The Young Man Who Smokes

Walking

The car wasn't supposed to be there. Not that there was anything unusual about a car in a parking lot, that's what they were there for. The oddity was that it was late. The store was closed, and there were no other cars around it. The officer had investigated the car already, shining his flashlight in the window and finding it empty. except for an odd little dragon statue on the front dash. He was in his car now, watching it as he did some routine work.

Sure enough, the man he thought was owned it was walking up to it now. He was a tall man, dressed in normal street clothes, and smoking a pipe. The officer got out of his car and walked over to the strange vehicle with the strange man next to it.

"That your car?" He asked the man. The man turned to him. He was a young man, not a teenager, probably not a college student either, but still with an air of youth about him, like he hadn't embraced adulthood yet. Despite looking right at him, the officer couldn't get a clear picture in his mind of what the young man looked like.

The young man drew on his pipe and blew a bit of smoke before answering. "Yes it is, sir."

The smoke smelled sweet, it reminded the officer of growing up in the mountains, how the air smelled when the leaves were falling. The young man's voice was calm and confident, with the accent of a stranger to these parts.

"May I see your license, please?" The officer requested. He added the "please" without thinking about it, though he would never usually be so polite when on duty.

"I wish I could, but I forgot it at the house I'm staying at," the young man said. He gestured back up the road. "If you'd like, I can show you the way and get it. It's only about a mile from here."

"Why drive if it was so close?"

"I wanted to go for a walk tonight, and didn't want to walk through the woods to get into town. I thought it safer that way."

The officer found himself nodding. The young man's smoke drifted lazily from the pipe and he caught another small whiff of it. "Understandable. You won't be parked here long, correct?"

"No sir, I'm on my way home now, actually."

"Then I won't need to see your license. But make sure you have it on you."

"Of course, sir. It was an oversight on my part."

The officer nodded. "Good, drive safe." He caught one final smell of the young man's smoke as he turned and walked back to his squad car. Sitting behind the wheel, the officer looked back at the parking lot. And the car was gone. Had it left already...or been there at all?

Dancing

She had met him through a friend. And despite talking with him for over an hour, she couldn't remember his name. Yet she still found herself laughing, telling him about her dreams, and listening to his stories. He looked younger than her, though only a little. They had started walking and were now sitting at a park bench. She didn't like to stay out too late, but right now, the time wasn't important. She would look at her phone occasionally, but forget the time right after.

The young man had asked her permission to smoke. She had said yes. And now there was a pipe in his mouth and the smoke reminded her of the cinnamon rolls her mom would make on Christmas morning before they would open presents. When she was speaking, the young man looked at her, his eyes never leaving hers, smoking occasionally obscuring his face, just a little.

He stands up then, and offers her his hand. She looks up at his smile, pipe still in his mouth. She takes his hand. The young man leads her along the path, he says he has a surprise for her. For some reason, she's excited. She can hear music playing and he leads her to a clearing in the park with a pavilion. The pavilion is wrapped in white lights and there are tables and well dressed people all around.

It's a wedding. The couple is on the dance floor.

"Whose wedding is this?" She asks.

"I don't know." He smiles again as he says this. He leads her by the hand onto the dance floor. No one seems to notice them. Whatever the band is playing slows down. She leans against him and follows as he leads. They dance like they've done it a thousand times before. She can smell the smoke on his clothes and she feels happy.

"I don't know how to dance," she says, not even realizing that her feet are still moving.

"Me neither," he says, and chuckles. She laughs as well.

Minutes or hours, she's not sure, but they dance. She doesn't get tired. At some point, they leave the wedding. She's still holding his hand as he walks her back home.

"I don't remember telling you where I live." She says, her voice sleepy.

"You didn't." He replies. She nods. They sit on her front porch steps and talk. His voice is rhythmic, musical, and she finds herself nodding.

She wakes up to sunlight shining through her window and the smell of coffee in her house. She doesn't remember coming inside last night, but she's still dressed in last nights clothes. In her kitchen is a pot of her favorite coffee, a blend she hasn't had in the house for a few weeks. No one else is there. The place looks a little cleaner than she remembers leaving it the night before. The front door is locked.

She changes into more comfortable clothes, pours a cup of coffee and curls up in the corner of her couch. The coffee is perfect and she's not drowsy at all as she drinks. She thinks back on the night. She remembers meeting someone, talking to him, dancing in the park. She can't remember his name though. She can't remember what he looks like. But she remembers a smell; A smell of smoke, sweet like cinnamon.

She would like to smell it again. She'd like to talk to him again.

