Obligatory: SIR, THIS IS A CASINO. This isn't financial advice in any way shape or form.
TLDR: This run is going to end with the cannabis stocks back down 50-80% or more from the levels they are at. $CRLBF is the real play here for the smart players that want USA exposure to the legislation. We just like the stocks now, not later.
Ok, listen up normies.
Yeah I'm talking to the newbies specifically because the OGs here already know everything I'm about to share, but your insufferable groupthink and movement mentality shit pissed me off enough to make a post. Don't post DD if you have no clue. Ask someone for help and take your ridicule until someone comes along to help you.
I used to post weekly DD on Sunday here a couple of years ago before one of you literally contacted my wife IRL. Not even kidding. So I made a new account. This is my first contribution back and I'm going to try and ensure some of you don't blow your chance at massive gains here by explaining what is actually going on.
CNBC and anybody telling you that this is just 'momentum' and 'sentiment' is lying to you. The hedge funds are playing these right along with us. Don't ask me for proof, this isn't Twitter. Reasons why they are playing with us:

1. When there is money to be made, hedge funds and HFT funds are there before you
2. The floats are so small on these they can take sizable positions on both sides and stand to have massive gains, all the while handing you guys the bags.

That's all you need to know.
So in response to all you posting "real DD" with why these companies are the best and you're going to hold to the moon and never sell:
I'm over it -- I can tell instantly how uninformed you are when I read some poorly thought out DD about why CGC or TLRY or APHA is a long term play because they're talking about USA legislation. These are Canadian companies. Get your head back on straight. You're here for the trade and the bet, not for the fundamentals, and if that's it, then fine, ignore the rest of this post and pick an exit, and if not, read on so you don't hold more bags.
This place has never been one to care for fundamentals, but let me talk some sense into you so you can post some gain porn and I can tell you to fuck off instead of you guys all yelling "MaNiPuLaTiOn ShOrT LaDdErS"
Let's take a look at some of today's gainers:
(changed tickers for automod avoidance)
$USMJay - Penny stock, worth absolute nothing for a reason
$SNDL - Up ridiculous amount, have a billion shares outstanding, just diluted them all the other day
$TeeRTeeC - Terra Tech, they grow weed, from all indications, do it poorly
$OhGeeEye - lol
$HUGE - Probably the only one in the lot worth a YOLO on the chance they get an acquisition like GW Pharma did but they don't have the same product portfolio or prospects GW has.
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Now, if you're simply playing this to get in and get out, great for you. The people saying (and believing) "$SNDL $10 EOW! HOLD THE LINE" and stuff like this are just absolutely brand new normies and are clueless, do not listen to them. If you yolo'd on cheap calls in Dec/Jan, congrats, take your gains and don't be like the $GME bagholders.
If you're investing in any of the names I just posted above, expect any money you put in to at some point in the next 12 months be worth approximately 20% of what it is worth now. Literally. They're far worse than the main bunch (CGC, CRON, ACB, TLRY, APHA) but the main bunch is nothing to write home about either.
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THIS IS WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING:

Tilray had 40% short interest. It's not $GME level, but it's pretty high. When the stock crested $40 it really started taking off, why though? Notice this week's FD option chain:
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https://preview.redd.it/kyqeiwljeug61.png?width=917&format=png&auto=webp&s=0c1b48e12518515f09582289bd7f8a4f47a09629
Tilray has a 95M share float, those 42 calls represent roughly 1.5M shares held as a hedge just by themselves. Previous to this run up, that represents roughly 5% of the average daily volume of the stock, BY ITSELF. Those are shares that until Monday can be considered removed from the float because they're held as a hedge. They may get loaned out to be shorted, but that will only speed up the squeeze here.
The important part: Today (2/10/21) the stock fell hard after open down to around 44 and found massive support all the way back to up 66. The most sold front week call? $40/$42 strikes. Premium when I screen shotted this? $22.20. Stocks going to pin above $60 for awhile likely, unless people are stupid enough to buy the OTM calls, in which case, it may squeeze itself higher.
Smart hedge funds are going to pile into this, sell you the calls, shove the price up to keep selling you calls, then watch them all evaporate worthless in one of the future weeks in the chain, dump back the shares to help shove the price down, oh and did I mention? They shorted the top.
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https://preview.redd.it/ivy78woneug61.png?width=392&format=png&auto=webp&s=0604940c09126dc6d5b96a9cc5f17e4013ae5d9d
It's just another plain old stock acting as a derivative of the option chain gamma squeeze. That's it, with a bit of short squeeze thrown in there and a WHOLE BUNCH of WSB fomo. The shorts are covering and pushing up the volume, likely re-shorting on the way up, and then you have WSB fomo'ing in to round out the total: a massive volume of 200 million shares today. You've got people that think this thing will skyrocket to 500+ (and it may) but the stakes get higher and higher each ladder up you take and the moves become more violent and more likely it comes all the way back down in short time the quicker it goes up.
Might it get there? Sure. But be prepare to take profits when it does because...

ITS CALLED MEAN REVERSION. THIS CANT GO ON FOREVER.

Not to mention, the moves you are seeing are in completely overvalued companies, with horrible fundamentals, and poor prospects.
Oh what's that? CGC got some CBD treats for Martha, seems fitting that something ill is going on in this industry considering she went to prison for insider trading. If the dog treats get you excited about the stock, Martha belongs here more than you do.
200M shares today means people who were long term bag holders cashed out and the shares have turned over the float two times in two days. That also means the shorts have turned over and are now short again. It means the HFT firms are feasting on all of you. It means Citadel is making a pile on the spreads.
What to take away: An amount of shares equal to the entire float has changed hands, or in other words, fewer reason for people to bag hold. Fewer people that have to hedge. Fewer people that have to cover. Fewer people to help stabilize any of these upper price tiers, and keep the price stable by holding, and more reason it's going to collapse sooner (or later).
But, this IS a casino after all...

Let's see what happened with TLRY last time this happened (oh, you're new here? Yeah, this isn't the first time):

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https://preview.redd.it/p652mvgreug61.png?width=587&format=png&auto=webp&s=d95f2b0ccf946717859bffb28601dfd29e999e0b
Looks eerily familiar to something else recently. Last time this occurred it traded between $100 and $300 in a single week timeframe.
For those of you that are new: THIS IS NOT NORMAL. STOCKS DO NOT ALWAYS DO THIS. You are in the infancy of a new age of trading, but people still know, fundamentals matter a whole lot more than everyone is leading on, and these valuations are getting extremely overextended.
Eventually, in the first squeeze Tilray bled off until the pandemic hit and it piled down to $2.43 a share. At $2.43/share, I would have bought it. Even at $10/12/14. At these levels? You're just ultimately out of touch but I look forward to the loss porn.
So in short, again: Sir, this is a casino.
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Timeline of events, and how to not become a bagholder:

1. $APHA earnings are good, stocks pop a bit, and level off
2. Legislators pull a pump and dump since they probably have calls and say planning on some laws regarding changing the schedule of cannabis (notice: we will likely NOT get outright legalization, just re-scheduling)
3. $CGC earnings are actually awful, with the caveat they have profitability on the horizon
4. $TLRY gets a UK deal
5. $TLRY starts going insane - since $APHA is a reverse merger with a .81 value share to share, it starts pumping, people start buying the lower priced cannabis stuff and entire sector starts moving on "overall strength"
6. There's no strength, there's a gamma squeeze backed by investor momentum, and a short squeeze on Tilray.
7. This is going to come back down violently then plateau out like GME and pull a slow bleed the rest of the way back down, just like the second graph I posted. There is no fundamental or even POSSIBILITY of better fundamentals immediately on US legislation. The cost to enter the US market will most definitely cause capex and goodwill capital outflows, and set back their profitability since there are established MSO's in the USA already. The USA opening the market to these companies will only further degrade the actual balance sheets/income statements and slow down profits and you know what institutions and shareholders like? Yep. Profits.
8. Finally, how to not become a bag holder: The market can stay irrational way, way, way longer than you expect. So this may go on for a bit, but refer back to 7. It's coming back down eventually, set expectations and pick your exit, or start to shave off your position as it goes up and let a portion of it run. Eventually, you have to sell to actually realize a gain, don't forget that. Once you do, close the chart, remove it from your watchlist, check back in on it in a month if you want to get back in when you have a clear head.

The Canadian operators are literally the last companies I'd play off a US legislation play, and one of the only ones worth owning in $APHA for the arbitrage play on the shares. But if Tilray comes crashing back down, $APHA will as well along with all of them, and you have to hope you lose a lot less on $APHA crashing than you'll make on the arbitrage between the share price.
THIS IS ALL JUST "SENTIMENT" BASED YOLOING BY THIS SUB. It has probably driven uneducated retail into the trades also - who will also become bag holders.
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Let me put this in big letters for those of you that can only read big font and use crayons:

NONE OF THESE COMPANIES HAVE REAL USA MARKET EXPOSURE, THEY ARE CANADIAN COMPANIES. THEY DO NOT HAVE MARKET POSITIONING AND ARE NOT POISED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF US LEGALIZATION.

