm? I have. Believe me, it is spooky. I’ve never liked them. I have traveled the world over, and never have I meant never, have I seen a storm like this one, the one I’m going to tell you about; it happened in January, no February in St. Paul, Minnesota; the coldest land next to the North Pole, and perhaps Alaska, Canada, and lets add the South Pole, and perhaps Iceland. But for me it is just part of traveling. You know, take life and live it, take it as it is, you’ve heard that before I’m sure. Make the best of it. If it snows, slide or sky. If it’s hot, swim or lay in the sun. If you got mountains next to you climb them. If you got a storm, ride it out. That’s my motto. Live and let live.

Once in Maui, there was a storm. I was on vacation, and when I got there they shut the whole island down. That’s right, the whole damn place. I couldn’t get a coke, or for that matter, gumball. I walked along the shore though. I like the winds. I think the biggest adventure in Maui, was the storm. You can tell I didn’t care for Maui all that much, or the hotel I was at. They’re all acting like hot shots. Go to Malta, or some other island, they will treat you better I believe. I did get to see some whales; thirty feet from me. But Maui is not my cup of tea. I guess you can’t love every place. In a way it was alright, the more I think of it. But you’d have to pay my way to get me back there. Of the five-days there in December, 3 ½ were days of winds and rain and, oh well, I’m glad I did not go there for the sun. I hate the sun. But the people that thought they were going to get it, did not, it was a costly “no sun ½ week.”

But back to Minnesota, land of the ice cube, the ice donut, the ice parades, the snowball, and snowmen. I was in St. Paul. In an area called the Midway area of town. I have a few friends there. And a bank I used was work at, in that area. And a storm came. Like out of the blue. One minute it is a great cold day, and the next minute, it is a hell of a cold day. I mean a rainy cold storm day, a bad one. I found myself dodging ice balls of hail. So hard they were like little bullets. And I must have got hit, because when I awoke, there were bears all around; dead bears. As I walked up the block to University Avenue, they got even bigger, huge; just lying dead. I was waiting for one to move as I walked by, but it didn’t. I knew the storm was bad, but not that bad. I slowly went up and down the streets, by Lexington and Dale Avenues. –I think I counted twenty of those fury creatures, or so. I just can’t get over this: big furry bears. I wanted to jump on one, and bounce. They actually looked like they were hibernating, all curled up. No cars coming. No humans walking the sidewalks. What was going on I asked myself; very mysterious.

I made it to the place I was staying, and noticed another storm was coming,

“OH, god!” I said, with no disrespect intended.

“Not another one.” And yes it was another one. I went back to the Midway area, not sure why but I did, and there was a huge tower there, I must have not noticed it before, (before: meaning, I had lived in St. Paul, off and on for 50-years) and a man was calling to all the people below,

“You have 16-minutes to get home.”

I said, “What!”

He said again, “16-minutes and I am counting.”

I told myself as I was looking up at him, I am missing something. In any case, I started walking back to my place quite fast. I heard a loud noise. Like a bomb. Several police come up to me asking where I head the voice. I pointed to the tower. And many people were running by me. They stopped,

“We need to investigate,” someone said, and so I followed (I followed the someone).

When we got to the tower, we slowly climbed the stairs. The tower was about seven floors I think. A man was lying dead on the floor in the tower room. It seemed like it was an airport tower, but how could it be, it was in the middle of the city. I guess you can make them to look like anything you want I thought. Yet, it still remained in my mind, it was a strange place to have it, so I told myself.

I left the scene, and started walking back to my apartment again. As I sat down on my bed, I noticed I had a letter sitting by the phone. I opened it, it read:

“Go to Panama City, Florida quick.”

As usual, I found myself walking along the beach, of Florida, it was hot, and people were running and screaming, and everything; chaos to the max. What a city I told myself. I was in this city some twenty-years ago, and it was quite calm; but not today. The city was chaos.

As I sat down on a large rock looking at all the happenings, I simply told myself, I have come to the conclusion; I have no control, and went to take a shower.