Back n the saddle (part viii)

He rode up on him like a fleet footed leopard. It was there at banks of the Verde River where Asmodeus had a bivouac of buffalo skin and mesquite and the air grew cold under a presage and sullen moon. And when Julian came and disembarked his sand colored quarter horse, Asmodeus seized upon him.

Were you trailed?

No said Julien.

Then sit.

And when he sat upon the brownstone, he reached for the sterling silver flask from inside his smock and drank. Asmodeus tended to the waning flame with a coyote roasting on a spit above. He sat his ass on the pebbles of the cove and stared daggers onto Julien with the revived fire flashing in his eyes.

Speak, he said.

They warned me about you, Julien said.

Aye. And who do they say I am.

They say you’re the devil.

And who do you say I am.

If you’re the devil, then Beau Montana must be the ultimate cataclysm.

Asmodeus flashed his yellowed teeth. Then you choose to get in bed with the devil you know? he said.

I reckon so. Montana has lost all touch with reality. He’ll literally piss down your back and tell you it’s raining. He shove his soft penis into the bottom of a candy bowl and tell you to find the gummy worm. He’ll cry at all hours of the night wondering why he didn’t invest earlier in Ethereum. He must be stopped.

Then you will deliver him unto me and end this walking curse?

I suppose. But I gotta know what’s in it for me.

Asmodeus nodded. He stood and wandered unto his tent and brought forth a worn leather satchel. This is one hundred gold sovereigns, he told Julien. Consider it a down payment. You’ll receive the rest upon delivery of Beau Montana.

Julien extended his hand to take of the satchel and Asmodeus seized his arm. He placed upon it a desert scorpion whereupon Julien’s skin turned a pallid white.

Relax, Asmodeus told him. The creature can sense your fear. The fear of what one hides in their heart that which will be brought to light. What do you, dear Julien, have to hide?

He collapsed to his knees and wept. Nothing, he begged.

The creature creeped up his arm and wandered over the side and fell upon the dirt. Asmodeus relinquished his grip and helped the beset man to his feet. Then deliver him unto Tempe, he told Julien. And from there we will rid the earth of this wretched force.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Back n the saddle (part vii)

And they came. And they kept coming until they could come no more. It was a glorious afternoon of nonstop coming. And I stood upon the rock of Sedona and I lit my cigarette and I exhaled clouds of smoke as I gazed upon the soaring eagle above. The masses sat below me, awaiting my word. But more importantly, they waited in line to purchase my book Stories No One Should Read. And after all books were purchased and every copy signed, I said unto the crowd that some seed falls on dry land. Other seed falls upon fertile soil. And some seed is just bad because you’re firing blanks.

And the crowd was astonished. Some scratched their heads. Then I said unto them, use contraceptives cuz you don’t know what seed might fall into what soil. Know what I mean?

And as they mulled these words, they shook their heads and wandered off. Then Julian took me aside and said unto me that the people don’t understand what the hell I’m saying. I shrugged and puffed more smoke, for it was apparent I had been strung out for four days minus one. And immediately, a crack rang out from the ridge above. The bullet kicked up red dirt at my feet and all ran for cover. I raised my hands and shouted. Foolish one, I cried out. I am on PCP goddamnit! I’m unstoppable, you hear me! Unstoppable!

Then the laugh echoed down the mountain as Asmodeusu taunted me. I revealed my .357. Show yourself pussy, I ordered unto him. And he rode down the mountainside upon a white horse. His black cloak swayed unto the wind. I placed another cigarette to my lips and my eyes glared bolts of lightning upon him. Then his horse trotted before me. He climbed off his mustang and flashed his grimy teeth.

Beau Montana, he softly spoke with his serpent tongue.

You don’t have the guts to shoot me, I said to him.

Perhaps not, he said. But I ain’t aimin to kill ya. Then he spat upon the red rock and the brown spittle steamed under the noon sun.

I inhaled from the cigarette. Then I blew the spent carcinogens unto his face. Fuck you, I said. You’ll need an army to take me back to the netherworld.

His sudden guffaw could have cracked open heaven and earth. Birds of the sky trembled and all the creeping things of the desert burrowed into their caves. Yet I was steadfast. For I knew his wrath and evil. And it wasn’t shit.

Have it your way Beau Montana, said he. But know this. These mountains have eyes.

Yeah? Well I have eyes for your mom. Tell her I said hi.

