Danger - A Safe Bahamian Novel - Day 10

Danger - A Safe Bahamian Novel - Day 10

(7:23 am Saturday Nov 10, 2007)

*** A Lonely Room

And the day ran away with the time.

Yes, gentle reader, the day ran away with the time...

And time is messing about again. Twisting and turning, hemming and hawing. Folding into shapes inspired by some Japanese expert. Rushing forward and then stopping cold. Messing about with the brains of authors all over the world I would venture to say. Certainly messing about with the brain of this particular in this particular lonely room here on this rock.

(10:55 am Saturday Nov 10, 2007)

*** Shack Near Beach

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.

Well I wont be your part time lover,
And I wont be your part time friend,
What I need is you forever -
If you want to be my man.

So don't come round me with your lines
And your slippery fake man plans
Cause I'm looking for a real man
Who's not afraid to take a stand

(11:14 am Saturday Nov 10, 2007)

*** A Lonely Room

It looks bad gentle reader... I may need your help. This is trying to be one of those days. Not quite as bad, one of those days as yesterday was, but one of those days none the less.

These words, these oh so precious words are playing games and getting on my nerves. And the procrastination bug keeps trying to bite. To stick his proboscis into me somewhere tender and suck out all of my valuable time and energy, leaving me a shambling husk of a man. A wordless being of despair.

This lack of a plot and lack of a plan this year is really putting a wall in front of me each day. I think I may really need your help to get by this problem this year. I tell you what. If you are reading this safe book before it is finished then it would be wonderful if you could add your thoughts and comments and plot suggestions. That way, if this bug keeps biting me, I may be able to slog through the swampy jungle despite the setbacks. I may even be able to come through the swampy jungle at some point and climb into the cool, fresh air of the lofty mountains where the words flow in cool streams of thought. bright, sparkling streams of healthy, fresh words.

Ah, what a lovely dream as I slog through the mud, muck, and mire here in this dismal swamp. The heat is oppressive. The bugs like monsters. The light dim and inconclusive. Fear and loathing blossom. Help! help, gentle reader. I need a rescue. Where, oh where have my true words gone?

(11:26 am Saturday Nov 10, 2007)

*** Beach Near Shack Near Beach ~;-)

After the song had ended, Sam and Reg had decided to go down to the beach for a swim.

Now, Sam was not sure why. They started out at an easy pace heading west, around the point and along the rocks. After about a mile, Reg had picked up the pace and Sam had struggled to keep up.

"Hey! Slow down! I am not a fish like everyone else around here always seems to be. Let's take a rest."

"You rest up Sam. I think I see something interesting just a bit further on. I am just going to check it out and will head back in a bit."

And that was that really. Reg went on and Sam stopped to rest. Standing on the grassy bottom and breathing deeply. He kept his eyes on Reg swimming smoothly along the rocks.

When was he going to stop?

Then Reg disappeared from sight around a small point.

Sam waited, but he never came back.

Finally, Sam got worried that something had happened to him. Perhaps he was hurt? Perhaps he had run into a shark? Everyone made fun of Sam with his thoughts of sharks, but he could not help it. Those fish grew large and they had sharp teeth. Even the small ones could take a nice bite out of you if you didn't take care. The big ones could pretty much do what they liked with you. Thinking about them never made him feel good.

Never the less, Sam set off to the west again at a slow and steady tortoise pace. After a good while, he rounded the small point but Reg was no where to be seen. Sam began to have uneasy feelings. He was feeling spooked. He headed in to the rocks and gingerly climbed out of the water. He did not want to be lunch for any fish today. No thank you. This was gonna hurt. Just climbing out up the sharp rocks hurt already. The thought of the pain ahead, getting home over that stretch of sharp rocks almost tempted him back into the water, but then a mental image of a mouth full of teeth opening and getting closer to him changed his mind for him. Not today thanks.

(12:22 pm Saturday Nov 10, 2007)

*** A Lonely Room

Nooooo! What is going on today? Why can't I find a groove? Why all the distractions? Oops! Here's another one now. Be back in a bit gentle reader...

Back. I almost forgot that my cup of tea was steeping. It was sitting there for so long that is is just barely luke warm right now. Oh, well, I guess it will boost me up with that extra strength. (Well, we shall see about that.)

(12:27 pm Saturday Nov 10, 2007)

*** Shack Near Beach

Sam finally made it back to the shack to see jack sitting on the porch catching the breeze.

"Hey Sam, what's up? I thought Reg was supposed to be here with you today. Did Ronnie come by and get him for some reason? Ouch, your feet look like a major mess. Why have you been walking over the rocks? Are you OK?"

