Alice 1 (8 page)

I zipped a McKinley under his mouse pad.

CHAPTER 16

The next morning Arlene invited me for a cup of
coffee. She’s sad and angry. Life has not been good and somebody’s
going to pay. She has a tender, loving side she thinks she got rid
of long ago.

“How you like Berkeley so far?”

“I don’t know. It’s so big. I grew up in a
little place in the mountains.”

“Yeah, I thought so. Be careful. A lot of guys
around here will just take what they can get and then dump you for
the next pretty face.”

“Why would they do that?”

“You are from a small town. No guy ever tried to
get you drunk? Feel you up at a dance? Get you in the back
seat?”

“They wouldn’t do that!”

“
Oh my God!
I guess you’re not on the
pill.”

“No. I know what a birth control pill is but I
never took one.”

“Can I give you some serious advice? Go to a
doctor and get a prescription. I got pregnant once and didn’t have
the baby. I’ve regretted it ever since.”

“You had an abortion?!”

“Yes I had an abortion, and don’t let them tell
you it’s no big deal. It’s a very big deal. I know the name of a
nice doctor nearby, would you like her address and phone
number?”

“Yes please, thank you.”

Wonder how I can help her. I could slip her a
few McKinleys, but she needs a whole lot more than money. My
innocence gives her a chance to play mommy.

____________________

Bought the booklet of administrative rules,
courses and schedules and went into the lair of that silly bear for
scrambled eggs, coffee and two delicious, chocolate donuts. Ashara
came running over.

“Good morning, Alice. Are you going to eat both
those chocolate donuts?” I gave her one.

“Good morning, Ashara. You are a very pretty
little girl. Where are your parents?”

“I’m an orphan like you.”

“How do you know I’m an orphan?”

“Oh I have so much fun following your
adventures.”

“Ok, Ashara. You’re obviously a little more than
a cute little girl who travels a lot. Who are you?”

“We’re old friends, and pretty soon we’re going
to have such fun together.”

“Always up for fun, but I have a little problem.
I don’t remember being old friends.”

She grabbed the other donut, and skipped out the
door. Greedy little kid.

Back to courses and schedules.
Urrggh!
You have to take all those introductory courses before you get to
the good stuff. Looks like a waste and all the departments require
them. Well, maybe those 101 courses are more interesting than they
look. I’ll go test a few. They’re all in large auditoriums so
nobody will notice.

Then as I paged through the front of the booklet
I noticed a section describing how to take tests to opt out of
courses in the first two years. If the introductory books and
lectures are a waste, that’s the way I’ll go.

Off to Kroeber Hall to check out Psych. 101. Got
there a little early and noticed the students weren’t all that
eager and alive as they came in. When the prof arrived I saw why.
He’s taught the course many, many times, and lost his enthusiasm
long ago.

I bought the textbook for Psych. 101, found a
bench outside the Bear’s Lair, and began my academic career at the
University of California, Berkeley.

Oh, I may not have told you, but you probably
guessed.

I’m a super fast reader and have an excellent
memory.

The textbook wasn’t too boring and some of
the basic concepts and facts are important. I went to a guidance
counselor the next day and easily passed Psych. 101.

_____________________

A couple of days later I was reading the
textbook for Psych. 102 at the lair of the bear, when I heard a
familiar voice from Oaxaca.

“Hello Alice, do you mind if I join you?” Yeah
it was Karla, the Jimmy Stewart of the spy world.

“Of course not, you are always welcome.”

“Thank you. I see you easily passed Psych.
101.”

“You get around Karla. I suppose you’re
vice-president in charge of student affairs.”

“No,” he really does have a nice chuckle just
like Jimmy, “but I am very friendly with the administration. And
you are a registered student now. Congratulations”.

“Thank you.”

“I had to give you a little help there
though.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. You did a superb job providing the
necessary paperwork.”

“Thank you. It wasn’t too difficult to get the
right form and have it made out properly.”

“Yes, excellent work. Except…”

“Yes?”

“Except a careful clerk noticed you have no
transcripts on file. Now how could that be? You were admitted, so
they had to be there. A great puzzlement for the young man.”

