Danger - A Safe Bahamian Novel - Day 07

Danger - A Safe Bahamian Novel - Day 07

(4:25 pm Wednesday Nov 07, 2007)

Time passed.

(5:33 pm Wednesday Nov 07, 2007)

Time passes. And here is the thing. They say time passes swiftly when you are having fun. I am going to let you in on a little secret gentle reader. It has the habit of passing swiftly when you are in agony with writers block as well. You have a deadline and a quote and you don't have ideas, you lack a plot, your characters are AWOL or laughing at you. Theme? You are kidding. Right?

*** A Deserted Stretch Of Paved Road Somewhere In The Bush

Black Jack got his mother back. The he arranged for her to go and visit her mother's aunt down in Cat Island. No, the aunt was not ancient. Funny thing is, her mother's aunt was younger than her mother. Things like that can happen.

Jack felt she should be safe down there and hoped that things here in Nassau could get cleared up before long and she could come back in time for Junkanoo. His mother did not like to miss Boxing Day. Jack normally preferred New Years for some reason, but his mother was a Boxing Day woman.

Jack is leaning on the hood of his Mini Cooper. Original, thank you. He is watching some guys getting in some pegging practice. One of the big pegging contests of the year is Saturday coming. Some of his boys said they were in it and were practicing here in this lonely place today. They had invited him to come and watch and get his ming off of things.

He needed it.

Now, as you may or may not know. Pegging is an underground sport these days and the contestants are unknown and masked. So, Jack was not sure if his boys were really in the game or just messing about and having some fun, but being out here in the middle of nowhere with old friends suited him just fine either way.

Now, when I tell you that this is a deserted stretch of paved road somewhere in the bush, this is how things shape up...

This particular stretch of road was at one time going to be a part of a subdivision. The roads were paved, lots were sold, the developer vanished into night. Turns out he never had title to the land and the lot buyers were in a pickle. The entrance to the subdivision was blocked with a few loads of rocks and that was that.

There was some fuss for a while. Political promises made. But in the end, nothing came of anything. Bush did what bush does. It grew.

In time, all evidence of the development vanished from the view of those on the roads. After a long while, there was not even much to see from the air. The tree branches spread overhead and shaded the streets.

Jack and his buddies had found the place in their late teens and it had become their weekend party spot when they weren't in the clubs or at the beach.

These days, they had a back way in via a dirt track around the back which they concealed very carefully.

(6:03 pm Wednesday Nov 07, 2007)

Jack had the stereo in his car playing some tunes.

I'm leaving Cleavland
And the heart of Rock and Roll
Yes I'm heading down
To see my Latin Love

She lives in the Gables
And when I reach
I hope I'm able
To show my heart
And Maybe bare my soul

Cause one more night in this town
Will freeze me to the core
So I've hit the road
I'm heading south
And I won't come back no more

Yes I'm leaving Cleavland
And the heart of Rock and Roll
Yes I'm heading down
To see my Latin Love

We'll sail to the islands
Maybe spend a night in 'Briland
Then Exuma bound
We'll restify our souls

Cause one more night in this town
Will freeze me to the core
So I've hit the road
I'm heading south
And I won't come back no more

Jack's foot was tapping and he was humming and smiling and day dreaming.

Not much had been happening on the pegging front for a good long while. Then things began to liven up.

First one top had a nice hole put in it. Naturally, this did not sit well with that tops owner. So the next time the attacker was down, there was some serious concentration and effort and the former attacker was split in two. Things ran a little hot.

Jack figured that if these guys really were top top pegging contestants that at least these should not be their prime fighting tops. It didn't seem like you should be risking your top tops when things weren't really on the line. But then again, did one need to hone their skills wit the real tops or could a stand in do just as well. That was a good question and one where there was no real way to get a real answer short of getting in the game for oneself. Sure you could ask, but could you trust the answers you might get?

Also, perhaps peggers were in that category of thrill seekers and anything short of all out would bore them.

Another song came on.

Free the Art and
Free the Artists
Let's break loose and
Let's get started

Change the world and
Make it better
There may be crying but
We'll cry together

Tired of waiting on
Promised changes
Come together and
Let's rearrange it

Quite a number of Jack's friends were into that sort of thing. Free Software, Free Art and the like. Copyleft. Jack was intrigued by the whole thing and had decided to experiment a bit with such things with some of his stuff. He was considering producing some instructional books and videos of various martial arts techniques and trying various licenses and monitoring the results. He figured it was worth a try.