Calling

If she had wanted to, she could count down the seconds to when the phone would ring. Just when she had expected it to, after she sat at the kitchen table with a cup of tea, her phone rang. His name was on the ID.

"Hello," she said.

"Hey mom," he replied.

"Where are you now?"

"Maine."

"That's pretty far from where you were last week."

"True."

That was how the conversations always went. She asked questions and he gave a few words as answer. She'd tell him about things at home, how church was going, what his father was up to now in the garage. She always knew he was listening, even if she didn't hear his occasional "Sure" or "right".

Whenever she talked with him, she got the faintest scent of his tobacco, the type he had smoked at home. He never smoked inside the house; he'd go for a walk around the neighborhood and come back with the smell of it on his clothes and in his hair. Now, wherever he was, he always called home.

"You're still staying safe?"

"I am."

"Eating well?"

"Trying to."

"Well remember to drink water. I know you like to eat when you're bored, but drink water instead."

"I will, mom."

"Okay, well that's it from us, anything else you want to say?"

"Not that I can think of."

"Well it's always good to hear your voice, I love you."

"Love you to, mom."

And then he would hang up. Still it was good to talk to him.

She had talked to him, right? Of course, it was listed on her call history. He always called at this time. Of course she had talked with him.

Of course.

Fighting

 He was mad and he didn't care who knew. He was also drunk, and wasn't aware that everyone knew. Things had not been going his way at work that day and he was at the bar to drink it away. Unfortunately the more he drank, the more he thought about it, and the madder he became.

And then there was that kid. Sure he was more of a young man, but when you're this man's age, guys like that are kids. This bar was one of those that still let people smoke in them and what does this kid bring in? A pipe. The men here smoked cigarettes, and this kid lights his pipe inside like some kind of dandy.

"Look at this kid, in my bar," he growled through yellowed teeth.

"Just ignore him, he ain't from around here. We'll probably never see him again anyway." His friend, slightly less intoxicated, tried to reason.

"You're damn right we won't." He snorted. His friend seemed relax a bit at this. "Cause I'm gonna make him disappear." He knocked over his stool as he stood up and half strode, half staggered over to where the young man was sitting. The young man was calmly drinking from a glass with nothing but brown liquid and ice in it. A more rational part of him said he could respect that, but the alcohol fueled anger drowned out any understanding he might have felt.

"Hey, boy." He said, looming over the young man.

The young man calmly looked up from his drink and looked the drunk in his eyes. "Yes?"

"The hell you think you're doin' here?" He leaned close, getting his face very near to the kid's. The young man made no move.

"Having a drink." He replied. He puffed twice on his pipe. The smoke curled up and into the big man's nose. For a moment, the smell of cigarette's and alcohol vanished from his mind and it was replaced with the smell of the perfume his wife would wear when they were still young and dating.

It was almost enough to bring him down from his frenzy. Almost. "Not in my bar you ain't. I want you out of here. And either you're getting out, or I'm taking you out."

"That seems like a lot of wasted energy." The young man replied. "Wouldn't you rather sit back down and have another drink? Seems like that's what we're all here for anyway." He blew another trail of smoke and the man remembered how his wife had wanted that perfume when their first son was born. He'd brought it to the hospital for her. He hadn't been spending as much time with his son lately.

He shook his head and glared at the kid. "You're wastin' your breath. I'm dealin' with you now." He reach a meaty hand down to grab the kid's shirt.

One moment the young man was there, the next, the big man had fallen on the floor and the young man was leaning with his drink on the bar behind him. He puffed casually at his pipe. The drunk tried to pick himself up, but he couldn't.

The young man finished the rest of his drink and tapped his pipe out in the cigarette bowl. He turned to the big man's friend and handed him a few dollars. "Get him some coffee, on me. I think he might do well get back to his family." The friend just nodded as the young man strolled out of the bar.

His friend came over and helped pull the big man up. "Come on, let's get you some coffee."

"Yeah...yeah, coffee sounds good." HE started digging in his pocket. "I've got a few bucks here for it."

"No need, I got some extra cash." His friend said. "I got it from...somebody. Just wanted to help I think."

"Nice of him," he mumbled. "Why was I on the ground again?"

Living

I met him while traveling. I was studying in a new country and learning about a history not my own. It was something I loved and wanted to do more of. But there were always times when it was stressful. Life is just that way.

It was on one of these stressful days that he sat down next to me in the park. I was on a bench by myself with a cup of hot chocolate in hand. He sat and asked if he could smoke. I could only shrug. I didn't feel like talking to the people I liked, let alone a stranger.