And with his tail between his legs, Asmodeus climbed back upon the white horse and slowly trodded away into the canyon. And as I watched him, I couldn’t stop yellin shit. I hope you don’t have to piss, I called out. These mountains might see that tiny pecker of yours!

TO BE CONTINUED…

Back n the saddle (part vi)

My fingers trailed through the red dirt of Sedona. And the Earth spoke. It said do not piss unto the wind. The time is now. Shit in thine chamber or remove thyself from thine toilet. And after hearing the wisdom of the earth, I spake unto my followers, saying I am drunk and as high as the moon. Bring unto me Takis and Red Bull for my tongue is dry and my stomach empty. Mescaline and booze make an unusual combo. Then I laid back in the dirt for sleep had come over me. And as I watched the stars dance against the night sky, a boot struck my side. In those days, a certain apostle Julian approached and ordered me unto my feet. For the sun had come up and all the gathering had to wake.

I rose unto mine feet and struck the apostle on the face. Then I admonished him. How dare thee said I. But the apostle pleaded, saying that we had overslept and hikers were calling the police. Goddamn I yelled. This is the last time I’m doing that peyote shit.

Julian continued. Moreover my lord, said he, Asmodeus has been sent to kill you.

Fuck him, said I. I ain’t afraid of him.

But the Mormons are deploying him, sir.

So the Mormons want me dead? Is it a day that ends in y?

But we must move southwards. To continue spreading your word and out of their sight.

I hate to tell you buddy but they got Mormons in Tucson too.

Then we shall move forth to Prescott.

You mean Prescit?

But it’s spelled Prescott.

You don’t go to Kentucky and pronounce Louisville Louisville do you?

How the hell else is it supposed to be pronounced?

Lou-ah-vull.

That’s fuckin stupid.

Yeah well, they got Mormons everywhere pal. So what other plan do you have?

Julian shut his trap and I gazed along earthly towers of Sedona. Then a gust of rain swept through and cast a brilliant rainbow across the valley. The answer was apparent.

We bring them here, said I.

Sir?

We bring the readers to Sedona.

But gas is like $9 a gallon up here.

I smiled gaily and rested my hand upon his shoulder. Oh my dumbass Julian, said I, if it’s $9 for them, it’s $9 for us too.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Back n the saddle (part v, I think)

Murmurs of sinners spread unto the desert darkness like the cries of wolves. They summoned unto their gaols and catacombs and said among themselves “a Man comes from the east. His words pierce like fine blades and his eyes cast like thunderbolts from Sheol.” And others said he worked miracles by turning alcohol into piss and that his cock is the size of a serpent. “I heard it’s below average!” cried another.

And lo, the staff of the elder clanked stridently against the sandstone. All were silent. And the elder stood and raised his arms and begged his countrymen “whom amongst us can stop this Beau Montana?”

As stillness loomed over the assembly, one stood as a minatory phantom. He was shrouded in black cloak and carried a Colt 1877 around his waist. When he unhooded his face, men averted their eyes for fear of looking upon Belial himself. “I am Asmodeus,” he said. “I’ve seen Beau Montana. Our paths have crossed many times. He speaks with the tongue of a charlatan and his eyes are as shallow as the meres of Hanmer. If you wish to rid yourself of this vermin, you must come to me.”

The mouth of the elder sat agape and his brow furrowed together into a towering peak. The old man exhaled and pleaded with the phantasm. “Forgive me,” he said, “but if you know this Man, why haven’t you killed him?”

The phantom called Asmodeus cackled like a rabid lobo and he casted his direful smile upon the crowd. “Beau Montana is a wily one,” he said. “One simply cannot kill him. He must capture him. And return him to the uncharted and inscrutable lands.”

“This is poppycock!” a man cried out. “What you speak of is the power of god! We are Mormons for christsake! We don’t fuck with that shit!”

Asmodeus’ eyes reddened and the wrath of a thousand hounds of hades echoed through the cavern. The man convulsed and spittle poured from his lips and the guttural sounds of death pierced men’s ears like a ghostly bellow. Flames erupted from his feet and the shrieking grew as fire consumed his body until his cries were ripped apart and carried away into some unknown doom. Blood spouted from his head and quenched the flame and there was nothing more than smoldering ash and bone.

“Alright,” said Asmodeus. “Any other questions?”

TO BE CONTINUED…

Back n the saddle (Part IV)

And the throng of masses came upon the hill, and they said amongst themselves “who is this Man who proclaimeth the Word?”. And as I heard the hearts of these unbelievers, I wept. Then immediately a revenant descended upon them like a ghoulish hound and laid upon their hearts the sounds of perdition and there was much weeping and gnashing of teeth. Together they cried out “Hell hath beckoned us! A savior is required!” And when I heard these cries, I walked out among them and blessed them. And when they saw me, all fell and prostrated themselves.

