To William, magick was not kind. Most of his twenties were spent drifting
from one system of magick to another. He went from one set of occultists to
another. For William Wicca, Cabala, Egyptian Magick, the whole spectrum had
left him more confused and asking more questions than before. Many of the
groups which he attended were just shams that people used to help
themselves get laid. His heart was in the right place but he let each of his
experiences become his reality, or at least the way he viewed it. Along the road
to understanding there were of course charlatans which preyed upon the
desperate and lonely and he allowed them to take advantage of that so that he
may just find some scrap of wisdom. William had always played the part of the
outcast. The conditioning had gotten so bad he would not even leave his
cigarettes in ashtrays lest someone use it as a magickal link to control or
influence him. He had chosen his appearance based on this paranoia as well. A
shaved head and eyebrows kept the chances of evil forces from getting a hold
of his hair to do unspeakable things.
Through the study of Gematria and numerology he had let himself become
consumed by meanings that were everywhere. licenses and addresses had
become interpreted meanings he let confuse him. Homeless he tried his best to
stay away from others. They’d either hurt him or infiltrate his psychic realms
which he knew would destroy him. His senses were betraying him and he
halfway knew it but did not have the skill to create a psychological shield to
prevent all the bad things.
The cops on the streets knew him all too well. He would let himself become
irate with complete strangers because he felt they were part of the plot against
him. You see, he caught glimpses of “The Big Picture” where he was a tortured
hero and William would eventually come out of his cocoon and save all the
blind people that surrounded him daily. He had a record of public intoxication,
misdemeanor fights and even theft at one time or another. Many had tried to
get him help, but he always wiggled his way out of it. He believed that the
institutions were just agents working on breaking his mind and soul. He had
been in them as a teenager when his parents could not, or would not deal with
him. They were well off and during some of his more lucid moments they
would help him out by getting him a small apartment or giving him enough
cash to get food and tobacco. He reluctantly accepted the help. He truly
believed they were part of the problem.
Celine was one of the few people he would let talk to him. She was a runaway
and lived on the streets as well as William. They did this by choice. She was
kind to William. She related to him about how parents just put their teenage
children into psychiatric facilities because they didn’t want to deal with the
situation anymore. Her kindness extended to helping him find a safe place at
night. She would also look after his health. William would sometimes go days
without eating. He believed fasting would eventually give him the clarity he so
desired. William had a court date coming up and she wanted to make sure he
attended it so that he would not become a fugitive. It was a minor charge of
disorderly conduct in public and along with it he may have to spend a few days
in jail. Celine new it would hurt him, being around so many people, but also
knew he needed medical help and three meals a day.
William of course wanted to fight the charge because in his mind he was just
doing what was necessary for someone on a righteous path. Hopefully they will
prescribe him the right medications and transfer him to a place where he might
can find peace, though we all know he will fight it all tooth and nail.
The Venom Jar 