The Power of Painting in Year 3,000: Part 2

Continuation of The Power of Painting in Year 3000

After experiencing a handful of turbulent months and a short period of grounding, it was time to move onto the next step. Answering the call to heroic adventure is not an easy feat, I guess it’s just as they say: it gets uncomfortable before real growth happens. It's quite ironic though, no matter how much hell Ako put me through I just couldn't help but love him. I made sure to wake up early today and soak in as much sun as possible. Meditated. Spent 30 minutes doing Yoga because I honestly don’t know what is ahead of me. I wrote a farewell letter to my lover in case I don’t ever make it back. Not that I would want to leave her, but sometimes we need to drop what is important to us for the greater good of humanity. *BZZZ BZZZ BZZZ* Ahh.. There’s the usual incessant buzzing of my phone.

“Grand rising brother,” Ako texted.

“Grand rising, God-Daddy,” I replied.

You know it just occurred to me, all this back and forth chatting on whatsapp with my spiritual God-Father… and not once did I question: How is he using whatsapp to talk to me from the future?

I sent Ako a text based on that question and of course he answers, “Whatsapp transcends time brother.”

AS IF THAT EXPLAINS ANYTHING. I should have figured it out by now, why do I even bother. Of course he was going to come up with a response that leaves me with more questions than answers. I immediately stood up and shook off the customary negativity that comes well packaged with his enigmatic metaphors.

“So what are you going to do now, my beloved? The ancestors are revealing to me a certain energy within you,” Ako texted.

“I think it's time now brother. There are just a couple of things that I would like to take care of before my departure,” I responded.

“Okay that is good my Godson, tell me when you have accomplished all of that so we can get started. Also I want you to gather all of your brushes and your beloved mark-making tools at once,” Ako replied.

“Why do you need me to do that?” I asked.

“Huhuhu.. The Ancestors told me to say that,” Ako texted in response.

“...You’re the SHADIEST priest I know,” I replied as I started to make way out of my house.

I went through a series of meetings with friends and people that I know and gave them a portion of the money that I accumulated from playing with the bitcoin waves. Looking back, who would’ve thought that my friend from the future would help me make money from the flux in cryptocurrency. I told every single person that I gave the money, to that they need to invest it in a certain cryptocurrency.

“You don’t have to worry about making money anymore when the time comes for the rise in value with this cryptocurrency. Don’t ask me how I know this though, I’m not in a position where I can answer questions right now,” I told them all.

I made sure to pass along a big chunk to the palm reader Nyu. I believe that if we never had that moment where we experienced a vision together, I would never dive deep and lead the life I'm living now. Although, I’m sure they would be more than satisfied with the peculiar promise I left them over money. Last but not least, I gave the rest of my money towards crypto-investments to my beloved Nikki. We spoke, embraced each other and made love, as lovers do. Alas, I couldn’t tell her where I needed to go because that could have broken the time-line in this space-time continuum. It is hard for me to leave her like this but at least she will not be empty-handed. She will never have to work another day in her life.

I gathered all my brushes/mark-making tools and put them into a satchel. As I was about to leave the studio and leave all my pain-stakingly made paintings behind, a couple of brooms caught my attention.

“Hmmm… You know, these guys might be handy,” I said, out loud to myself. Some of my best paintings were created with marks that came from those brooms.

I texted Ako after I went back home, “Okay I did everything I needed to do and grabbed my brushes.”

“That is good my brother, okay so we are going to commence time travel. We want to make sure that this occurs successfully so do me a favor, use the rest of the ancestral soap in the shower and pray. In your prayers all I want you to say is ‘Dear Ancestors, I wish to time travel to Year 3000’ over and over again. After that I want you to swallow the rest of the ancestral ingredients and drink as much gin as possible. Then you will let me know when you’re finished,” Ako texted.

“Okay,” I replied.

I completed that list of tasks and WHOO BOY, WAS I FEELING TIPSY?! It’s been a minute since I was that gone.

I texted Ako “Alright God-Daddy-Doo, what's next?”

He replies, “Okay brother I want you to have a family heirloom on your person as well and then I want you to pull the desk in the corner of your room away from the wall.”

I didn’t need to grab anything for the heirloom because I always had it on me, my mother’s copper heart-shaped locket. I’m a mama’s boy, like a good man always is. I moved towards the desk and pulled it away from the wall. All of a sudden I felt chill’s run down my spine, an outbreak of goosebumps and a pulverizing fear.

OH DEAR GOD. To my horror, a black widow had made its web behind my desk. ALL OF THIS TIME I SPENT CLEANING MY HOUSE AND THIS THING WAS LIVING WITH ME???

I texted Ako, “Uhhh Brother…”

Ako responds with excitement, “So you see the spider web? ;) ;)”

He sends another message, “I want you to put your hand in it, gently brother.”