Then I said unto them “bring me your foolish in spirit, for they and their monies shall go separate ways. And bring me thy lame in tongue, so that no man may challenge the word thy god, spoken by me. And bring me thy most voluptuous of women, for they and thine badonkadonks shall help spread the Word”

And when they heard these words there was much rejoicing and jubilation. And then they bowed and brought before me a donkey, saying, “a wild ass for our Lord.” And I sat upon the ass and the multitude carried me to downtown Tempe whereupon I stumbled into the pupils of the University. And when they saw the throng of followers, they spat, saying “more fucking Mormons?”

And lo, I climbed off the ass and stood upon a full beer keg and said unto them “behold, my word. Stories No One Should Read. $12.99. Step forth thee and purchase. For your copies shall be signed by I, Beau Montana.”

And the pupils laughed, saying “before us is another false teacher. For Beau Montana is a myth. A fallacious god. He cannot exist nowhere but on the internet.”

“Wanna bet, asshole?” I said unto him.

The pupil threw down his monies and spat. “Prove it,” he said.

I looked down upon the keg and back to the angry masses. Then I said unto them “In this keg, drink of the piss water that you call beer.” And they did so. And there was much rejoicing, for the pupils cried out “behold! Cheap beer no longer tastes like sweat from an asscrack! For now this tastes like a crisp IPA from a fine local brewery!”

“You’re goddamn welcome, you ungrateful shits.”

And as the revelry trailed away, Joe came unto me and asked, “did you really turn cheap beer into IPA?”

“No,” I said unto him. “I turned cheap beer into actual piss.”

TO BE CONTINUED…

Back n the saddle (part iii)

Hell unleashed its wrath onto the Sonoran desert. My legs ached. My tongue dried. A passing Canadian with a Camelback extended his hiking stick at my feet as he sought to make me stumble. “Where’s your water?” he asked of me. “You shouldn’t be in this heat without water.”

“That was foolish of you,” I told him. “What is this heat compared to the fires of Antares? If you have walked among the demons of Tartarus, you shall not fear the scorching deserts of the earth. Now be gone with you, you filthy northerner!”

And with that command, the Canadian withered like a fig leaf. I took his camelback and hiking sticks and then proceeded to the western most regions of the metropolis where I found my friend Footloose Joe toiling away with a caravan of books. I approached cautiously. Guardedly. My shadow cast upon him like a wraith in broad daylight. He drew his weapon. It was a Smith & Wesson 5.7. With no harm intended, I raised my hands in a gesture of peace.

“It is I,” I said.

Joe’s eyes narrowed. He reholstered his weapon and wiped the sweat from his brow. “I’ve been expecting you,” he said.

“Aye. I know.”

“Come. Sit.”

He led me into the air conditioned caravan and handed me a Gatorade. I sat in the spacious booth in the back corner and he laid a stack of books on the table with my name on it. Stories No One Should Read by Beau Montana. My eyes glanced at the cover and then back to Joe. “Will they come?” I ask.

“Aye. They always come.”

The sun drifted behind the mountains and casted a dull orange meridian across the horizon. And as the desert valley cooled, the denizens of this strange land journeyed to this caravan upon a hill and gazed upon its magnificent collection. A few eyes crossed my path. They saw me sitting alone. Arms stretched across the corner booth. When they approached, they lifted my book and studied it.

“What is your book about?” one asked.

I pulled out a Marlboro and a zippo. “Tell me,” I said as I lit the zippo. “What’s the one thing missing in your life?”

“Sir?”

“Do you wake up everyday in a cool puddle of your own piss? Do you wander out to the night sky and beg god for mercy because you jacked off to Rue McClanahan? Not that there’s anything wrong with that by the way. But there’s something missing within you. I see it in your eyes. You feel forsaken. Unloved. Like the world has passed you by and now you’re a 52 year old Reddit moderator and registered sex offender. It’s written all over your face. You’re searching for answers from a black abyss but there’s no response. That is until now. The answer is in your hands. All you have to do is open and read.”

Tears welled up in the man’s eyes and his hands trembled. His voice cracked. “How much is your book?” he asked.

“$12.99. But for you, I’ll sell it for $17.”

TO BE CONTINUED….

