Danger - A Safe Bahamian Novel - Day 06

Danger - A Safe Bahamian Novel - Day 06

(4:25 pm Tuesday Nov 06, 2007)

*** Inside of Shack Near Beach

Jack let everyone but his upside down guy go late last night after getting about all he figured he could get out of them which was not much, next to nothing by his reckoning. Upside down guy he held on to.

Before letting them go, he let them see him take Mr. Upside Down outside, unlock a jail house door under a sheet of plywood, and put him down into a pit of water up to his chest and then lock him in and cover him over, leaving him in darkness, screaming. There were things in the pit with him.

For a number of reasons...

He wanted to give the boss something to think about.

He wanted to have the others spread the word about what had happened in a way that might spread a little extra fear around. Fear had a way of changing the game.

He wanted to keep an eye on Mr. Upside Down for a while to ensure that he was totally OK.

He wanted to administer a partly bogus remedy to Mr. Upside Down to further mix things up when he finally decided to let him go as well.

He wanted to see if he could learn a bit more over a longer term basis.

Mr. Upside Down turned out to be called Reg. He found that out after the other guys high tailed it out of the area.

Reg had surprised Jack with his toughness last night. Jack had never met anyone before who could take that much "Cat Island Touch". He had used the touch once or twice as a teenager when his wild ways had gotten him involved in some tight squeezes and he had not had enough skill to get himself out any other way. Most people completely gave in after just the first touch, everyone except his family after the second touch. Up until last night that is.

Jack supposed that might have been another reason for his decision to keep Reg back. He wanted to find out a little more of what made him tick.

"Here Reg, drink another cup of this tea I brewed for you. Then once more after this and you will have no permanent damage from what you went through last night, mental or physical."

"You never said mental before! I could have permanent brain damage from what you did to me!" shouted Reg rising to his feet.

"Calm down or I may have to touch you again and that could surely lead to permanent trouble for you. I didn't mention mental before because the tea works best with a calm mind. But you kicked up such a fuss over the last cup that I figured I need to give you the whole picture for encouragement."

Jack felt really bad today about what he had done last night. But when they had threatened his mother, he had lost it some. It was the first time he had ever gone that far in life when his life was not directly on the line and he very much hoped the last very time as well.

Jack remembers his plans for Reg's cell phone.

(5:49 pm Tuesday Nov 06, 2007)

*** Inside of a sub-sub-basement, deep below a huge new house on the eastern end of Paradise Island.

The room is in darkness and we cannot make out the sole occupant who is standing at a desk. The phone rings and he looks at the display to see who is calling before picking up the hand set, "Is that you?"

"Who is the you that you are asking about?" says Black Jack.

"Who is this? How did you get this number?"

"Well, you see, what I do is, everyday, before I decide what numbers to buy on that day or the day after sometimes, I like to dial a few combinations of the numbers I have in mind and see if I get any good feelings chatting with the people I reach," says Jack with a slight sound of mirth in his voice.

"How did you get that phone?"

"Look, let's cut out the games. You need to stop messing with me. I will keep this man of your's for a few more days and then let him go. Just back off or you will end up regretting it. And stay far away from my family or the trouble will be double, ya follow?"

"You can keep him for all I care. He has done me no good so far. Now you listen, here's the deal... You have something that I want and I have something that you want and we can arrange a trade," says the man from the shadows.

Jack thinks that his voice has a bit of something familiar to it, "I think you are wrong on two counts there. You just indicated that you don't want Reg here, so I can't really have anything that you want, and there is no way you could have anything that I want."

The man in the shadows pushes a button on his phone and we can hear a woman's strong voice, "Don't listen to him Jack! He is a filthy man! He tries to come across all cultured and sophisticated, but he is nothing but a guttersnipe! I will be fine, He knows not to mess with me, I showed him."

The man in the shadows rubs his jaw, he hears Jack draw in his breath sharply, "I know why you think I don't want my former servant, but I am surprised to hear you admit that you don't want you mother."

"If you! I told you not to mess with my family, now I"

"QUIET!," shouts the man in the shadows, "First things first, you do have something that I want, and now that I have established that I have something that you want, we have the basis of a mutually satisfying business deal. If you are interested, ask me to tell you more."

"OK, tell me more."

"Please. Please, where are your manners?"

"Tell me more please." grits out Jack.

"I have reliable information that several days ago you came into possession of something that I have been trying to track down for the last twenty three years of my life. You have it... And I want it. We can swap. Your mother for a small silver cylinder with something important inside of it."

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but while I may or may not have had such and item or items, I certainly have nothing like that in my possession now."

