Big Giant Head

The Cooler: Chapter 12

“Where to?” The cab driver asked JJ when he sat down.

“Sunset park,” JJ said.

“Really? You want me to drop you off there? You won’t be able to get a cab back and it's going to be dark soon,” The driver said.

“Yes, I want to be dropped off there,” JJ said.

“I will have to charge you extra because I will be driving back empty.” The driver said.

“That’s fine, I need to get there,” JJ said, not going into detail as to why.

“What are you going to play softball?” The driver asked, trying to make small talk.

“Nawh, I’ve heard a lot about the park and want to see it,” JJ said.

“Ok, I didn’t think anyone had anything to say about it besides having games there.

JJ just nodded and looked out the window as the driver negotiated the traffic.

“So did you hear about def-con?” The driver asked.

“No, was that the convention that was going on?” JJ asked.

“Yeah, it's a bunch of kids who use computers. I heard some of what they were doing was not all totally legal.” The driver said.

“That must have been what I saw earlier today. Someone had changed the traffic signals to blink in time to music,” JJ said.

“Yeah, my dispatcher told me to avoid the area around the convention center because of police activity,” the driver said.

JJ went back to watching the scenery as the driver drove around the airport to get to Sunset Park.

* * *

“Well, here you go, remember the park closes at sunset. There is a decent Mexican restaurant over at the northeast corner of the park at Pecos and Sunset. You could probably call for a cab from there,” the driver said after accepting the fare and tip from JJ.

“Thanks I’ll keep that in mind,” JJ said.

The driver had dropped JJ off in a parking lot next to a few baseball fields. At the edge of the parking lot, JJ found a large billboard with a map of the park. The map showed a large square park with baseball fields, some parking lots, and one lake.

“Well Kawika said something about water. I guess that’s where I’ll look,” JJ said to himself.

It was a short walk over to where the lake was. It was a stretch to call it a lake. It was maybe 100 feet across and about 500 feet long. In the middle was a small island with a few palm trees. In the middle of the island, almost hidden by the palm trees, was a giant Easter Island-inspired head.

“Well, I guess I found it,” JJ said, seeing the head peeking out from the small grove of trees.

“Now how do I get over there?” JJ looked around to see if there were paddle boats that could be rented. He didn’t see any boats anywhere and when he got to the edge of the water he saw why. The water looked about three feet deep, any paddle boat would drag along the bottom.

“Well I guess I walk across to the island after dark,” JJ said to himself. “Sunset is soon so now I just need to relax and wait.”

Spread around the edge of the lake were picnic tables with shelters over them to give shade. JJ walked over to the closest empty picnic table and had a seat.

“This is so surreal. A normal piece of life, a park that could be in any town in America, is only a few miles from the fantasy of the strip. My view of Vegas hasn’t extended past a few blocks from the strip, I forget that people live a normal life here,” JJ said to himself.

There was a family just wrapping up a birthday party for a child. The balloons above the table declared the child was five years old. JJ looked over at the family trying not to be creepy. The father caught JJ sneaking a peek and started to walk over. Before he had walked many steps, it was obvious he had recognized JJ. He reached into a cooler and pulled out a bottle of some kind.

“Hey, it's the cooler,” the man said when he got close.

“Javie!” JJ said when he recognized him. “I didn’t realize you had a kid.” JJ realized here was another person he knew nothing about.

“Yes, she’s our first. We found out about a week ago that we are expecting our second.” Javie said.

“Congratulations! That is wonderful news,” JJ said with real joy.

“Here have a root beer,” Javie said handing JJ a bottle of root beer.

“Thank you, that is very generous of you,” JJ said, taking the bottle.

“It’s nice to see you. We were just packing up, but we should get together soon outside of the casino. Give me a call at the pit and we can get together for a beer,” Javie said.

“I would like that, I realized recently I’ve been in town for weeks and still don’t know anyone, really,” JJ said.

“Yeah, it’s hard to get to know people in town if the only place you go is the casinos. There everyone is all smiles and ‘yes sir, thank you sir’” Javie said.

“Yeah I noticed that,” JJ agreed and took a swig from the bottle.

“Well, I need to get back and finish cleaning up. We have to get home so my wife can get to work. Call me,” Javie said, then returned to his family and headed out.

“That would be nice, I need to try and become part of the community,” JJ said, returning his attention to the view of the lake and his root beer.

It was only about 30 mins until the sun slid down below the horizon to let Vegas put on the sparkly dress and show off for another night.

Unlike the strip, the start of night in the park was subtle with the unrelenting pressure of the sun slowly becoming a gentle caress of a butterfly wing and then finally going away to allow the false god of man’s technology to take control and turn the night to a sepia picture.