IF ANYTHING: IT WILL HURT THEIR BOTTOM LINE AND SET BACK EARNINGS BECAUSE OF CAPEX AND CASH OUTFLOWS TO GET A POSITION IN THE MARKET AND SOME OF THEM WILL GO OUT OF BUSINESS BECAUSE OF IT, WHILE OTHERS WILL FALL OUT OF PROFITIABILITY TO ENTER THE MARKET AND COMPETE WITH THE REAL PLAYERS.
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^{Who are the real players? (Cresco $CRLBF and Curaleaf $CURLF - do your own DD or wait for a post next week}\***************)*
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Conclusion: Nobody should plan on holding these long term. Don't let someone else hand you bags like I did this morning at open on the pop unless you plan to hand your bags off and find the next play.
You likely will not time the top. Pick a place you're ready to exit the trade, exit the trade or slowly shave your position, close the graphs and don't fomo back in. Just be done with the trade afterwards. You're likely not a cannabis multi millionaire and will not be one, unless you were loaded to the brim with low cost calls from last summefall or unless you literally yolo'd $10M into one of these a few weeks ago, and in that case, you belong here, congrats on your gains and fuck you.
THIS IS A SECTOFOMO SQUEEZE. AND IT WILL END. THIS IS NOT SENTIMENT AND CNBC IS TROLLING US WITH IT LIKE WE HAVE THE POWER.
And if you think WE are the ones driving the price up, the hedge funds are definitely watching and playing and they can bring these down at will at almost any time they want. You're holding a lit molotov, the only question is: will you throw it before it blows up?
The rest of you? Plz fuck off with you 20 shares @ $2 on Sundial, fuck off with the "HOLD THE LINE SNDL $10 EOW", fuck off with your fomo, and fuck off with the "movement" and "lets push this to the sky" stuff and most importantly don't post DD if you have zero clue what is going on.
You know what "lets push this to the sky" sounds like? Market manipulation. We're not in this together, I literally handed one of you a bag to hold this morning and even if they go up for another month, eventually, that bags gonna be heavy and I ain't coming back for it. I ain't tipping you either.
These prices are insanely high for these companies. The multiples are out of control, and if you buy in at these levels, well, best of luck, I hope it works out for you. I'm fighting the fomo of extended gains, and will continue to put my money elsewhere.

SIR, THIS IS A CASINO.

Positions: I had the meme stocks like you literally all of them minus ACB and CGC. I took gains and bought 500 shares of Cresco prob increasing to 1,000 tomorrow, and kept the rest off the table to pay my wife's boyfriend's rent.
Disclaimer: I have Tilray puts I'm prepared to average down on and diamond hand like a real boss because this is coming back down.
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Edit: You know what I forgot to add? Some of the biggest holders, the cannabis ETFs and funds, you know what they did today? They trimmed their positions. And they will continue to do so because of fiduciary responsibility and when you de-concentrate shares into the retail's hands, the moves will get more and more finnicky and more and more violent.
Edit 2: Some normie tried calling me out like I never saw this trade coming or am a hedge shill, https://imgur.com/a/asAVkiC - I had thousands of shares, these are just the trades from this month, and I'm not advocating a buy, I sold mostly all of them this morning except for adding Cresco back in. You want the gain numbers? You do the math, I'm not your math tutor, I sold like 6 minutes after open for most of them. I have Tilray puts for next week and will be buying a few months out at various strikes as it continues to climb.
Yeah, I think these are coming back down in price sooner rather than later, that isn't extraordinary information for a common sense person.
Edit 3: I'm getting piles of messages from people who used to follow my DD back in 2018/2019. Yes, it's the real SoRefreshing, proof: https://imgur.com/a/Pn5LqCe
Edit 4: Eh don't request me with "What should I do with XX" be a big adult grown up and decide your own risk tolerance and exits. I responded to the first 10 or so. Now I have 100. I can't. I disabled chat messages.
Edit 5: jesus with the awards go buy TSLA calls this is WSB not fb/twtr disclaimer: have TSLA calls
Edit 6: Oh look, they're pinning it around the $42 strike. Go figure.

