The Jody Wilson Stories by Bassam Imam - HTML preview

Humans are the only major tree choppers. They must understand that our planet can't keep on taking this brutal beating. For every tree that is chopped down, at least one should be planted.

Cynthia and I visited two beautiful parks. I was lucky to be on vacation with my best friend. The park patrons were kind to us. However, whenever we spotted a ranger, or other park worker, I hid inside Cynthia's knapsack.

Going to a nice park is a very rewarding experience. While there, Cynthia and I felt our stress levels plummet.
I must admit there was plenty of tasty prey in the parks. I drooled whenever I saw one of them.
For example, there was a tasty squirrel limping around. If I hadn't been with Cynthia, my predatory instincts would've forced me to chase 'it' down. A weak, young, or sickly prey animal is almost always the first target of predators.
It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Even a cat has to leave the concrete jungle every once in a while.
In the concrete jungle, a cat living in the suburbs usually fares better than a city cat. Many city cats are strays. Most stray cats dream of living in suburbia: a large house, white picket fence, much food, tons of money, love, security, and shelter. Cats don't want much from humans.
After we'd had our fill of parks, Cynthia and I decided to drive to the nearest motel. She asked a park employee for directions. Sleepiness was creeping upon us, like a 'ton of blinks'.
The park employee gave Cynthia a tourist guide containing comprehensive information.
Cynthia thanked the park employee then returned to the van. Meanwhile, I was hiding inside her knapsack. I sensed that the park employee was aware of my presence. She was probably a cat lover.
We left Garland Park at 8:00 P.M., heading northwest. A few miles into our drive, we spotted The Vacation Motel.
By then, Cynthia and I were exhausted. Any living accommodations would've been sufficient. However, The Vacation Motel was 'officially' off limits to animals.
I hid underneath my seat, while Cynthia did her business with the front desk clerk. Some hotel/motel workers go ballistic whenever they see a cat on the premises. It's one of those things, I guess.
What could I have expected? Some humans will never become accustomed to cats. They ignore the beauty, intelligence, stamina, agility, cuddliness, and companionship, of cats. It's their loss, not ours.
While Cynthia was in the motel office, I looked out the window. I was very careful not to be seen.
A short while later Cynthia exited the motel office with a scanning card in her hand. I was delighted!
Minutes later, Cynthia and I were sound asleep. Room number 8 was large, clean, and beautiful. Cynthia and I slept together on a beautiful bed.
Thankfully, everything was going just fine. Cynthia's alarm clock had been set to ring at 7:00 A.M., just in time for breakfast. The cleaning lady would begin work at 10:00 A.M.
During room cleaning, I'd have to be far away. I couldn't afford to be seen by any motel staff.
Cynthia and I ended up spending a week at The Vacation Motel. Thankfully, we encountered no problems. Good food, much play, television (tons of channels), and plenty of rest. The rest energized us.
We checked out on Thursday, exactly one week into our vacation. It was early mid-April, and the weather was mild.
Cynthia drove north on Nelly Street for seven blocks, then turned right. We were heading to Junction 145 North.
Cynthia and I were in the mood to drive on a junction. We wanted a view. Highway driving is fast, but dull. On highways, you see automobiles, and many more automobiles.
"Cynthia, we're going up to Washington, aren't we?" I asked.
"Jody, we'll spend some time in Washington then we'll go up to 'my country'. You can tell your friends that you saw beautiful Canada. You don't can’t die without having visited a foreign country ... can you?" asked Cynthia.
"We mustn't forget. Undocumented cats, like me, must sneak across international borders. I'll have to hide in a 'special place', before entering Canada.
I don't want any trouble with the Canadian Government. But, I want to see Canada. I mean, I'm a cat. I have a right to see what the world has to offer," I said.
As soon as we entered Junction 145 North, a thunderstorm appeared out of nowhere. I must say, it seemed very odd. I'd looked up at the sky just a minute earlier. There wasn't a cloud in sight.
Suddenly, giant pellets of rain descended upon us. It continued for roughly fifteen minutes, before dying out.
"Let's bypass Washington. Instead, we can see it on our way back. We can swing around into Idaho then enter Washington at a later time. Actually, we can go up to Alberta after Idaho. This way, we can see an extra Canadian province and an American state," I said.