"Don't play games with me Jack, are you really so willing to play fast and loose with your mother's well being?"

"Number one, you heard what she told me. She told me not to listen to you. Number two, I am not lying to you. I don't have anything like that in my possession at this time."

"Don't take me for a fool! You think you can play word games with me? What? Are your fingers crossed? Did you put the cylinder under a rock in the bush just outside of your property so that you can tell me you don't have it in your possession? Stop messing with me I tell you! My patience is running thin!"

"OK, here's the deal! Anything remotely like you describe that may have come my way recently must have grown tired of my jokes and decided to leave me and run off with the sea one stormy day a few days ago. You get my meaning? I don't have anything like that and I don't know where it could be, other than lost at sea."

"What!"

"So, let my mother go and let's try not to run into each other at parties for at least a year or two. That sound good to you?"

"If you are telling the truth about not having what I think you have, I may let your mother go if you give me a detailed copy of what it looked like and what was in it."

"What, you think I had time to make photocopies? No way, some goons chased me off a cliff into a hurricane sea where I lost my find, I didn't get any copies made."

"Fine, did you take any pictures with your cell phone, can you draw something from memory? You have to give me something if you want me to release your mother."

"No pics, I could try drawing something sure, but I... Sure, I could draw something."

"But what?"

"But nothing, I will draw you something, Where are we going to meet for the exchange?"

"It had better be accurate young man, I do know where your mother lives after all."

(9:10 pm Tuesday Nov 06, 2007)

*** Inside of Shack Near Beach

Jack finishes up making the best drawing he can from memory which is honestly not that good but he hopes it will do. As much as he has wanted this treasure for a long time, it is not worth messing about with his mother's well being. Plus. after she is safe, he can still make a race of it.

A song is just finishing up.

Just put my dreams back in the box
Give me the key and snap the locks
Then head on out and leave me all alone
You know you don't love me no more
I saw you last night by the shore
With your new boy friend
And the top down on your ride.

He goes over and cuts off the stereo. Then he goes to the closet and gets out some rope, "Sorry Reg, I hate to have to tie you up and leave you here alone, but it will not be for long. Sam was supposed to be here by now, but something must have held him up and I have a meeting to make. I'll leave the lights on for you."

"Jack, don't do it please. Haven't you done enough to me already? You can trust me, I will stay until Sam gets here."

"No, Reg, I can't trust you, sorry. So, let's do this the easy way, please."

"Don't do it Jack, I can't take it. Plus, what if something happened like a fire or something. Look, take me with you then man."

"What, and have you mess up the meeting? Sorry, no can do."

"OK, then, take me with you and when we get near the meeting, lock me in the trunk."

"Man, you are one crazy dude. You don't want to be left here tied up but you are OK with being locked in a trunk? No, you could still make too much noise in the trunk and blow the deal."

Just than a car pulls along the track leading to the shack and gives a little toot as the engine shuts down and the lights go off.

"Saved by the bell Reg, that should be Sam now."



(9:23 pm Tuesday Nov 06, 2007)

*** A Lonely Room

A lonely room where a tired eyed author, in fact, your tired and bleary eyed author, dear reader, has come to this. But not as tired as last night and not quite as desperate. Yawning none the less.

So, gentle reader, how do you like it so far? Are you enjoying yourself at all? Anything in particular that you liked so far? Suggestions for improvements?

You are aware that this is under a copyleft license are you not? You need to check out the license, but that does mean that you can do your own improved version if you feel like it.

Then you could go from gentle reader to gentle writer. Sort of like moving up to a higher belt as it were. Or perhaps not, perhaps more like switching styles.

In any case, have a go if you wish.

Now, gentle reader, perhaps you have other talents that I am unaware of at this point in time. Perhaps you can write music and feel like you might be able to do something with the lyrics you have read so far. perhaps there is even a tune to match some words going through your head at this very moment. (Well, your 'this very moment' not my 'this very moment' - they can only be the same if time and space is very warped right now in these regions.) Take a look at the license and take a run at it. Hey, if you record something gentle reader, The Internet Archive will be happy to host it for you with the license I have chosen. If you put it there, send me a link, I will take a listen.

Now, gentle reader, perhaps you are even more ambitious still. Perhaps you can see yourself filming scenes from this very book and putting them up on some video hosting site. Go for it. Or perhaps animating some scenes. power to you. Just follow the license.

You might even be able to make a buck or two from something you do.

And so the lonely writer reaches quota and shuts down, hard and fast. Goodnight gentle reader. Think about what I have just said.

(9:38 pm Tuesday Nov 06, 2007)