CODED SYSTEM MARKED DECKS
Marked decks are a very special tool, because they contain a variety of secrets that helps magicians perform amazing tricks that would never otherwise be possible. You do not need to learn any complex moves that take a long time to master, because you can use the markings on the card backs to identify cards, and this enables you to accomplish apparent miracles with relative ease.
The markings on marked decks typically come in two main forms: reader systems and coded systems. Reader systems are very straight forward to use, because somewhere hidden on the card back is printed the actual value and suit of the card, e.g. 9 of Hearts would be indicated by 9H. While this makes them easy to use, it also means that there's an increased risk that the marking system can be detected.
Coded systems are much more subtle than reader systems, because they rely on other visual indicators to tell you the value and suit of the cards. One example is the famous marked deck by Theodore De Land, which first appeared more than a hundred years ago in the early 1900s. It's still published today with names like "DeLand's Original $100 Deck" or "DeLand's Automatic Playing Cards". The artwork on the back had circular patterns that corresponded to a clock face, and depending on which dots were coloured in, you could immediately identify the value and suit of a card.
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https://preview.redd.it/liwvbwciuox41.jpg?width=425&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c60129721b64dd7c8ab539151f77f32e92e7e948
Coded marking systems like this can be very subtle, and it's much less likely that a spectator will figure it out, unless they are told. Even if they notice some unusual dots, or variations in the pattern of the card back design, these will often seem meaningless to the unenlightened unless they know the secret. But when you do know the secret, these marking systems can quickly be mastered and used for strong magic tricks.
I've already covered marked decks using reader systems in a previous article, so in this article I'm only covering marked decks that use a coded system of marking. It's not an exhaustive list of all such decks, since there are many, many such decks that have been produced over the years. I also wanted to ensure that anything recommended here is actually readily available on the market today, so I've only included decks that you can easily find for purchase. I won't pretend that this is a definitive list of the all-time top marked decks with coded systems, since there may well be other candidates as good as the ones included here. But these are some of my own favourites that I have used myself, and most of them are popular, and are well worth considering if you're looking for a marked deck of this sort.
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https://preview.redd.it/2dc1j25luox41.jpg?width=444&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=71c244830c0a34863f9442f1e4631ae411b872dd
MINT v2
The Mint v2 decks are available in either blue (Blueberry) or green (Cucumber). They were the brainchild of Asad Chaudhry, who runs 52Kards, a popular youtube training channel for card magic and cardistry.
The Mint brand was created with the goal of providing the perfect deck for magicians, by combining classic playing cards with a modern design pattern that feels contemporary and stylish. This is the second version of the deck, with some enhancements to the original, and was produced with the help of over half a million dollars of support on Kickstarter - a real testament to the popularity of the Mint brand.
This beautiful deck immediately impresses once you hold the tuck box in your hand, with a simple look topped with stylish foil, that conveys a sense of luxury and class. The lavish use of foiling on the back of the box accentuates the tiled design that is this deck's signature. Full interior printing with a tiled design in metallic foil confirms this impression once you open the box.
The card faces have had a makeover from the standard look, and the adjustments that have been made to the pips and court cards results in a fresh approach that still looks familiar and practical. The indices employ a thinner and more elegant font which also emphasizes that this is an original design while not being too far removed from the traditional style we are all used to, to ensure that they will still be at home in the hands of a magician.
To figure out the marking system, you'll have to head to the 52Kards youtube channel. Asad has made a 12 minute video where he explains all the ins and outs of the marking system, and you can check this out even if you don't own the deck.
It's a very practical and well thought out system that isn't hard to learn, and the Mint V2 deck is a definite improvement on the original version of this deck in several ways.
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https://preview.redd.it/wirchhgkuox41.jpg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a4aa43320ac2a9467575d743d27f1955e64f47ea
MECHANIC
The crew at Mechanic Industries first created their Mechanic decks, which featured card backs with flipbook animation, and more importantly with a marking system hidden in the cogs and wheels. The Mechanic v2 deck is the improved and revised version of the original.
After the success of this deck, they decided to produce a very special version of their deck to celebrate the fifth birthday of Mechanic Industries in 2017. And what better birthday present can there be than something new and shiny? The Mechanic Metallic decks are a matching pair entitled Glimmer (gold) and Shiner (Silver). For added luxury, the interior of these tuck boxes is entirely foiled, for a visually stunning look! The outside of the tuck boxes also employs extensive use of foil, along with stylish embossing.
Metallic gold and silver inks are used for the card backs to ensure a completely glamorous look, which has a design similar to the original Mechanic decks.
To match the stylish look of the tuck boxes, metallic gold, silver, and red Pantone inks have been used on both the backs and faces of all the cards. Metallic silver ink decorates the court cards of the Shiner deck, while metallic gold ink is used for the court cards of the Glimmer deck.
As an extra bonus for magicians, the included Jokers include images of the Grinder coins from Mechanic Industries, giving possibilities for combining card magic with coin magic.
Like the original Mechanic Deck, the metallic decks have both a flip book animation system and a marking system built into the card backs. Riffling through the deck shows the cogs turning, and therein also lies the secret for identifying the suit and value of each card, which is cleverly built into the design.
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https://preview.redd.it/smq92jxluox41.jpg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=717920567e5ebb211916418d73bcfc38d35c0f15
MORTALIS
Despite only being a teenager, Pravar Jain is a professional magician and cardist from India, who has accomplished more than most of us. He formed his own company Area52, and it's under this label that he produced the Mortalis deck, which was released in very limited numbers in October 2018.
The actual design of the playing cards is by Canadian Christofer Lacoste, who was also behind the art of the popular Mint Playing Cards.
This deck has a very practical look, with standard indices and pips on the faces for the most part. One exception is the changed look of the court cards, which have been re-coloured by replacing the usual garish yellows and reds with more muted colours including a soft beige, which creates a more professional look. The Ace of Spades features a giant pip that reprises the design from the card backs, and looks similar to the look on the front of the tuck box.
One surprise is the absence of Jokers. Pravar has never felt the use for Jokers, and decided to opt for two gaff cards instead. Given the love for magicians that is shown in the card backs, this won't come entirely as a surprise. The gaff cards are a double-backer, and a duplicate King of Hearts.
The deck comes with a link to a seven page PDF that explains how the marking system works. It features a coded marking system that Pravar himself created, and is based on how you read a clock. As the back of the tuck box proclaims: "The closer you look, the less you see."
The markings are fairly well hidden, and rather clever, although a riffle test will show that something unusual is going on. Pravar states that it can be read quickly in under 3 seconds, although I think it will take quite a bit of practice to be able to read it that quickly.
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https://preview.redd.it/wjr1gebnuox41.jpg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a8c87120f3f4b6204ff9bf0d84a90567fb7df761
KNIGHTS
Created by Daniel Madison and Chris Ramsay, the Knights deck from Ellusionist draws on a tradition as old playing cards themselves: chess. It pays tribute to this golden foundation stone of modern gaming, and takes its name from the piece with the unusual movement: The Knight.
Pictured here is the Gold edition, which has a tuck box with an elegant and distinguished combination of white with gold foil, giving an immediately luxurious and classic appearance. The popularity of this deck is evident from the fact that this edition was followed by several other versions in different colours: Green, Red, and Blue.