(9:37 pm Wednesday Nov 07, 2007)

Time time time... Ouch.

Wasn't there some band recently that did a set your own price download for their new album and raked in a decent pile of cash doing so? He didn't think that they had used a Free license, but couldn't one get similar results while using a Free license? He figured it might be possible and wanted to try the waters. Not that he figured his stuff would be any where near as popular. No. But relatively speaking...

I could use another lover,
But I don't need another friend.
Just someone for undercover,
Every now and then.

Cause I've had too many heartaches,
And I've shed too many tears,
And I spent too many lonely nights,
Over all these years...

Since my one true love left me
On a cold and balmy night
And the waves came crashin round me
And now I just can't find the light.

So many new songs by local artists running around these days. That was cool. Now if only the live music scene would flower and grow to what it was rumoured to be back in the day. To hear the older set speak, the music scene must have really been something around here at one time.

(9:45 pm Wednesday Nov 07, 2007)

*** In The Very Spacious Salon Of A Mega Yacht Out On The Waters

The yacht is moving through the sea at a steady clip. A bow wave with dolphins adding to her beauty.

(10:03 pm Wednesday Nov 07, 2007)

The yacht anchours off Goulding Cay and not long after, several people enter the water. The leave the surface and descend, but no bubbles rise to the surface.

(10:10 pm Wednesday Nov 07, 2007)

*** Inside of an unspecified dark space.

The space is in darkness and everything is indistinct, there is a faint, greenish, biological glow here and there about the walls.

There are people hear in the darkness.

"Ladies," says a familiar voice, "we have made good progress over the last few days, but we will soon reach a point where we will have to reach a decision. I know that so far, we have not been able to agree on how best to proceed, but we must choose a course of action soon."

"What do you suggest sister?"

"Well, we knew this treasure map would surface again one day and that we would have to act when it did. Luckily, we were able to head things off very early in the game. Still, I fear we may ultimately have been too late to cover things over once again. Naturally, the treasure is not the issue. If it was, we could just let these men have their toys and be done with it. Sure, it would hurt to lose that amount of our treasure, but it would not be a real problem. It is the danger of the other things that the treasure hunters might discover that is my chief concern."

"I say we eliminate the problems at the source."

"No,that is not our way! I say we find a way to move enough of the treasure far enough away to eliminate the danger and let an alternate map be found."

"Sisters, we have had these discussions. And we know there are really no good solutions for us. Either of your suggestions is fraught with dangers of the first order. Surely we can imagine some other solution to our dilemma."

(10:22 pm Wednesday Nov 07, 2007)

*** Inside Of A Mini - On the Road Somewhere

At a high rate of speed. Too high really.

Well I been some places
I shouldn't oughtta been last night
And I seen some things
I shouldn't oughtta seen last night
And I done some things
I shouldn't oughtta done last night
But then I came home to you
And you made everything all right.

Jack had the windows down and was enjoying the cool air on his face. It helped him think. He felt good. He felt alive. He had reached some decisions tonight and he was moving forward. He was on the way to Windsor Field to see a friend and arrange some time in a plane. Then he would swing over by another friend's place on the lake and see if he could arrange for some time in a float place as well. Might as well shoot for the moon at this point. Not that there was much of a moon about these days.

Wake up and sing me a song
And tell me that you'll love me all day long
And through the night until the morning comes again

Rise up and play me a tune
The kind of music makes a young man swoon
And pledge his heart beneath the summer moon again

Step up and give me a kiss
Soft and sweet from tender lips I've missed
Then turn right round and kiss me again and again

Jump up and give me your heart
Give it all I don't want just a part

Screeeeeeeechhhhhhhhhhh......!

Jack came around a bend and came face to face with some car in his lane side by side racing another car in the other lane. Jack got acquainted with the pine trees.

(10:35 pm Wednesday Nov 07, 2007)

*** A Lonely Room

A lonely room where a tired eyed author is nearing quota for the night. And once again this is not likely to be a day of romping merrily past quota. There is a good chance that this is going to be a hit the quota and stop kind of day. Sort of like Jack and the Mini and the pine fresh scent.

Poor Jack, he just can't really seem to get untracked.

And what are these women on the mega yacht planning?

And who is this man in the basement?

Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Zero. Blast off!

(10:40 pm Wednesday Nov 07, 2007)