Post by Lexi Sparkles on Mar 12, 2021 12:16:06 GMT -6
☆ BIRTHDAY PAST ☆ I awoke on my twenty-first birthday, more nervous than celebratory. Instead of celebrating all night with friends at a bar, I wore myself out in the gym to prepare for an extra special wrestling match on my birthday. The day had finally come. My father's promotion (Showtime Championship Wrestling) was hosting a special event for National Women's History Month, with all proceeds going to various women's groups around the city. On the card that night... in the main event... was a special attraction match between second and third generations superstars. That's right. Nathan Gust versus Lexi Sparkles. No, not in Raging Dead form as he was known for in Action Wrestling. He was advertised as himself, as was the norm in SCW. The morning of my birthday, we did a morning radio show to hype the event, and then sat side-by-side at an autograph signing near the Hammerstein Ballroom where the event would be taking place that night. The entire day was a dream come true. I was truly connecting with my dad on a personal and professional level. Obviously the event was a colossal success. SCW regulars like Nick Kincaid, Jason Christopher and Apokalypse appeared... along with a few AW regulars like Adelaide Ainsworth, Derrick Vayden and Hot Shot Wayne Austin. Then the main event happened... and my dad really put me through the ringer. I had such babyface fire in that match... and he let me shine like I didn't know was possible. My comeback was dope, bro... as my uncle Chris would say. Then the unexpected happened. As planned, I ended my comeback with a springboard shining wizard that my step-mom Sara taught me... but when a rookie ref named Jeremy White went to count... my dad didn't kick out. At first, I thought it was an accident... or that Jeremy counted too fast. As he raised my arm, I looked down to see the smile on my dad's face. The planned finish was him over dirty... and instead... he put me over huuuuuge. The Hammerstein Ballroom erupted with joy. That was the coolest birthday present ever. Life was good. But not for long. ☆ BIRTHDAY PRESENT ☆ I awoke on my twenty-second birthday, more terrified than celebratory. For weeks, my night terrors were becoming more vivid. Night after night, I relived the televised execution of my father at the murderous hands of Frank Lowe and The Hangmen. These recent dreams were much worse than the reality of his death. When it happened, we didn't see him removed from the casket. There was no need to identify the body. He went into that casket alone. He died. We knew it was him. In my dreams though… I was the one who hammered away the concrete. I was the one who cut the lock. I was the one who pulled my father's corpse out of the casket. I was the one who held his lifeless shell. As horrific as the dreams became… the eve of my birthday took the terror to a new level. The difference was that when I dragged him out of the casket, he opened his eyes. He looked up at me and smiled. That should have been a beautiful moment but it broke me. He was soulless. He was rancid. He was cold. He was… not my father. I jumped back and the thing using my father's meat suit crept over to me. It told me that my father was trying to break free from his prison, and I was somehow the key to it all. He told me to go to Las Vegas to… "find the pigskin madman". Then I awoke, drenched in sweat. It was all just a nightmare, and I wasn’t going to let it ruin my birthday. I gave myself a stretch up, a morning yawn and went to the bathroom to wash up. I threw some soap on my face and put my hands up on a cup and… there on the mirror… in my own hand writing…  |