“Yes, I can see that.”

“The dean of students called because I have an
excellent reputation for solving puzzles. I told him I knew Alice
Shannon and assured him the transcripts must exist and I would do
my best to find them. And guess what. Here are copies. I‘m amazed
how well you did, such excellent grades and high honors. You might
want to look them over carefully in case you may have forgotten
some of the details. The originals are in a filing cabinet at the
last high school you attended.”

“Oh thank you so much, Karla. I have no idea how
they could have been misplaced, but I’m so grateful you were able
to find them. How can I ever thank you?”

“Well, I do have a little something, if you have
the time.”

“I thought you might.”

“Could you meet me in the Administration
building when you finish? Go in the front door, turn right and down
the hallway to the fifth door on the left.”

“It will be a pleasure.”

“As it will be for me.” I watched a Karla
walked away. Pretty well preserved for God knows how old he is.

CHAPTER 17

He offered a cup of coffee, but no chocolate
donuts.

“A student copied sensitive material onto a
flash drive like this one.” It was black with the usual silver end
that plugs into the computer. “The student left the drive in a drop
box, which in this case is a locker in the girl’s gym. The pickup
is going to take place this evening around nine, and we need to get
the drive back before that happens.”

“Why not call the cops?”

“We don’t want them to know we’re aware of what
they are doing, and hope for a little anger and confusion when the
drive disappears.”

“Ok, an easy Zip.”

“Exactly.”

He spread out a map of the gym. “The girl’s side
is here, and the lockers are on both sides of this corridor. Number
742 has the flash drive and is located here.”

“Do I need identification?”

“If anyone asks just say you’re new and want to
look around.”

“What do I do with the drive?”

“Give it to Jimmy Taylor, your new guidance
counselor. He’ll be in this building, Room 146.”

The gym is just back of the Administration
building. Followed the signs to the girl’s side and walked past
742. The drive is near the front. Kept going and looked around the
gym for a while. Lots of exercise equipment and vending machines
with power drinks. Oh my, two kinds of girls using the equipment,
those that don’t need them and those who do who’ll give it a try
and drop out within a week.

Then walked past 742 again, and off to Jimmy
Taylor.

“Hello, glad to meet you. Please come in and
we’ll go over your schedule”.

He’s a tiny, red haired guy in his 30’s with a
big smile. Reminds me of Maggie O’Flanigan. If he also has the
Gift, maybe all those stories about leprechauns are true. There
really are magical, little people.

“Oh thank you, Mr. Taylor. I’m so new here and I
appreciate your taking the time to help me“.

His grin grew even wider. He obviously
appreciates a quick study. We talked about my career goals, what
courses I should take, and he’ll be glad to help me test out of a
few introductory courses. I palmed the drive as we shook hands on
my way out.

“Come back anytime, Alice.”

“Thank you, Mr. Taylor.”

I ate dinner at a little place on University,
and back to Arlene’s. Her sour puss is almost gone and she handed
me a plate of chocolate chip cookies she baked. I gave her a hug
which shocked her, and after only a tiny hesitation hugged
back.

I smiled at a couple of people staying at
Arlene’s but they aren’t friendly, and our community TV room is
empty.

____________________

The next morning I picked up The Daily
Californian at Sather Gate on my way to the Bear’s Lair.

A DEATH ON CAMPUS

The body of Cindy Collins was found late
last night outside the Hearst Memorial Gym. She was a 24-year old
graduate student in the Physics Department. Police are
investigating the cause of death. Those close to the investigation
believe she suffered a heart attack.

Karla got his anger and confusion.

I stopped by libertarian Charlie sitting behind
his little table to give him another chance to say how sorry he is
for taking advantage of my innocence. He didn’t mention the
McKinley under his mouse pad but I notice he’s wearing a very nice
gray and brown tweed jacket that looks pretty new.

A guy came up as I walked away. Odd looking
young man with black hair and green eyes that sparkle in the
sunlight.

“You are the one!” Oh my, that’s quite an
original line. Let’s see where it goes.