Back n the saddle (part II)

I dinged the bell. Then I dinged the bell again. Some Cracker Jack with droopy eyes and soiled hair stepped behind the counter and I spat. “Who runs this shithole?” I ask.

“Sir?”

“I said who runs this shithole?”

The Man Behind the Desk leaned his head back and glared at me from down his nose. “Better watch who you’re speaking to in these parts, mister.”

I spat again. “I’m the one you should watch, pal.”

The Man lowered his glance and swallowed hard. “You mean you’re…”

“Say my name.”

He froze in place then blinked. “You’re Beau Montana,” he said.

“You’re goddamn right.”

His hands trembled. He ran his fingers through his matted hair and reached for a keycard. “My apologies sir. I wasn’t expecting you this early.” I took the keycard and spat on the desk. I said nothing more to him.

I strolled down the shitstank corridor and found the elevator broken. After climbing the steps to the second floor, I used the keycard to unlock my room and stepped inside. The toilet was clogged. Bed unmade. Injection needles littered the floor. The room was exactly as I expected it to be. I took a quarter and unscrewed the air vent and stuffed the fifteen grand of hard US currency into it. Then I looked myself once over through the shattered mirror and sauntered back into the Arizona sun.

Under the wretched heat, I found a Preacher man yelling obscenities into traffic. He seemed approachable enough. So I tapped him on the shoulder. “Cigarillo?” I ask the Preacher.

“American. I speak American,” he said.

“Then could you spare a poor fellow like me a cigarette?”

“Of course,” said the Preacher. “But in exchange, I must profess the word of god. For the saving of your very soul. This world is temporary but the word is for eternity.”

I placed the cigarette between my lips and lit the zippo. “Uh huh. And which god is that Preacher man?”

“The one true god. The god of our savior. The god of the word.”

“And where did you find him?”

“He’s been with me since the beginning. I’ve never known no other god.”

“What about Da Nang. 68?”

“Sir?”

“Was god at Da Nang? In 1968?”

“God is everywhere.”

I dropped the half smoked cigarette to the undusted ground and exhaled on the Preacher’s face. “I was there,” I told him. “I saw it with my own eyes. The napalm. The fire. The wretched screams of burning children. Even I, the devil, could never forget. And through those flames I saw all around me. I saw no god. No goodness. No sign of a heavenly reprieve. There was only the cry of the many followed by silence. Death was their only salvation. Is that your god? If so, then your god is no better than me.”

I punched the Preacher on the stomach. As he writhed on the ground and grasped for air, I reached into his smock and lifted his wallet. Inside was sixty bucks in three $20s. I took one twenty dollar bill and dropped the rest onto his chest. “I left you forty bucks,” I told him. “That’s more than what your god left those children in Da Nang. Thanks for the cigarette.”

TO BE CONTINUED…

Back n the saddle (part I)

I know what you’re thinkin. Where’s Beau Montana? you ask yourself.

Well I’ll tell ya.

I was where the cactus thrive. Where the horses roam free. Where the Earth exposes her billion year old history. For generations, it was the land of the Hopi and Navajo. Yet when the white devil came, it was home to outlaw and lawmen alike. Only the specter of a Colt .45 brought justice to this godless country. The Tohono O’odham people of the Sonoran Desert and their term for “small spring” is ali sonak. Hundreds of years and many translations later, the barren realm of the high and low desert was named Arizona.

And I saw it. I saw it with my own two eyes.

It was in the oasis of Phoenix when I first caught a glimpse. At Sky Harbor to be precise. Roughly three million people call this sprawling metropolis home and I had a gas bubble the size of Milwaukee running through my intestines. I exited the terminal. The only quiet spot in a 50 mile radius was a section of the Phoenix Airport Museum. I walked in and cut it loose. The fart was adequate enough to continue my journey yet the cramp persisted. Then I stepped into the Arizona inferno and hailed an Uber.

It was high noon. I peeked down the road through the illusionary sea of heat and I saw him. He rode like the devil in a white Toyota Prius. Shades drawn. Right arm rested around the empty passenger’s seat. Then the vehicle slowed to a complete stop. He rolled down the window and whistled.

“Are you Beau?” he asked me.

“I am.”

The Driver popped the trunk and I lowered my duffel bag into it. I climbed into the empty and spotless backseat. The windows were tinted like a barrier between us and the wicked conditions of the desert. The Driver lowered his shades and turned his head toward me. “Where to, partner?”

“Econo Lodge,” I tell him.

He spits on the floorboards. “Que Dios te acompañe,” he says.