The number cards and court cards feature a uniformity in style, but retain a limited colour palette within the confines of a somewhat traditional look, to enhance the look and feel of complete class.
I especially love the Joker, which features a check-mated king and a raven. But there's no doubt that all the cards evoke an immediate sense of style and sophistication, and it is also a very practical and functional deck.
The back of the cards has a college of small chess pieces decorating the artwork, and therein of course lies our clever secret.
When it was first released, this wasn't even advertised as a marked deck, and the secret will escape the notice of all but the very careful observer. What I like about this system is that it doesn't use clock-style markings, but a very different system, one that is also thematically related to chess and the point value of the pieces.
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https://preview.redd.it/76lh5vdouox41.jpg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3bbb590310a985ff8014bdfc9eb86730e85fc2e3
1900 SERIES
The Blue 1900 Series deck is a brand new release from Ellusionist.
But it doesn't come out of nowhere, because it is a successor to their highly popular vintage series 1800 marked decks, and is perhaps even intended as their replacement. The 1800 series decks featured standard Bicycle rider-back designs that had been put through a very convincing faux aging process.
Just like its predecessor, the 1900 series deck literally looks like it is more than a century old, and it's just as if a deck of cards has survived more than a century. Even the tuck box is designed to look genuinely ancient and worn.
Yet despite the old, rustic, and grungy look, which makes the cards look cracked and worn, the cards themselves are the same high quality as a normal Bicycle deck, and handle beautifully. Their vintage look, combined with quality handling, never fails to impress people.
I haven't included the popular 1800 series decks on this list, because their availability is limited and they aren't being reprinted. I suspect this because of strict new rules that Bicycle has implemented to prohibit publishing decks that change the rider-back design, which would exclude the reader system of the 1800 series decks.
As a result of this new policy, the 1900 series deck relies instead on carefully distinguishing the location of dark stains and white scratches that indicate the suit and value of the cards. This marking system requires fairly close attention to detail, and tired eyes may find this a little tricky. But the weathered look is brilliant, and the deck is worth getting for that alone. The style of weathering is different than the 1800 series decks, but it is equally effective - although I am concerned that it could also draw attention to itself, and thus give away this deck's secret. Even so, it's a very stylish deck.
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https://preview.redd.it/cmqclw1quox41.jpg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=39610416a0b65cd69d835c9bfcd7b9e6eaf79b4b
POLYANTHA
The Polyantha deck is from Daniel Schneider, and is part of his series of "Black Roses" decks. Daniel had previously created his first deck, Black Roses Playing Cards, in 2014. This was his second deck, so he employed similar artwork for the card faces, but he removed every colour for an exclusively all-black look in a classic casino style, to target magicians. The word polyantha is taken from the Rosa Polyantha species of rose that was popular around the turn of the 20th century, and is simply a name that Daniel found appealing.
The Polyantha deck did already appear in 2016, with printing by MPC. This 2019 re-release sees this deck get a wider distribution and a higher quality printing courtesy of USPCC.
Looking at the faces will reveal that despite the traditional look, customization has been applied, by featuring various personalities from the world of magic and the world of playing cards. If you look carefully there are some other fun details, such as the two black roses below the giant Ace of Spades pip, which indicates that this is Daniel's second deck design. Two extra cards are also included: a jet black casino cut card, and a 50/50 gaff consisting of a 2 of Diamonds and a 8 of Spades.
Given the jet black look, these are the kind of playing cards perfect for low light situations where the colours are hard to distinguish anyway. It is precisely the kind of sleek deck that you'd expect to find in the hands of James Bond types in a casino setting. It won't be for everyone, and it won't be ideal for most card magic due to the all-black cards, but there will be some magicians for whom this deck will make the perfect look given their style.
The cards have a borderless back design that produces an eye-catching pattern in fans and spread. A closer look reveals a tiled pattern consisting of tiny black roses. Studying these closely will prove to be the key that unlocks this deck's secret markings. These will not easily be detected by the unenlightened, because the markings are extremely tiny and well-hidden, and you'll need very, very good eye-sight to pick them up.
My deck didn't come with any information explaining the marking system, and it proved quite challenging to figure out, even though I knew it was a marked deck. I contacted Daniel and quickly received an image that clearly explained everything. Technically it is a reader system rather than a coded system, but I've included it in this list given that it's very well hidden, and that you do have to rely on a coded system for figuring out the suits of the cards.
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https://preview.redd.it/ghxzuikruox41.jpg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f25b7f081e40087cf3c2b394bef0166a3cec9e87
BUTTERFLY
Once again I've left one of the best decks for last. The Butterfly deck from Ondrej Psenicka deserves special mention for having a truly innovative system that allows you to do things with it that are truly impossible to do with any other deck.
The second edition of this acclaimed deck comes with a choice of either red or blue card backs. It is very well presented, and makes an immediate impression with the gorgeous custom wrapper that the deck is shipped in.
The faces of the deck have a fairly standard look to them, but the card backs feature a stunning borderless design that revolves around the beautiful butterfly, and I love how this looks in fans and spreads.
Also noteworthy is the fact that this deck is produced by Cartamundi. As a result the cards are slightly thicker and yet feel softer than a standard USPCC produced deck.
More importantly however, is the fact that this ground-breaking deck employs a unique and ingenious marking system that even trained magicians won't easily detect. With the deck you get a key card that explains how the marking system works, as well as a link to full video instructions (53 minutes!) that explains everything thoroughly.
When the two built in marking systems are combined, it's incredible what you're able to do with this deck, because you can read a card without even spreading the deck. It takes some time to master, but you can do real miracles once you have it down, including finding any card just by looking at the side of the deck. It's truly amazing, and as proof of this deck's power is the fact that its creator, Ondrej Psenicka, used it successfully to fool Penn and Teller on their Fool Us show!
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https://preview.redd.it/q6m5bfftuox41.jpg?width=501&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7ee9a6f1b94836403ddebd0ad04750ebe5ad7fdb
FINAL THOUGHTS
One series of decks that I haven't included in the above list is the NOC decks. These have a minimalist back design, which accounts for the acronym behind the name (Nothing Only Color). This makes them very popular with cardists, and they have been released in a wide range of different colours, and slight adjustments for style. Because these cards only indicate the suit, it's not a fully marked deck in the strict sense, which is why it doesn't qualify for the above list. But the markings are so clever, that they are almost impossible for the `unenlightened' to figure them out even if they're looking for them. Many people who own these decks don't even realize that they're marked!
Of the ones listed above, which ones are the best? This will largely be a matter of pure preference, and can be decided by which style you like the best. You should consider how much effort you are willing to put into deciphering a coded marking system, and how easy it is to use. And this is by no means a complete list, or even an attempt to list the definitive top coded decks; there are certainly many others, although the Butterfly deck would certainly be a strong contender to be included in any list of all-time best marked decks.
Do remember that none of these decks are intended for your weekly poker night. The secret that is built into the card backs specifically has the professional magician and mentalist in mind, so don't be tempted misuse them! But if you do enjoy card magic, it's terrific to see the growing range of marked decks available, and the ones featured here are among the best you'll find.
Where to get them: See a large range of marked decks over on PlayingCardDecks here.
Author's note: I first published this article at PlayingCardDecks here.