We resumed our drive to Canada. I wondered what Canadian cats were like. Would they treat me like a guest, or, like an intrusive foreigner? That was the 'gargantuan question'.
Cynthia continued driving until 9 P.M. Then, I demanded that we find a good place to rest. By now, both of us were groggy. Also, incoherence began to set in.
In fact, Cynthia's eyelids were closing too frequently, and for too long. 'Grogginess and driving' is extremely dangerous.
Any cat knows that driving while groggy can be just as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. All it takes is a split second for a terrible accident to occur. It can devastate the lives of everyone in the vehicle, and nearby. Worse yet, it could kill them!
"Cynthia, it's time to pull over into a rest area, or hit a nice motel. You can't keep driving in this state. This is extremely dangerous!" I exclaimed.
"Don't worry, Jody. When we get close to the Canadian border, you can hide underneath my packing gear. Then, as soon as we pass through the border patrol, I'll drive straight to a motel. Surely, I can hold off until then," said Cynthia.
I kept quiet against my better judgment. I figured it would be better to give Cynthia a long lecture about the dangers of driving while groggy, after we've rested-up in a nice motel room.
THE WHIRLING TUNNEL

To aggravate matters, the thunderstorm that had previously shelled us, returned with a vengeance. This time, it was extremely ferocious. It felt like the thunderstorm was trying to attack us. Something wasn't right.

Suddenly, Cynthia and I noticed something quite strange. There were no other vehicles in the area.
Come to think of it, there was nothing around us but a gravel road and some dying trees. Unbelievably, Junction 145 N freaking disappeared!
Suddenly, torrential rains began to hit the ground like cluster bombs. Our grogginess disappeared. It was negated by terror and apprehension.
Cynthia appeared pale and confused. Visibility was steadily worsening, and there was no exit in sight.
As we continued our journey, a whirling tunnel appeared before us. It was large, menacing, and pulling Cynthia’s van to its core.
The menacing rain drops bounced off of the whirling tunnel. This gave us a clear picture of where we were headed. Or, should I say, where we were being pulled to.
"Jody, what's happening?! It's like we're entering a different dimension, or something creepy! I'll try to veer off the road. I'll floor the gas pedal, and turn right at the same time, "said Cynthia.
Cynthia's efforts were useless. In fact, it made no difference whatsoever. This 'whirling tunnel' was bent on pulling us inside it. It looked terrifyingly menacing.
By now, Cynthia and I were crying our brains out. We were terrified and confused. With no escape in sight, we accepted our fate.
"Cynthia, I think we are about to be catapulted into another dimension! We must brace ourselves for an incredible shock!" I shouted.
Cynthia’s van began to shake violently. Then, it was lifted off the ground, perhaps a foot. Now, we got a glimpse of the interior of the whirling tunnel. It kind of looked like the inside of a whale's mouth, but much bigger, and more menacing.
As soon as Cynthia’s van was pulled into the whirling tunnel, Cynthia and I froze in fear. We couldn't help it. You would've done the same thing.
Afterwards, Cynthia and I became dizzy and nauseous. Our ears popped. We understood that our lives had changed forever. Our main concern was mere survival.
Through this terrible ordeal, my love for Cynthia grew. I mean, it grew exponentially! It appeared to be reciprocal.
No doubt, the whirling tunnel was from another universe, or dimension. It was tubular-shaped, and longer than my eyes could perceive.
I glanced at the dashboard clock then got the shock of my life! The digits of the clock were moving so fast, I couldn't tell in which direction.
"Cynthia, I love you!" I exclaimed.
"Jody, I love you ... more!" responded Cynthia.
At least we had each other. I couldn't imagine what it would've been like if we'd been alone. Maybe, I would've died of shock.
Cynthia’s van began to shake violently. It actually resembled a boat caught in the middle of an ocean storm.
To make matters worse, Cynthia’s van was unceremoniously jettisoned deep into the whirling tunnel. Then, we were sucked into a mini-tunnel. There were countless of these mini-tunnels.