Miles later down the heathened and unruly lanes of I-10, the Driver glanced at me through the rear view mirror. Though his eyes were covered, I could feel his torrential judgement pouring down upon me. I drop a half dozen peanut butter M&Ms into my mouth and glare back.

“Where are you from, stranger?” he asked.

“What business is that of yours, friendo?”

Small beads of sweat appear on his forehead. He grasps the wheel even tighter. “If you can’t accept friendly conversation, I don’t know what to tell ya,” he said.

The boiling of my intestines resurface. I place another M&M in my mouth and pull out a lucky Chuck E Cheese coin. I finish the pack of M&Ms and throw the wrapper onto the pristinly clean backseats. I sit back and stare at him. “What’s the most you’ve ever lost on a coin toss?” I ask him.

He clears his throat. “Well, I lost a pog collection in college. Then when I was 43, I had to jack off my best friend because…”

I cut him off by flipping the coin. “Call it,” I tell him.

“But I need to know what I’m calling it for.”

“Everything,” I say. “Everything this car stands for. Your whole life has been building to this moment and you just didn’t know it. Now the coin is here. So call it.”

He swallows hard. “Alright then. Heads.”

I slowly lifted my hand to reveal the coin rested on my knee. To the Driver’s chagrin, it was tails. There was total silence. For the duration of our journey, I glared at him from the backseat with my cold, dead eyes.

He pulled up under the Econo Lodge awning and I opened the back door. The trunk opened and I grabbed my duffel bag. Before I shut the door, I saw him still clutching the steering wheel and refusing to make eye contact. “Normally I’d give you a tip,” I said to him. “But I got no cash. The only tip I got is to take Beano before air travel.”

I put my asscheeks back into the vehicle and unloaded a wretched stench from the depth of my bowels and then closed the door shut.

TO BE CONTINUED…

(We’ll see if we get a part II 🤷‍♂️)

Airports ROCK

I never understood the hate that airports get. They’re like a social black hole. All known laws of civility break down once you enter one. Personally, I think they should inspire the same awe in us as the cosmos do to astronomers. And if you don’t feel that way, you’re probably a sociopath, unlike me. I always shows up at least six hours before takeoff to cast judgement upon complete strangers.

But there must be something about air travel that makes people insane. It makes sense. Airplanes go against the laws of god. Yet sometimes i wonder if people are conscious of their actions. Take TSA for example. No one likes to go through it. But you’ll have a much better chance of making your flight if you simply comply. What won’t work is getting pulled aside, which isn’t uncommon, and rock back and forth like a drug fiend and forcefully argue your case. But that’s just my two cents.

Now, personal space. Being an early bird, I like to show up early, find a nice little eatery at my gate and sit in a quiet corner before my day invariably goes off the rails. But what I REALLY love is when a group of loud, hungover women sit next to me in an empty restaurant and bitch about their hotel room and then resume their night’s revelries over dozens of Bloody Mary’s at 4:30 in the morning. That’s some pro level shit. I can’t even be annoyed at that.

Sometimes I try to catch a nap before I board. “Why not sleep on the plane?” you might ask. Cuz fuck you. That’s why. But it’s hard to sleep when you’re sitting next to some Charles Napier-lookin jackass who reads his texts out loud. You see, ever since hearing that story about that dude who got decapitated on Greyhound, I’ve had a fairly rational fear of sleeping next to strangers.

So for the life of me, I can’t understand why people loathe air travel. It’s always been a rewarding and insightful experience into the human condition. Don’t piss and moan. Throw on your best Werner Herzog internal monologue and have fun.

Anywho, I’ll be in Phoenix soon. I’ll be waiting in the Derby Dames bout parking lot. 4:30. Don’t wuss out.

Warning Phoenix AZ

For the first time in 25 years, I’ll be stepping out from under my rock and into the shit-reeked air that you commoners whiff to sign books and promote the release of Stories No One Should Read.

Want a shot at me?

Well the third of October will be your lucky day. I’ll be at 2517 W. McDowell Street, Phoenix, AZ 85009 from 4:30pm to 8pm waiting on you. So you think you can take me? We’ll see what you got big dog!

While you’re there you can purchase my book and I’ll sign it. Or are you too much of a puss to show up? Lucky for you, you can purchase Stories No One Should Read at Amazon or at Dead Star Press.

So to all my enemies living in the Phoenix area talkin SHIT, here’s your chance. Come out to the Derby Dames bout on Saturday!

Don’t be a 🐓