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one seen these around, the email to send your deal to: [email protected] as .doc or .odt
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Okay the pen name editor who is going to work with NookPress.com will be taking a call for submissions from those businesses who seen the goldenrod fliers saying how those deemed wheat they were deemed of operations are to close. I spoke with the essential businesses in the area and one of them was kind enough to let me photograph the shelves of what was picked clean, I read what happened to one business in the area. I'm giving him a chance to tell his narrative how he was deemed nonessential. I am a remote worker out of the gate, and working with Walmart on a level that associates only read about on the national level -- okay whose heard of Rakuten?
Rakuten is the parent company of Kobo.com, as the eBook company had been producing content for a few years -- Draft2Digital (D2D) had harnessed them directly to publish. There will be an ISBN for this and the business who is providing them; needs the donation to keep running, I will explain -- he provides the bar codes that will mimic a title that's published on bigger trade paperback level. He is my bar-code man when I worked with CreateSpace up to being fired with them then I kept working with him when I came to The Book Patch, L.L.C. in October 2015.
I read of the card game business owner, planning to invite him in a way that might be having him introduce the project when ready and there will be a second editor who really is a local to Pinellas Beaches working on this. We're looking for those across county here to have the dialog with their counterparts back home. I read the news stories from back in Joliet, Illinois, about the two major casinos closing. Saint Petersburg, Florida, snubbed the Joliet news stories and Clearwater likes to snub cities that are about the same size as they are. Keep Saint Petersburg Lit will not even give Esque Dollar the time of day as I am interacting with The Weekly Challenger -- I invited them to where we're both at and the anthology is a submission call of those who want to engage in community journalism which carries a narrative journalism trait.
Olga Bof claims, 'Either the places neither have a website or none of them had a way to ship.' That's on them because Esque and I have shipping capabilities because of our boss at The Book Patch in Scottsdale, Arizona, the idea will be for those who can see a perspective of local elsewhere meaning if they didn't start in Florida. Or didn't start in Illinois, the perspective is a rhetorical in nature.
Dr. Anthony Chukuma, in Germany and the introduction writer on LaVerne EuBanks lead, A Landscape Of Colossians, published in February 2019, relates.
"This is the new norm. The world must learn how to do things differently."
Okay that is the thing that Pinellas Beaches, Saint Petersburg, Clearwater, Gulfport, and Largo will end up fighting him over -- especially if they had a Sundown Town background. My classmates Joe and Wei-Hong both related, "This is nothing new, the Xenophobia been there long before we were all born. Could you tell me something new?"
This had me willing to show a 29 year old lady from Bangladesh along with a mutual buddy of ours how to run a peer reviewed journal from the Desi perspective. Alignable had chimed in and a few posts where I did drawn about 41 comments each, one of them were some of the most lively that I saw in a year since the recent history I had joined the website. Those who are nonessential, required here is having a composition background.
"How did you get deemed nonessential, and what would you tell other nonessentials how to keep from violating a court ordered stay at home?"
This one though if the area feels left out on what the plan is being arranged -- okay I will say this, to have the kind of roster I worked with in 2007 one had to have earned that privilege. I doubt Pinellas County even earned that because I read the cases that went on from a reliable source, he responded to Crab Invasion quite well I have to admit. Hearing the Anti-Desi rhetoric okay I am going to say this much Pinellas County is crossing the line making that -- it's part of where I'm saying, "this doesn't reflect where I grew up. Pinellas Park lacks a sister city and same with Gulfport, Florida. Saint Petersburg, Florida, might risk losing their sister cities in the process of the will to not allowing the will to ship."
According to a postal worker in Saint Petersburg, Florida, the use of bikes make it difficult to deliver our media mail shipments if ordered in bulk. They need a Jeep Grand Cherokee that's from 2009 and kept in working order. Not suggesting a new vehicle though one that allows them not to ding the media mail (whether it's the Kobo eReader, tablet computer, trade paperback release or someone's DVD. I can see the bike used for the DVD though if it's bulk media -- please be considerate of where you are because a bike cannot handle the weight of that kind of parcel when it is bulk ordered.)
A community without a post office is not a real community, I know this might leave a mark when I will have the commentary about it -- if the community is a Sundown Town or claim to not be one of the grey towns. If they claim they're not, then end up being accent bias okay I'm going to say these towns have ways of staying Sundown without admitting so.
I'm going to drop multiple bombshells with all here, every tool I work with in publishing either originates from the European Union (LibreOffice,) Philippines (WPS,) or India (Zoho Corporation.) I am writing this up on Able Word so I sound more akin to someone who grew up Southern United States because being if one heard me speak, I have the ethnic Inland -- I am from an immigrant family and some of you who pull the immigrant cards I have friends who are Pakistani National and East Asian who I grew up with. So I'm going to say of the Pinellas Beaches area -- you have local businesses that are more ethnic than most. I supported some of your local though I am not exclusively local because I am a remote worker. I help those who are based out of where I worked too meaning I worked ten years in Morrisville, North Carolina, or close to ten years.
This is more for those in your own words, I am creating the form to submit your document and tell your narrative about being deemed nonessential. I am going to quote part of a comment from the one of the businesses that saw himself arrested -- the commented is Andrew Cromwell.
"Even if our business wasn't an essential. We would still be open because not all of us want to be unemployed or bankrupted. The whole stay home orders lack the right focus, it should be focused on keeping the sick and high risk people home."
The comment itself was not quoted in whole though I agree with this statement, I spoke with the businesses in the area affected by this and those who had been in social distancing mode. Another comment relates, "That's because Pinellas Park, the police apply their rules using the Good Ole Boy System. I would bet the stores not being harassed are family or friends of Pinellas Cops."
This comment being Lucas Rubinstien on the same post -- okay I know there are ideas going in multiple directions, my buddy Joe David relates after seeing the Goldenrod, "They have similar effect in Illinois too."
That's where I was getting at when I went seeking out these fliers on the doors and walls of businesses that are deemed nonessential. With this -- I am gathering all sides and allowing the pen name editor doing the dirty work, the thing I ask how am I supposed to know if a business in the region reflects a Sundown Code? I am drawing from the commentary on each of the thread alone -- those reading this, keep going,
"We are also a small business, hate to see what is happening to small business in Florida. Especially those of us who depend on tourism," Amber Rapp relates. This being a factor that Paul Gifford and I both chimed in on, producing 33780: The Digital Stone Age as a direct result (the ePub3 report contains language the population on Patch might find objectionable.)
So those who are finding this, how home are some of you behind a word processor and willing to put your narrative in print to talk with Joliet, Illinois? Because I was discovered by who would be known as Michael Imhotep's personal friends -- she worked on some of the visuals with LaVerne EuBanks lead project. So those who are deemed nonessential in this region, what is the riddle who is the essential or who is nonessential in Pinellas Beaches? Looking at these comments, how would you go about relating in a word processor about how this stay-at-home order affected you. Those of you who are wearing a mask and not work in the health field. Please leave them for the workers because I did the video showing the picked clean from Saint Petersburg and Largo, Florida, Supercenter.
Revenue Generating Network refused to answer my more pointed questions about businesses who operate exclusively on a remote basis. If nonprofits are operating on cyber-compacity and grudgingly doing this -- then what about those who get arrested for running a nonessential business? This write up for the pen name editor working on the project he will be taking the submissions from an email address based out of country. Those of use who thrived from the in-depth piece that's manuscript basis, don't reduce our body of work down to a 1200 word resume that insults our intelligence.
"I don't like where this is going," or "what about those who are no-to-low skill business owners? Where does exactly leave us with this kind of proposal -- please explain this like we're in first grade."
Okay my question becomes what is ones background like in composition writing? I know a few groans are going with this because the business owners I spoke with tend to not know much about academia or had invited a remark that's one of my sixteen deal breakers, "I didn't go to college."
I am selective who I recommend on Alignable because I don't know if the owner has access to Academia.edu. (Not to step on toes of a college, uh Saint Petersburg College, please proof read one of your categories on the site. You spelled "Graphic Design" wrong.) The deal breaker becomes if the word count is too short; and those who gain organic interaction it's a higher word count. The email this is designated with is based out of the Swiss government meaning it's anonymous and allows encryption. Those of you who are dependent on Gmail, Yahoo, Live or other operations sometimes don't understand when emailing a public official they might see this as public record. The thing with those who use Gmail.com or Yahoo.com -- one aspect I have an address book that's tabloid reporter's playground if they're looking right.
"How many contacts do you have in your email one account?"
I am trying to keep a straight face with this because LinkedIn.com -- I see as many as 3,560 followers and that's flux. 62 of them alone within Saint Petersburg, Florida, and I have 79 following me on Alignable.com while on the forums I see unique interactions. The programmer R. Richardson developed the program AbleWord is and allows to export as PDF and .doc, the Microsoft 1997-2003 export file. Open Office Document Text -- the history of this attachment well it's rather young. Office speaks of the contrast between Open Office Document Text though they don't speak about how versatile this is if in the right word processor. GMX.com and Google Docs both have this feature as a way to export native documents. Google Docs and Zoho Writer though hasn't harnessed the ability to export the .ePub (the latter is still tweaking this feature.) What I draw from the conclusions comparing notes from two shop owners in the same strip mall, one of them argued against eCommerce and the other told me, "Saint Petersburg, Florida, wasn't always a local only emphasis."
The latter part is what I am trying to encourage with those willing to work with the pen name editor and the editors in training to create the narrative journalism submissions from the nonessential operations. 321 Books in Saint Petersburg, Florida, relates, "I wish some of the authors on a local front had titles remotely looking like what resembles your classmate's project. They really don't pay attention to the typesetting or font face choices -- like you said, looks like they rush it together and use font faces that might be eyesores on a graphic designer."
This one added, "I never guessed you were a publisher from just looking at you, but the way you speak -- you either speak like a graphic designer or a publisher, but never encountered a publishing outfit lead by a graphic designer. Seeing what you showed me with one of you project. A font choice can either make or break a publication, might have a strong presentation though a weak font choice -- it will either make or break, like what you said."
While in the bookstore I was having my phone open and playing on Kobo.com to see if any of their locals have releases on the website. A few as I pointed out may had been leeched by Tate Publishing during their embezzlement run or from Xulon Press, charging them steeply then peddling their release off to their family to get them convinced they're published. One thing a number in Pinellas Beaches, Gulfport, or Saint Petersburg, Florida, won't even understand is how a number of the authors and brand building publishers were the prime of their mid-to-late 20s.
Nick [Popio] at the time was about 26 years old when I joined up. The generation born between 1974-1978 had changed the publishing game for better or worst, our publications raised the bar for indie owned operations and also defined a workforce that had been in play for a little less than the decade at the time. The start of the remote worker meaning all of us had pioneered user-created content. The thing with this region that didn't sit well is how I published authors who had the ties to Hollywood, Altamonte Springs, Largo, Saint Petersburg, Panama City, and believe it or not Pensacola brought me in. Then for me when I did my first namesake's reboot project -- local is Schaumburg and Gurnee, Illinois, the closing author in the reboot edition also had Lake County ties.
Pinellas Beaches, okay where does the writing patterns remain? This kind of deal one is asking to be fleshed out and thought-provoking in the process, I had followed websites that caught wind of a few news stories that Fox 32 Chicago grabbed up and ended up being viral reporting. Those news stories where they originated? Do I really have to answer this. Gulfport, Florida, if this finds you sit down and study each image that goes with this presentation, think about where I lived for 17 years -- around Joliet and what's known as Chernobyl of the West (being I was near three nuclear power plants.)
If this write up is the range it is; are each of you willing to meet us halfway like Career Source Pinellas did with me? Who exactly are deemed nonessential here, and who are exactly are essential?