Sam practically threw himself down onto the porch groaning.

"Reg and I decided to go swimming. We sent west along the shore. You know me and swimming. I got a bit tired and stopped for a short rest. Reg was out ahead of me a bit. I told him to wait up but he said he saw something just a bit ahead and went on to see what it was. He got a bit out of sight around a point. After he didn't come back, I swam around there myself but didn't see him. I got a spooky feeling like something bad was up so I got out quickly. Jack, I think a shark might have taken him. I'm sorry."

"You and your sharks Sam. More likely, he saw his chance to get away and took it."

"He wouldn't do that Jack."

"Sam, you are too trusting. I keep telling you that."

"Don't give me the hair and palm story again Jack, I have heard it enough."

"I would have figured you had heard it more than enough too Sam, but from the looks of things, I may need to tell it to you a whole lot more."

"Whatever you do, just don't tell me again now please."

(12:52 pm Saturday Nov 10, 2007)

Jack went in and mucked about inside for a while while Sam lay on the porch and tried to enjoy the cool breeze while groaning in pain on account of his feet.

After a while, Jack came out again with a pan of water. Steam was rising from the surface of the water. He rested it down on the porch in front of a bench.

"Here Sam, sit down and soak those feet in one of my granny's secrets."

"What's in that water Jack."

"Your mind must be going from the pain. Have I ever told you one of my granny's secrets?"

"Gotta try Jack, gotta try. Anyway, your granny's secrets are nothing to my granny's secrets."

"Sam! Wake up!" shouts jack as he slaps Sam in the face.

Sam looks at him like he is crazy. "Why in the world did you do that Jack!"

"I just figured you must have been dreaming to say such a stupid thing is all Sam."

"One day you are going to hit me too hard when you are messing about like that Jack, ma boy, and then... Thass all she wrote."

Jack goes to slap him again but he is ready and blocks the blow. Unfortunately, his swift counter strike comes no where near its intended target, Jack's nose.

Perhaps one day he would get in a lucky blow on that joker. He hoped that when that day came, it would be hard enough to leave a memory but not hard enough to do any permanent damage in the physical sense. He wouldn't mind putting a permanent hurting on that guys self assurance mind you. Jack was just too elusive.

(1:08 pm Saturday Nov 10, 2007)

*** The Andros Barrier Reef, A Mega Yacht Lies Anchoured On The Edge

The yacht is seemingly deserted. No one is aboard.

*** A Lonely Room

Now gentle reader, what comes next may strain some of your literary powers. You will perhaps need a well developed ability to suspend your disbelief for what follows.

Sorry about that. But sometimes these things happen.

*** The Andros Barrier Reef, A Mega Yacht Lies Anchoured On The Edge

The women are not on the yacht. But this is not some Bermuda Triangle mystery - well, not as most people understand such mysteries. Sixty feet down the wall here there is an opening in amongst the corals that looks very much like many other such openings is such walls. But this one is different.

You go in, you go down, you go right, you go left, you go up. You come to a dead end. It is what is behind the dead end that is interesting.

A well concealed air lock. Large enough to hold a party of twenty fully kitted out divers all at once.

Behind the air lock, things get even more interesting.

Back here is what was obviously one of the famous Bahamian underwater cave systems, but this one is no longer flooded. Back here is a wonder land of stalactites and stalagmites. But it is more than just a natural wonder land here. It is a man made wonderland as well. A careful examination of the construction will reveal something strange though. Some of the construction had to have been done before the formation of the stalactites and stalagmites. Very strange, very strange indeed.

As to the modern construction, there is a great hall, a palace of apartments and communal sleeping quarters. Recreation areas, kitchens. There is also a command centre and a most modern network operations centre.

Most of this vast underground/underwater complex is also deserted. The women from the yacht are the only ones down here at this point in time. They are all currently in the NOC.

This room is amazing for its location and time. The ceiling must be fifty feet above the floor. One wall is a semi circle. From a height of about ten feet up to twenty feet, there is large screen upon larger screen of computer displays showing graphs and pages of tabular numbers and text.

In the center of these screens are even larger screens showing views of the earth, the moon, and mars with transparent bars and data overlaid upon the images.

Above the computer display area, is a huge video wall area. While the screen area below shows obvious individual screens, this area seems all in one.

