Saturday, September 25, 2010
Help build this story:
Dana Hood had a fun idea. She wrote the first two paragraphs of a story and posted them in the comment section of an earlier entry. The idea was for other SCRIBE folks to add to the story a paragraph or two at a time. But nobody joined in! So I'm bumping it up into the main page in hopes that some of you will participate. Read what's been written so far and then add to it by clicking on the "Comments" link. A new window will open; write your stuff and click the "Post Comment" button. I'll put Dana's original opening in the first comment spot. Let's see how long a story we can write as a team!
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He walked into the tavern not knowing what to expect. The note said that the person he was supposed to meet would know him, so he had no idea who might be waiting.
ReplyDeleteWandering the tavern and locking eyes with one lonely patron after another, he deduced from the blank expression in each of their rum-soaked pairs of eyes that the person who sent the note must not yet be here. Choosing a table in the back, not precisely by the door, but close enough for him to slip out should the situation become uncomfortable, Mike sat to wait for the person who held his fate in their hands.
About an hour had passed and Mike was about to leave when a very short and very wide woman stopped at his table. " You are mike" she said, "and I have a very important message for you".
ReplyDeleteMike looked from purple hair to her her dull brown eyes and then to the multicolored flower dress with the green ruffle. He wanted to ask if the circus was in town but instead said, "For some reason I was expecting someone different. I am running out of time, so what is it you have to tell me?"
"I've been sent by someone who wants to meet you," she said, eyes darting around the room, looking to see if anyone was watching. "Someone from your family."
ReplyDeleteMike's heart fluttered for a second before he said, "Who?" Sweat was forming on her brow as she nervously continued, "I can't tell you yet. But it's important. Your life might be in danger."
Mike felt the hair raise on the back of his neck as he remembered the strange phone call he had received a year ago in the middle of the night. His cell phone had rung at 3:00 a.m., jolting him awake to a call marked "Private." When he answered groggily "hello," the caller whispered in a husky voice, "Be careful. You're life is in danger. Be aware of your surroundings and suspicious people." The caller hung up quickly, leaving Mike to think it had just been a prank call.
The strange woman looked around the tavern furtively, then dropped something on the table before she turned and left the building. Mike looked at the object; it was an origami bird, folded from a sheet of light green paper. Holding the fragile thing, Mike pulled the bird's head with one hand and its tail with the other. The paper bird flapped its wings and Mike felt a faint smile flicker across his lips.
ReplyDeleteAs he turned the bird at different angles, continuing to cause the wings to flap, he noticed some markings inside one wing--the letters "ere to" in black ink. He carefully unfolded the origami bird and saw that the inside of the paper bore several handwritten lines.
Carefully, Mike unfolded the bird. He had heard of birds carrying messages, but he had never heard of a bird that was the message. He was surprised to see that the cleverly crafted toy had begun as a perfect square of green paper. On it were the words: Go from here to the section of the zoo where this belongs. Mike stared at the note. Where was the paper section of the zoo, he puzzled? Then like a bolt from a cattle prod it him. The bird section!! Of course! Every zoo had a bird section in it, and that’s why whoever had folded this note had folded it in the form of a bird. It wasn't just a toy it was a clue!! But before he would make his way to the zoo he had something he had to take care of first. He would refold the paper into the bird.
ReplyDeleteTwo hours and five beers later the bird was once again flapping its wings. Proud of himself for both deciphering the note and refolding it, he headed to the door with a smug smile. He noticed that the drunk homeless woman huddled in the corner was looking a lot better on the way out than she did on the way in. Once outside he spotted a young girl, maybe six, maybe seven. She reminded him of his own daughter when she had been that age, but that was a long time ago. How old was Debbie now? Maybe eight, maybe nine years old. He wasn't sure, but he thought this one might like the toy. He walked over to the child and bent down. He made the wings flap for the girl. She looked unsure. Mike smiled and said, "Here, its for you."
The girl continued staring and without looking up said, "I'll go and find Jimmy."