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Welcome to my novel, inspired by Barry Pepper's role in Crawl (2019)
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Chapter 1: Envy, Wrath
Nobody ever imagines themselves as a victim. I certainly didn't. I admit I was kind of a cocky little shit so maybe I deserved to be here: half-naked in a swamp with a bullet in my chest. I think there was also a bullet in my head, either that or I cracked my skull on something while in the process of crawling out of my makeshift grave. "I am Army Master Sergeant Adam Severgine," I said out loud to no one. I needed to remain conscious, I needed to survive.
This was no different from a deployment. Except instead of fighting for my country, for the chance to prove myself, I was fighting to dig myself out of a shithole of my own creation. "I am Adam Severgine, husband, father...addict." Tears filled my eyes. My wife and daughter were miles away in Biloxi, Mississippi.
I had no fear of death and dying but eventually, they would find out how badly I fucked up. I lost thousands of dollars in gambling, booze, heroin, meth. I should have just gotten out when I had the chance.
Instead, I turned tricks, ran drugs; I became a bitch to avoid becoming a bitch. The idea made me laugh. "Ow..." Fuck, I'm going to die.
"No, you're not." The male voice sounded calm, serene. "Do you even know where you are?"
‘I know I'm imagining you, whatever the fuck you are.’
"Because the mighty Master Sergeant Adam could never be communicating with an angel," the voice said with a laugh. The grass in front of me started to blow in the wind.
\swish* *crunch* *swish* *crunch**
The blades of grass seemed to grow taller, their shadows forming the shape of a man with long wavy hair.
"Is that what you are?" I asked with a chuckle. A sharp pain struck my side; I definitely had broken ribs.
As the angel came closer, he seemed to materialize into a mortal form; olive skin, green eyes, and hair that seemed to be streaked with red, blue, purple and gold. "What do you think I am?"
"You kind of look like the Lord, Jesus Christ," I said, my voice starting to slur into a southern accent as I felt my mind drifting away.
The angel laughed as he ran his fingers through his rainbow hair. "I'll take that as a compliment." He then reached over his shoulder and pulled on a golden cloak out of thin air. "Are you ready to go?"
"Go where?"
The angel shrugged. "Does it matter?"
"I guess not." Any place had to be better than dying alone in the swamp.
The angel reached out his hand. "You can call me Leo."
I took his hand, as I did, a series of letters flashed before my eyes; 'E-N-V-Y.' The letters were in thick black font as if someone was throwing them at my face. But why 'envy'?
I jolt awake, in full uniform, outside of a commander's office. I had been here before but where was I?
"Come in," said a female voice.
I knew who it was; Lt General Allyssa Blake. I was back at my station in Alaska. Still afraid of how the hell I managed to travel back in time I took a breath and entered the office giving the appropriate salute.
The much younger woman had blonde hair, light blue eyes, and lips that made me dream of what she looked like out of uniform. "At ease," she said with her soft breathy voice. She returned the salute and motioned for me to take a seat.
Allyssa never sounded like an officer. She gave off ASMR, that tingly feeling down your spine. She was pageant-queen beautiful, brilliant, but more than anything she was kind. Her wonderful heart was the only thing keeping me from bending her over the desk and fucking her brains out.
Sat down, focusing my eyes on the floor. I at least knew what this meeting was about. "Thank you for meeting with me Ma'am."
"Of course, Sergeant. Do you still want the transfer?"
Was this a memory or a test? "The transfer to Mississippi?"
"Yes, unless there was another position you were interested in pursuing."
"Sorry, I'm just a little one edge as of late. I apologize for the nature of my request I-" My daughter was sick, my wife was cheating on me because she was 'lonely.' I needed to be home, to reclaim my family.
"Hey," she stood up and took my hand. "I love you, Adam. You're a good guy. You're going to go home and you're going to fix this. I already have a replacement lined up."
"You do?" This part was new. I never stuck around to learn who she put in my position.
"Lawrence will take over."
"Lawrence Heath?" Lawrence Heath was an Air Force liaison officer. He had more training and education then I did so from a technical standpoint he was a good choice. But he was also Alyssa's ex who transferred to Japan after she miscarried their son.
"He wants to marry me," her voice was so angelic, calm.
Time stood still. I can feel a sharp pain in my chest. "Leo? Please tell me this is a dream."
Leo placed his hand upon my shoulder. "What do you remember about Lawrence?"
"H-He never actually hurt her."
"Alyssa miscarried in the middle of the office. You drove her to the hospital. You held her hand while she cried. Where was he?"
"He was at work. He came to her as soon as he could. I loved her like a sister, and I know it broke her when he left. But she loved him." I reached my hand to touch Alyssa's frozen cheek. "I hope they found happiness."
"Impressive," Leo said, starting a slow clap. I turned to see my guardian angel sitting on an office chair, his rainbow hair flowing about his face. "I wonder how someone so noble ended up in a place like this."
"What?" With a jolt, I was back in the swamp. My chest felt like it was being crushed and my head was throbbing. In my hands, I felt an unbearable burning sensation. But I knew perfectly well why that was. Shooting up heroin between your broken fingers tends to fuck shit up. I forced myself to scoot backward until I felt myself leaning against a massive tree. The rough bark cut into the skin of my back and neck, but I was still grateful for the opportunity to rest.
Lighting cracked the sky, forming a distinct series of patterns, 'W-R-A-T-H'- Wrath? I couldn't help but smirk. I mean, I had plenty to be angry about. So, I was actually curious as to where the angel was going to take me next. "I'm ready."
I closed my eyes and took a deep, calming, breath.
I could hear the sound of a plane landing. My skin was no longer in pain, but my heart as beating a mile a minute as I stood in the cool airconditioned TSA waiting room. I knew where this was. When I opened my eyes, I was meeting my daughter. My wife and I had tried for years to conceive but it was never meant to be. At the age of thirty, we started the process to adopt from China. After years of waiting, we stood hand in hand at the immigration office of Jackson, Mississippi. China had been our last hope. For whatever reason, we were unable to even get on a waiting list for a European or North American baby. That was another reason I was nervous. The little girl was already six months old. What if she took one look at me and decided, 'Nope, I'm not going to be able to love these military-redneck white folks?' I was scared. Fate had a reason for never blessing us with a biological child.
As the adoption rep put the baby in my arms, I felt only the light of God's love. "Hello, Cece."
My wife scoffed, "I thought we agreed on a name- Annabelle-Rylie?"
"Felicity June Severgine," that's her name, my daughter's name.
The next few moments flew by in a blur, but a painful number of them were of me abandoning my family. As the years passed, I saw myself in uniform leaving for deployment; moments when I truly believed that I might not come back alive. Other times I was just in sweatpants and a t-shirt as I kissed my family goodbye. Before my eyes, Cece transformed from a toddler to a teen. I suddenly felt a wave of nausea. The last time I saw Cece she was no longer the beautiful girl I remembered.
I closed my eyes and fell to my knees. "Oh, God..." I knew what I was going to see; my angel my reason for living, in a medically induced coma.
"She never told you what really happened," said Leo's disembodied voice.
I stood up to see the angel standing over Cece's bed. "My wife told me it was pneumonia." I'd never made it to my daughter's side to see for myself.
"Marni told you that, knowing it would take you at least a month to get home. The wounds healed by then. And what didn't heal could be explained away. Ironically, after a seizure, she did develop a sepsis infection in her lung that mimicked pneumonia." Leo made his way to Cece's side and held her hand. "But you didn't see what she looked like the day of the phone call." Leo kissed Cece's forehead. "I'm so sorry little one, this will only last a moment."
I had a feeling I was not supposed to hear that last part.
Cece had a breathing tube but as time regressed it vanished, replaced with the monstrous number of wounds. She cried, then screamed. Her face covered in bruises, cuts, and clearly broken bones. Her clothing transformed into a short blue dress; one I had never seen before.
Time stood still as my government issue phone rang. I hit my thigh only to feel no pockets. The phone was in the palm of my hand. "Hello?"
"Hi, Daddy."
I remember this conversation. She said she came home from a dance. Homecoming, Prom?
"I went to a party," Cece's said, her voice cracking with sadness. "It was great."
Silence.
Leo poked my arm. "Hey, it's your line."
With trembling hands, I moved the phone to my mouth to speak. "That's great, baby."
"Should go," she said as her breathing became labored. It was clear she was trying not to cry. "I-I love you, Daddy."
Marni came in the room just as Cece hung up. "Hi, sweetie, do you feel up to talking to the police officers? They need to get your statement and do a rape kit."
"Yes, Mom," Cece glanced at the phone, giving it a squeeze. "I'll be ok. I just wish Dad was here."
I got to see the rest of the scene. According to her statement, she had been raped, beaten and left for dead. That was how she escaped. When her date (and his three friends) thought she was dead, they locked her in the trunk.
She remembered what her father had told her about how to escape a trunk and managed to not only kick out the tail light but also get the trunk open while the piece-of-shit car was going forty down a backroad. Battered and bloody she ran for her life until she found her way to the main street.
Leo placed his hand upon my shoulder. "What would you have done if you knew the truth?
"I would have fucking killed the bastards."
"Really?" Leo waved his hand, to focus back on the scene.
Marni took a seat, holding Cece's hand. "What did you tell your Dad?"
"Nothing. I didn't want him to be disappointed in me," she said, burying her face in her pillow.
"I could ever be disappointed with you," I said out loud. I knew she couldn't hear me, that hurt more than anything. But not more than the feeling of my leg getting blown off.
A sharp pain shot through my leg. Suddenly I was back in terrorist occupied Iraq, riding in a supply convoy. A larger truck ran us off the road, into an IED. At least that's what I was told.
The vehicle I was in exploded, and I was pinned under the rubble. Somehow my leg was extracted from the mess and sent along with the rest of my broken body to Landstuhl, Germany where I spent the next few weeks waking up.
At the time, my home station was in Colorado Springs, Colorado. That was where my wife was living with a then eleven-year-old Cece. I remember I’d asked that I be transferred back to my family; if I was going to die, I wanted to die at home. My superiors, the US military; they owed me that much.
My next memory was of Cece staying by my side. I'd suffered burns over twenty-five percent of my body, there were bone shards in my hips and my leg had been put back together with pins and rods. It was a unique sensation, to be a living mass of pain. The local medical team determined that I would never walk again. So, the goal was to make me comfortable.