“Now how long should I wait before I go try and talk to the big giant head,” JJ wondered to himself. “Maybe I’ll give it another 30 minutes before I try.”

JJ waited until it was dark enough to see Venus before getting up. The moon gave the lake a silver glow, making the whole scene look like a tropical cove.

JJ got up and then realized maybe he should look for park rangers before he went for a night-time swim.

“That’s all I need a park ranger kicking me out of the park,” JJ said and then looked around for any headlights on cars making their way around the park. It was difficult at first to tell if the headlights he was seeing were on cars passing by on the surrounding streets or making their way to him to end his illicit nighttime activity. After he saw a few cars drive by on the roads around the park, he finally realized that there were no rangers making rounds then.

“Well, let's see about this head,” JJ said as he walked up to the edge of the water. When he got there, he sat down on the bank, took off his shoes and socks, and then rolled his pants up to his knees so that maybe he wouldn’t get his pants soaked.

He carefully stepped down to the water with first one foot and then the next. The cement bottom of the lake was slick with algae and duck guano.

“Eww I don’t want to think about why the cement is so slimy, at least the water is warm,” JJ said.

He stood for a moment getting his courage up and then stepped out with one foot. With the sudden change in balance, his foot that he was standing on slid out from under him, and he fell backwards, his head went under, and his arms were flapping around wildly trying to find either the cement bottom or the air a short distance above. Not finding either, he carefully opened his eyes for just a brief moment so he could figure out which direction was up.

“What did I see? That did not look like the lake,” JJ thought to himself. Just then, he broke the surface and took a deep breath. Opening his eyes now that he was above the surface, and he wouldn’t be letting the polluted water touch his eyes, he looked around. In front of him was an island, like he was expecting, but instead of seeing the lights of the city, he was seeing an ocean with a huge moon above and more stars than he ever knew existed.

“Uhm ok, I don’t think I’m in sunset park anymore,” JJ felt proud about not referencing a dog. “This is getting to be a very interesting day. I wonder if Javie dosed me and I’m just sitting in the lake at Sunset Park. I’ll probably look ridiculous swimming in the lake to anyone watching, but I can’t feel the bottom. Well, I guess I go to the island.” JJ started to swim. It looked like the island was now about a half mile away instead of the fifty feet it was when he first jumped into the lake.

“Whatever Javie gave me it was strong enough that it's affecting even my sense of touch,” JJ continued to swim until his hands hit a sandy ocean bottom.

“Ok, sand, I didn’t expect that,” JJ said. “This is a pretty intense hallucination. I wonder what I’m really doing.”

JJ stood up and looked around. “Well I don’t know what I’m really doing but I might as well play along.”

The island he was standing on did not look anything like the island in the park. The only thing similar was a giant head just a few yards in from the shore. The sandy beach stretched out to his right and left for at least a mile and in front of him beyond the head was a jungle that went up a mountain that was shrouded in clouds.

“That’s obviously where I need to go. Hmm, I think I remember a video game that was like this. Now I just need a big arrow to show me where to go.”

JJ walked up the beach to stand in front of the head.

“So now what do I do?” JJ said. He stood there looking at the head. Finally his curiosity overcame him and he reached out his hand to the nostril.

“Why are you trying to pick my nose?” A voice stopped JJ.

“Uhm I’m sorry sir, I mean maam what do I call you?” JJ asked.

“Enakai,” a slender, brown-skinned woman with a few patches of cloth strategically positioned, said stepping out from behind the head.

“Enakai, nice to meet you, I’m JJ. Can you help me talk to Aku Aku?” JJ said.

“You are talking to me, Simon,” Enakai said.

“It’s JJ,” JJ said.

“You are certainly hard headed. Kapo said she already showed you the memories, so I can assume that you just don’t want to accept the truth. Well you will in time. Right now we need to get you prepared. We have lots to do and not much time,” Enakai said.

“Hold on there hot rod. Just because you're pretty doesn't mean I’m going to go wandering off with you and play Gilligan to your Ginger,” JJ said.

“Hmm, I think I’m more of a Mary-Ann. Ok, sit we will talk story first,” Enakai said.

“Ok as long as it helps me talk to the giant stone head,” JJ said.

“Do you not listen?” Enakai asked as she sat down in the sand.

JJ had settled with his back to the ocean, facing the head and studying it. “Huh what did you say?”

“I am Aku Aku,” Enakai said.

“I thought you said you are Enakai.” JJ said now looking at Enakai.

“I am. When I was alive and still on the islands, my name was Enakai. When I followed my people over to here I settled in the Aku Aku head and took on that name,” Enakai said.

“Uhmm I’m a little confused. You said when you were alive? You look pretty alive to me.” JJ said.