"Jimmy? Who's Jimmy," Mike asked?
"He's the retarded kid that lives next me. Maybe he'll want it." The girl turned and walked away. She didn't just look like Debbie after all, Mike thought. He turned too, toward the zoo.
The zoo looked like he had remembered it, although it had been years since he had last visited. Again, his thoughts drifted off to Debbie. If I had been a good father, I would have taken Debbie to the zoo by now. He stubbed his toe on a rock as he walked in and all thoughts of Debbie left as he cursed his clumsiness and the pain in his big toe.
ReplyDeleteThe zoo smelled like he remembered too. In the hot sun, he could smell manure, hay and the sweat of the sea of people meandering slowly on the paths between the animals. "Which way to the birds?," he thought. He tried to read the signs with the bright sun shining into his eyes, sweat drippig off his brow, as he finally found the words "Aviary Exhibit" on a sign pointing to the left.
He hadn't gone far when he saw the pink flamingos standing lazily in the water pond.
Steam was almost rising from the water from the heat. Every zoo has pink flamingos, he thought, seeing feathers of different colors and sizes within the exhibit. He wandered into the caged "Aviary Exhibit," with trees and fauna meant to look like a rain forest but not quite carrying it off, not knowing what to expect.
As he looked up into the trees, he stubbed his big toe again. "Damn!," he swore outloud as the pain shot up his foot for a second time in just a few minutes. A mother shuttled her two young children away from him as she glared at him for cursing in their presence. Mike just shrugged his shoulders and nodded at her with a look of chagrin as he continued to walk through the "forest." Something caught his eye at the base of a statute of a giant bald eagle - a brown piece of paper. As he picked it up, he saw that it was folded to look like a gorilla. "What the . . .?" he thought as he saw it too had writing on the inside of the folds.
"Good for you, Eagle Eye. Don't make a monkey of yourself." The note was smeared and obviously written in haste.
ReplyDelete"Someone's playing games," Mike thought. "But who? why?" He had no choice; it's best to know than not know. As he half-walked/half-ran to the far side of the zoo he needed no sign to direct his path. The odor grew stronger as he neared the big apes.
"Why can't someone invent a giant 'odor eater' in the shape of a beautiful shrub for a zoo?" he thought.
ReplyDeleteThe first enclosures he passed housed small, chattering groups of monkeys. They were grooming one another diligently but several looked up at Mike. He gave them his best monkey face, stuck his tongue out and sauntered on to the large primate area. He was ready for the next origami animal.
The impressive silver-backed gorilla made eye contact with Mike establishing his position as the alpha male.
The nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach, what is it about that purple haired messenger and light green orgami bird , did my 3am mystery caller have a fetish with colors ? or was I being manipulated down a directed path? The question in my stomach that I hadn’t understood yet, Hummm... events hadn’t completely emerged ? . Why is my 3 am caller from a year ago then warning me “ your life is in danger” just now getting back to me ? NOTHING , NOTHING for a year ? Who’s orchestrating this ? Why and what could this be about ? I don’t know to still feel endangered. As quickly as events are occurring now I will.....
ReplyDelete"Oh, hell," Mike muttered to himself as he sat down on the shaded bench just outside the gorilla's cage. Mike found it hard to concentrate with the over-powering aroma in the air. He had to get off his throbbing toe and swollen foot for a moment. For some unknown reason the effects of the accident he suffered so many years earlier kept creeping back into his life at unexpected moments. This time all it took was stubbing his toe.
ReplyDeleteHe suddenly remembered the colorful young woman saying it was a family member who wanted to contact him. "A family member... A family member? Could that include my fraternity brothers?" Mike wondered.
Mike sensed rather than felt a presence behind him. He felt a hand on his shoulder and a male voice said, "Don't turn around. Do you remember your cousin Jon?" "Yes," Mike said. "He was working for the government and was killed about a year ago." "He was working for the CIA but he wasn't killed," the voice said. "He went undercover. Part of what he was working on involved a national security matter. Do you remember the last time you saw him?" Mike thought about it. "I think it was about three years ago...he came to my house one night." "He left something at your house without your knowledge," the voice said. "Now he needs it back, but the enemy has found that you might have it. That is why he needs to talk to you and why your life may be in danger. Go back to the bird section of the zoo. Buy some birdseed from the vending machine. He will find you there."