I was allowed at-home hospice care. This meant that I was placed under the attention of a nurse for administering therapy, and medications, but during the majority of the week my wife was tasked with wound care. At least she was supposed to be. My wife never touched me. To do so would have meant to show some level of compassion.
I remember Cece asked the nurse to teach her how to change the dressing on my leg. I have to assume the nurse thought she was curious and adorably sweet. Because otherwise, it was not the safest practice.
I closed my eyes. When I awoke, I was back in that wonderful moment. "Cece?"
"Hi, Daddy," my little daughter said in a calm whisper as she donned oversized medical gloves.
“Hi, Sweetheart,” I replied in a horse whisper.
“If I hurt you, I’m really sorry.” She changed out the gauze, using a bottle of peroxide to wash the open wounds.
I flinched but tried my best to stay quiet.
"Mom said that I needed to say goodbye," Cece explained as she worked with a gentle touch. "She told me the only reason you came home is because you're too sick to go back. I don't believe her." She finished in silence before getting a clean blanket from the closet. "You're going to walk again." She cuddled by my side, resting her head on my shoulder. "Superheroes don't die."
My heart filled with a sense of faith that I didn't know was possible.
She spent her summer by my side; changing my bandages, helping with physical therapy. I was also working with a therapy nurse who was impressed by my level of strength.
For Cece's twelfth birthday she had a party at the on-base movie theatre. I paid the bills but Marni took on the responsibility of making the day special for our daughter. Cece invited her entire class, she looked so genuinely happy.
I arrived in my wheelchair. As the movie played, it was 'Step Up', some kind of dance movie from the golden age of hip-hop music. The movie was played on the projector as background noise, as the kids ate pizza and talked.
I waited in the back until she noticed me.
"Dad!" She broke off a conversation with several friends to run over to me. "Oh my god! Did you just get here? How was your therapy appointment?"
From my wheelchair, I reached to the cane at my side and I stood up.
Cece cupped her hands over her mouth as tears welled in her eyes.
I took my first (pain-stricken) steps since the accident that should have taken my life. I stood tall, strong, as Cece threw her arms around me.
"I love you, Daddy. You're my hero." she paused to wipe tears from her eyes. "But does this mean you're leaving again?"
I was. I could have taken medical retirement, stayed with my family. But I needed the money. I needed to pay off a mortgage, send my daughter to a good college: I wanted to make my family proud.
So, I took a position in Alaska as a squadron lead. That’s when the addictions started. painkillers lead to heroin. loneliness lead to gambling and prostitution. all because I left behind the one person who truly cared.
The world went dark. I was sitting alone in an empty theatre as Leo appeared on the screen. "Hi, Adam. Wow, this is certainly an interesting view."
"Yeah," I replied in a weak voice.
"Well, I have to ask, what would you have done if you knew the truth about your daughter's assault?"
All I could do was laugh. The situation was clear now: I was dead and this was Hell. "You really want to know?"
Leo shook his head. "Look, I'm not a sadist, I just have a job to do. I was human once, just like you. And no, you're not in hell."
“Forgive me if I don’t believe you.”
The man laughed as he turned towards the theatre and with one swift motion, seemed to jump from the screen. He walked towards me, with the fabric of the curtain attached to his back like wings. "So, what would you have done? Her attackers were never prosecuted. If you had a moment with those boys in a soundproof room with just your revolver, what would you do?"
I thought for a moment. I had no one to blame but myself. "I would eat my gun." Was Cece dead? I needed to know. If she was gone, I truly wanted to die.
Leo approached me, placing a hand upon my shoulder. "Much better, on to the next test."
I gripped his arm. "Why should I trust you?"
Leo rolled his eyes. "Maybe because I'm the one with the magic powers."
"You're my driver," I said in a tone that came off ruder than intended. "But what would happen if I said I'd rather walk to my final destination."
Leo chuckled and shrugged. "Hell, if I know. Maybe someone will find your body. Maybe you'll reunite with Cece in heaven. Or maybe she'll survive and grow up believing that her hero abandoned her. What do you want from me?"
"You said you were human once- I want to know something about you."
Leo cupped his hand to my face, tracing a finger along my jawline. He appeared to be studying my features, which gave me an opportunity to study his. "What do you see when you look at me?"
"You have green eyes," I said in a whisper. His eyes were hypnotic, his breath; warm, comforting, human.
"I know what it feels like to love someone until it hurts." Leo leaned in and kissed my lips, breathing a long constant stream of air that seemed to crackle with electricity.
Chapter 2: Lust, Greed
'All you need is love? Love? Love is all you need?' The voices hummed in my ear. They weren't singing, they were asking. I know where I am and I don't want to open my eyes.
"How does that feel?" asked a voice that was not Leo. It was Dr. Ethan Rogers, my physical therapist. He was a younger man; late twenties, early thirties, with blond hair and blue eyes- the most all-American soldier you could ever hope to meet. And he was massaging my naked thigh with a vibrator.
I know I'm hard, and I know what he's about to do next.
"I'm going to put this inside you," he said in a most professional tone of voice.
I could have attacked him, punched him in the face, or at the very least or at least said no. But it felt so good. I knew my scar tissue was prominent. It was a disgusting crater that ran along the entirety of my leg. I stayed in shape; my body was lean, muscular but that seemed all for show. I needed to look the part of a soldier, maybe if I was lucky, I would be able to pass my physical. My legs were for running, training. My cock was for pissing. My ass was for shitting. It had been months since I allowed myself to feel sexual pleasure.
"Just relax, let yourself go."
Damn it feels incredible. My eyes open on their own, staring straight into the blinding room light. The bulb is blinking forcing me to blink. Letters form in the shape of the light. 'L-U-S-T.' Yeah, I guess so. But it wasn't a lust for sex.
I feel him inject my leg; my broken, mangled leg. My leg that existed for the sole purpose of causing me unbearable pain, akin to the fires of hell. In a matter of moments, all of that was but a memory. He told me he was giving me morphine but I knew it had to be something stronger. That shit fucked with my head. Like a cool wave of tranquility; life death and every emotion in-between.
"I can get you a prescription for morphine, maybe even fentanyl.” His voice is calm, cool, like an ice tea on a hot day. “All you have to do is submit to me."
All I could do was laugh. "Sure, sounds great." My speech was slurred. This man was the devil and I willingly jumped headfirst down the rabbit hole into Hell.
I was physically fit. Dr. Ethan Rogers knew he could rent me out to anyone who had a fetish for dominating. Over the next year and a half, I lived as a sex-slave. I was bound, gagged. I sucked cock and even let men fuck me in my on-base housing. I was a human party favor, but I was always well compensated.
I took their pills, so many pills, all the colors of the rainbow. Most of the time, I never knew what any of it was, only that it was my prize. And when given vials of heroin, meth and God knows what else, I shot up in my arms, legs, but mainly my hands just because no one at my actual job seemed to notice my hands.
It was a perfect system. By day I was a soldier; a flawless, reliable worker who could be counted on for any job. I was a great husband and father who was working tirelessly to make sure his family would be taken care of. I worked myself to the bone, playing through the pain. But at night I was free.
Until the day my heart stopped.
I awoke in Alysa Blake's room, on her sofa. "Wow, you fucked up." The general looked like her actual youthful age. Her long blonde hair was pulled into a messy bun.
"Aly?" I tried to speak but immediately had to vomit.
General Blake had a bucket waiting by the side of my head. "You're going to stay here for a while." She placed a cold washcloth to my neck focusing on my artery. "This is going to help with the pain in your chest."
I shook my head. "But, what about my leg?"
"You're not the only one living with chronic pain." Alyssa took my hand a placed it on her hip, just below her abs. There was a massive scar. I knew the story; she had been shot in the hip; the bone and surrounding tissue had to be rebuilt. This was likely the reason for her later miscarriage. "I'm not giving you anything for your leg. You're probably going to have another seizure from all the drugs you already took."
I tried to move, to sit up- anything. But the pain seemed to course through my body. I wanted to cry or scream, but no sound was coming from my parched throat.
I gripped my head as a massive migraine pounded my vision. In the midst of my agony, I didn't even notice Alyssa leave and return with a blanket until the moment she cuddled by my side. "I'm going to stay with you."
I nodded, with a noticeable lump in my throat.
"Talk to me about Cece." Alyssa put her arms around me as she rested her head on my chest. “What is she like?”
I knew what this was. This moment, it was the opposite of lust. Nothing was worth more than my family, my daughter "She's a dancer."
"A dancer?"
"I think my wife has her in gymnastics and cheerleading but she..." I swallowed hard thinking about the last time we talked. Cece asked if she could send me a link to a video of her ballet recital. She loved ballet, she wanted to be a choreographer. She sent the link but my Alaska internet was too weak to see it without an extensive amount of buffering. And the camera had been placed so far back I could barely make out her face. I told her as much, but that I would love to see her dance someday.
"Have you seen any of her performances?"
I nodded. "C-Can I have some water?"
"Sure." Alyssa turned away, attempting to sit up.
Try as a might, my arms wouldn't let her go. "I feel sick. But, more than anything, don't want to cry in front of my commanding officer."
Alyssa glared at me with a look of seriousness. "I found you in your room bleeding from your ass. I performed CPR until you were lucid enough to walk with your arm around my shoulder." She only lived a few houses down and often visited.
I couldn't remember making the walk to her house but it wouldn't be the first time. I had the habit of dialing her number when I was too high to think straight. "My apologies Ma'am."
She reached for my hand, stroking between my fingers. "If I was here as your commanding officer you would be in a hospital awaiting a medical discharge." Her fingers paused on an open sore where I injected regularly. "I'm here as your friend, because what you need right now is a friend."
I knew she wasn't wrong. "Thank you."
"So, tell me about the time you saw your little girl dance."
My hands were trembling as my eyes filled with tears. "She sent me a USB."
"She sent you a file on a flash drive? Wow, that's really sweet."
"Cece had somehow used her phone to record a solo piece in her backyard. I didn't recognize the song, something Gaelic sounding about finding your wings to touch the sky." With the warm memory in my heart, my body relaxed.