“Your eyes deceive you. We are not on the mortal plane,” Enakai said.

“Everything here looks normal to me except for the fact that one minute I was in a small lake in Las Vegas and now I’m on some tropical island,” JJ said.

“This is just a creation on the spirit plane of my home or what my home looked like hundreds of years ago. I was one of the first generation born on the island after the long journey. All I knew was our new land and stories of the lands we came from. When I was born, we kept our knowledge alive by telling stories, songs, and dance. From an early age I loved the stories and the songs and the dance. I would listen any chance I got and practice all the time. I wanted to be a storyteller my whole life. When I got older, I was able to pass on the knowledge to the younger generation. All the stories I learned helped me to guide my people through the tough times. I guess I was so used to helping my people when my mortal shell failed me. I didn’t want to leave, but I stayed to continue to help. I have been protecting my family and people for centuries. Now, there have been so many generations, there are not many Hawaiians I am not related to. I know what it's like to be strangers in a new land, so when my ohana came here I followed them.” Enakai said.

“This is all interesting, but if you are Aku Aku, why did you want me to talk to you?” JJ asked.

“Wow, you're not very patient, are you? Well, I needed to prepare you to confront Aumākua,” Enakai said.

“Who is Aumakaka?” JJ asked.

“ Aumākua, he is the one that possessed Peter and almost killed you. In the past, he was more of a trickster, just causing mischief, but recently, he has become more malevolent, even homicidal. You had a plan to trap Aumākua before he attacked you.” Enakai said.

“I had a plan? Why would I be so stupid to try and attack a god? You can’t kill a god, what was I going to do, annoy him and get myself blasted or worse be sent to some eternal punishment,” JJ said.

“You are right, you cannot kill a god, but you can trap him,” Enakai said. “Well, it looks like you have to go now. Bring Peter back to me.”

“What I don’t need …” JJ said.

“Get up you dirty hippie. There is no camping here.” JJ heard a voice

JJ was yanked up by his shirt.

“What?!?” JJ was being pulled up by a park ranger.

“Oh so you were sleeping off a drunk, well I’ll help you with that and let you spend the night in a cell,” the ranger said to JJ as he pushed.

JJ saw he was on the little island next to the giant stone head.

“Well I guess I made it over to the head,” JJ said.

“What? Were you using the island as a bathroom? Unbelievable, you couldn’t find one of the bathrooms in the park,” the ranger said.

“Huh, oh, you must be a navy man. No, I meant I made it over to the giant stonehead,” JJ said.

“Oh yes you did. Put your hands behind you,” the ranger said.

“Yes sir,” JJ complied with the ranger and felt him placing handcuffs on his wrists. “Really you are arresting me. You're not even a cop,” JJ said.

“I am a law enforcement officer for the Clark County parks department. I have all the same powers of a police officer,” the ranger said. “Now let's go.”

The ranger pulled JJ along with him as they walked through the knee-deep water of the lake.

“So, do you have to arrest people very often?” JJ asked.

“More than I like. It means I have to spend most of my night filling out paperwork instead of patrolling the parks. I really like the peace and quiet at night.

“Well, I’m sorry I ruined your night. Let me go, and then you can enjoy the quiet,” JJ said.

“Just keep moving,” the ranger said and yanked on the handcuffs to reinforce his demand.

“Ok, Ok, I’m moving,” JJ said and picked up his pace.

It was almost two hours before JJ found himself sitting in a cell with a few other men, sleeping off their evening’s fun. JJ had settled himself on a bench against a wall facing the cell door. There were four other prisoners on the same bench, all of them asleep, except for one who was bent over sitting with his head in his hands trying to stop the spinning. There were benches against the walls on the right and left. The bench on the right had two people. The bench to the left had a very large lone occupant.

“Well, I think I’m living up to the t-shirt,” JJ said to himself remembering the shirt in the window. The officer who booked him said that he would be able to talk to a judge in a few hours.

“So what was that all about? That was certainly a wild hallucination. I still can’t understand how or when I was drugged,” JJ said.

“Oh man, I’m not doing good,” one of the drunks sitting on the bench next to him said. He started making a retching sound.

“Guard, Guard!” JJ yelled, trying to get the jailer's attention.

“Quite down. Sleep it off,” a guard yelled back.

“He’s going to hurl!” JJ yelled back.

“Alright, I’m coming,” the guard said.

The inmate continued to wretch for a moment more, then finally let loose with a fountain of vomit that sailed out from him, striking the floor a few feet away. The stream hit the floor and splashed outward, hitting everyone on the bench. The way the spew splashed, it got JJ on his shirt and the others on the bench, either on their pants or shoes.

