Dreaming wasn't the norm for Gene Morrison. If anything, the time between falling into bed - or slumping over his keyboard - and waking to the sounds of city life were a blur; nothing happened worth remembering. Perhaps that was because of the prescriptions, or maybe from the scotch he drank, or old age - as loath he was to admit to being a possibility - but quite simply, Gene didn’t dream.

That was, until tonight.

"How could you let them get away with killing me?" A voice asked. Gene looked up to a see a freshly dead body talking to him. 

" No, not you again, please.... just go away" Gene gestured to the dead body as if he dismissed the man. The dead man spoke again

" You know I still can't rest and neither can my family... knowing what you know and how the DA got away with it. But then again... He was your friend, wasn't he?" 

Gene spilled his drink as he pointed his finger " That was YEARS AGO... I'm a different man" as he challenged this...visage of a slain civil right's leader that was killed by a serial killer. 

" How can you sleep EVERY night as I lay--" the dead man asks.

" What is it that you want me to do?..." Gene interrupts the dead man speaking " You want me to go back into time and change everything?" 

" Can you?" The dead asks

"NOOO" Scoffs Gene as he once again turns to his bottle of scotch, " And stop bothering me when I drink... it's rude, don'tcha know". 

"Then make it right or at least start to do something.... You have 24 hours to comply or I/We shall return and take the pain that you have given and..... place it on your shoulders" A new voice spoke to Gene. 

" No you listen here your just my imagination" Gene wheels around to find nothing... no dead man standing in his room, the computer screen blinking at him, a faint sound of a radio playing music from his era. " Ha!..." Gene smirks for a bit then turns to sit down.

As Gene sits down, the computer flickers for a bit, then the room flickers for a bit as Gene mumbles to himself. 

" The computer begins to show Gene his life, as a child, as he grew, then as he made friends, then laughed and played well together. The computer screen flashes more images. Gene as a younger man, fighting crime, catching a serial killer and then the screen shows his old friend. a young D.A. that wanted not to change or "rock the boat" and let a killer walk away. The scene was all to familiar in Gene's head but this time it was the young D.A. turning to face the computer screen and say " Thanks for helping me get away with murder Gene, I always knew that I could on your help, Buddy old pal" and a quick wink was given. " Don't worry, soon all those black people will once again know their place and time will pass, Nobody really got hurt, just some uppity dark people, Now well can't allow that in this city, right?. I knew that you gene would understand". 

" But.. But.." 

" Now Gene... lets just keep this our little secret and noboy needs to know just how I handled things, good white folk just want things not to change around here, you understand right?. Gene... next things is that they will want to VOTE, now we just can't have that in our city, it just ain't right" 

The computer light dims and static can be heard from a faint T.V. signal in the distance. 

"Poppycock!" Gene drinks and swallows hard and he slams the empty glass down. " It didn't happen like that, it was different back then, I was young then, he was my friend" Gene speaks to the computer.

" And what about those that you didn't help Gene?" A low, hoars and cold voice spoke behind him, " I speak for those people and their families want you to amend this...." 

Gene spun around and saw nothing. " Where are you, come out coward!" 

" Do you really want me to come out of the shadows, Gene... do you really want to see me in my unnatural form?" 

" Show yourself!" 

From the dark corners in his room, a figure appeared... it was a scarecrow, plain and simple. " you thought that you could scare me?. HA!" Exclaimed Gene " You can't fool me boy!" 

"Boy?!..... I am countless in the years that you can imagine, for I am older than all the stars in the sky" It spoke. " You can't fool me you big old fake, take that costume off and fight me like a man" The old man gene began to put up his fists " I might be old but I can--" 

The scarecrow vanishes into a pool of insects that stream out the open window and a faint voice that is older than stars and cold as the night speaks " You have some time before I shall return.... sober up and use it wisely"

" Get outa here!" Gene throws his empty glass at the open window and grabs his bottle to comfort him till the morning comes.