Cynthia and I were catapulted into a large lake. Thankfully, we were near land, and it was daytime. Otherwise, we would've been as blind as newborn kittens.
After splashing into the water, Cynthia’s van began to wobble, then did an about face. As expected, it started to sink.
"Jody, slither out of your safety belt. You and I must get out of here, quickly. Otherwise, we'll drown! Afterwards, we can leap onto land," said Cynthia.
We exited Cynthia’s van, with lightening speed. We ended up standing on the hood of the van. After bracing ourselves, we leaped onto land.
As soon as we began to walk away from the lake, a gargantuan creature, with razor-sharp teeth, leaped out of the water. It tried to snatch us. Thankfully, it was primarily a waterborne creature. Gosh, it was ugly-looking.
Up ahead, were grassy hills further than the eye could see. Beautiful trees dotted the landscape. To our right was the entrance to a deep valley.
Cynthia and I decided to walk through the grassy hills.
The sky was blue and beautiful. The sun appeared the same as that on earth. At this point, Cynthia and I weren't sure where we were.
While we continued our trek through the grassy hills, I took notice of the waterborne creature. It was still eying us. Cynthia and I got the creeps. We wondered how large and vicious the predators in our new home were.
When we were a safe distance from the waterborne creature, it made a Godzilla-like noise. It was drooling like a hungry dog. It measured us with concentrating eyes, but couldn't have us. Amen, for that!
As soon as we'd taken our minds off the waterborne creature, we felt the ground underneath us shake with a vengeance.
Cynthia and I got the shock of our lives! It was the same waterborne creature. It had slithered out of the water and was making an attempt at chasing us. Luckily, it was very slow and clumsy on land. However, it was air breathing. Lucky for us, we were far away.
Cynthia and I continued our walk through the valley, into grassy hills. Every so often, we saw beautiful birds fly overhead. They didn't notice us. I guess they were migrating.
Cynthia and I were weak, terrified, lost, and confused. In addition, we needed food, water, and rest.
"Jody, we must always stay together. Not just for 'femmesake', but also because we're best friends.
Somehow, there must be a way back to our home. I don't know if we're on another planet, or if we're in another dimension. Jody, I love you so much! If I'd been alone, things would've been a lot worse.
Let's walk in a straight line, so we don't end up going around in circles. Maybe this valley leads to civilization. We must be patient and faithful," said Cynthia.
After walking for over an hour, we noticed that the terrain was beginning to change. Now, we were in a valley studded with large fruit trees.
The fruits were waiting to be snatched and eaten. Coming in various shapes, sizes, colors, and types, it made perfect sense to eat from them.
Cynthia and I feasted on a dozen different kinds of fruits. I can't tell you how tasty those fruits were.
After Cynthia and I ate our fill, we felt unusually strong and refreshed. Miraculously, our water and solid food needs were completely satisfied.
Later, Cynthia and I rested under a fruit tree for several hours. We were unable to fall asleep because of the enormous stress of being in a strange place. Our lives had been turned upside down.
"Jody, look at the grass behind us! Doesn't it look like our grass?" asked Cynthia.
"Well, I guess the texture and color are the same. Even the dirt underneath the grass is identical to ours. We must find out what happened to us.
I want to eat some of this grass. It might be very nutritious. As long as it's not poisonous, it won't be a problem," said Cynthia.
Cynthia and I tried several strands of grass. To our utter surprise, the grass tasted very good. We ended up having our fill.
Cynthia and I decided to change our path, a bit. We shifted slightly to our right then proceeded to walk in a straight line. THE GIANT MIDGET

Cynthia and I continued our walk, anxious and apprehensive. Slowly, the terrain began to flatten, with tiny forests far off on our left and right.

Suddenly, we heard shouting and the pounding of feet a few miles ahead of our position.
Wanting to know what was going on, we picked up our pace. As we got closer, we were able to see the silhouette of a large creature, helpless and on its back.
As Cynthia and I continued our approach, it became evident that the creature was a GIANT. Actually, it looked like a GIANT midget. I mean, 'he' was a giant in size, but he had the proportions and appearance of a midget. We could see that the GIANT midget was being viciously attacked by 'warriors' using machine guns, heavy artillery, and an air force. The 'warriors' were literally trying to kill their foe. There were well-over ten thousand warriors attacking the GIANT midget.
