Original intro follows:
I believe this may be the original (existing) text of the D Is For Damien novel Scorpio, which was twelfth in the series. However, it could instead be from Reunion, ninth in the series; I lean toward the former only because this story is taking place in October and Scorpio takes place in that month, whereas the newest version of my series timeline has Reunion taking place in September. This timeline is relatively new though and might not have applied back then. I remember writing this but sadly can't be sure which story it belongs with as I only got through one page. It's on a loose page that was found in the company of the five-subject notebook that contains the original drafts of Sidekicks and Lucifer and various other items, but it is not from the same notebook. Throwing doubt on this being from Scorpio is the fact that I seem to remember my skinhead character, Nobby Botnick, playing a big role in the plot of Reunion, and there's a jotted note included with this chapter which mentions him; also, I remember starting Scorpio elsewhere and it was much different--but perhaps there were just two versions? So...perhaps it's a draw.
The visit to the icebreaker/US Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw is a reference to the annual occurrence of the ship being turned into a floating haunted...ship...for Halloween. (I heard that October 2005 was the last time that would happen on the old ship. Unsure if that's true.) I visited it once, and there was a beam of light shooting up from it into the sky, thus inspiring this chapter; the "cans" referred to were canned food donations. These two novels take place between 1992-93, but I can't positively place the date of the writing at that time, seeing as I often begin novels way after their date of occurrence.
The Haunted Ship
ON THE COLD, Thursday October night, living rooms were empty. Cars were abandoned on sidestreet shoulders while droves of people walked across town, cans in hand, following the droning of horrid music and the faint, eerie trail of light in the sky.
Among the people went a group of four--two women, two men--the tallest of them, oddly-clad in a wide-brimmed hat, high lace-up boots and a trench coat, carrying their cans. The shorter black man held a flashlight which he continuously stuck in his mouth to make his cheeks glow while the others laughed.
"For goodness' sakes [sic], Skeet, cut it out already," the black woman said, exasperated.
The coed walking at her side giggled. "Yeah, Skeet, 'fore I bust a lung."
"What are we going to see?" the can-carrier asked, turning.
Skeet Newkins dodged about in front of him, shining the light upon his face so he looked like some weird voodoo witch-doctor. "We's goin' to see the icebreaker Mackinaw and get our pants scared off!"
"I hear it's really good," the black woman commented. [Note--KAT IS A BLACK CAT BUT SHE IS NOT BLACK!]
"So'd I," the other added. "Y'know Kat, I wonder if--"
"Is that it?" the can-carrier, Yoopy Irvins, asked, nodding in the general direction of the wailing music.
"Should be,"
[Note--in addition there is a scribbled note below this text:]
"God," Skeet said with awe, watching him walk away. "He's a Skinhead." [Note--in reference to Nobby Botnick. He's a skinhead, but I don't think he's one of THE Skinheads. Can't really remember though.]
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