(2:38 pm Saturday Nov 10, 2007)

*** A Lonely Room

Well, gentle reader, I have managed to get to today's minimum self assigned quota. Now I have to get at least half of yesterday's missed quota out of the way, preferably the whole of yesterday's missed quota. Wouldn't that be nice? It would be even nicer if I could not only do that but also do the double weekend quota that I was hoping for before this month started. Honestly though, that is seriously unlikely to happen. It would take some sort of major breakthrough for me to get anywhere even close to such a word count today.

Especially with how I am feeling right now and how things have been going this month.

(2:43 pm Saturday Nov 10, 2007)

*** Underwater Network Operations Centre, Andros Barrier Reef

Moon Daughter speaks to someone outside of a base on the dark side of the moon, "Sister, I need that work there finished up before another week passes. We are running into unexpected issues here in the islands and we need to finish things up here and get out of here until things quiet down again. Unfortunately, we can't leave here until you finish up where you are."

"We should be able to finish up in another two or three days Moon Daughter, then we will head out and join our team on the Red Planet."

"Good, let me know when you think you are twenty four hours from completion."

"Will do sister, good luck to you down there."

Moon Daughter watches as her sister turns and enters a sort of hatch in the surface of the moon. The hatch begins to close but before it can close completely, what looks to be a pot cake scoots in behind her sister in the nick of time. Moon Daughter smiles to herself and sits for a minute in silence.

"OK, sisters, reports."

(3:22 pm Saturday Nov 10, 2007)

*** A Lonely Room

Hey, gentle reader. This is still tough. Just when you think you might be getting on a roll, BAM! You run up on brakes again. It really hurts. And it is mentally draining to boot.

*** Shack Near Beach

Jack and Sam have moved inside the shack. Ronnie shows up with Reg in tow.

Music is playing on the stereo.

See me there in your mirror
Turn around and I'm gone
Meet me there in your memories
Though the pain lingers on

See me there in the valley
Turn around and I'm gone
Meet me there by the river
Though the pain still flows on

See me there on the hilltop
Turn around and I'm gone
Meet me there in the morning
Though the pain lingers on

See me there in the moonlight
Turn around and I'm gone
Meet me there by the sea shore
Though the pain lingers on

See me there in your mirror
Turn around and I'm gone
Meet me there in your memories
Though the pain lingers on

When Sam sees Reg, he struggles to his feet and makes for him. "You are gonna wish it was a shark that got you when I am done with you mabeezo."

Reg, tries to head back outside, but Ronnie blocks the door. "Shark, what shark?" smile Reg. "What are you talking about Sam?"

"Where did you hight tail it to. Answer me that Reg. Why did you never come back? Huh? Trying to run off after I trusted you?"

"Excuse me Sam. I am the kidnap victim here and you guys are the kidnappers. That's a pretty heavy crime to have hanging over you isn't it?"

Jack laughs. LOUD!

All eyes turn to him. "What?" says Ronnie?"

"He is right, you know," says Sam.

"Right! Right my left foot!" says Jack. "He is about as right as wrong can get maybe, but that is far from right."

He turns to look directly into Reg's eyes, "And you my good man, don't try pulling anything like that again. And don't try to play the innocent one. It is you and your crew who came around bothering me and mine and you are not going to change that fact. Not for all the tea in China. Do I make myself clear?"

I'm not afraid of Tuesday night
And I won't love a woman
Who can't pick a fight

Tuesday is fine but Wednesday is right
And I can't love a woman
Who won't end a fight

Fish on the left and birds on the right
There's dogs in the sky
Love's fading from sight

No I'm not afraid of Tuesday night
And I won't sit alone
My heart is too bright

Now you're here with my, Saturday night
You're smelling so fine
And I'm feeling alright

Jack heads outside and down to the beach, thinking that those guys must have been a bit whacked when they wrote that one.

(6:20 pm Saturday Nov 10, 2007)

*** A Lonely Room

How is that for some world class procrastination gentle reader? And it gets worse. I had just fully decided not to go with the band to the gig tonight and called my buddy to tell him as I was making dinner. I stayed home alone while my family went out to dinner just so I could try and write and get ahead. So I cut some bread and put it in the toaster oven and was going through my sandwich ingredients options while calling. I get him on the line and tell him I am not going and what happens? Not hard to guess is it? Not too much suspense right?

He talked me into going.

At least I will get a nice dinner that I don't have to cook for myself. I think I will take something to write on in case I feel like slipping out of the ball and writing in some quiet spot.

I have to be ready by about eight pm. I have to shave, shower, and dress before then. So I have to write fast if I want to at least make one and a half days worth of words before I go.

Just in case I can't find a place to put pen to paper down at the hotel tonight.

Hmmm, what to take to write in? This clip board sitting in front of me will not do.