Cynthia and I decided to hide behind a large tree. Apparently, the fighting was going on in the center of an open field. This field was far away from the nearest forest.
Cynthia and I weren't about to take any chances with the warriors. If they'd decided to attack us, we wouldn't have been able to defend ourselves.
To our benefit, a short while later the warriors left the GIANT midget for dead. He was all bloodied, disemboweled, and sad-looking. When the warriors had completely disappeared from sight, Cynthia and I pondered about what to do next.
We decided to cautiously approach the GIANT midget. Maybe, he'd have something important to tell us about where we were.
Step-by-step, we got closer and closer to the GIANT midget. Although he was a humanoid, I wouldn't quite call him a fullfledged human. Perhaps, there was a subtle difference.
The GIANT midget was barely alive. He used up much of his reserves to wave us towards him. After barely waving us towards him, his arm came crashing onto the ground.
Initially, Cynthia and I froze in our tracks. We weren't sure what to make of the GIANT midget's gesture. He could've been deceiving us. Maybe, if we got too close to him, he'd try to grab us with his GIANT hands.
Cynthia and I decided to give the GIANT midget the benefit of the doubt. We were in a very desperate situation; in need of help from anyone; even a dying person.
"Please ... come here! Don't be afraid of me. I don't want to hurt you! Besides, I'm so weak and bloody, no one should fear me now. I'm no longer the GIANT that I used to be. Now, I'm just a chump," said the GIANT midget.
Cynthia and I were now within spitting distance of the GIANT midget. Still, we were a bit apprehensive.
"Where are you gals from?" asked the GIANT midget.
"We're from a planet called Earth. Perhaps we are on the same planet, in a different dimension or timeline. We're not sure.
We were caught up in a horrific storm. It hit us like a ton-of-bricks. We were dragged into an incredible whirling tunnel. Afterwards, we were catapulted into this place," said Cynthia.
"Don't tell anyone what happened to you! You're still on earth. By entering the whirling tunnel, you inadvertently changed the time line. History, from A to Z, has changed. Every time you enter the whirling tunnel, something will change. I'd heard rumors about this phenomenon many years ago," said the GIANT midget.
"What's your name?” asked Cynthia.
"My name is Eric Blazer."
"What's your name?" asked Eric.
"My name is Cynthia Corbett, and this is my dear friend, Jody Wilson."
"We're sorry that we can't help you. But, we'd like to speak to you a bit," I said.
"You gals are lucky to be alive. The anomaly you went through must be extremely dangerous. You gals must always be best friends," said Eric.
“I hope that will always be the case. Now, please tell us something about yourself,” I asked.
“People gawked as far back as I can remember. As you can see, I'm different-looking. It wasn't so much my physical stature, as my deformed face. You don't have to patronize me. Neither should you lie to me. I know that my face is abnormallooking. Enough people have taunted me about it. I'm a freak of nature!
Throughout my life, I was taunted, abused, and hardly had any friends. The other students, especially in high school, were too ashamed to even speak to me.
The only friend I ever had was a cat. But, even this friendship was conditional. Although we were best friends, I was told to keep our friendship a secret. No one could know about us. My friend, Kyle, was ashamed to be seen in public with me.
If his cat friends had ever seen us together, he would've been cast out of the cat community. Really!
Even my teachers barely tolerated me. Luckily, I graduated from UCLA. After graduation, I looked for work in every possible sector, city, state, and region of the country.
Although I had a degree in English Literature, with a minor in Library Science, nobody wanted to hire me. Gosh, I was kicked out of three of the libraries I tried to apply for work in. Apparently, I'd freaked-out the librarians with my ugly face.
This, compounded with my torment from the general public, caused me to take up writing. I became a ghost writer. The money was good, but I still had no friends. Nor could I find that sweet woman that I'd always dreamed of.
The word 'circus' kept ringing in my ears. If I'd known what a circus really was, the word would've disappeared from my mind. Unfortunately, I still had a lot to learn.
I tried moving to another city, but that didn't help any. People treated me the same, wherever I was.