"That sounds like the theme from the movie Brave," Alyssa said as she sat up. "Wow, that brings back memories. Anyway, I'm going to get you some water now."
Brave? Of course, it was.
Alyssa returned with a bottled water and a straw. "Take small sips." Once it appeared like I was not going to vomit again she took her place back on my chest, holding me close. "You need to go home."
"I know." I stroked her hair as I looked up at her stucco ceiling.
"You need to research a position at a base closer to your family,” she said as she kissed my cheek. “And I will sign off on it."
"Thank you." Now I just wish she talked me out of driving down to the states. Maybe I wouldn't have fucked up as badly as I did.
A lonely drive, six hours on the road, maybe eight. Behind the wheel of a rented SUV carrying all my worldly possessions, I thought I could keep focus, I thought I-
And here comes the crash.
I opened my eyes, but all I see is darkness. "Leo, are you there?"
I could feel someone grab my hand, pulling me from the vehicle. It wasn't Leo, but rather a younger male, possibly a teen.
"Wow, Leo was right, you are fucked up." The kid pulled me out of the vehicle, seemingly indifferent to my level of pain. "You should grab your wallet and suitcase. We have a bit of a walk into town.”
I did as he asked. I could recall what happened at this moment in time. While it did not include a Native American surfer-boy, I knew where we were headed.
"How long did you manage to stay clean for?" the smug teen asked.
I turned to him with a look of contempt. He stood maybe 5'9", and although he had an attractive face and youthful demeanor, I would have no problem punching his lights out.
"Really, old man?" The boy laughed.
"Master Sergeant Adam Severgine," I said with a groan.
"I know," he said, happily, skipping down the road. "I'm Jamie. Welcome to Oklahoma."
"How old are you? And where's Leo?"
"Leo will meet us in town. And as for me-" Jamie did a backflip landing in front of my face, close enough to kiss my lips. "I'm legal."
"Are you a guardian angel too?"
"Are you asking if I have powers?"
"I am," I replied through gritted teeth. I could remember how long the original walk took me. By the time I got to town, my leg was killing me.
"That's not why you got high off your ass."
"Oh, fuck you!"
"You got clean just long enough to pass a physical, for the job transfer. And then you started using again like the fucked-up junkie that you are!" Jamie continued doing flips and cartwheels down the empty road.
I focused on my own path looking down at my boots as I walked. My leg was mostly healed, to the point where I could walk unassisted, I could even drive. But I still felt an ache, a chronic pain that would never go away no matter what drugs I took.
Jamie appeared in front of me, lifting my face to look into his eyes. "I'm bored and I miss my boyfriend so I'm going to do you a favor." He punched me in the face with all the force of a fighter jet.
I awoke on the floor of a casino. And I do mean floor: My eyes opened to reveal the sight of paramedics working frantically. They had apparently just finished restarting my heart.
When I looked straight ahead, sitting at a slot machine was Jamie. The little punk was doubled over in laughter.
Leo stepped out of the shadows. He raised a finger giving the 'give me a second' sign. He embraced Jamie, speaking to him in a quiet tone. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but at least Leo was calming him down. When Jamie finally stopped laughing, the couple walked to the elevators.
A tall older man, in a suit, came over to check on the scene. He was the hotel manager and a former Marine. We talked for a while, with me telling him my situation. He kindly offered to give me a room for the night, free of charge. It was the least he could do for a fellow soldier.
Yes, it was only for one night. I could contact the rental agency and they could send a new car to my location. But until then he offered to buy me dinner and give me a tour of the hotel and casino.
Everything was going great. After hanging out with my new friend I took a seat at one of the many the table poker tables.
I was by no means an expert but I preferred tables, to computer-generated games of chance. That was when I met Lola. She looked like a typical cocktail waitress, just a few years away from retirement. She was possibly old enough to be my mother (either that or she had just spent too much time in the sun,) but she was undeniably beautiful. She made sure to flirt, playing with her long blonde hair as she brought me free drinks.
"Drink up," she said, before taking a shot. She cupped my face, forcing the shot of whiskey down my throat. "It's on me, love." Next thing I knew she was on my lap. I was winning hand after hand; she was truly my good luck charm. When I was too drunk to walk, she offered to escort me to my room.
I remember collapsing on to the bed. I could feel her hands, her long nails, then her mouth. When I was ready, she started to ride me. Talking dirty in a way that my wife never did, I gave her full control. she got on her knees and wanted me to fuck her from behind. I did, and what was when a man barged in with a master key. It was the manager.
My memory is blacking in and out but I remember him getting on the bed. He and Lola are laughing. They offer me cocaine.
The next morning, I awoke to the sight of Lola in my bed. Her naked chest was moving, so I had no immediate reason to panic.
Jamie stood in the corner wide-eyed. "Wow, I was raped to death by a demonic cult and even I found that disturbing."
Leo walked through the wall to stand at Jamie's side. "And this isn't even the worst of it."
I tried to sit up but my body hurt. "Why, the fuck, are you even here?" Just my luck, I had a pair of fuck-boy morons for guardian angels.
Leo sighed. He approached the bed, stroking Lola's hand. "You can't change the past." He made a turn to the closet, grabbing my phone from my pocket. "But you can choose your future."
I was lucid enough to move my arm and unlock my screen. I had wi-fi. I clicked on my email. it was open to a message from Cece, starting with a link that I had never seen before. "Greed.mov?"
Leo shrugged. "You should probably take a look."
I clicked. There was Cece in her blue dress, sitting on her bed. "Hi, Dad. I'm a little nervous. I really like Jason, and well, I wish you could have met him. He's so much like you. He wants to join the Marines, travel the world. I mean, I guess I'd write to him. A lot of my friends are planning on getting married, so their boyfriends don't cheat. It's really stupid. Jason says he loves me, he wants to marry me. I'm pretty sure he just wants to fuck me." Cece looked down at her silver ring. It had belonged to my grandmother who passed away before Cece was born. I had given it to my daughter on her sixteenth birthday. It was only then, on that video, did I notice where she wore it. She wore it like a wedding ring: a purity ring.
Cece looked to the side, at her computer, to press a few keys. "I hope this will help my anxiety." The music starts to play, it was a slow, Celtic, song. I watched as she moved her arms, in a graceful ballet pose. She appeared to be free-styling a dance piece, in her room, dancing on her bare feet. It was truly breathtaking. But why was the file titled 'greed.mov'?
"I can't wake up without you, Dad." The voice was not coming from the phone.
I nearly screamed at the sight of Cece's broken, bloody form.
Jamie put his arm around Cece, patting her shoulder. "Don't worry, she's still in a coma."
The creepy, undead version of my daughter leaned her head on Jamie's shoulder. She turned just enough to look at me with her dark, innocent, eyes. "When you rocked me to sleep, you would tell me stories. I think you assumed I couldn't hear you or what I wasn't paying attention."
"You couldn't even talk." For the first two years, I was so nervous about being a father, that I would unload all of my horrific stories on to Cece like a verbal diary. she didn't speak a word until she started preschool at age three and even then, I never heard anything from her teachers about my stories.
"Knowing so much about your past is why I always had such respect for you." Cece took a step forward, reaching out her hand. "I know what you saw, what you experienced. It made you the person you are." When she came closer, her hand hit a glowing wall of energy. She nodded her head knowingly. We weren't in the same space. "Jamie said you're going to make your way back to me."
I knew our time was short so I had only one question to ask. "Why greed?"
"You told me I was your treasure; I was everything you ever wanted."
"I'm so sorry."
"That wasn't meant as an attack. Not at you, not ever." Cece moved closer. She was able to sit on the bed, her hand caressing the fabric. Her moves were careful and deliberate.
I would have given anything to be able to touch her hand. I knew in my heart this wasn't an illusion, this was my daughter.
Cece pursed her lips and continued, "There's an old saying, 'Shoot for the moon, even if you fail, you'll be among the stars.' Well, what happens when you reach the moon but it's not the finish line that you thought it would be. You always want more, I did anyway. that's why I let Jason go as far as he did. I thought I could have it all; I'd go to college and have a hot, long-distance boyfriend. maybe we'd meet up in Europe where I would audition for a ballet company. At least that's what I thought." Cece wiped tears from her eyes. "He was dating me as a practical joke. I was the nerdy-science geek who was also a dancer. The rumor was that I clearly wanted to be fucked, but my stern military daddy was keeping me inline." She paused for a moment, looking into my eyes. "I guess he was half right. I knew Jason's plan was to make me choose between you and him. And what's really messed up is, I would have chosen him. I was greedy." Cece took a few steps back, her form already starting to fade. "I miss you so much, Dad. Please come find me."
Leo cracked his knuckles. "Well, this was fun but we have miles to go before we sleep. So-" He turned to Jamie.
“Yeah, I know.” Jamie nodded, with a sigh, as Cece vanished.
Next, Leo turned to me, with hesitation. "This next part is going to hurt."
"More than seeing my dying daughter?"
Leo clicked his tongue as he moved to Jamie's side. "Adam, how much do you remember about your trip from Oklahoma to Louisiana?"
"Do I remember who shot me and left me for dead int he Louisiana swamplands?" I clearly did not.
"Do you want to know?" Leo asked, twirling a lock of his rainbow hair. "I mean I'm supposed to show you, orders from the big boss," he said, motioning towards heaven. "But I think it would be a little cruel."
Jamie's eyes lit up. "Can we just give him a summery? He'll feel just as shitty but we won't have to watch it!"
Leo pursed his lips, clearly trying to hide laughter. "Jamie..." Leo took a breath to calm down. "None the less you are correct. But to stay in line with the," he made the pointing gesture again, "I'll give him just enough to dwell on during our hike back to civilization."
Jamie leaned against a wall as Leo stepped towards me. He crawled into bed, positioning himself on top of me like a snake. His long hair trickled against my face. "You good, Adam?"
"As good as I can be."
"I'll make this quick." Leo closed his eyes.
I did the same. The images flashed before my eyes like the world’s worst vacation slideshow. Oh, God.
More sex, drugs, a few suicide attempts. Luckily it would only last three weeks. I apparently went on the mother of all drug binges. I didn't want to go home, and I knew why. My daughter was sick, but my wife… my beautiful, kind, wife, Marni-Lynn was a fucking whore who’d torn my heart out a long time ago.
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