The Time Traveller
18: Caine 9-04-84
Somewhere along the line, Ippy turned eighteen, and most of us missed it. Poor kid. We thought, as far as we were able, that we would celebrate Comfy in the only way we could, at a Woodrowe gig. I don't know what we were expecting, or truly why we were doing it, but for Comfy, it seemed, weirdly, appropriate. In a way, I think we were just going through the motions, for some sense of completion.
In the interim, between Comfy’s demise and this gig, well, it seemed the band had decided, as life was too short - perhaps for one night only, or for good old times - to invite Rory Read onto the Stage, for a few songs. Apparently he had agreed to it, much like the band, because he learned he was Comfy’s favourite guitarist. The band was dedicating the last show of the tour to Comfy, naturally, but by then it had all gone to crap, and meant very little anymore. Yet for Comfy, they decided to put their differences behind them.
Of course, he never turned up.
It just added to my distrust of the human race as a whole. The only person you can truly trust is yourself. Everyone, without exception, lets you down. Whee have I heard that before?
I mean, I don’t even like going into a pool when I can’t touch the floor.
All life is ultimately and universally pointless, you know. I mean, I turned up to the fight. Many didn’t. And that was an end to that episode.
#
As for everything else? Well, Eddy Drew died in 1988. Misadventure, they said. Drugs, alcohol - take your pick. It was bound to be one of them.
He was replaced by Rob Kunnel, who stayed until 2001, but he was only ever a shadow of Eddy, and left to pursue his own career. Then in late 2001, Noah Akran, often referred to as the Stock Bassist, as he had been in many bands and sessioned for yet more than that, took the space left, conforming to the whim and will of the rest of the band, with little personality of his own. He’s still there today, still the bassist. People forget he’s there, but then, kind of, that’s always been his purpose. Play the gig, collect the cheque. Nice for some.
Susie Curfew married their Sound Engineer, Gary Reynolds, a coincidentally copied moniker, in 2005, and changed her name to Susie Reynolds. Ben Woodrowe and Callum Woodrowe continued to put aside their differences, for the sake of the band. Ben never married, deeply cynical of the whole institution, and the fate of Callum Woodrowe has already been explored.
My fate? Who knows. Maybe I continued to travel time, finding new adventurous locations, meaningful memories and fanciful fantasies. Either that, or I went home, took up my old post, dug my heels in and just did.
Oh, and still go to the occasional Woodrowe gig, when I’ve got the time, in between my many other and varied distractions.
Maybe I became Ipsum Mendax? I’m not sure. All this linear, chronological time - I never really got the hang of it.
#
And still Pete didn't get it. No matter how many times, how many explanations, how many simple pieces of evidence laid before him, over and over again -
“They’re ready for you now.”
“Really? And they’ll all listen to what I have to say?”
“Yes, they’ve promised to listen to all you have to say. But keep it plain. Plain talking is what they understand, see? You will keep it simple, won’t you? For me?”
“Anything for you. I promise, Pete.”
“I’m not Pete, remember?”
“Oh, right, I forgot.”
“Watch that kind of slip up when you’re in there. It may work against you.”
“And if I can prove I have discovered time travel, they will listen, won’t they?”
“I’m not so sure -“
“But it’s my life’s work! You can’t deny me -“
“Calm friend! Relax! We don’t want you getting worked up, now do we? Any last minute things before we go in?”
“Just one.”
I stepped into the chamber, and the lights shone. The world swirled before me like a kaleidoscope of colours and objects, all swishing together, clashing, creating a chaos, into which I walked.
And disappeared.
Through time.
END
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