USA, Louisiana.. a small town in north-east Louisiana.. if you see a 'little-bitty' 'tiny-dot' that has the name 'Oak Grove' beside it.. in the most 'north-east' corner of Louisiana.. where if you would take an fifteen minute drive north.. then you would have then 'crossed' into the state of Arkansas..
Or if you would have 'drove' fifteen minutes east instead of north.. you would have crossed over the Mississippi-Louisiana state line.. so that gives you a pretty good general location of the state and town of my 'birth'..
Unfortunately Oak Grove, Louisiana.. wouldn't be the town of my 'untimely' and 'unexpected' death.. nope.. for I would not die in a town.. not a town at all.. I would die in West Texas.. outside of any 'town' or 'city'.. out in the 'West-Texas' desert..
I would be eventually 'crushed'.. by a 'section'.. of 'thirty-two' 'inch'.. 'steel'.. 'heavy-wall'.. 'industrial' pipe.. for a 'natural-gas' line.. being 'lay'n'.. from just north of the cities.. Odessa and Midland.. of the state of Texas..
Over a thousand miles 'away' from my place of birth.. Bastrop.. Louisiana.. where the closest 'safe' hospital was for me to be born at.. Morehouse 'parish' 'general-hospital'.. forty miles west.. by north-west from where my family had lived for generations.. Oak Grove..
My family has worked as surveyors.. for pipelines and gas or oil facilities.. being built all across this great country on the continent of North America.. for atleast three generations..
If my children take up the 'mantle'.. that would make.. four 'generations' of my family.. to feed and provide for their families.. working as pipeline surveyors..
Oak Grove is poor.. poor as dirt.. total population.. barely over two thousand.. average 'gross-income' 'per-capita' per family for a year.. less than ten thousand dollars a year..
there's just no real 'paying' jobs.. in Oak Grove or anywhere near it.. so while the people who 'chose' to work in Oak Grove and make ten thousand dollars a year..
I started out as a 'rod-man' which was the lowest man on the 'totem-pole'.. I was making what those in Oak grove..worked a year for.. I made the same in a month.. I did nothing but 'pack' bundles of 'wooden-stakes'.. then carry them up the mountains of West Virginia..
Or across the deserts of West Texas.. swamps of south Louisiana.. down around Baton Rouge.. or Tibbedaux.. the Everglades of Florida.. fuck I get that 'nauseous' feeling every time I think of when I 'work'd' there..
I walked up on a dead body of an 'Haitian' without a head.. the 'Haitians' have been 'decapitating' each other long before I ever stepped foot in Florida.. Im sure they will still be 'killing' each other long after I have left it..
not long after that.. still on the exact same project I saw the 'headless' corpse on.. I almost stepped on the biggest 'Burmese' python I've ever seen.. the fucker was atleast ten feet long and two to three feet wide around..
Anywho, I survived.. back to what I was talking back before I went off subject for a bit.. I started out making 'ten-thousand' dollars every month.. thats twelve times what I would have earned working a month in Oak Grove.. instead of working in these 'dangerous' jobs..
Been a lot of dangerous places.. dangerous terrains.. working in a very hazardous career.. but I was well paid like I said.. and now unfortunately I don't have a body left to send home to my parents.. that section of pipe.. it weighed tens of thousands of pounds.. when the 'Komoda' excavators that were lifting the section 'tipped'.. that was it.. one of the 'operators' didn't extend his 'boom' on his 'excavator' all the way out like he should have..
Now the pipes 'falling'.. as soon as it lands on me.. thats it.. so much weight.. it will make my head will 'pop-off' and 'rocket' right off of my shoulders.. up in the air straight towards the heavens themselves.. reaches its peak height of its short flight.. then slowly stoping .. then gradually beginning to start falling.. all whilst my body will be crushed and 'exploded' to nothing but 'splatter'd' 'meat-paste'.. ending my first life..
'Trust' me I've seen it.. I know what will happen from 'experience'.. and so begins the next 'chapter' of life.. I see a tunnel with bright light 'radiating' from the end of it.. as I reach the light I take the final step.. the blinding light then recedes and fades away out of existence..
I find my surroundings returning to a 'lightness' that my eyes can afford to see 'clearly' in.. only to meet another pair of eyes 'facing' me.. everything else is 'shrouded' by darkness.. I see only eyes.. staring at me.. staring into me.. staring right through me..
"Hmm.. yes come on in.. let's get you on your way to the next 'plane'.. and your next life.. don't worry.. no 'need' to speak at all.. in fact it would be best if you don't speak.. your words won't change anything here.. hmm.. let's see.. yes.. here we are.. hmm you have had a fulfilling life.. you've certainly e'xperience'd' much through your 'middling-of-length' life you've lived.. ahh.. where do we send you.. ahh yes.. the 'Last Kingdom' from Netflix.. if your speaking of the television show.. the 'Saxon Stories' by Benard Cornwell.. if we speak of the books.. yes a perfect world to live for you..
It is known.. hmm.. 'proficiency-system' seems most 'compatible' for your next life.. ok.. let's see here where and what year or point of the time-line to insert you in at.. ok you and your half-brother.. Uhtred 'formally' Uhtredson soon to be Uhtred Ragnarson.. who you will be the same age as.. ten years of age. it will be written that you followed Uhtred to the battle of 'Eoforwich' where you and him will both be taken as slaves by Ragnar the 'fearless'.. you will have your previous life's memories.. you will be gifted all around.. spiritually.. physically.. mentally.. plus you'll have your proficiency system.. so all it will take is a little hard work and plenty of exercise.. hmm.. so be it.. good luck to you.. have fun.. 'too-dle-die-ta-di-da'.. yes let's sign this here.. 'cross-out' there now it is written.." 'death' or whoever that was tells me..
Ok.. the 'last kingdom'.. Proficiency system.. I think I know what that will mean.. I'm the same age as Uhtred.. I'm gifted all around.. we are taken as slaves.. but it's cool.. I'm just gonna have to slap Sven around a little when he rips off Thyra's top.. the maybe future 'one-eye' Sven or maybe not.. or maybe he will be just 'dead' Sven.. by then..
Won't know till we get there.. now will we..I'll have to see how best to accomplish my goals in my new life.. yes.. Uhtred truly spoke the truth.. destiny is all..