War/Peace. Matthew Vandenberg

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СКАЧАТЬ Cathedral if you're an Anglican,' Adrian says. ‘The cave of Machpelah in Hebron if you’re a Jew.'

      'I'm serious,' Shaun says. 'Who's that? Standing in the doorway?'

      'We're between the buttes of Chimney Rock in southwestern Colorado if you're a Native American,' I say, nodding. big blue eyes

      'Or we're inside Uluru if you're an indigenous Australian,' Shelly says. 'This is Mauna Kea if you're Polynesian.'

      'We're surrounded by the stones of Stonehenge if you're a Pagan,' Adrian says.

      'And this girl's hair is like the waterfall at Japan's Tsubaki Grand Shrine if you follow Shinto,' Shaun says. 'She's remarkable. I think Lorelei is here guys!'

      'Hi,' Lorelei says, walking into the room.

      ******

      References

      1 Great Southern Land - Icehouse

      2 Hero - Nickelback

      3 Pimp Like Me - D12

      4 I Don't Care - Fall Out Boy

      5 Just Got Started - 360 and Pez

      6 Bonkers - Dizzee Rascal

      7 Hey Man (Now You're Really Living) - Eels

      8 Routledge, C., Arndt, J., & Goldenberg, J. L. (2004). A Time to Tan: Proximal and Distal Effects of Mortality Salience on Sun Exposure Intentions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30, 1347-1358. doi: 10.1177/0146167204264056

      9 Boombox - The Lonely Island and Julian Casablancas

      10 Beautiful – Akon, Colby O'Donis, and Kardinal Offishall

      11 The Kids Are All Fucked Up - Cobra Starship

      12 At Midnight - Bliss N Eso

      13 Creator - Santogold

      14 Jetpack - Flobots

      15 Keep On Pushin - Royce Da 5'9", DJ Premier, and Statik Selektar

      16 System - Seal

      17 I'm Different - The Whitlams

      18 Feel Like Home – Fort Minor

      19 This Is For You - Bliss N Eso

      20 No Such Thing – John Mayer

      21 Maybe - Kelly Clarkson

      22 Belt, D. (2010). National Geographic: Sacred Journeys (Special Edition).

      23 Flawless (Go To The City) – George Michael

      24 Ladies Of The World – Flight Of The Conchords

      25 Other Side – (Hed) P. E.

      26 Alice In Wonderland – Brian McFadden

      27 Set In Stone – Brian McFadden

      28 Who Are You? - Katie Noonan

      29 Irish Son – Brian McFadden (“Now I'm old enough to know my own mind…”; "…just break with your past and feed your own mind coz this Irish son has moved with the times.”)

      JACKSON CURTIS – 6:00pm - December 17 - 2011

      'What are you doing?' Lorelei asks.

      She has the most beautiful eyes and teeth, so full and white: she's the flesh and blood version of Tangled's Rapunzel. I smile and tap my pen on the desk, waiting patiently for myself to avert my strong gaze.

      'I'm writing a letter,' I say.

      'Who to?'

      'I'm gonna write it, then I'll read it out . . . like, to the camera. It's silly but I don't know what else to do.'

      'Yeah, so who's it to?'

      'Russell Brand,' I say, shrugging. 'The English comedian, you know?'

      'Of course.'

      'I'm thinking I write him a letter, ask him for some help. He's bound to be watching. I'm sure this is being screened in England.'

      'You need to do the speech,' Shaun says. He hops up onto the table. 'We're giving the loudspeaker to you, and you're climbing through that sunroof. The sooner the better dude.'

      I look around the room, everyone's nodding: Shelly, Jerri, Adrian.

      'We need a celebrity,' I say. 'Adrian's known throughout the south but only for being a northerner and that's not enough. I've got some status but only as a night walker, and only among my clientele. No one out there is going to listen to us. If we can get someone like Russell Brand to tell people that this is a safe-house then . . .'

      'Or a southerner,' Lorelei says. 'Can't Shelly give a speech?'

      'No,' Adrian says. 'You didn't see what happened to me when I was on my way here; I was chased, abused, hit with stones; my Harley fell – like – 100 metres from the door, and I was lucky to make it to the guards before the southerners could catch me.'

      'But she “is” a southerner,' Lorelei says.

      'They'll still throw stones,' I say. 'Because she's inside the house. They'll treat her as though she's one of us.'

      'I'll do it,' Adrian says. 'I can do it. Give me the loudspeaker.'

      'No,' I say, standing up. 'I think I know what I want to say.' - I take the loudspeaker from Shaun and walk over to the spiral staircase. It's narrow, smooth and long, like a double helix. Maybe it's the DNA of the house: where the expression takes place, and I'm a gene for free speech. Then I take to the flight. I run to the top of the stairs. Then with my left hand I push the sunroof open.

      I can feel the cool southern air on my skin. I climb up onto the roof.

      At first I see no one. Fog rests on the trees and rooftops around the bunker. Then I notice, on the street behind the bunker, a couple south-siders. They're watching the bunker, as though waiting for it to move, waiting for it to breath, or stand up, or simply glare back at them with its windows, opening its curtains so that the folk can see into the bunker's soul. They're whispering to one another, speculating, wondering out loud what the inhabitants are up to, as though this bunker is the home of an exclusive brethren.

      'Hello,' I say, speaking into the loudspeaker. 'You're welcome to come inside.'

      'We would never go in there! You're satanists, you lot!'

      'There's a war going on,' I proclaim. 'This is a bunker. It's open to north-siders and south-siders. Have you got homes to go to?'

      'We couldn't fit into the church. We've gotta find another one.'

      'You were kicked out?' I ask.

      'It's not like that,' one woman says. 'There were too many inside. We had to move on.'

      'What СКАЧАТЬ