One day, I was reading an interesting article in a health magazine, when I came across an article about cats. Although it wasn't about companion animals, I decided to purchase a cat. My previous best friend had recently died. He was hit by a truck. The truck driver didn’t stop, or even slow down. He just kept on driving.
I purchased this beautiful cat from an overcrowded animal shelter. In effect, I was helping myself, the shelter workers, the cat, and the community that I'd lived in.
My beloved cat, Laura, never called me any derogatory names. In fact, she told me that I was very handsome and sweet.
Things went really nice between us for roughly two years. That's when the neighbors decided that they'd had enough of me as their neighbor.
On a rainy Thursday evening, I returned home to find a large crowd of people hanging around my property with torches and baseball bats in their hands. They were standing on the sidewalk and street. Gosh, I felt like Frankenstein! No the doctor ... the freak.
As soon as the crowd members took notice of me, they started to shout the worst obscenities at me. Out of sheer terror, I ran into my house.
Once inside, I got the shock of my life. Apparently, the crowd was in the 'hanging mood'. They'd hung my cat with a coat hanger. I was so pissed off at them!
I called the police. Unfortunately, the crowd dispersed before the police arrived at the scene.
The police ended up giving me the third degree. They interrogated me about my cat's hanging, and other crimes in the neighborhood.
Apparently, there'd been several break-ins in the area. Also, a little girl was gagged, drugged, sexually molested, and chopped up into slabs of steak. The brutal killing of the little girl was the last straw. Naturally, they needed a scapegoat.
I was middle-aged, single, disfigured, tiny, and I was a loner. The perpetrator timed his crimes with precision. He'd begun terrorizing the neighborhood just three months earlier; that's when I moved into my new house. I suspected that the perpetrator of the neighborhood crimes was one of my neighbors.
Naturally, the crowd returned to the scene the very next day. This time, they made sure that I'd leave the neighborhood, fast. My house was burned down.
All was not lost, however. Luckily, I had much money in the bank, and stocks and bonds.
Afterwards, I decided to move to a small town in Idaho. That didn't help.
From the moment that I entered Little Town, things didn't look good. People started to harass me.
It only took a few days for the folks in Little Town to conjure up a nickname for me. Those bastards nicknamed me 'SWAMP THING'.
I knew very well that I was never going to have a normal life. Henceforth, I accepted my fate. At least, that's what I thought.
The incident that changed my life occurred just two weeks ago. After being humiliated, gawked at, and tormented on the subway train, I decided to take a very long walk through the Great Green Forest.
For one whole hour, I didn't see a single human being. Wow! Did it feel good! The tiny forest animals were very kind and sweet to me. In fact, some of them thought that I was cute.
As I continued my walk, I suddenly found myself encapsulated in a huge fog. I could barely see where I was going. For the next ten minutes, I watched my step very carefully. Finally, the fog dissipated.
Unfortunately, my life had changed for the worse. It only took me a few seconds to realize that something was terribly wrong.
Somehow, the fog had chemically altered me," said Eric.
As soon as Cynthia heard the word chemically she dropped onto the ground then wept like a little child.
Eric appeared confused, baffled, and bewildered. He couldn't understand what'd happened to Cynthia.
It was up to me, a cat, to explain to Eric what was going on with Cynthia.
"Eric, please don't use the word chemically, or any derivative of the word. Cynthia was chemically immobilized back in college. Something very terrible ensued ... if you get what I mean," I said.
Eric apologized for using the dreaded word. He also promised never to use it around us again.
"Gals, I noticed that everything appeared smaller ... much small, for that matter. I'd become a freaking GIANT midget!
Initially, I was shocked as all hell. Then, I slowly began to consider 'vengeance'. Vengeance upon the humanity who'd tormented me without any mercy whatsoever.
After returning to civilization, I began to systematically destroy one building after another. I couldn't have given a damn about the persons or properties I was destroying. I had no friends or allies! Therefore, it was only right for me to destroy much of this stinking planet.
Within an hour, I found myself destroying towns, and more towns. I couldn't have cared less about the screams and pleadings of the people that I'd crushed.
It didn't take long for the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of Canada to declare a state of emergency. In the next breath, they declared war against the SWAMP THING, who was made out of material as strong as steel.