When he struck his match and blew smoke it seemed like it purposely drifted over to me, around me. The smell, it was new to me. It wasn't just the smell of tobacco, I was used to that, it was a whole new world. I looked over at him. He was a young man, maybe no older than me. But he held himself in a way that I never thought I could.

"You smoke?" He asked.

"No, had some friends who do. Cigarettes mostly. Doesn't smell nearly as nice as yours."

He nodded. "Not surprising. It's a special blend, this. What's it smell like to you?"

"I can't really describe it. It's like nothing else I've smelled."

He looked at me for a while, then slowly nodded. "Is that right." He took a few more puffs, then wiped the mouth piece off with a handkerchief. The cloth went back into his pocket and from another he took a tin of tobacco. He placed the pipe and the tin in my hands. "I think these'll serve you well, my friend. Pack it carefully, and learn to enjoy the taste." With that, he stood and began to walk away.

"Hey wait, where are you going?" I called after.

"There's a girl that wants to see me, and I think I want to see her again." He said. He waved and disappeared around a corner. That was a few years ago now. I still have the pipe and the tin. And for some reason, that meeting is one of the clearest memories I have.

Weapons

There is fire and poison behind my teeth
It shreds and blazes and corrupts
My mouth is a gateway
It spreads destruction uncontrollably
The wince, the grimace, the turn away
They fuel the fire
They spread the poison
They are my curse

My hands, my pen, are bloodletters
They pierce and rend and sunder
Death by a thousands cuts
Precise
Painful
Purposeful
With them there is a choice
The power behind them can be restrained
Or it can be unleashed
Like a surgeon's blade

In my face there is death
Looks can kill
These eyes are the proof
Behind the smile there is hatred
Anger boils beneath laughter
Pride echoes within teaching words
Give me the chance
And I chose destruction
Even against my better judgement
Because its more fun
To watch things burn

10 N64 Games That Deserve A Reboot

The N64 was an interesting machine in an interesting time. Through it and the Playstation, we began to see the world of gaming change from 2D to 3D. Games were made to test these new limits. Some were colossal failures while others became much loved classics. The N64’s library of titles holds some of gaming's benchmarks, like Mario 64 and Legends of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Still, with so many well known titles, there are a few that haven’t been so well known. These titles faded away from the public eye. For me, I think it’s time to bring some of them back.

10 Superman 64

Now hear me out. Superman 64 is legendarily awful. On top worst games list this one always makes an appearance. So why does it deserve a reboot? Because we can do it better now. Much like Superman, Batman never had a really solid game until Rocksteady got their hands on it and we were given Arkham Asylum. It’s time to take that same kind of mentality and apply it to the Man of Steel. Imagine an open world where you can fly as high and as far as you want, with appearances by some of Superman’s greatest allies and battles with his most harrowing villains. Who doesn’t want to play the life threatening clash with Doomsday or make their stand against Darkseid and his armies? Superman is known for being incredibly powerful, and getting a chance to play those powers for ourselves would be amazing.

9 Hey You Pikachu

Much like Superman 64, Hey You Pikachu was pretty bad. The voice commands were wonky at best and the game had little in ways of actual gameplay. But the concept was excellent. Who doesn’t want their own pokemon to pal around with, take on adventures, and talk to. Now is the time to return to that dream. With the 3DS, Nintendo is in a perfect spot to bring back a Hey You Pikachu type of game. If it let us import pokemon from our previous games like X and Y or Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, than we could have a portable way to interact with our favorite pokemon whenever we want. The 3DS already has a built in microphone. Pair that with the touch screen and we’re ready for full on pokemon friendship immersion. Add in some more actually involved minigames, and we’re set for a fun pokemon life sim.

8 Blast Corps.

There’s always something cathartic about using big tools to build and destroy. Blast Corps grabbed on to this catharsis and while it met limited success in it’s day, it has become a kind of cult classic. It might seem like a one off kind of game,  but there’s a lot of potential still in the series. Blast Corps is basically a fast paced puzzle game built around clearing routes for the transportation truck. It offers different ways to play with the different vehicles as well as bonus challenges and unlocks. By expanding the concept, the developers could find a lot of new and unique ways to use destruction in their puzzle solving. Add in a level editor and user created content, and a game like that could have a very long life. It would work well as a mobile or downloadable title. Most of the missions in the N64 game can be finished quickly, a great model for gaming on the go.

