"Reversal of Misfortune" is part of an upcoming anthology"

SYNOPSIS: "The perfect storm" multiplied five times alters weather patterns across the entire United States. When a tornado hits Los Angeles, it sweeps an apartment inhabited by four gang members (Bull, AJ, Philly and Scratch), through a crease in the space/time continuum. The men land in a forest in 1830's America, just as Nat Turner is planning his slave insurrection.

Turner and his men see the gang members as angels sent from God. Using Uzis and grenades, the slaves rebel and take over the U.S.A., renaming them "The United Black States of America." Blacks are now slave owners and whites are slaves. But the financial repercussion of housing and feeding the slaves proves too much and after several years, blacks become bored. Meanwhile, the slaves are content to work the fields singing merrily, "Whistle While You Work."

The Congress then enacts a different sort of underground railroad--AMTRAK--A Means To Rid America of Krackas. They also allow a limited emancipation and all seems fine. But unbeknownst to the four gang members, three white meteorologists and a demented scientist named Bukay have also been swept through time.

Bukay is upset by the knowledge that the white race is no longer dominant. He and several cohorts devise a plot to do something about it-even if it means destroying the earth in the process.

...And the following evening, twenty slaves and four L.A. gang members began a march from the crash pad to the plantation of financier Lucas Prince. As they reached the edge of his property they could hear the baying of hounds. The twenty-four crept across the yard, led by Nat, who was carrying a torch and an Uzi.

"The Massa's wife and two sons, Tom and Arnold, sleep upstairs," Nat whispered. "The Massa himself sleeps down stairs. He likes to creep down to the shacks and get hold-a some of our women."

"I personally wanna pimp slap that bastard," Bull said angrily.

They continued to creep toward the house when they saw a figure scurrying stealthily among the shadows. It was a light-skinned black man, known as House Nigga Jenkins. He had an owlish face and a stern disposition when it came to protecting his owner's interests.

"Who walks across my Massa's yard at such a haunting hour?"

Nat stepped from the shadows and did the talking.

"House Nigga Jenkins, don't make no trouble for us."

"Don't start none with my Massa, won't be none," Jenkins said defiantly.

Bull asked Nat, "Do you have to call him 'House Nigga Jenkins'? Just call him by his name-'Jenkins'."

"House Nigga Jenkins IS my name! My mama had aspirations fo' me! And I'm proud to say I'm President of the American House Nigga Association!"

AJ whispered to Bull, "This must be one of Clarence Thomas's ancestors."

"Well tonight your reign will come to an end, unless you get out of our way and let us at Massa Prince!" Nat warned.

"Why you wanna kill us?" Jenkins asked, in a whiny voice.

"We just wanna kill him and his children! Don't you get tired of being called 'boy' and 'darky'?"

"No, I don't!"

"It's time to live as a free man, and not as some parrot who repeats what his massa wants to hear!"

"I don't think I wants to hear no mo' of yo' foolishness, Nat Turner!" House nigga Jenkins stuck his fingers in his ears and started singing loud and off-key. "La, la, la...la, dee, dah..."

Jenkins's horrible singing cut through the still of the night. It wakened Prince's son, Arnold, who rolled out of bed and shook his brother, Tom. The youngest of the Prince boys, Tom wakened groggy and ornery.

"Arnold, it's late. What do you want?"

"Aw, did I interrupt another one of your nocturnal emissions? Who was it this time, brother? Did Betsy Ross have you seeing stars?" He chuckled at his pun.

"It was Harriet Beecher Stowe, now for criminy's sake, why did you waken me, Arnold?"

"Can't you hear that ungodly racket?"

Tom sat up in his bed.

"My God! That's House Niggra Jenkins' alarm! The niggras are 'bout to revolt!"

"Over my dead body!" Arnold cried.

Tom lit the oil lamp at his bedside and they reached under their beds for their shotguns. Then they ran down the stairs to wake their father. Just as they arrived in the parlor, the front door crashed open and a bloody House Nigga Jenkins fell to the floor, mortally wounded. Bull stepped across the threshold and cut loose with an Uzi and gunned down Tom and Arnold before either could scream.

Lucas Prince, lying prone on the couch, wakened and leapt to his feet, screaming at the intruders.

"What in blue blazes do you darkies think you're doing?"

"We are liberating ourselves!" Nat cried. "And your ass is grass, old man!"

Prince doubled over as he laughed.

"I ain't scared-a no niggras! Now hand over those newfangled guns and I'll only beat ya for an hour or two!"

"The days of you and other soulless white men beating men of color is over!"

"Nigger, please. And just 'cause we can't dance doesn't mean we're soulless."

"That ain't what I meant."

Prince broke into an antiquated boxing stance.

"I reckon you fellas better drop those guns, or I'll thrash the lot of you!"

Bull shook his head. "This is one crazy, blue-eyed devil."

Prince jumped forward and yelled, "Kung Fu, nigger!"

Philly stepped forward and fired a shot from his pistol into Prince's chest.

"Forty-five magnum, cracka!"