“Yes, I am the one.”

“Please come.” I went along with his awkward
grab at my arm and let him lead me to a bench with three girls with
super sweet smiles. I’ve seen those smiles before and call them
Buddha Grins---beatific smiles to show the world how holy you
are.

Baaarrrfff

The girls gave me a nice welcome but the guy
hugged me in a most ungentlemanly manner. No doubt dreaming of
adding me to his harem.

“I’m Carl and this is Sylvia, Susan and Sally.”
The girls look like happy peas in a pod with their silly grins.

“We have waited so long and now you have come,”
Sally squealed.

“Yes I have come and I see you are worthy. What
do you desire?”

“We desire wisdom and light,” squeaked Susan,
the girl with blond, straggly hair.

“And you shall have wisdom and light. We must go
to a place of quietude, away from worldly confusion, where you can
once again become one with all that is. Where you can once again
become what you have always been.” Pretty good stuff, eh? Well at
least they thought so. I learned the patter from a foster mother
who was into the “one with the universe” trip.

“Let’s go to my place,” Carl said, and we
walked a few blocks to an old Japanese log cabin he inherited from
his Aunt.

Yes, there are
Japanese log cabins

We sat on the living room floor and Sylvia lit a
stick of incense. The cedar smoke curled into the air and they all
looked at me, eager for wisdom and light. And they shall have
wisdom and light.

“You know the meaning of all that is. All that
is, is part of you, and you are part of all that is. When you wake
in the morning, it is there. When you go to sleep, it is there,
guiding you to a reality far away and long ago. A reality that
shimmers with the golden light of Truth.”

Oh my, I almost burst out laughing. So funny for
me. So serious for them.

“I have only a short time to sojourn among you.
This will be our only meeting. Do not try to contact me again, and
never ever tell anyone about me or what happens here today. Do you
agree to this?

“ Swear it!” They swore it.

“Now in this place and in this time you will
feel your power, your inner core of immense power. The power to
create whatever life you desire. The power to lift you into the
glory of wisdom and light.

“Carl! Feel the power within you.

“Feel it grow strong.

“Feel the power of your inner being lift your
body up into the glory of wisdom and light.

“Arise!

“Arise into the glory of wisdom and light.

“Arise!”

And he arose, with a little help from me. My
Shadow hands have grown strong over the years but this was testing
their limit. Gasps and tiny cries from the girls.

“Carl! Feel the power within you.

“Feel the power surging through all the wonders
of your being.

“Use the power to rise even higher, even higher
into the glory of wisdom and light

“Arise!”

And he arose a few more inches off the floor.
The girls stared with open mouths.

“Now allow your body to slowly return to the
earth of your birth.

“Always remember the power you now feel. Use
that immense power to create the life you have always wanted, and
to empower the lives of others.”

And did the same for Sylvia, Sally and
Susan.

It transformed them in a very deep way. Carl and
his harem had tears in their eyes when I left. No more Buddha
grins. What started just a fun time for me was a powerful
experience for them.

But what about unintended consequences? If I
worried about those, I’d never get out of bed.

Never thought about it before but maybe some
of that spooky stuff in the tabloids at the checkout counter really
do happen. Most peddlers of the supernatural are fake of course,
taking advantage of the needy and the adventurous for money, power
and sex. But maybe belief in the supernatural has stayed alive over
the centuries because there really are a few people who have the
Gift.

____________________

During the next few weeks Jimmy Taylor was a big
help arranging tests to get me out of those boring first and second
year beginner courses. I’ve passed Phil. 101 and 102, and Psych.
102, 110 and 111, and am working on Psych. 155 and 156. I like the
little, red-headed leprechaun.

I took his advice to sit in on a few of the
first and second year courses to see if any were worth doing. Only
found one, the Psychology of Adjustment class taught by Dr. Kinnie.
A great teacher and he wrote the textbook,
60 Psychological
Adventures
.
I was hoping the class would go on
the sexual adventure in Part 3 but Dr. Kinnie and the University of
California are a little shy. David bought a copy and is getting the
candles, incense and blankets ready.