7 Buck Bumble

Here’s on a lot of people might not know about. Buck Bumble was a third person shooter about a bee defending London’s gardens. It played like both a dogfighting game, with most of the enemies and Buck himself, flying through the level shooting and dodging. A combination of Star Fox and Unreal Tournament, this game’s open arena levels would make for unique gameplay opportunities and exciting combat. While the controls could be a bit dodgy at time, with a modern twist, Buck Bumble would be an excellent new experience.  Pair it with a multiplayer mode, split-screen and online, and a rebooted Buzz Bumble has all the pieces to be a charming and exciting shooter for a younger audience.

6 Star Wars Episode 1: Racer

All right, I think we all know that Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace was a bit...disappointing. That said, that movie opened the door for one of the coolest Star Wars experiences, pod racing. Screaming through high cliffs and desert wastes while dodging gunfire, slamming into other racers, and scraping along hairpin turns, pod racing was awesome. Despite its tie-in to the movie and painful voice-overs, the sense of speed and danger you got from racing was infectious. With Star Wars again in the limelight, it would be great to see some of the other aspects of the Star Wars universe highlighted. With a new game engine and some of Star Wars’ excellent art design, a new pod racing game would be amazing.

5 Chameleon Twist

When we think of N64 platformers, we think of Super Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, and Conker’s Bad Fur Day. These are the famous ones, but some excellent platformers were came out that had less acclaim. Chameleon Twist is one of those. As a chameleon, the platforming made excellent use of the long tongue. It worked as a grappling hook, a pole vault, a pendulum, and more. It gave unique challenges that embrace the nature of the main character. Despite the short length, the levels were tightly designed. Chameleon Twist had a great art style and character that would look great with modern HD design. It would be a platformer offering something new from what we’ve come to expect out of a Mario game or indie title.

4  Vigilante 8

Car combat games are basically a dead genre at this point. There was a new Twisted Metal a few years back, but beyond that, nothing. That’s why I want to see Vigilante 8 make a return. Vigilante 8 was a lot more light-hearted than others at the time. The story involved wacky time travel, aliens, and cyborgs. Levels took you all over the United States and famous landmarks. With the crazy cast like the robot cowboy, disco cop, and space monkey, Vigilante 8 had a tongue in cheek humor that is still entertaining. Combined with the excellent driving and level design, and a return of the series could breath some life into the genre. With updated cars, shiny worlds, and a similarly awesome sounds, a return to Vigilante 8 would be a lot of fun.

3 Pokemon Snap

I don’t know how they managed to do it, but when the first game about taking pictures of pokemon while riding on rails came out, Nintendo made something awesome. It was our first chance to interact with pokemon in what seemed like such a realistic way. As a kid, I always wanted to be in the pokemon world, and this was a small chance for me. Now, with pokemon as the mega franchise that it is, a new generation, as well as the old, is looking to connect with pokemon again. Nintendo is in the perfect position for this one. The 3DS has a built in camera that could allow players to take pictures of pokemon anywhere in the world. And the Wii U’s gamepad allows much the same freedom at home, backed by the HD power in the system. Even if you kept the on-rails system, it is a game beggin for motion control. All this, and the fact that pokemon has well over 700 pokemon now means the game would have hours of content and near endless replay value. To be able to investigate the pokemon world on your own terms, that is the dream.

2 Mischief Makers

In its time, it was easy to overlook Mischief Makers. The N64 was new and powerful, and the fans wanted three dimensions now, not two. So Mischief Makers was lost during the change, never really getting its share of the spotlight. But those who did find it, found a gem. It was a quirky, off-the-wall game about a robot girl trying to save a professor, and her main ability was shaking things to change them into other things. Flowers, weapons, people, she shook them all. The game offered numerous challenges from platforming to racing to puzzle solving boss battles. Mischief Makers was incredibly interesting and still one of the more unique games I’ve played. It crammed personality into levels and characters. Two dimensional side scrollers are still popular and the odd charm of the game would make it a success today.

1 Snowboard Kids

During a time when wacky kart racers were common and Mario Kart and Diddy Kong Racing were vying for dominance, one game slipped in under the radar as one of the most unique racers on the N64. Snowboard Kids was a racing game set on mountain slopes. You controlled one of a number of kids with different styles and boards to change how you race. One of the most interesting additions was the ski lift. To get to the next lap you nad to slide into the little entrance of the lift and ride it back to the top. The small entrance to the lift and the timing of the gate created tense moments at the end of each lap that shaped how the next would start. Fun characters and levels, with  amazing music made Snowboard Kids was one of the best racing games on the N64. Now with whimsical racers a rare breed, with Mario Kart still the only leader in the genre, bringing Snowboard Kids back would be great. The unique levels and gameplay, crazy items and characters, and infectious music combined with modern graphics would let this game shred into many gamers favorites list.