“WHAT?!?” I responded tumultuously.

I text in all caps lock, “BROTHER, I COULD DIE. BLACK WIDOWS ARE LETHALLY VENOMOUS.”

“Don’t worry brother, just do it. Trust me the Ancestors are by our side,” Ako texts assuredly.

To my despair, I listened to him. I say out loud to myself, “SCREW IT. YOLO!”

I turn Spotify on in my phone and start playing Beyoncé’s song “Drunk in Love”. I inch towards the deadly spider, nervously and close my eyes. I started trembling. I extend my hand and start singing along with the song, “I been drankin.. I been drankin… something, something, something...Drunk in Luh--- AAAAHHHHH!!!!”

I felt a gruesome pinch and for a split second lost my breath. I felt my insides plunge into itself and continued screaming in my head. I regain the ability to breathe, open my eyes and proceed to continue screaming. Yup, that's it, I must have died. I’m in hell.

To my demise, a mammoth-sized black widow with strange markings all over its body was before me. It was about 3 times the size of a human. It had woven its web over what looked like an unquestionably old, run-down barn.

A familiar face exclaims, “Are you done yelling, brother?”

Wait a minute, I’m not dead?

I guess my face said it all, Ako laughs and continues; “No, Pat you’re not dead. Welcome to Year 3000. This is where we have been running our operations. This old barn here is our secret base, hidden to all things deadly.”

“Wow, I don’t know what kind of magic you pulled off. I sincerely thought I was a goner. What I don’t understand is if this secret base of yours is hidden to all things deadly, what is THAT thing doing over here?” I replied with disgust.

A soothing feminine voice remarks smoothly, “ First of all I’m not a thing, I am a she and everyone here calls me Charlie.”

Immediately my fear revoked itself and redirected my intention to listen.

Ahh...Please speak more, I thought.

“Now technically if you were to categorize me, I’d fall under the label of animal. Bugs and insects are sort of otherworldly creatures now but I was transformed by my desire to be a master of time,” said the great, pacifying Charlie.

What a beautiful voice. I could listen to her forever, I thought.

“I’m assuming that your observant yet muted silence means that you're listening, yes?” said the great, soothing Charlie.

I nod my head in amazement, yes.

“So to truly understand time you must not see it like a forward-backward moving film strip. No; the past, present and future are interwoven like a web. Sometimes it does move, but more like a spiral. Also I have always been connected to you, Pat. The spider that bit you was me in the past,” said the great, tranquilizing Charlie.

“Oh wow,” I said, acknowledging Charlie's beauty.

“I was 1 years old when I bit you. With the help of the Ancestors and guiding light in the Okutuu Imola, we were able to transcend the limits of time. We were able to teleport you to this very moment using my venom as the vehicle to move you. Now I’m sure you remember the whole Neuralink spell/curse run-down from Ako right?” said the great, euphonious Charlie.

“Uh-huh, Uh-huh,” I uttered, matching the beat of my throbbing heart.

Whatever you’re saying, just please keep talking… I thought.

“Well the usual life-span of a black widow is 3 years. In my third year, the neuralink tragedy happened and I was transformed into a true master of time. I grew, I continued living and now I will never die. Unless I choose to end my own timeline or time-spiral, so-to-speak,” said the wonderful, mellifluous Charlie.

Oh mama… Please keep saying things, I thought.

“Don’t get too turned on by my voice now, dear Pat,” said abruptly; the omniscient Charlie.

“OHP!” Bellowed from the shock in my throat.

How did she know? Like a sobering awareness I realized that I drank about half a bottle of gin right before reaching my destination. Ahh...but she does have a beautiful voice, I can't give the drinks all of the credit.

“Anyways Pat, now that you know about our master of time over here I’d like to introduce you to the rest of the gang,” Ako said.

Finally meeting my God-father in person was remarkable too.

Ako pointed towards the back of the barn and we got melodically interrupted as we started to walk in that direction, “Oh Pat~" Charlie Hollers.

“Yes ma’am?” I answer, curiously.

“I just wanted to let you know that Marigold flowers are my favorite. They are filled with such timeless energy and they match my jewelry. I do want to reiterate how very well connected we are. The reason why I wanted to master time is because I always had a good look at the clock on the wall facing your desk,” said the great… flirtatious Charlie?

Is she… hitting on me? I halted for a moment and shook it off with a serious, manly-looking demeanor.

I immediately respond with, “Duly noted, your majesty.”

“It would do you well to bring her flowers soon, my Godson. The Ancients are protectors of humanity, but she alone is the biggest threat to the Cona Vights. Losing her breath doesn’t scare her, because they can never take her time away from her. Only she can choose to do that herself,” Ako states.