“Ahh, man, this was my only clean shirt,” JJ said, pulling the now wet T-shirt away from his body.

“Oh bra that is nasty,” the large guy said, opening his eyes to see what the noise was.

“Yeah and it smells worse than it looks,” JJ said trying to pull off his shirt without getting any on himself.

“That's some nice Kākau,” the guy said and then closed his eyes again.

“Huh, what?” JJ said looking down at himself to see what the guy meant. From his shoulder down to his waist was covered in a tattoo. It was made up of a few different symbols and geometric shapes. It was primarily filled with triangles interspersed with a few other items. JJ couldn’t quite make out what all the items were in the design.

“Uhm I’m starting to think that maybe I wasn’t drugged,” JJ said.

“Oh that is not good,” the guard was standing at the door looking at the mess. “You need to put your shirt back on.”

“It's covered in vomit. If I put it on, I will start throwing up.” JJ protested.

“Throw it in the sink. I’ll be right back,” the guard said, turning and walking away.

JJ walked over to the sink and dropped the shirt in. Then, he watched the water slowly spreading out to cover the whole of the shirt. The sink was a stainless steel pedestal that was firmly mounted to the floor and the wall. There was no stopper to keep the water in the bowl so the shirt had to do the job. The water was splashing into the shirt, making a tiny lake in the valley of the shirt. Little waves pushed up against the wrinkles of the shirt that made the mountains holding in the water. JJ thought back to the ocean he saw during his hallucination and the waves glowing in the light of the moon. He realized he couldn’t ever remember seeing the ocean. “How did I hallucinate something I’ve never seen.” JJ mused to himself.

JJ continued to stand listening to the tinkling of the water as it continued to fill the basin.

“Hey! Are you listening to me? Put this shirt on. If I have to come in there, you will be the first one tased.” The shout of the guard roused JJ out of his trance.

“Oh sorry I guess I’m still recovering from whatever happened last night,” JJ said as he walked over to the cell bars to take the shirt.

JJ pulled the shirt over his head and then looked at the printing on the front. It said “Had too much fun? Call Larry’s bail bonds.” Below that was a Las Vegas local phone number.

“How long before anything happens?” JJ asked the jailer. “You gave me this t-shirt but I haven’t been able to make a call yet.”

“The judge is at lunch. He should be back in the courtroom at 2 a.m., and you will be one of the first ones,” the guard said.

“What time is it now?” JJ asked.

“It's a little past midnight, so you have almost two hours before someone will come get you. Do you want to read yesterday's RJ?” The guard asked, deciding to be a little charitable.

“Yeah that will help the time pass,” JJ said.

The guard turned around and went somewhere out of sight of the cells.

“Here you go. Someone already did the crossword,” the guard said.

“Thank you,” JJ said, turning to return to the bench, where he found his spot now occupied by an inmate lying down.

“Hey bra, you can sit on this bench if you share the sports section,” the big Hawaiian said.

“Thank you sir,” JJ said. He sat down and opened the paper to find the sports section. “Wow, this is thin for a Saturday paper,” JJ said.

“I thought it was yesterday's paper,” the big guy said.

“What?!? Wednesday? I thought this was only a day old, not three days. Hmm, the date says — August 25th!?! I was unconscious for four days? How is that possible?” JJ exclaimed.

“You must have been really partying to sleep for four days. What kind of drugs were you doing?” The mountain of a man asked.

“None, I had a few beers earlier in the day but nothing else. I went to visit Aku Aku and the next thing I know I’m getting arrested for vagrancy and a few days are gone,” JJ complained.

“Who is Aku Aku?” The bear asked.

“I’m still not sure. It's the giant head in Sunset Park. I think I was dosed with some hallucinogenic because I had the wildest vision. I stepped into the lake,”

“Your not supposed to go in the lake, that water is nasty all that duck shit,” the giant interrupted JJ.

“I know, the bottom of the lake was so slick I slid and fell under the water,”

“Oh that's nasty,” the leviathan said.

“Yeah but that's when the hallucination started. When I broke the surface I was in the ocean,” JJ said.

“Wow that’s some drug. Who drugged you,” the house-sized man said.

“I don’t know. The vision got stranger after that. I met a woman on the island who said she was a very ancient Hawaiian protective spirit, oh, and by the way, I didn’t have any tattoos before I went to the park.”

“That is some heavy huna you are mixed up in,” the grizzly bear pretending to be a man said.

“You are the second person today — I mean this week — I guess I mean recently to say that. I think I need someone knowledgeable of Hawaiian lore,” JJ said mostly to himself.

“You need to go to the Hawaiian Civic Club and talk to an aunty who knows the old stories,” the Goliath of a man said.