"the ballad of juan miguel" by mackie galvez and mihk vergara

NOTE: what follows is a work of fiction written by two travelling companions of mine who passed by one dark, windy night in order to partake of a hot supper in our quaint little abode and to play spiderman 2. while i was preoccupied on the telephone conversing as such, they found it amenable to spin a tale that is at once absurd and heartwarming at the same time.

the unfinished work seen here would be published in installment, a chapter at a time.

all characters and events are real only in the reader's imagination. however there are certain exceptions in which inside jokes are abound. in which case, it is real but only to those who get it.

without further ado, here it is.

-- juan mig

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The Ballad of Juan Miguel

A Novel by: Mackie Galvez
Mihk Vergara


Dramatis Personae:

Juan Miguel, a boy
Miho, a girl
Baron Giuseppe, a mysterious man, Juan Mig’s friend
Billy Bob, 1 mig’s friend, boy
Whiskey Joe, disgruntled Vet

Chapter 1
Misconceptions

One mig sighed as he entered the room. Why can’t I catch a break? Hurriedly throwing his bag on the floor, he plopped down face first on his bed/couch. With an empty pack of reds in his pocket, he lost consciousness and everything went black.

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Editing? But I’ve already edited three days already! Exclaimed one mig as he was given more work. At this point one wonders if he is a victim of circumstance or he subconsciously piles on work as an escape. From what can range from an annoying classmate, a bad day at the races, down to the last cigarette but no lighter. As the monitor on his work desk buzzed silently, a distinct and familiar voice ran though his head. A beckoning call. One philosophers of old have had no explanation of: LOVE.

A quick pressing of keys on his 6610, electronic signals flew through the airwaves. Unbeknownst to our hero, a man draped in shadow listened, just a few miles away.

This of course, was Baron Giuseppe an old acquaintance of Miguel’s. Now usually, the Baron wasn’t wont to be galavanting about in a dark cloak, but the recent weather had made the baron uppity as of late. How the baron could actually hear the message that 1 mig sent was a completely different story. 1 mig simply called the phenomenon cellular attunation, and the two agreed to leave it at that. The Baron voyeuristically listened in.

A similar phone, with a crack down its screen, rings in the hills of Tagaytay. The recipient knew that it was the call of love that made his phone ring so. Flowery words, as the great Aristotle had once spoke, spewed out of Miguel’s mouth. Word of apologies, of plea, of sheer desperation, resonated thru Billy Bob’s ear drums. Mistakes, unknowable errors, had been done as of late, and apology was the next logical step for Miguel. Billy Bob could only sneer in disgust. The phone call ended as abruptly as it had been made.

What made Billy Bob so disagreeable as of late was the fact that Miguel had sold and old overcoat of his to Billy Bob for a tuppence. What he failed to mention was that the coat had certain quantum physical anomalies stored in his pocket. Imagine Billy’s surprise when he had breakfast in the coat! Coffee was moving at the speed of light, toast was dividing into two materially different enties and the like. This had distressed Billy’s family immensely and it was no surprise that 1 Mig apologized as best his could.

Now looming over all of these events was the mysterious voice Miguel heard seconds before. Love it had said. Baron Giuseppe whispered the word that could end wars, but could ironically start them as well. The mythical character of Cupid, was in fact this cloaked man, condemned to live life on earth matching straying hearts together. Giuseppe carried this burden, unable to find a match for himself. Juan Miguell Sevilla was this object of desire. Baron Giusepppe/Cupid would have his day. He would have that man’s love. Though they were friends, he was determined to get this. After all, one mig had no use for it now, the Baron concluded.