ReplyDeleteHurriedly, throwing off the discomfort of throbbing toes and the increasingly acrid smell of animal waste, Mike made his way back to the aviary exhibit. Dutifully, he purchased the seed and idly began to cast it about for the increasingly thick throng of birds gathered about him for a quick and easy meal.
ReplyDelete"You follow directions well."
Without turning, Mike recognized the low rasp of Jon's voice over his shoulder. "Yes, well - I don't appreciate the cloak and dagger bit."
"You will. The people who are after the object I left in your home will stop at nothing to find it. That includes taking out anyone who gets in their way. Jenna and Debbie included."
"Well, they can have Jenna..." Mike joked.
The hiss of annoyance from Jon was loud and clear. "This is no laughing matter. Your ex and your daughter are in just as much danger as you are. I can help protect them but..." he trailed off, making Mike turn to see the cousin he'd loved from childhood. Mike craned his neck to make out the shadowy figure. "But what?"
"I need your help, Mikey." Jon stepped from the shadows of the hedge that lined the aviary. "I'm in deep cover. I can't just waltz up to your house, get the item and leave. I'm supposed to be dead. And for good reason. If they find out I'm still alive...well. It won't be good for anyone."
"Just what the hell did you hide in my house? And what were you thinking? Why drag me into this...this...whatever this is, some kind of Spy Vs. Spy adventure?"
ReplyDelete"I was being watched, Mikey. They had not yet connected me with you, so I had to place the item before they learned you were related to me. I never intended for it to remain there for more than a few days, but...well, you know what happened."
"Yeah, you got killed. Thanks for letting me mourn for nothing. Couldn't you have sent me an email or something to let me know you weren't pushing up daisies?"
"It was too dangerous to contact you. If I had told you I was alive, or if I'd told you what I hid in your house, you might not have been able to keep it to yourself. You're a lousy poker player for that reason."
"So what's in my house? And I guess it's a good thing I didn't decide to move somewhere else, huh?"
"If you had, the item would have moved with you. You'd never know it was there."
"Look, Jon, I love you man, but I'm getting too old and out of shape for this spy stuff. Just tell me what you want me to do, what I need to do, to protect Debby. . and you, of course, although, I'm not all that worried about you since I thought you were already dead. I'm not mourning you a second time."
ReplyDeleteJon laughed softly under his breath at his cousin "Mikey." Always a cynic and never too interested in helping anyone but himself, Jon thought. That's exactly why Jon started calling Mike "Mikey" when they were kids. Just to humble him a bit. . . and of course, to get under his skin. "I've left a message by the flamingos. It has an address on it. Taped to the bottom of the third drawer of your dresser you will find a small key. Mail that key to the address. That's all. Think you can do that in the memory of your poor dead cousin?"
"Yeah, sure, whatever. . .Can I get the hell out of this heat and manure smellin' place now? I hear a brew calling my name at Joe's Tavern and my feet hurt like hell."
"Sure thing Mikey. I always knew I could count on you to go the extra mile for me bro'. You take care, dude, hear me?"
"Yeah, no problem. You too. Take care I mean. Or whatever since I won't know if you don't take care, right? Crap, I always knew you were going to turn out weird, Jon. Nice seein' you again though, I guess. Hugs?" Mike asked as he reluctantly held his arms out toward Jon.
"No, dude, I think we better skip the hugs and get you out of this heat. You're turning beet red and dripping sweat like a popcicle. Bye now," and with that, Jon was gone, disappearing into the brush with barely a breeze.
Mike wiped the sweat from his brow as he looked around for the flamingos. "Jeez, I should have asked him where he left the dumb message. This stuff is going to kill me yet," he mumbled as he searched the ground for the message.