I reserved my utmost cruelty to military personnel; especially the officer core. Some of them, I pulled apart, others I disemboweled.
As I approached Washington, D.C., I fantasized about defeating the entire earth. However, I had to demolish the American and Canadian capitals. Afterwards, the world would be mine!
Gals, please don't think that I'm crazy. I'm not! I had every freaking right to wreak havoc on this entire planet! No questions asked!
Unfortunately, I didn't seriously calculate the responsive measures to be taken against me. This would cause my downfall; literally.
Armies from numerous nations converged upon me with an extreme vengeance. They kept coming and coming, without any letup. This horrific assault upon me didn't occur immediately. It took many days for them to form their droves of armies.
The combined military war machines of Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Russia and the Slavic nations, were sent to destroy me.
As I began to tire, I noticed the droves of armored vehicles, tanks, artillery, mortar launchers, flame throwers, SAM batteries, fighter and bomber aircraft; even the freaking navies were called in. Several aircraft carriers began to fire long range missiles at me from enormous distances.
Who the hell was I kidding? Did I really think that I could defeat the entire world? I wondered.
Also, I'd forgotten to pile up on food and water. Worse yet, I didn't have an escape route, or a good hiding place. Jeepers, I screwed up!
I began to feel hunger and thirst pangs. I had nowhere to go for a quick meal, or a thirst quencher. Regardless of how angry and hungry I was, cannibalism was out of the question! Later, I developed terrible wounds, and major fatigue.
Initially, my foes’ shrapnel wasn’t damaging my ‘skinarmor’.
Later, my foes used specially made shrapnel to penetrate my skin armor.
How stupid of me! I'd expected a lightning-fast victory. I ended up getting knocked out. Once was all it took. I only had one fight in my entire life. I was knocked down and out just once.
I'd used up most of my energy reserves fighting the first onslaught. When I began to tire, I searched frivolously for a hiding place. I was too damn gargantuan; even the waters weren't safe for me. Too many predatory creatures reside near the bottom of many of our lakes. The waters are terrifying places to swim in. For some reason, in the water, predators can reach incredible sizes and posses incredible weapons. For them, I'd be a large slab of flesh.
In the midst of battle, the armies made a sudden withdrawal. I thought they'd had enough. Boy was I wrong!
As I was limping away, I heard an incredible rumbling a few miles east of my position. As soon as I looked, I got the shock of my life! The Defense Force of North America (DFNA) was converging on me! This army consists of the best soldiers and weaponry in the world. All of the soldiers are North Americans.
The DFNA soldiers are specially trained to be ruthless and unrelenting. They don't care whether they live or die. Victory is the only option!
Now, my life was at stake. There were to be no rules in this battle. Anyone, even an animal, associated with the enemy, would be killed! I had to go full-out!
Every time one of the enemies' shells landed, it made a thundering sound. Then, bullets and mortar rockets came at me like rain. Much shrapnel hit my body. Even the sky turned gray.
The shrapnel felt giant pin pricks on my skin armor. The improved shrapnel, however, penetrated deep into my new body.
As you can see, I am no longer a fleshy being. I was metamorphosed into a non-fleshy being. However, I still have internal organs, feel pain, and bleed. It takes a lot more punishment to hurt me.
I produced weapons out of dirt, stones, and whatever else. I put up a very good fight. Soon, the area surrounding our battle was destroyed.
It got so bad, I developed breathing problems. Those bastards fired chemical weapons at me! I left the area, but ended up her. I literally had no cover. Only a few tiny trees scattered in non-strategic areas.
I barely missed the swampy area a short distance away from us. I was so dazed, thinking straight became impossible.
Gals! Please! I'm not freaking crazy! I'm normal, really!
I know that I'd killed tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians. Too bad! I'd wanted to conquer the entire planet. After what I'd been through, those creeps deserved what they got. I certainly didn't!
In an act of desperation, I picked up tanks and armored vehicles, then threw them into the air. It was to no avail. The DFNA was too damn tough. It was like trying to fight a Rottweiler.
At least I went down swinging, kicking, punching, crushing, biting, spitting, shouting, and throwing. My doom came as soon as I fell. My defeat was emine